• OpenAI Commits to Giant U.A.E. Data Center in Global Expansion

    The Stargate UAE project is part of a push by the Gulf petrostate to become a big player in artificial intelligence.
    #openai #commits #giant #uae #data
    OpenAI Commits to Giant U.A.E. Data Center in Global Expansion
    The Stargate UAE project is part of a push by the Gulf petrostate to become a big player in artificial intelligence. #openai #commits #giant #uae #data
    OpenAI Commits to Giant U.A.E. Data Center in Global Expansion
    www.wsj.com
    The Stargate UAE project is part of a push by the Gulf petrostate to become a big player in artificial intelligence.
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  • Tesla crushed in Europe as BYD outsells; BEV sales surge 28%

    oops

    Tesla crushed in Europe as BYD outsells; BEV sales surge 28%

    Tesla sales fell 49 percent year over year in April.

    Jonathan M. Gitlin



    May 22, 2025 9:52 am

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    79

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    The extent of Tesla's meteoric decline in popularity is on vivid display in the latest new car registration numbers coming out of Europe. New car sales were essentially flat in the region last month, with just under 1,400 more cars sold this year than last. But the market is far from static; plug-in sales are booming, with battery electric vehicle registrations up by 28 percent according to the analysts at JATO Dynamics, and plug-in hybrid EV sales increased by 31 percent. Almost every automaker has capitalized on this growth, with a few exceptions—Tesla being the most significant.
    As the first mainstream BEV-only brand, Tesla led the way in European EV sales and made much of the fact that its Model Y crossover was the best-selling car in Europe for some time. Those days are long gone. Model Y registrations fell by 53 percent last month to just 4,495 units, dropping it to 9th on the list of most-registered BEVs. First place went to the Skoda Elroq, followed by VW's ID.3, ID.7, ID.4, and the new Kia EV3.

    When you look at sales at the brand level, things get a little worse for the American automaker. Volkswagen sold more EVs than anyone else in Europe last month, increasing by 61 percent to 23,514 units. As for Tesla? It fell to 11th place, with just 7,165 sales in total, a 49 percent decrease year on year.
    Beating it to 10th place was China's BYD. Barred from the US market by protectionist laws and now heavy new tariffs, BYD has focused instead on Europe. Its PHEVs have been selling strongly there, unaffected by tariffs aimed at BEVs, but even its BEV sales have now eclipsed Tesla, with 7,231 registrations last month.
    "Although the difference between the two brands' monthly sales totals may be small, the implications are enormous," said Felipe Munoz, global analyst at JATO Dynamics. "This is a watershed moment for Europe's car market, particularly when you consider that Tesla has led the European BEV market for years, while BYD only officially began operations beyond Norway and the Netherlands in late 2022."

    Jonathan M. Gitlin
    Automotive Editor

    Jonathan M. Gitlin
    Automotive Editor

    Jonathan is the Automotive Editor at Ars Technica. He has a BSc and PhD in Pharmacology. In 2014 he decided to indulge his lifelong passion for the car by leaving the National Human Genome Research Institute and launching Ars Technica's automotive coverage. He lives in Washington, DC.

    79 Comments
    #tesla #crushed #europe #byd #outsells
    Tesla crushed in Europe as BYD outsells; BEV sales surge 28%
    oops Tesla crushed in Europe as BYD outsells; BEV sales surge 28% Tesla sales fell 49 percent year over year in April. Jonathan M. Gitlin – May 22, 2025 9:52 am | 79 Credit: Getty Images Credit: Getty Images Story text Size Small Standard Large Width * Standard Wide Links Standard Orange * Subscribers only   Learn more The extent of Tesla's meteoric decline in popularity is on vivid display in the latest new car registration numbers coming out of Europe. New car sales were essentially flat in the region last month, with just under 1,400 more cars sold this year than last. But the market is far from static; plug-in sales are booming, with battery electric vehicle registrations up by 28 percent according to the analysts at JATO Dynamics, and plug-in hybrid EV sales increased by 31 percent. Almost every automaker has capitalized on this growth, with a few exceptions—Tesla being the most significant. As the first mainstream BEV-only brand, Tesla led the way in European EV sales and made much of the fact that its Model Y crossover was the best-selling car in Europe for some time. Those days are long gone. Model Y registrations fell by 53 percent last month to just 4,495 units, dropping it to 9th on the list of most-registered BEVs. First place went to the Skoda Elroq, followed by VW's ID.3, ID.7, ID.4, and the new Kia EV3. When you look at sales at the brand level, things get a little worse for the American automaker. Volkswagen sold more EVs than anyone else in Europe last month, increasing by 61 percent to 23,514 units. As for Tesla? It fell to 11th place, with just 7,165 sales in total, a 49 percent decrease year on year. Beating it to 10th place was China's BYD. Barred from the US market by protectionist laws and now heavy new tariffs, BYD has focused instead on Europe. Its PHEVs have been selling strongly there, unaffected by tariffs aimed at BEVs, but even its BEV sales have now eclipsed Tesla, with 7,231 registrations last month. "Although the difference between the two brands' monthly sales totals may be small, the implications are enormous," said Felipe Munoz, global analyst at JATO Dynamics. "This is a watershed moment for Europe's car market, particularly when you consider that Tesla has led the European BEV market for years, while BYD only officially began operations beyond Norway and the Netherlands in late 2022." Jonathan M. Gitlin Automotive Editor Jonathan M. Gitlin Automotive Editor Jonathan is the Automotive Editor at Ars Technica. He has a BSc and PhD in Pharmacology. In 2014 he decided to indulge his lifelong passion for the car by leaving the National Human Genome Research Institute and launching Ars Technica's automotive coverage. He lives in Washington, DC. 79 Comments #tesla #crushed #europe #byd #outsells
    Tesla crushed in Europe as BYD outsells; BEV sales surge 28%
    arstechnica.com
    oops Tesla crushed in Europe as BYD outsells; BEV sales surge 28% Tesla sales fell 49 percent year over year in April. Jonathan M. Gitlin – May 22, 2025 9:52 am | 79 Credit: Getty Images Credit: Getty Images Story text Size Small Standard Large Width * Standard Wide Links Standard Orange * Subscribers only   Learn more The extent of Tesla's meteoric decline in popularity is on vivid display in the latest new car registration numbers coming out of Europe. New car sales were essentially flat in the region last month, with just under 1,400 more cars sold this year than last. But the market is far from static; plug-in sales are booming, with battery electric vehicle registrations up by 28 percent according to the analysts at JATO Dynamics, and plug-in hybrid EV sales increased by 31 percent. Almost every automaker has capitalized on this growth, with a few exceptions—Tesla being the most significant. As the first mainstream BEV-only brand, Tesla led the way in European EV sales and made much of the fact that its Model Y crossover was the best-selling car in Europe for some time. Those days are long gone. Model Y registrations fell by 53 percent last month to just 4,495 units, dropping it to 9th on the list of most-registered BEVs. First place went to the Skoda Elroq, followed by VW's ID.3, ID.7, ID.4, and the new Kia EV3. When you look at sales at the brand level, things get a little worse for the American automaker. Volkswagen sold more EVs than anyone else in Europe last month, increasing by 61 percent to 23,514 units. As for Tesla? It fell to 11th place, with just 7,165 sales in total, a 49 percent decrease year on year. Beating it to 10th place was China's BYD. Barred from the US market by protectionist laws and now heavy new tariffs, BYD has focused instead on Europe. Its PHEVs have been selling strongly there, unaffected by tariffs aimed at BEVs, but even its BEV sales have now eclipsed Tesla, with 7,231 registrations last month. "Although the difference between the two brands' monthly sales totals may be small, the implications are enormous," said Felipe Munoz, global analyst at JATO Dynamics. "This is a watershed moment for Europe's car market, particularly when you consider that Tesla has led the European BEV market for years, while BYD only officially began operations beyond Norway and the Netherlands in late 2022." Jonathan M. Gitlin Automotive Editor Jonathan M. Gitlin Automotive Editor Jonathan is the Automotive Editor at Ars Technica. He has a BSc and PhD in Pharmacology. In 2014 he decided to indulge his lifelong passion for the car by leaving the National Human Genome Research Institute and launching Ars Technica's automotive coverage. He lives in Washington, DC. 79 Comments
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  • Giant boulder on clifftop in Tonga was carried by a 50-metre-high wave

    Martin Köhler stands in front of the Maka Lahi boulder in TongaMartin Köhler/University of Queensland
    A 1200-tonne boulder in Tonga was swept inland when a 50-metre-high wave slammed into a 30-metre-tall cliff.
    “This is not just a boulder; it’s the biggest wave-lifted boulder ever found on a cliff and the third largest boulder in the world, so it really needed gigantic forces to move it that far across such a high place,” says Martin Köhler at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia.
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    While the boulder has long been known to some locals as Maka Lahi, which means large rock, it had never before been studied by scientists.
    Köhler and his colleagues were conducting fieldwork in Tonga in July 2024 looking for boulders deposited by tsunamis on cliffs. On their final day in the Pacific nation, villagers told them of a boulder they may wish to see.
    “We were definitely not expecting to find such a large boulder basically during the very last minute of our fieldwork and I knew quite quickly that this was a major discovery,” says Köhler.

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    At 14 metres long, 12 metres wide and nearly 7 metres high, it was a “very striking” boulder, he says, made of coral reef limestone breccia. It had eluded previous searches for possible tsunami boulders in satellite images as it had vegetation growing all over the top of it and forest around it.
    After seeing the boulder, the researchers were able to find a massive gash in the clifftop above the ocean, 200 metres away, from which they think the rock was torn.
    Next, the team used computer models to determine how such a large boulder, so high above sea level, could be moved so far inland.
    Shifting it would have required a wave with a minimum height of 50 metres and a 90-second period, meaning it would have taken a minute and a half to pass and had flow speeds of over 22 metres per second, says Köhler. It is thought that such an enormous tsunami may have been relatively localised and caused by a nearby underwater landslip.
    Dating revealed an age of 6891 years, thousands of years before human settlement of the island.
    “It was, for me, hard to believe that it was a 50-metre wave because we hadn’t really seen or known of such a large wave before,” says Köhler. “But if you think that this massive boulder is sitting 200 metres inland on a 39-metre-high cliff, then it’s easier to understand.”
    Only two tsunami-deposited boulders that have been found on land are bigger: the Obiishi rock on Shimoji-shima, Japan, which weighs 3400 tonnes, and Maui rock, which is also on Tonga, which weighs 1500 tonnes.
    Journal reference:Marine Geology DOI: 10.1016/j.margeo.2025.107567
    Topics:geology
    #giant #boulder #clifftop #tonga #was
    Giant boulder on clifftop in Tonga was carried by a 50-metre-high wave
    Martin Köhler stands in front of the Maka Lahi boulder in TongaMartin Köhler/University of Queensland A 1200-tonne boulder in Tonga was swept inland when a 50-metre-high wave slammed into a 30-metre-tall cliff. “This is not just a boulder; it’s the biggest wave-lifted boulder ever found on a cliff and the third largest boulder in the world, so it really needed gigantic forces to move it that far across such a high place,” says Martin Köhler at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia. Advertisement While the boulder has long been known to some locals as Maka Lahi, which means large rock, it had never before been studied by scientists. Köhler and his colleagues were conducting fieldwork in Tonga in July 2024 looking for boulders deposited by tsunamis on cliffs. On their final day in the Pacific nation, villagers told them of a boulder they may wish to see. “We were definitely not expecting to find such a large boulder basically during the very last minute of our fieldwork and I knew quite quickly that this was a major discovery,” says Köhler. Unmissable news about our planet delivered straight to your inbox every month. Sign up to newsletter At 14 metres long, 12 metres wide and nearly 7 metres high, it was a “very striking” boulder, he says, made of coral reef limestone breccia. It had eluded previous searches for possible tsunami boulders in satellite images as it had vegetation growing all over the top of it and forest around it. After seeing the boulder, the researchers were able to find a massive gash in the clifftop above the ocean, 200 metres away, from which they think the rock was torn. Next, the team used computer models to determine how such a large boulder, so high above sea level, could be moved so far inland. Shifting it would have required a wave with a minimum height of 50 metres and a 90-second period, meaning it would have taken a minute and a half to pass and had flow speeds of over 22 metres per second, says Köhler. It is thought that such an enormous tsunami may have been relatively localised and caused by a nearby underwater landslip. Dating revealed an age of 6891 years, thousands of years before human settlement of the island. “It was, for me, hard to believe that it was a 50-metre wave because we hadn’t really seen or known of such a large wave before,” says Köhler. “But if you think that this massive boulder is sitting 200 metres inland on a 39-metre-high cliff, then it’s easier to understand.” Only two tsunami-deposited boulders that have been found on land are bigger: the Obiishi rock on Shimoji-shima, Japan, which weighs 3400 tonnes, and Maui rock, which is also on Tonga, which weighs 1500 tonnes. Journal reference:Marine Geology DOI: 10.1016/j.margeo.2025.107567 Topics:geology #giant #boulder #clifftop #tonga #was
    Giant boulder on clifftop in Tonga was carried by a 50-metre-high wave
    www.newscientist.com
    Martin Köhler stands in front of the Maka Lahi boulder in TongaMartin Köhler/University of Queensland A 1200-tonne boulder in Tonga was swept inland when a 50-metre-high wave slammed into a 30-metre-tall cliff. “This is not just a boulder; it’s the biggest wave-lifted boulder ever found on a cliff and the third largest boulder in the world, so it really needed gigantic forces to move it that far across such a high place,” says Martin Köhler at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia. Advertisement While the boulder has long been known to some locals as Maka Lahi, which means large rock, it had never before been studied by scientists. Köhler and his colleagues were conducting fieldwork in Tonga in July 2024 looking for boulders deposited by tsunamis on cliffs. On their final day in the Pacific nation, villagers told them of a boulder they may wish to see. “We were definitely not expecting to find such a large boulder basically during the very last minute of our fieldwork and I knew quite quickly that this was a major discovery,” says Köhler. Unmissable news about our planet delivered straight to your inbox every month. Sign up to newsletter At 14 metres long, 12 metres wide and nearly 7 metres high, it was a “very striking” boulder, he says, made of coral reef limestone breccia. It had eluded previous searches for possible tsunami boulders in satellite images as it had vegetation growing all over the top of it and forest around it. After seeing the boulder, the researchers were able to find a massive gash in the clifftop above the ocean, 200 metres away, from which they think the rock was torn. Next, the team used computer models to determine how such a large boulder, so high above sea level, could be moved so far inland. Shifting it would have required a wave with a minimum height of 50 metres and a 90-second period, meaning it would have taken a minute and a half to pass and had flow speeds of over 22 metres per second, says Köhler. It is thought that such an enormous tsunami may have been relatively localised and caused by a nearby underwater landslip. Dating revealed an age of 6891 years, thousands of years before human settlement of the island. “It was, for me, hard to believe that it was a 50-metre wave because we hadn’t really seen or known of such a large wave before,” says Köhler. “But if you think that this massive boulder is sitting 200 metres inland on a 39-metre-high cliff, then it’s easier to understand.” Only two tsunami-deposited boulders that have been found on land are bigger: the Obiishi rock on Shimoji-shima, Japan, which weighs 3400 tonnes, and Maui rock, which is also on Tonga, which weighs 1500 tonnes. Journal reference:Marine Geology DOI: 10.1016/j.margeo.2025.107567 Topics:geology
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  • The best and worst celebrity outfits at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival so far

    The stars are out at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival.This year's event kicked off on May 13 with an opening ceremony and the premiere of the French film "Leave One Day." The festival will continue until May 24, providing nearly two weeks of French street style and red-carpet fashion.So far, some celebrities have turned heads in bold ensembles, while others have missed the mark with their looks.From Bella Hadid to Halle Berry, here are the best and worst looks we've seen.

    Elle Fanning's strapless gown was simple, but effective.

    Elle Fanning at the Cannes Film Festival.

    Reuters

    She walked the "Affeksjonsverdi" red carpet on Wednesday in a strapless Giorgio Armani design that looked pretty and chic.It was fitted to her body, decorated with pink rose appliqués, and completed with a plunging sweetheart neckline.

    Alex Consani wore a two-piece set that was almost perfect.

    Alex Consani at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival.

    Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP

    She arrived for "The Phoenician Scheme" screening on Sunday in a uniquely shaped Schiaparelli set.The model's structured top had a beaded, off-the-shoulder neckpiece that covered her chest and a high-low peplum waistband. Her pants, on the other hand, were oversize and wide.Though her statement blouse had potential, Consani's pants were a little too big and needed tailoring. A form-fitting skirt might have looked better with the top piece.

    Alexander Skarsgard faced a similar issue.

    Alexander Skarsgard at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival.

    Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP

    The actor could have looked classic with a traditional tuxedo for the red-carpet event, or he could have attempted a more daring style.Instead, he tried to do both at the same time.He wore a sharp Saint Laurent tux with his trousers tucked into thigh-high leather boots — a style the fashion house first revealed in its January runway show.The shoes were distracting and felt out of place with his otherwise basic look.

    Mariska Hargitay had a glamorous pink moment on Saturday.

    Mariska Hargitay at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival.

    Joel C Ryan/Invision/AP

    For the "Die, My Love" screening, Hargitay chose an off-the-shoulder gown crafted with black satin and sparkling hot-pink fabric.The color combination was sharp, the gown's straight silhouette fit the actor perfectly, and her elbow-length gloves made the outfit even more elegant.

    For the "Eddington" red carpet on Friday, Jeremy Strong should have picked a different suit.

    Jeremy Strong at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival.

    Michael Buckner/Getty Images

    His brown ensemble included a button-up shirt, a wrap blazer, straight-leg trousers, and a bow tie, all cut with raw hems.While the rough style might have worked for a different event, it looked too casual at Cannes. His black loafers were also too harsh against the lighter outfit.

    Natalie Portman showed the best of Dior.

    Natalie Portman at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival.

    Joel C Ryan/Invision/AP

    She walked the "Eddington" red carpet in a strapless, sparkling creation from the French fashion house.Its silver top was covered in sparkles and wrapped with a black bow, while its floor-length skirt had Dior's classic Junon petals.Portman accessorized the look perfectly with a bun hairstyle and a thick diamond necklace.

    Angelina Jolie's gown would have worked better in a different color.

    Angelina Jolie at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival.

    Joel C Ryan/Invision/AP

    Also on the "Eddington" red carpet, Jolie wore a strapless Brunello Cucinelli design. It had a thick floor-length skirt, a fitted bodice, and all-over sparkles that highlighted its rope texture.Though the actor looked pretty, her gown's ivory color matched her skin tone too closely and washed her out. The same dress in a pink or lilac shade could have worked better.

    Elaine Zhong stunned in a cream-colored ball gown.

    Elaine Zhong at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival.

    Gisela Schober/Getty Images

    The Chinese actor wore the strapless dress on the "Dossier 137" red carpet. Its structured bodice was decorated with beaded appliques, and its cups were shaped with flower petals.To accessorize the glamorous look, she added a sparkling diamond choker, matching earrings, a thick bracelet, and vibrant red lipstick.

    Zoe Saldaña's all-black ensemble didn't stand out.

    Zoe Saldaña at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival.

    Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP

    She attended the "Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning" red carpet in a black Saint Laurent gown.Though her sleeveless dress was classic, it was also overly simple. Statement jewels could have easily enhanced the look.She also draped a dark leather jacket around her arms, which was much more casual than the rest of her outfit.

    Araya Alberta Hargate sparkled down the same red carpet.

    Araya Hargate at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival.

    Benoit Tessier/Reuters

    She wore a crystal-covered dress that looked like it was molded to her body with its form-fitting design.Its strapless, snake-print bodice was corseted with a deep plunge down the middle, and its floor-length skirt was pink and embellished with countless sparkles.The Thai actor completed her look with a large diamond necklace crafted in the shape of leaves.

    Heidi Klum had a pearlescent moment, but it wasn't her best.

    Heidi Klum at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival.

    Joel C Ryan/Invision/AP

    Elie Saab designed the model's off-the-shoulder gown. It had a deep V-neckline, see-through stripes, and all-over sparkles in blue and purple.Some of those details might have worked on their own. But together, especially with the gown's mermaid shape, its accents made it look more theatrical than glamorous.

    Tom Cruise looked sharp in maroon.

    Tom Cruise at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival.

    Joel C Ryan/Invision/AP

    Cruise attended a promotional event for "Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning" at Cannes.In doing so, he became one of the best-dressed men at the festival so far this year.He wore a fitted, textured knit polo and matching trousers with sharp pleats. The outfit was understated and vibrant on its own, while his brown dress shoes and dark sunglasses gave it an edge.

    Halle Berry made a last-minute fashion change, but her new outfit didn't work for her.

    Halle Berry at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival.

    Reuters

    When Berry walked onto the Cannes red carpet, she wore a shapeless Jacquemus gown with a black-and-white stripe print.She later told reporters that she'd originally planned to wear an "amazing dress" from Gaurav Gupta, but had to find a new look when Cannes announced a new dress code that prohibits voluminous gowns with long trains the day before the festival began.Unfortunately for Berry, the bold dress she chose was so flowy and oversize that it seemed to wear her, when it should have been the other way around.

    Isabeli Fontana could have been mistaken for a princess in a metallic gown.

    Isabeli Fontana at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival.

    Joel C Ryan/Invision/AP

    Nicolas Jebran designed her halter gown. The form-fitting piece had knotted fabric at the hip, a floor-length skirt with a short train, and a hip-high slit that revealed her sparkling pumps.The gown was also adorned with a sparkling silver piece that covered one shoulder and was embedded with turquoise stones.The ensemble was elegant and fit Fontana perfectly.

    Bella Hadid is always one of the best-dressed stars at Cannes, but her outfit choice for the 2025 opening ceremony was underwhelming.

    Bella Hadid at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival.

    Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP

    Saint Laurent designed her sleeveless black dress with some interesting details. Its straps crisscrossed across her back to create cutouts and a deep plunge on the side of her chest.However, the front of the gown was overly simple. It had an asymmetrical neckline that looked mishapen, and a thigh-high slit that was cut too far to the side.Even her massive emerald earrings from Chopard weren't enough to make the ensemble memorable.

    Eva Longoria sparkled down the red carpet in a stunning gown.

    Eva Longoria at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival.

    Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP

    Her Tamara Ralph gown was strapless and covered in square metallic pieces that sparkled in the light as she walked.It also had velvet panels at the waist that gave the dress some shape and matched its glamorous train.Not only was the dress tailored perfectly to Longoria, but the actor also accessorized strongly. She wore a statement necklace, rings, and earrings from Pasquale Bruni.

    Irina Shayk wore a fun gown, but a different hairstyle could have elevated the whole look.

    Irina Shayk at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival.

    Joel C Ryan/Invision/AP

    The model arrived wearing a black Armani Privé gown with all-over white polka dots. It had a strapless neckline, off-the-shoulder puffed sleeves, and a full skirt.On its own, the dress was fun, frilly, and perfect for Cannes.But Shayk wore her hair styled in a dramatic shape — a bun atop a strip of pin-straight hair — that distracted from her outfit.
    #best #worst #celebrity #outfits #cannes
    The best and worst celebrity outfits at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival so far
    The stars are out at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival.This year's event kicked off on May 13 with an opening ceremony and the premiere of the French film "Leave One Day." The festival will continue until May 24, providing nearly two weeks of French street style and red-carpet fashion.So far, some celebrities have turned heads in bold ensembles, while others have missed the mark with their looks.From Bella Hadid to Halle Berry, here are the best and worst looks we've seen. Elle Fanning's strapless gown was simple, but effective. Elle Fanning at the Cannes Film Festival. Reuters She walked the "Affeksjonsverdi" red carpet on Wednesday in a strapless Giorgio Armani design that looked pretty and chic.It was fitted to her body, decorated with pink rose appliqués, and completed with a plunging sweetheart neckline. Alex Consani wore a two-piece set that was almost perfect. Alex Consani at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival. Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP She arrived for "The Phoenician Scheme" screening on Sunday in a uniquely shaped Schiaparelli set.The model's structured top had a beaded, off-the-shoulder neckpiece that covered her chest and a high-low peplum waistband. Her pants, on the other hand, were oversize and wide.Though her statement blouse had potential, Consani's pants were a little too big and needed tailoring. A form-fitting skirt might have looked better with the top piece. Alexander Skarsgard faced a similar issue. Alexander Skarsgard at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival. Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP The actor could have looked classic with a traditional tuxedo for the red-carpet event, or he could have attempted a more daring style.Instead, he tried to do both at the same time.He wore a sharp Saint Laurent tux with his trousers tucked into thigh-high leather boots — a style the fashion house first revealed in its January runway show.The shoes were distracting and felt out of place with his otherwise basic look. Mariska Hargitay had a glamorous pink moment on Saturday. Mariska Hargitay at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival. Joel C Ryan/Invision/AP For the "Die, My Love" screening, Hargitay chose an off-the-shoulder gown crafted with black satin and sparkling hot-pink fabric.The color combination was sharp, the gown's straight silhouette fit the actor perfectly, and her elbow-length gloves made the outfit even more elegant. For the "Eddington" red carpet on Friday, Jeremy Strong should have picked a different suit. Jeremy Strong at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival. Michael Buckner/Getty Images His brown ensemble included a button-up shirt, a wrap blazer, straight-leg trousers, and a bow tie, all cut with raw hems.While the rough style might have worked for a different event, it looked too casual at Cannes. His black loafers were also too harsh against the lighter outfit. Natalie Portman showed the best of Dior. Natalie Portman at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival. Joel C Ryan/Invision/AP She walked the "Eddington" red carpet in a strapless, sparkling creation from the French fashion house.Its silver top was covered in sparkles and wrapped with a black bow, while its floor-length skirt had Dior's classic Junon petals.Portman accessorized the look perfectly with a bun hairstyle and a thick diamond necklace. Angelina Jolie's gown would have worked better in a different color. Angelina Jolie at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival. Joel C Ryan/Invision/AP Also on the "Eddington" red carpet, Jolie wore a strapless Brunello Cucinelli design. It had a thick floor-length skirt, a fitted bodice, and all-over sparkles that highlighted its rope texture.Though the actor looked pretty, her gown's ivory color matched her skin tone too closely and washed her out. The same dress in a pink or lilac shade could have worked better. Elaine Zhong stunned in a cream-colored ball gown. Elaine Zhong at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival. Gisela Schober/Getty Images The Chinese actor wore the strapless dress on the "Dossier 137" red carpet. Its structured bodice was decorated with beaded appliques, and its cups were shaped with flower petals.To accessorize the glamorous look, she added a sparkling diamond choker, matching earrings, a thick bracelet, and vibrant red lipstick. Zoe Saldaña's all-black ensemble didn't stand out. Zoe Saldaña at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival. Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP She attended the "Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning" red carpet in a black Saint Laurent gown.Though her sleeveless dress was classic, it was also overly simple. Statement jewels could have easily enhanced the look.She also draped a dark leather jacket around her arms, which was much more casual than the rest of her outfit. Araya Alberta Hargate sparkled down the same red carpet. Araya Hargate at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival. Benoit Tessier/Reuters She wore a crystal-covered dress that looked like it was molded to her body with its form-fitting design.Its strapless, snake-print bodice was corseted with a deep plunge down the middle, and its floor-length skirt was pink and embellished with countless sparkles.The Thai actor completed her look with a large diamond necklace crafted in the shape of leaves. Heidi Klum had a pearlescent moment, but it wasn't her best. Heidi Klum at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival. Joel C Ryan/Invision/AP Elie Saab designed the model's off-the-shoulder gown. It had a deep V-neckline, see-through stripes, and all-over sparkles in blue and purple.Some of those details might have worked on their own. But together, especially with the gown's mermaid shape, its accents made it look more theatrical than glamorous. Tom Cruise looked sharp in maroon. Tom Cruise at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival. Joel C Ryan/Invision/AP Cruise attended a promotional event for "Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning" at Cannes.In doing so, he became one of the best-dressed men at the festival so far this year.He wore a fitted, textured knit polo and matching trousers with sharp pleats. The outfit was understated and vibrant on its own, while his brown dress shoes and dark sunglasses gave it an edge. Halle Berry made a last-minute fashion change, but her new outfit didn't work for her. Halle Berry at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival. Reuters When Berry walked onto the Cannes red carpet, she wore a shapeless Jacquemus gown with a black-and-white stripe print.She later told reporters that she'd originally planned to wear an "amazing dress" from Gaurav Gupta, but had to find a new look when Cannes announced a new dress code that prohibits voluminous gowns with long trains the day before the festival began.Unfortunately for Berry, the bold dress she chose was so flowy and oversize that it seemed to wear her, when it should have been the other way around. Isabeli Fontana could have been mistaken for a princess in a metallic gown. Isabeli Fontana at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival. Joel C Ryan/Invision/AP Nicolas Jebran designed her halter gown. The form-fitting piece had knotted fabric at the hip, a floor-length skirt with a short train, and a hip-high slit that revealed her sparkling pumps.The gown was also adorned with a sparkling silver piece that covered one shoulder and was embedded with turquoise stones.The ensemble was elegant and fit Fontana perfectly. Bella Hadid is always one of the best-dressed stars at Cannes, but her outfit choice for the 2025 opening ceremony was underwhelming. Bella Hadid at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival. Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP Saint Laurent designed her sleeveless black dress with some interesting details. Its straps crisscrossed across her back to create cutouts and a deep plunge on the side of her chest.However, the front of the gown was overly simple. It had an asymmetrical neckline that looked mishapen, and a thigh-high slit that was cut too far to the side.Even her massive emerald earrings from Chopard weren't enough to make the ensemble memorable. Eva Longoria sparkled down the red carpet in a stunning gown. Eva Longoria at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival. Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP Her Tamara Ralph gown was strapless and covered in square metallic pieces that sparkled in the light as she walked.It also had velvet panels at the waist that gave the dress some shape and matched its glamorous train.Not only was the dress tailored perfectly to Longoria, but the actor also accessorized strongly. She wore a statement necklace, rings, and earrings from Pasquale Bruni. Irina Shayk wore a fun gown, but a different hairstyle could have elevated the whole look. Irina Shayk at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival. Joel C Ryan/Invision/AP The model arrived wearing a black Armani Privé gown with all-over white polka dots. It had a strapless neckline, off-the-shoulder puffed sleeves, and a full skirt.On its own, the dress was fun, frilly, and perfect for Cannes.But Shayk wore her hair styled in a dramatic shape — a bun atop a strip of pin-straight hair — that distracted from her outfit. #best #worst #celebrity #outfits #cannes
    The best and worst celebrity outfits at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival so far
    www.businessinsider.com
    The stars are out at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival.This year's event kicked off on May 13 with an opening ceremony and the premiere of the French film "Leave One Day." The festival will continue until May 24, providing nearly two weeks of French street style and red-carpet fashion.So far, some celebrities have turned heads in bold ensembles, while others have missed the mark with their looks.From Bella Hadid to Halle Berry, here are the best and worst looks we've seen. Elle Fanning's strapless gown was simple, but effective. Elle Fanning at the Cannes Film Festival. Reuters She walked the "Affeksjonsverdi" red carpet on Wednesday in a strapless Giorgio Armani design that looked pretty and chic.It was fitted to her body, decorated with pink rose appliqués, and completed with a plunging sweetheart neckline. Alex Consani wore a two-piece set that was almost perfect. Alex Consani at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival. Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP She arrived for "The Phoenician Scheme" screening on Sunday in a uniquely shaped Schiaparelli set.The model's structured top had a beaded, off-the-shoulder neckpiece that covered her chest and a high-low peplum waistband. Her pants, on the other hand, were oversize and wide.Though her statement blouse had potential, Consani's pants were a little too big and needed tailoring. A form-fitting skirt might have looked better with the top piece. Alexander Skarsgard faced a similar issue. Alexander Skarsgard at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival. Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP The actor could have looked classic with a traditional tuxedo for the red-carpet event, or he could have attempted a more daring style.Instead, he tried to do both at the same time.He wore a sharp Saint Laurent tux with his trousers tucked into thigh-high leather boots — a style the fashion house first revealed in its January runway show.The shoes were distracting and felt out of place with his otherwise basic look. Mariska Hargitay had a glamorous pink moment on Saturday. Mariska Hargitay at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival. Joel C Ryan/Invision/AP For the "Die, My Love" screening, Hargitay chose an off-the-shoulder gown crafted with black satin and sparkling hot-pink fabric.The color combination was sharp, the gown's straight silhouette fit the actor perfectly, and her elbow-length gloves made the outfit even more elegant. For the "Eddington" red carpet on Friday, Jeremy Strong should have picked a different suit. Jeremy Strong at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival. Michael Buckner/Getty Images His brown ensemble included a button-up shirt, a wrap blazer, straight-leg trousers, and a bow tie, all cut with raw hems.While the rough style might have worked for a different event, it looked too casual at Cannes. His black loafers were also too harsh against the lighter outfit. Natalie Portman showed the best of Dior. Natalie Portman at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival. Joel C Ryan/Invision/AP She walked the "Eddington" red carpet in a strapless, sparkling creation from the French fashion house.Its silver top was covered in sparkles and wrapped with a black bow, while its floor-length skirt had Dior's classic Junon petals.Portman accessorized the look perfectly with a bun hairstyle and a thick diamond necklace. Angelina Jolie's gown would have worked better in a different color. Angelina Jolie at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival. Joel C Ryan/Invision/AP Also on the "Eddington" red carpet, Jolie wore a strapless Brunello Cucinelli design. It had a thick floor-length skirt, a fitted bodice, and all-over sparkles that highlighted its rope texture.Though the actor looked pretty, her gown's ivory color matched her skin tone too closely and washed her out. The same dress in a pink or lilac shade could have worked better. Elaine Zhong stunned in a cream-colored ball gown. Elaine Zhong at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival. Gisela Schober/Getty Images The Chinese actor wore the strapless dress on the "Dossier 137" red carpet. Its structured bodice was decorated with beaded appliques, and its cups were shaped with flower petals.To accessorize the glamorous look, she added a sparkling diamond choker, matching earrings, a thick bracelet, and vibrant red lipstick. Zoe Saldaña's all-black ensemble didn't stand out. Zoe Saldaña at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival. Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP She attended the "Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning" red carpet in a black Saint Laurent gown.Though her sleeveless dress was classic, it was also overly simple. Statement jewels could have easily enhanced the look.She also draped a dark leather jacket around her arms, which was much more casual than the rest of her outfit. Araya Alberta Hargate sparkled down the same red carpet. Araya Hargate at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival. Benoit Tessier/Reuters She wore a crystal-covered dress that looked like it was molded to her body with its form-fitting design.Its strapless, snake-print bodice was corseted with a deep plunge down the middle, and its floor-length skirt was pink and embellished with countless sparkles.The Thai actor completed her look with a large diamond necklace crafted in the shape of leaves. Heidi Klum had a pearlescent moment, but it wasn't her best. Heidi Klum at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival. Joel C Ryan/Invision/AP Elie Saab designed the model's off-the-shoulder gown. It had a deep V-neckline, see-through stripes, and all-over sparkles in blue and purple.Some of those details might have worked on their own. But together, especially with the gown's mermaid shape, its accents made it look more theatrical than glamorous. Tom Cruise looked sharp in maroon. Tom Cruise at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival. Joel C Ryan/Invision/AP Cruise attended a promotional event for "Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning" at Cannes.In doing so, he became one of the best-dressed men at the festival so far this year.He wore a fitted, textured knit polo and matching trousers with sharp pleats. The outfit was understated and vibrant on its own, while his brown dress shoes and dark sunglasses gave it an edge. Halle Berry made a last-minute fashion change, but her new outfit didn't work for her. Halle Berry at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival. Reuters When Berry walked onto the Cannes red carpet, she wore a shapeless Jacquemus gown with a black-and-white stripe print.She later told reporters that she'd originally planned to wear an "amazing dress" from Gaurav Gupta, but had to find a new look when Cannes announced a new dress code that prohibits voluminous gowns with long trains the day before the festival began.Unfortunately for Berry, the bold dress she chose was so flowy and oversize that it seemed to wear her, when it should have been the other way around. Isabeli Fontana could have been mistaken for a princess in a metallic gown. Isabeli Fontana at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival. Joel C Ryan/Invision/AP Nicolas Jebran designed her halter gown. The form-fitting piece had knotted fabric at the hip, a floor-length skirt with a short train, and a hip-high slit that revealed her sparkling pumps.The gown was also adorned with a sparkling silver piece that covered one shoulder and was embedded with turquoise stones.The ensemble was elegant and fit Fontana perfectly. Bella Hadid is always one of the best-dressed stars at Cannes, but her outfit choice for the 2025 opening ceremony was underwhelming. Bella Hadid at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival. Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP Saint Laurent designed her sleeveless black dress with some interesting details. Its straps crisscrossed across her back to create cutouts and a deep plunge on the side of her chest.However, the front of the gown was overly simple. It had an asymmetrical neckline that looked mishapen, and a thigh-high slit that was cut too far to the side.Even her massive emerald earrings from Chopard weren't enough to make the ensemble memorable. Eva Longoria sparkled down the red carpet in a stunning gown. Eva Longoria at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival. Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP Her Tamara Ralph gown was strapless and covered in square metallic pieces that sparkled in the light as she walked.It also had velvet panels at the waist that gave the dress some shape and matched its glamorous train.Not only was the dress tailored perfectly to Longoria, but the actor also accessorized strongly. She wore a statement necklace, rings, and earrings from Pasquale Bruni. Irina Shayk wore a fun gown, but a different hairstyle could have elevated the whole look. Irina Shayk at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival. Joel C Ryan/Invision/AP The model arrived wearing a black Armani Privé gown with all-over white polka dots. It had a strapless neckline, off-the-shoulder puffed sleeves, and a full skirt.On its own, the dress was fun, frilly, and perfect for Cannes.But Shayk wore her hair styled in a dramatic shape — a bun atop a strip of pin-straight hair — that distracted from her outfit.
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  • Should I teach my kids to use AI?

    This week, for the respective editions of their newsletters, Kids Today and User Friendly, senior correspondents Anna North and Adam Clark Estes have a chat about something that’s occupying both of them as journalists and as parents of young kids: How AI will shape the lives of the next generation?Anna North: Hi Adam! Excited to chat about AI and kids! In addition to reporting on kids for work, I also have a 7-year-old, and a 2-year-old.Adam Clark Estes: Hey Anna! My kid is not yet 2, but as they say, the days are long, but the years are short. I feel like I’ll be meeting her AI friends in no time. Anna: Ha! So speaking of which, should we kick this off by talking a little bit about our hopes and fears for our kids growing up in the age of AI? I do feel like there’s a lot to be hopeful about: I’m excited that my kids will grow up in a time when we can use AI to develop new drugs and decode elephant language. My biggest fear is that my kids won’t see the point of learning certain skills, like writing and math, because AI can do those tasks for them. I certainly worry about AI taking jobs, too, but that’s a ways away for my kids.RelatedShould schools lock up kids’ phones?Adam: I’m actually not that worried about my kid having AI friends. She probably will! I just hope that she doesn’t spend too much time with them or too much time with AI-powered technology in general. I hope we enter this new AI era together and learn how these tools can make our lives better, richer, and more interesting. It reminds me of how the internet came of age around the same time I did, but my parents seemed too afraid to figure it out at the time. I hope I can be brave. Anna: My dad was actually an internet early adopter, and so we did enter that era together, which was sweet. We used to go to Doctor Who chatrooms — I remember once listing “our” age as “43 and 12.” That was nice for me because 1) I learned to use a computer and 2) I learned to be curious and not fearful around new technologies. Except I am a little fearful around AI! Maybe I have to channel that spirit of curiosity a little more when I’m with my kids.A friend of mine was telling me her district is rolling out AI tools potentially in kindergarten, so it starts young.Adam: And I keep seeing ads for AI-equipped stuffed animals. AI is still such a buzzword, but I do think we’re starting to see how it really will take over technology as we know it. I always say that it’s just the next iteration of the software that’s already in everything. So, of course, it’s going to be in classrooms — not just for cheating purposes, either.Anna: Cheating using AI is less of an issue for little kids because they’re not doing much of their work on computers yet. The AI tools I’ve seen proposed for K-6 are like this AI-powered reading coach, which seems less vulnerable to cheating than, say, ChatGPT. I’ve definitely heard people say that AI could potentially offer more personalized tutoring one day, which could be positive since individual instruction is really beneficial, but public school classes are often too large to offer much of it. That idea doesn’t freak me out too much, although, of course, there are questions around how reliable and accurate AI tools are.My older kid is in first grade, and at his school, there’s a lot of talk about the role of AI in math. The argument I’ve heard is very similar to what we were taught about calculators, honestly: that these tools will be able to do a lot of simple operations for us, so kids should be able to think intuitively about numbers.I don’t really think we’ll return to oral exams, but we will have to reconsider what education looks like in a world that runs on AI.Adam: I’m also curious about how AI simply changes how schools work. Like, if AI makes it too easy to cheat when essay-writing, what will teachers assign instead? And what will they grade? I don’t really think we’ll return to oral exams, but we will have to reconsider what education looks like in a world that runs on AI.Anna: I do think there’s a shift to more in-class tests and assignments, which can cause its own stress. I also wonder if there’s just going to be a shift toward developing a different set of skills, if writing just becomes less important. We already see kids and young people consuming less text — I wouldn’t be shocked if there was more emphasis in the coming years on oral presentation or audio and visual production skills. That bums me out as a writer, but maybe it’s what Plato would’ve wanted? I do try to remember that people have always been skeptical of new technology, and some of the anxieties we’re experiencing now are thousands of years old.I wouldn’t be shocked if there was more emphasis in the coming years on oral presentation or audio and visual production skills.Adam: And some look like instant replays of anxieties from just a decade or two ago. Every time a new technology or medium comes along, there’s a collective freakout that it’s destroying the youth. This is just as true for social media as it was for TV, video games, comic books, and even radio. I think this will be true of AI in social settings, too. It’s already possible to have an AI friend through apps like Replika or Kindroid. I wasn’t kidding about the AI stuffed animals, either. There’s one called Grok that’s designed — by Grimes of all people — for ages 3 and up. Kids can ask it questions, and the AI will tell them things, like a futuristic Teddy Ruxpin, except Teddy Ruxpin had a cassette tape in his belly that parents could listen to and know what the stuffed bear would say. I have no idea what AI will be telling our kids!I’ve seen people call this the end of the imaginary friend. I actually think it’s just the beginning of something new. What that is, I can’t imagine. At least not yet. Anna: It’s funny to me because Teddy Ruxpin was famously creepy! The social/play aspect of AI is super-interesting. I’m not worried about AI killing imaginary friends — kids will make friends with a can of tomato paste, and I don’t think you can destroy their social creativity that easily.My biggest concern around AI friends right now is safety — there are already lawsuits alleging that chatbots nudged kids toward violence or self-harm. Do you know what guardrails there are in place? Adam: My general feeling about guardrails is that, no matter how many there are, technology finds a way to leap over them. YouTube, for instance, has long struggled with how to make sure parents can steer their children to safe, age-appropriate content, but kids inevitably find themselves sucked down a rabbit hole of uncanny algorithmically generated videos. Throwing an infinite supply of AI-generated content into the mix won’t help, so I think parents will have to be vigilant about triple-checking what their kids are watching or playing with.There was a Pew study earlier this year that said about a quarter of all teens had tried ChatGPT for schoolwork. That number had doubled in a year.So if you assume that guardrails aren’t there or won’t work and that kids are going to try some kind of AI tool eventually, where does that leave parents? To be honest, I think we should all do what your dad did with you: Hang out in the proverbial chatrooms together. Talk to the chatbots together. Play with the AI toys together. Learn about this new technology along with your kids and help them learn when to put them away.I think we should all do what your dad did with you: Hang out in the proverbial chatrooms together. Talk to the chatbots together. Play with the AI toys together.Anna: I’m sure my dad will appreciate this endorsement of his parenting! You’re not alone, though. Andrew Przybylski, an Oxford professor I think we’ve talked about who studies phones and kids, talks about introducing his children to smartphones the way you would teach a kid to ride a bike: It’s a tool. It has hazards but also uses. It can be fun, and it’s a basic part of life. Maybe the same is true of AI?This conversation is sort of making me think I need to use AI more with my kids, which is not where I expected to end up. Adam: It’s important to point out that we’re mostly talking about generative AI here, and chatbots. There are also image and video generators. These all have obvious applications for kids in schools, for cheating and learning. But we haven’t even gotten into what the next generation of AI will impact our kids’ lives — things like AI agents that can use computers themselves or the much feared artificial general intelligence that can theoretically do anything. That future is a lot harder for me to comprehend right now.Anna: Yeah, I think there’s a lot about the next 10 or 15 years, both in AI and just in our kids’ lives generally, that’s hard to wrap one’s head around. My husband and I always joke about our children going to college on the moon, but I think it’s just a way of expressing the uncertainty that’s always there when you try to project too far out.See More:
    #should #teach #kids #use
    Should I teach my kids to use AI?
    This week, for the respective editions of their newsletters, Kids Today and User Friendly, senior correspondents Anna North and Adam Clark Estes have a chat about something that’s occupying both of them as journalists and as parents of young kids: How AI will shape the lives of the next generation?Anna North: Hi Adam! Excited to chat about AI and kids! In addition to reporting on kids for work, I also have a 7-year-old, and a 2-year-old.Adam Clark Estes: Hey Anna! My kid is not yet 2, but as they say, the days are long, but the years are short. I feel like I’ll be meeting her AI friends in no time. Anna: Ha! So speaking of which, should we kick this off by talking a little bit about our hopes and fears for our kids growing up in the age of AI? I do feel like there’s a lot to be hopeful about: I’m excited that my kids will grow up in a time when we can use AI to develop new drugs and decode elephant language. My biggest fear is that my kids won’t see the point of learning certain skills, like writing and math, because AI can do those tasks for them. I certainly worry about AI taking jobs, too, but that’s a ways away for my kids.RelatedShould schools lock up kids’ phones?Adam: I’m actually not that worried about my kid having AI friends. She probably will! I just hope that she doesn’t spend too much time with them or too much time with AI-powered technology in general. I hope we enter this new AI era together and learn how these tools can make our lives better, richer, and more interesting. It reminds me of how the internet came of age around the same time I did, but my parents seemed too afraid to figure it out at the time. I hope I can be brave. Anna: My dad was actually an internet early adopter, and so we did enter that era together, which was sweet. We used to go to Doctor Who chatrooms — I remember once listing “our” age as “43 and 12.” That was nice for me because 1) I learned to use a computer and 2) I learned to be curious and not fearful around new technologies. Except I am a little fearful around AI! Maybe I have to channel that spirit of curiosity a little more when I’m with my kids.A friend of mine was telling me her district is rolling out AI tools potentially in kindergarten, so it starts young.Adam: And I keep seeing ads for AI-equipped stuffed animals. AI is still such a buzzword, but I do think we’re starting to see how it really will take over technology as we know it. I always say that it’s just the next iteration of the software that’s already in everything. So, of course, it’s going to be in classrooms — not just for cheating purposes, either.Anna: Cheating using AI is less of an issue for little kids because they’re not doing much of their work on computers yet. The AI tools I’ve seen proposed for K-6 are like this AI-powered reading coach, which seems less vulnerable to cheating than, say, ChatGPT. I’ve definitely heard people say that AI could potentially offer more personalized tutoring one day, which could be positive since individual instruction is really beneficial, but public school classes are often too large to offer much of it. That idea doesn’t freak me out too much, although, of course, there are questions around how reliable and accurate AI tools are.My older kid is in first grade, and at his school, there’s a lot of talk about the role of AI in math. The argument I’ve heard is very similar to what we were taught about calculators, honestly: that these tools will be able to do a lot of simple operations for us, so kids should be able to think intuitively about numbers.I don’t really think we’ll return to oral exams, but we will have to reconsider what education looks like in a world that runs on AI.Adam: I’m also curious about how AI simply changes how schools work. Like, if AI makes it too easy to cheat when essay-writing, what will teachers assign instead? And what will they grade? I don’t really think we’ll return to oral exams, but we will have to reconsider what education looks like in a world that runs on AI.Anna: I do think there’s a shift to more in-class tests and assignments, which can cause its own stress. I also wonder if there’s just going to be a shift toward developing a different set of skills, if writing just becomes less important. We already see kids and young people consuming less text — I wouldn’t be shocked if there was more emphasis in the coming years on oral presentation or audio and visual production skills. That bums me out as a writer, but maybe it’s what Plato would’ve wanted? I do try to remember that people have always been skeptical of new technology, and some of the anxieties we’re experiencing now are thousands of years old.I wouldn’t be shocked if there was more emphasis in the coming years on oral presentation or audio and visual production skills.Adam: And some look like instant replays of anxieties from just a decade or two ago. Every time a new technology or medium comes along, there’s a collective freakout that it’s destroying the youth. This is just as true for social media as it was for TV, video games, comic books, and even radio. I think this will be true of AI in social settings, too. It’s already possible to have an AI friend through apps like Replika or Kindroid. I wasn’t kidding about the AI stuffed animals, either. There’s one called Grok that’s designed — by Grimes of all people — for ages 3 and up. Kids can ask it questions, and the AI will tell them things, like a futuristic Teddy Ruxpin, except Teddy Ruxpin had a cassette tape in his belly that parents could listen to and know what the stuffed bear would say. I have no idea what AI will be telling our kids!I’ve seen people call this the end of the imaginary friend. I actually think it’s just the beginning of something new. What that is, I can’t imagine. At least not yet. Anna: It’s funny to me because Teddy Ruxpin was famously creepy! The social/play aspect of AI is super-interesting. I’m not worried about AI killing imaginary friends — kids will make friends with a can of tomato paste, and I don’t think you can destroy their social creativity that easily.My biggest concern around AI friends right now is safety — there are already lawsuits alleging that chatbots nudged kids toward violence or self-harm. Do you know what guardrails there are in place? Adam: My general feeling about guardrails is that, no matter how many there are, technology finds a way to leap over them. YouTube, for instance, has long struggled with how to make sure parents can steer their children to safe, age-appropriate content, but kids inevitably find themselves sucked down a rabbit hole of uncanny algorithmically generated videos. Throwing an infinite supply of AI-generated content into the mix won’t help, so I think parents will have to be vigilant about triple-checking what their kids are watching or playing with.There was a Pew study earlier this year that said about a quarter of all teens had tried ChatGPT for schoolwork. That number had doubled in a year.So if you assume that guardrails aren’t there or won’t work and that kids are going to try some kind of AI tool eventually, where does that leave parents? To be honest, I think we should all do what your dad did with you: Hang out in the proverbial chatrooms together. Talk to the chatbots together. Play with the AI toys together. Learn about this new technology along with your kids and help them learn when to put them away.I think we should all do what your dad did with you: Hang out in the proverbial chatrooms together. Talk to the chatbots together. Play with the AI toys together.Anna: I’m sure my dad will appreciate this endorsement of his parenting! You’re not alone, though. Andrew Przybylski, an Oxford professor I think we’ve talked about who studies phones and kids, talks about introducing his children to smartphones the way you would teach a kid to ride a bike: It’s a tool. It has hazards but also uses. It can be fun, and it’s a basic part of life. Maybe the same is true of AI?This conversation is sort of making me think I need to use AI more with my kids, which is not where I expected to end up. Adam: It’s important to point out that we’re mostly talking about generative AI here, and chatbots. There are also image and video generators. These all have obvious applications for kids in schools, for cheating and learning. But we haven’t even gotten into what the next generation of AI will impact our kids’ lives — things like AI agents that can use computers themselves or the much feared artificial general intelligence that can theoretically do anything. That future is a lot harder for me to comprehend right now.Anna: Yeah, I think there’s a lot about the next 10 or 15 years, both in AI and just in our kids’ lives generally, that’s hard to wrap one’s head around. My husband and I always joke about our children going to college on the moon, but I think it’s just a way of expressing the uncertainty that’s always there when you try to project too far out.See More: #should #teach #kids #use
    Should I teach my kids to use AI?
    www.vox.com
    This week, for the respective editions of their newsletters, Kids Today and User Friendly, senior correspondents Anna North and Adam Clark Estes have a chat about something that’s occupying both of them as journalists and as parents of young kids: How AI will shape the lives of the next generation?Anna North: Hi Adam! Excited to chat about AI and kids! In addition to reporting on kids for work, I also have a 7-year-old (who is home sick today and watching Amphibia right now, so might interrupt), and a 2-year-old (who is not currently home sick, yay!).Adam Clark Estes: Hey Anna! My kid is not yet 2, but as they say, the days are long, but the years are short. I feel like I’ll be meeting her AI friends in no time. Anna: Ha! So speaking of which, should we kick this off by talking a little bit about our hopes and fears for our kids growing up in the age of AI? I do feel like there’s a lot to be hopeful about: I’m excited that my kids will grow up in a time when we can use AI to develop new drugs and decode elephant language (although maybe some of those AI tools are more properly called machine learning?). My biggest fear is that my kids won’t see the point of learning certain skills, like writing and math, because AI can do those tasks for them. I certainly worry about AI taking jobs, too, but that’s a ways away for my kids.RelatedShould schools lock up kids’ phones?Adam: I’m actually not that worried about my kid having AI friends. She probably will! I just hope that she doesn’t spend too much time with them or too much time with AI-powered technology in general. I hope we enter this new AI era together and learn how these tools can make our lives better, richer, and more interesting. It reminds me of how the internet came of age around the same time I did, but my parents seemed too afraid to figure it out at the time. I hope I can be brave. Anna: My dad was actually an internet early adopter, and so we did enter that era together, which was sweet. We used to go to Doctor Who chatrooms — I remember once listing “our” age as “43 and 12.” That was nice for me because 1) I learned to use a computer and 2) I learned to be curious and not fearful around new technologies. Except I am a little fearful around AI! Maybe I have to channel that spirit of curiosity a little more when I’m with my kids.A friend of mine was telling me her district is rolling out AI tools potentially in kindergarten, so it starts young.Adam: And I keep seeing ads for AI-equipped stuffed animals. AI is still such a buzzword, but I do think we’re starting to see how it really will take over technology as we know it. I always say that it’s just the next iteration of the software that’s already in everything. So, of course, it’s going to be in classrooms — not just for cheating purposes, either.Anna: Cheating using AI is less of an issue for little kids because they’re not doing much of their work on computers yet. The AI tools I’ve seen proposed for K-6 are like this AI-powered reading coach, which seems less vulnerable to cheating than, say, ChatGPT. I’ve definitely heard people say that AI could potentially offer more personalized tutoring one day, which could be positive since individual instruction is really beneficial, but public school classes are often too large to offer much of it. That idea doesn’t freak me out too much, although, of course, there are questions around how reliable and accurate AI tools are.My older kid is in first grade, and at his school, there’s a lot of talk about the role of AI in math. The argument I’ve heard is very similar to what we were taught about calculators, honestly: that these tools will be able to do a lot of simple operations for us, so kids should be able to think intuitively about numbers.I don’t really think we’ll return to oral exams, but we will have to reconsider what education looks like in a world that runs on AI.Adam: I’m also curious about how AI simply changes how schools work. Like, if AI makes it too easy to cheat when essay-writing, what will teachers assign instead? And what will they grade? I don’t really think we’ll return to oral exams, but we will have to reconsider what education looks like in a world that runs on AI.Anna: I do think there’s a shift to more in-class tests and assignments, which can cause its own stress. I also wonder if there’s just going to be a shift toward developing a different set of skills, if writing just becomes less important. We already see kids and young people consuming less text — I wouldn’t be shocked if there was more emphasis in the coming years on oral presentation or audio and visual production skills. That bums me out as a writer, but maybe it’s what Plato would’ve wanted? I do try to remember that people have always been skeptical of new technology (even written language), and some of the anxieties we’re experiencing now are thousands of years old.I wouldn’t be shocked if there was more emphasis in the coming years on oral presentation or audio and visual production skills.Adam: And some look like instant replays of anxieties from just a decade or two ago. Every time a new technology or medium comes along, there’s a collective freakout that it’s destroying the youth. This is just as true for social media as it was for TV, video games, comic books, and even radio. I think this will be true of AI in social settings, too. It’s already possible to have an AI friend through apps like Replika or Kindroid. I wasn’t kidding about the AI stuffed animals, either. There’s one called Grok that’s designed — by Grimes of all people — for ages 3 and up. Kids can ask it questions, and the AI will tell them things, like a futuristic Teddy Ruxpin, except Teddy Ruxpin had a cassette tape in his belly that parents could listen to and know what the stuffed bear would say. I have no idea what AI will be telling our kids!I’ve seen people call this the end of the imaginary friend. I actually think it’s just the beginning of something new. What that is, I can’t imagine. At least not yet. Anna: It’s funny to me because Teddy Ruxpin was famously creepy! The social/play aspect of AI is super-interesting. I’m not worried about AI killing imaginary friends — kids will make friends with a can of tomato paste, and I don’t think you can destroy their social creativity that easily.My biggest concern around AI friends right now is safety — there are already lawsuits alleging that chatbots nudged kids toward violence or self-harm. Do you know what guardrails there are in place? Adam: My general feeling about guardrails is that, no matter how many there are, technology finds a way to leap over them. YouTube, for instance, has long struggled with how to make sure parents can steer their children to safe, age-appropriate content, but kids inevitably find themselves sucked down a rabbit hole of uncanny algorithmically generated videos. Throwing an infinite supply of AI-generated content into the mix won’t help, so I think parents will have to be vigilant about triple-checking what their kids are watching or playing with.There was a Pew study earlier this year that said about a quarter of all teens had tried ChatGPT for schoolwork. That number had doubled in a year.So if you assume that guardrails aren’t there or won’t work and that kids are going to try some kind of AI tool eventually, where does that leave parents? To be honest, I think we should all do what your dad did with you: Hang out in the proverbial chatrooms together. Talk to the chatbots together. Play with the AI toys together. Learn about this new technology along with your kids and help them learn when to put them away.I think we should all do what your dad did with you: Hang out in the proverbial chatrooms together. Talk to the chatbots together. Play with the AI toys together.Anna: I’m sure my dad will appreciate this endorsement of his parenting! You’re not alone, though. Andrew Przybylski, an Oxford professor I think we’ve talked about who studies phones and kids, talks about introducing his children to smartphones the way you would teach a kid to ride a bike: It’s a tool. It has hazards but also uses. It can be fun, and it’s a basic part of life. Maybe the same is true of AI?This conversation is sort of making me think I need to use AI more with my kids, which is not where I expected to end up. Adam: It’s important to point out that we’re mostly talking about generative AI here, and chatbots. There are also image and video generators. These all have obvious applications for kids in schools, for cheating and learning. But we haven’t even gotten into what the next generation of AI will impact our kids’ lives — things like AI agents that can use computers themselves or the much feared artificial general intelligence that can theoretically do anything. That future is a lot harder for me to comprehend right now.Anna: Yeah, I think there’s a lot about the next 10 or 15 years, both in AI and just in our kids’ lives generally, that’s hard to wrap one’s head around. My husband and I always joke about our children going to college on the moon, but I think it’s just a way of expressing the uncertainty that’s always there when you try to project too far out.See More:
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  • Football Manager goes real-life with 'groundbreaking' platform for clubs to sign players

    Football Manager 2025 has been cancelled, but Sports Interactive has set its sights higher than simply releasing another game in the long-running management seriesTech13:50, 22 May 2025Football Manager 2024 just gained a whole new reason to pick it upWhile the Football Manager community awaits news on this year's game after Football Manager 2025 was cancelled, you'd be forgiven for thinking the team at Sports Interactive is busy chipping away at the next instalment.We're expecting to hear more about the game in the coming months, but before then, one employee's LinkedIn post has suggested that the company is looking to further blur the lines between the beautiful game and the long-running management simulation.‌Here's all we know about what could be a big shift for the company.‌Posting on the platform, Sports Interactive's Senior Commercial Executive Matthew Hunter said "COMING SOON: Data-Driven Decisions, Game-Changing Signings.""From Sports Interactive, the studio behind Football Manager, comes a groundbreaking platform set to redefine how football clubs approach recruitment," the post explains."Spanning over 7,000 competitions across 200 nations, our solution delivers unparalleled, subjective assessments of players, coaches, and clubs."Article continues below"Backed by the world’s largest scouting network, this is more than data; it’s football intelligence, refined through decades of expertise.""Whether strengthening your first team, investing in youth, or assessing backroom staff, this is your new competitive advantage," it adds, promising to help "re-define player identification strategy".‌There have long been clubs that lean on Sports Interactive's Football Manager database to help identify signings, but this appears to be a step beyond even that.Asked if the data will be used across this project and Football Manager, Hunter said "Absolutely, it’s the very same data that powers the Football Manager series, enhanced and restructured specifically for professional use.""What makes this even more exciting is how we’ve evolved the breadth and depth of the database into a powerful foundation tool for clubs and organisations. Soon, we’ll be unveiling additional features designed to support a fully streamlined process."‌Football Manager already has a whole host of player dataIn a lengthy statement when announcing the cancellation of Football Manager 25, Sports Interactive said: “Sports Interactive regret to inform that, following extensive internal discussion and careful consideration with SEGA, we have made the difficult decision to cancel Football Manager 25 and shift our focus to the next release.“We know this will come as a huge disappointment, especially given that the release date has already moved twice, and you have been eagerly anticipating the first gameplay reveal. We can only apologise for the time it has taken to communicate this decision. Due to stakeholder compliance, including legal and financial regulations, today was the earliest date that we could issue this statement.Article continues below“We have always prided ourselves on delivering the best value for money games that bring you countless hours of enjoyment, that feel worth every moment and every penny you spend. With the launch of FM25 we set out to create the biggest technical and visual advancement in the series for a generation, laying the building blocks for a new era.“Due to a variety of challenges that we’ve been open about to date, and many more unforeseen, we currently haven’t achieved what we set out to do in enough areas of the game, despite the phenomenal efforts of our team. Each decision to delay the release was made with the aim of getting the game closer to the desired level but, as we approached critical milestones at the turn of the year, it became unmistakably clear that we would not achieve the standard required, even with the adjusted timeline.”For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters.‌‌‌
    #football #manager #goes #reallife #with
    Football Manager goes real-life with 'groundbreaking' platform for clubs to sign players
    Football Manager 2025 has been cancelled, but Sports Interactive has set its sights higher than simply releasing another game in the long-running management seriesTech13:50, 22 May 2025Football Manager 2024 just gained a whole new reason to pick it upWhile the Football Manager community awaits news on this year's game after Football Manager 2025 was cancelled, you'd be forgiven for thinking the team at Sports Interactive is busy chipping away at the next instalment.We're expecting to hear more about the game in the coming months, but before then, one employee's LinkedIn post has suggested that the company is looking to further blur the lines between the beautiful game and the long-running management simulation.‌Here's all we know about what could be a big shift for the company.‌Posting on the platform, Sports Interactive's Senior Commercial Executive Matthew Hunter said "COMING SOON: Data-Driven Decisions, Game-Changing Signings.""From Sports Interactive, the studio behind Football Manager, comes a groundbreaking platform set to redefine how football clubs approach recruitment," the post explains."Spanning over 7,000 competitions across 200 nations, our solution delivers unparalleled, subjective assessments of players, coaches, and clubs."Article continues below"Backed by the world’s largest scouting network, this is more than data; it’s football intelligence, refined through decades of expertise.""Whether strengthening your first team, investing in youth, or assessing backroom staff, this is your new competitive advantage," it adds, promising to help "re-define player identification strategy".‌There have long been clubs that lean on Sports Interactive's Football Manager database to help identify signings, but this appears to be a step beyond even that.Asked if the data will be used across this project and Football Manager, Hunter said "Absolutely, it’s the very same data that powers the Football Manager series, enhanced and restructured specifically for professional use.""What makes this even more exciting is how we’ve evolved the breadth and depth of the database into a powerful foundation tool for clubs and organisations. Soon, we’ll be unveiling additional features designed to support a fully streamlined process."‌Football Manager already has a whole host of player dataIn a lengthy statement when announcing the cancellation of Football Manager 25, Sports Interactive said: “Sports Interactive regret to inform that, following extensive internal discussion and careful consideration with SEGA, we have made the difficult decision to cancel Football Manager 25 and shift our focus to the next release.“We know this will come as a huge disappointment, especially given that the release date has already moved twice, and you have been eagerly anticipating the first gameplay reveal. We can only apologise for the time it has taken to communicate this decision. Due to stakeholder compliance, including legal and financial regulations, today was the earliest date that we could issue this statement.Article continues below“We have always prided ourselves on delivering the best value for money games that bring you countless hours of enjoyment, that feel worth every moment and every penny you spend. With the launch of FM25 we set out to create the biggest technical and visual advancement in the series for a generation, laying the building blocks for a new era.“Due to a variety of challenges that we’ve been open about to date, and many more unforeseen, we currently haven’t achieved what we set out to do in enough areas of the game, despite the phenomenal efforts of our team. Each decision to delay the release was made with the aim of getting the game closer to the desired level but, as we approached critical milestones at the turn of the year, it became unmistakably clear that we would not achieve the standard required, even with the adjusted timeline.”For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters.‌‌‌ #football #manager #goes #reallife #with
    Football Manager goes real-life with 'groundbreaking' platform for clubs to sign players
    www.dailystar.co.uk
    Football Manager 2025 has been cancelled, but Sports Interactive has set its sights higher than simply releasing another game in the long-running management seriesTech13:50, 22 May 2025Football Manager 2024 just gained a whole new reason to pick it up(Image: Sports Interactive)While the Football Manager community awaits news on this year's game after Football Manager 2025 was cancelled, you'd be forgiven for thinking the team at Sports Interactive is busy chipping away at the next instalment.We're expecting to hear more about the game in the coming months, but before then, one employee's LinkedIn post has suggested that the company is looking to further blur the lines between the beautiful game and the long-running management simulation.‌Here's all we know about what could be a big shift for the company.‌Posting on the platform, Sports Interactive's Senior Commercial Executive Matthew Hunter said "COMING SOON: Data-Driven Decisions, Game-Changing Signings.""From Sports Interactive (SI), the studio behind Football Manager, comes a groundbreaking platform set to redefine how football clubs approach recruitment," the post explains."Spanning over 7,000 competitions across 200 nations, our solution delivers unparalleled, subjective assessments of players, coaches, and clubs."Article continues below"Backed by the world’s largest scouting network, this is more than data; it’s football intelligence, refined through decades of expertise.""Whether strengthening your first team, investing in youth, or assessing backroom staff, this is your new competitive advantage," it adds, promising to help "re-define player identification strategy".‌There have long been clubs that lean on Sports Interactive's Football Manager database to help identify signings, but this appears to be a step beyond even that.Asked if the data will be used across this project and Football Manager, Hunter said "Absolutely, it’s the very same data that powers the Football Manager series, enhanced and restructured specifically for professional use.""What makes this even more exciting is how we’ve evolved the breadth and depth of the database into a powerful foundation tool for clubs and organisations. Soon, we’ll be unveiling additional features designed to support a fully streamlined process."‌Football Manager already has a whole host of player data(Image: Sports Interactive)In a lengthy statement when announcing the cancellation of Football Manager 25, Sports Interactive said: “Sports Interactive regret to inform that, following extensive internal discussion and careful consideration with SEGA, we have made the difficult decision to cancel Football Manager 25 and shift our focus to the next release.“We know this will come as a huge disappointment, especially given that the release date has already moved twice, and you have been eagerly anticipating the first gameplay reveal. We can only apologise for the time it has taken to communicate this decision. Due to stakeholder compliance, including legal and financial regulations, today was the earliest date that we could issue this statement.Article continues below“We have always prided ourselves on delivering the best value for money games that bring you countless hours of enjoyment, that feel worth every moment and every penny you spend. With the launch of FM25 we set out to create the biggest technical and visual advancement in the series for a generation, laying the building blocks for a new era.“Due to a variety of challenges that we’ve been open about to date, and many more unforeseen, we currently haven’t achieved what we set out to do in enough areas of the game, despite the phenomenal efforts of our team. Each decision to delay the release was made with the aim of getting the game closer to the desired level but, as we approached critical milestones at the turn of the year, it became unmistakably clear that we would not achieve the standard required, even with the adjusted timeline.”For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters.‌‌‌
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  • Dell’s 16-Inch Touchscreen Laptop Drops From $3,400 to $1,000, That’s 71% Off With Microsoft Office Included

    When was the last time you upgraded your laptop? If you’re still working off of a piece of ten year old tech, it may be time to start looking for a replacement. The Dell Inspiron 16 laptop is a super versatile option that can fulfill a lot of the needs of pretty much anyone, be it you’re a student, small business owner, or just someone who wants to go online with something other than their phone. Dell has its Inspiron 16 touchscreen laptop with Windows 11 Pro installed on sale for 71% off, bringing it down from its listed price of to just Additionally, it comes with a lifetime license to Microsoft Office.
    See Immersive Touchscreen Experience
    The Dell Inspiron 16 is equipped with a AMD Ryzen 7 8840U processor which delivers powerful performance perfect for both work and play. It comes with 32GB of RAM and a full 1TB of storage on its SSD. It’s designed for professional use for anyone who needs lightning-fast data access, seamless multitasking, and frequently uses demanding software applications.
    The laptop has a display size of 16 inches, supporting Full HD with its resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. The LED backlit screen is anti-glare so it remains comfortable to use in any environment for long hours of either hard work or entertainment. It’s also a touchscreen which allows you to use your laptop like it’s a tablet. And I’ll say this… touchscreen is absolutely the optimal way to play Balatro and everyone should be playing Balatro.

    The laptop is sleek and lightweight, making it easy to travel with or to take to a local coffee shop to get work done there. The Dell Inspiron 16 laptop is pre-installed with Windows 11 Pro, which features a redesigned Start menu, OneDrive integration, multiple personalized desktops, new keyboard shortcuts, and more.
    Universal Search is a new feature now found on the the taskbar across the bottom of your screen. You can literally search for anything. Whether you’re looking for specific files or apps on your computer or need recipes or maps on the web, it will look through all systems to find exactly what you need. Contacts, notes from class—you name it. All with one search bar.
    Right now, you can save a crazy 71% on the Inspiron laptop with Windows 11 Pro from Dell. That brings the price down from to just —a savings. Before getting too excited, it’s never listed at that full price. However, this is still a reasonable price to pay for the Dell Inspiron 16 with a 1TB SSD and 32GB of RAM. You also get a lifetime license to the full Microsoft Office suite.
    See
    #dells #16inch #touchscreen #laptop #drops
    Dell’s 16-Inch Touchscreen Laptop Drops From $3,400 to $1,000, That’s 71% Off With Microsoft Office Included
    When was the last time you upgraded your laptop? If you’re still working off of a piece of ten year old tech, it may be time to start looking for a replacement. The Dell Inspiron 16 laptop is a super versatile option that can fulfill a lot of the needs of pretty much anyone, be it you’re a student, small business owner, or just someone who wants to go online with something other than their phone. Dell has its Inspiron 16 touchscreen laptop with Windows 11 Pro installed on sale for 71% off, bringing it down from its listed price of to just Additionally, it comes with a lifetime license to Microsoft Office. See Immersive Touchscreen Experience The Dell Inspiron 16 is equipped with a AMD Ryzen 7 8840U processor which delivers powerful performance perfect for both work and play. It comes with 32GB of RAM and a full 1TB of storage on its SSD. It’s designed for professional use for anyone who needs lightning-fast data access, seamless multitasking, and frequently uses demanding software applications. The laptop has a display size of 16 inches, supporting Full HD with its resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. The LED backlit screen is anti-glare so it remains comfortable to use in any environment for long hours of either hard work or entertainment. It’s also a touchscreen which allows you to use your laptop like it’s a tablet. And I’ll say this… touchscreen is absolutely the optimal way to play Balatro and everyone should be playing Balatro. The laptop is sleek and lightweight, making it easy to travel with or to take to a local coffee shop to get work done there. The Dell Inspiron 16 laptop is pre-installed with Windows 11 Pro, which features a redesigned Start menu, OneDrive integration, multiple personalized desktops, new keyboard shortcuts, and more. Universal Search is a new feature now found on the the taskbar across the bottom of your screen. You can literally search for anything. Whether you’re looking for specific files or apps on your computer or need recipes or maps on the web, it will look through all systems to find exactly what you need. Contacts, notes from class—you name it. All with one search bar. Right now, you can save a crazy 71% on the Inspiron laptop with Windows 11 Pro from Dell. That brings the price down from to just —a savings. Before getting too excited, it’s never listed at that full price. However, this is still a reasonable price to pay for the Dell Inspiron 16 with a 1TB SSD and 32GB of RAM. You also get a lifetime license to the full Microsoft Office suite. See #dells #16inch #touchscreen #laptop #drops
    Dell’s 16-Inch Touchscreen Laptop Drops From $3,400 to $1,000, That’s 71% Off With Microsoft Office Included
    gizmodo.com
    When was the last time you upgraded your laptop? If you’re still working off of a piece of ten year old tech, it may be time to start looking for a replacement. The Dell Inspiron 16 laptop is a super versatile option that can fulfill a lot of the needs of pretty much anyone, be it you’re a student, small business owner, or just someone who wants to go online with something other than their phone. Dell has its Inspiron 16 touchscreen laptop with Windows 11 Pro installed on sale for 71% off, bringing it down from its listed price of $3,400 to just $1,000. Additionally, it comes with a lifetime license to Microsoft Office. See at Amazon Immersive Touchscreen Experience The Dell Inspiron 16 is equipped with a AMD Ryzen 7 8840U processor which delivers powerful performance perfect for both work and play. It comes with 32GB of RAM and a full 1TB of storage on its SSD. It’s designed for professional use for anyone who needs lightning-fast data access, seamless multitasking, and frequently uses demanding software applications. The laptop has a display size of 16 inches, supporting Full HD with its resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. The LED backlit screen is anti-glare so it remains comfortable to use in any environment for long hours of either hard work or entertainment. It’s also a touchscreen which allows you to use your laptop like it’s a tablet. And I’ll say this… touchscreen is absolutely the optimal way to play Balatro and everyone should be playing Balatro. The laptop is sleek and lightweight, making it easy to travel with or to take to a local coffee shop to get work done there. The Dell Inspiron 16 laptop is pre-installed with Windows 11 Pro, which features a redesigned Start menu, OneDrive integration, multiple personalized desktops, new keyboard shortcuts, and more. Universal Search is a new feature now found on the the taskbar across the bottom of your screen. You can literally search for anything. Whether you’re looking for specific files or apps on your computer or need recipes or maps on the web, it will look through all systems to find exactly what you need. Contacts, notes from class—you name it. All with one search bar. Right now, you can save a crazy 71% on the Inspiron laptop with Windows 11 Pro from Dell. That brings the price down from $3,400 to just $1,000—a $2,400 savings. Before getting too excited, it’s never listed at that full price. However, this is still a reasonable price to pay for the Dell Inspiron 16 with a 1TB SSD and 32GB of RAM. You also get a lifetime license to the full Microsoft Office suite. See at Amazon
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  • Villino Liberty Trastevere / STUDIOTAMAT

    Villino Liberty Trastevere / STUDIOTAMATSave this picture!© Serena Eller - Ellerstudio

    Architects:
    STUDIOTAMAT
    Area
    Area of this architecture project

    Area: 
    110 m²

    Year
    Completion year of this architecture project

    Year: 

    2024

    Photographs

    Photographs:Serena Eller - Ellerstudio

    Manufacturers
    Brands with products used in this architecture project

    Manufacturers:  Campeggi, Artceram, Artemide, Axolight, Cielo, DEMA, Danese Milano, Estiluz, Ex.T, Foster, Galassia, Irsap, La Pietra Compattata, Mutina, Oscar ono, Popham Design, Quadro Design, Tubes Radiatori, VippMore SpecsLess Specs
    this picture!
    Text description provided by the architects. In the heart of Rome's Trastevere district, STUDIOTAMAT has breathed new life into a hidden Liberty-style gem tucked away in the courtyard of a late 19th-century building along Viale di Trastevere. Once the caretaker's house for the old train station—or a neighborhood doctor's office, depending on who you ask—this forgotten villino has been reimagined as a refined urban hideaway for two. Spread across three compact, layered floors occupying 80 square meters and culminating in a lush, green terrace, the project began by carefully preserving the home's most distinctive elements. Restoring the front veranda with its delicate cathedral glass in soft greens, pinks, and yellows called for a mix of craft and technical precision. The original rhythm and hues were respected, while the frame was rebuilt in steel and solar-control glass. By removing the old French door that once divided it from the house, the veranda now flows into the interior, extending the living space and bathing it in natural light that subtly shifts in tone throughout the day.this picture!this picture!this picture!this picture!Inside, the intervention focuses on reconfiguring the layout, previously fragmented by a tight spiral staircase, and on the perception of the spaces. The redesign is radical in gesture but sensitive in execution: by moving the kitchenette beside the veranda, space is opened up for a striking alternating-tread staircase in chestnut wood. Its first step, clad in Verde Alpi marble, becomes the sculptural base of a custom bookshelf built into the understairs. Nearby, a mirrored chestnut storage unit conceals the laundry and enhances the sense of openness. The living room gains new depth, framed by a soaring double-height window that looks out onto surrounding gardens, in quiet harmony with Munari's iconic Falkland pendant lamps. The custom kitchen, liberated from overhead cabinetry, is defined by a linear base topped in Verde Alpi marble and shaded drawers that fade from black to terracotta, echoing the beautifully preserved original terracotta floors. A deep blue volume organizes the ground floor's services: fridge and pantry on one side, a discreet powder room on the other.this picture!This bold block of color continues upward, passing through the mezzanine and defining the main bathroom on the top floor, where Nouveau furnishings by Ex.t meet the textured surfaces of Patricia Urquiola's Mater tiles for Mutina and fixtures by Formafantasma for Quadro Design. To bring in light and create a sense of airiness, the mezzanine has been partially opened, introducing a double-height void. Glass floor panels offer glimpses between levels, while mirrored panels below bounce reflections upward, visually expanding the space and enhancing the blue volume. The remaining floors are finished in Foret parquet by Oscar Ono Paris, designed by Raphael Navot—preassembled oak slats with visible end grain, a nod to the pebble streets of 19th-century Paris and ancient Rome. A custom bed with drawer base and integrated headboard echoes the kitchen's color gradient, creating visual continuity between the levels.this picture!this picture!this picture!A second spiral staircase in raw iron with cherry wood treads connects the sleeping area to the upper level, serving as a sculptural focal point for the studio space. A glass partition, echoing the veranda's rhythm with alternating clear and ribbed panels, elegantly screens the bathroom: the door doubles as a backdrop for the shower, while a Verde Alpi marble sink slices through the glass, becoming a shared counter surface. Outside, the terrace features compacted stone paving in two shades of green, blending into the surrounding vegetation and reflecting the palette.this picture!this picture!Discreetly nestled in one of Rome's most characterful neighborhoods, this intervention captures the quiet charm of Trastevere. Just like the district itself, where modest façades often hide unexpected treasures, this project reveals the latent beauty of a neglected house. Merging memory with material, and history with contemporary sensibility, STUDIOTAMAT has created a deeply rooted, yet strikingly modern urban refuge.this picture!

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    About this officeSTUDIOTAMATOffice•••
    MaterialGlassMaterials and TagsPublished on May 22, 2025Cite: "Villino Liberty Trastevere / STUDIOTAMAT" 22 May 2025. ArchDaily. Accessed . < ISSN 0719-8884Save世界上最受欢迎的建筑网站现已推出你的母语版本!想浏览ArchDaily中国吗?是否
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    #villino #liberty #trastevere #studiotamat
    Villino Liberty Trastevere / STUDIOTAMAT
    Villino Liberty Trastevere / STUDIOTAMATSave this picture!© Serena Eller - Ellerstudio Architects: STUDIOTAMAT Area Area of this architecture project Area:  110 m² Year Completion year of this architecture project Year:  2024 Photographs Photographs:Serena Eller - Ellerstudio Manufacturers Brands with products used in this architecture project Manufacturers:  Campeggi, Artceram, Artemide, Axolight, Cielo, DEMA, Danese Milano, Estiluz, Ex.T, Foster, Galassia, Irsap, La Pietra Compattata, Mutina, Oscar ono, Popham Design, Quadro Design, Tubes Radiatori, VippMore SpecsLess Specs this picture! Text description provided by the architects. In the heart of Rome's Trastevere district, STUDIOTAMAT has breathed new life into a hidden Liberty-style gem tucked away in the courtyard of a late 19th-century building along Viale di Trastevere. Once the caretaker's house for the old train station—or a neighborhood doctor's office, depending on who you ask—this forgotten villino has been reimagined as a refined urban hideaway for two. Spread across three compact, layered floors occupying 80 square meters and culminating in a lush, green terrace, the project began by carefully preserving the home's most distinctive elements. Restoring the front veranda with its delicate cathedral glass in soft greens, pinks, and yellows called for a mix of craft and technical precision. The original rhythm and hues were respected, while the frame was rebuilt in steel and solar-control glass. By removing the old French door that once divided it from the house, the veranda now flows into the interior, extending the living space and bathing it in natural light that subtly shifts in tone throughout the day.this picture!this picture!this picture!this picture!Inside, the intervention focuses on reconfiguring the layout, previously fragmented by a tight spiral staircase, and on the perception of the spaces. The redesign is radical in gesture but sensitive in execution: by moving the kitchenette beside the veranda, space is opened up for a striking alternating-tread staircase in chestnut wood. Its first step, clad in Verde Alpi marble, becomes the sculptural base of a custom bookshelf built into the understairs. Nearby, a mirrored chestnut storage unit conceals the laundry and enhances the sense of openness. The living room gains new depth, framed by a soaring double-height window that looks out onto surrounding gardens, in quiet harmony with Munari's iconic Falkland pendant lamps. The custom kitchen, liberated from overhead cabinetry, is defined by a linear base topped in Verde Alpi marble and shaded drawers that fade from black to terracotta, echoing the beautifully preserved original terracotta floors. A deep blue volume organizes the ground floor's services: fridge and pantry on one side, a discreet powder room on the other.this picture!This bold block of color continues upward, passing through the mezzanine and defining the main bathroom on the top floor, where Nouveau furnishings by Ex.t meet the textured surfaces of Patricia Urquiola's Mater tiles for Mutina and fixtures by Formafantasma for Quadro Design. To bring in light and create a sense of airiness, the mezzanine has been partially opened, introducing a double-height void. Glass floor panels offer glimpses between levels, while mirrored panels below bounce reflections upward, visually expanding the space and enhancing the blue volume. The remaining floors are finished in Foret parquet by Oscar Ono Paris, designed by Raphael Navot—preassembled oak slats with visible end grain, a nod to the pebble streets of 19th-century Paris and ancient Rome. A custom bed with drawer base and integrated headboard echoes the kitchen's color gradient, creating visual continuity between the levels.this picture!this picture!this picture!A second spiral staircase in raw iron with cherry wood treads connects the sleeping area to the upper level, serving as a sculptural focal point for the studio space. A glass partition, echoing the veranda's rhythm with alternating clear and ribbed panels, elegantly screens the bathroom: the door doubles as a backdrop for the shower, while a Verde Alpi marble sink slices through the glass, becoming a shared counter surface. Outside, the terrace features compacted stone paving in two shades of green, blending into the surrounding vegetation and reflecting the palette.this picture!this picture!Discreetly nestled in one of Rome's most characterful neighborhoods, this intervention captures the quiet charm of Trastevere. Just like the district itself, where modest façades often hide unexpected treasures, this project reveals the latent beauty of a neglected house. Merging memory with material, and history with contemporary sensibility, STUDIOTAMAT has created a deeply rooted, yet strikingly modern urban refuge.this picture! Project gallerySee allShow less About this officeSTUDIOTAMATOffice••• MaterialGlassMaterials and TagsPublished on May 22, 2025Cite: "Villino Liberty Trastevere / STUDIOTAMAT" 22 May 2025. ArchDaily. Accessed . < ISSN 0719-8884Save世界上最受欢迎的建筑网站现已推出你的母语版本!想浏览ArchDaily中国吗?是否 You've started following your first account!Did you know?You'll now receive updates based on what you follow! Personalize your stream and start following your favorite authors, offices and users.Go to my stream #villino #liberty #trastevere #studiotamat
    Villino Liberty Trastevere / STUDIOTAMAT
    www.archdaily.com
    Villino Liberty Trastevere / STUDIOTAMATSave this picture!© Serena Eller - Ellerstudio Architects: STUDIOTAMAT Area Area of this architecture project Area:  110 m² Year Completion year of this architecture project Year:  2024 Photographs Photographs:Serena Eller - Ellerstudio Manufacturers Brands with products used in this architecture project Manufacturers:  Campeggi, Artceram, Artemide, Axolight, Cielo, DEMA, Danese Milano, Estiluz, Ex.T, Foster, Galassia, Irsap, La Pietra Compattata, Mutina, Oscar ono, Popham Design, Quadro Design, Tubes Radiatori, VippMore SpecsLess Specs Save this picture! Text description provided by the architects. In the heart of Rome's Trastevere district, STUDIOTAMAT has breathed new life into a hidden Liberty-style gem tucked away in the courtyard of a late 19th-century building along Viale di Trastevere. Once the caretaker's house for the old train station—or a neighborhood doctor's office, depending on who you ask—this forgotten villino has been reimagined as a refined urban hideaway for two. Spread across three compact, layered floors occupying 80 square meters and culminating in a lush, green terrace, the project began by carefully preserving the home's most distinctive elements. Restoring the front veranda with its delicate cathedral glass in soft greens, pinks, and yellows called for a mix of craft and technical precision. The original rhythm and hues were respected, while the frame was rebuilt in steel and solar-control glass. By removing the old French door that once divided it from the house, the veranda now flows into the interior, extending the living space and bathing it in natural light that subtly shifts in tone throughout the day.Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!Inside, the intervention focuses on reconfiguring the layout, previously fragmented by a tight spiral staircase, and on the perception of the spaces. The redesign is radical in gesture but sensitive in execution: by moving the kitchenette beside the veranda, space is opened up for a striking alternating-tread staircase in chestnut wood. Its first step, clad in Verde Alpi marble, becomes the sculptural base of a custom bookshelf built into the understairs. Nearby, a mirrored chestnut storage unit conceals the laundry and enhances the sense of openness. The living room gains new depth, framed by a soaring double-height window that looks out onto surrounding gardens, in quiet harmony with Munari's iconic Falkland pendant lamps. The custom kitchen, liberated from overhead cabinetry, is defined by a linear base topped in Verde Alpi marble and shaded drawers that fade from black to terracotta, echoing the beautifully preserved original terracotta floors. A deep blue volume organizes the ground floor's services: fridge and pantry on one side, a discreet powder room on the other.Save this picture!This bold block of color continues upward, passing through the mezzanine and defining the main bathroom on the top floor, where Nouveau furnishings by Ex.t meet the textured surfaces of Patricia Urquiola's Mater tiles for Mutina and fixtures by Formafantasma for Quadro Design. To bring in light and create a sense of airiness, the mezzanine has been partially opened, introducing a double-height void. Glass floor panels offer glimpses between levels, while mirrored panels below bounce reflections upward, visually expanding the space and enhancing the blue volume. The remaining floors are finished in Foret parquet by Oscar Ono Paris, designed by Raphael Navot—preassembled oak slats with visible end grain, a nod to the pebble streets of 19th-century Paris and ancient Rome. A custom bed with drawer base and integrated headboard echoes the kitchen's color gradient, creating visual continuity between the levels.Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!A second spiral staircase in raw iron with cherry wood treads connects the sleeping area to the upper level, serving as a sculptural focal point for the studio space. A glass partition, echoing the veranda's rhythm with alternating clear and ribbed panels, elegantly screens the bathroom: the door doubles as a backdrop for the shower, while a Verde Alpi marble sink slices through the glass, becoming a shared counter surface. Outside, the terrace features compacted stone paving in two shades of green, blending into the surrounding vegetation and reflecting the palette.Save this picture!Save this picture!Discreetly nestled in one of Rome's most characterful neighborhoods, this intervention captures the quiet charm of Trastevere. Just like the district itself, where modest façades often hide unexpected treasures, this project reveals the latent beauty of a neglected house. Merging memory with material, and history with contemporary sensibility, STUDIOTAMAT has created a deeply rooted, yet strikingly modern urban refuge.Save this picture! Project gallerySee allShow less About this officeSTUDIOTAMATOffice••• MaterialGlassMaterials and TagsPublished on May 22, 2025Cite: "Villino Liberty Trastevere / STUDIOTAMAT" 22 May 2025. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/1030344/villino-liberty-trastevere-studiotamat&gt ISSN 0719-8884Save世界上最受欢迎的建筑网站现已推出你的母语版本!想浏览ArchDaily中国吗?是否 You've started following your first account!Did you know?You'll now receive updates based on what you follow! Personalize your stream and start following your favorite authors, offices and users.Go to my stream
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  • Enhance Your Game with Stunning Visuals! #shorts

    Discover how to create eye-catching trails in Unreal Engine 5! In this clip, we explore a cool technique to make your game visuals pop. Perfect for cinematics or gameplay enhancements. Keep learning and elevate your projects!#UnrealEngine #GameDev #VFX #Niagara #UE5
    #enhance #your #game #with #stunning
    Enhance Your Game with Stunning Visuals! #shorts
    Discover how to create eye-catching trails in Unreal Engine 5! In this clip, we explore a cool technique to make your game visuals pop. Perfect for cinematics or gameplay enhancements. Keep learning and elevate your projects!#UnrealEngine #GameDev #VFX #Niagara #UE5 #enhance #your #game #with #stunning
    Enhance Your Game with Stunning Visuals! #shorts
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    Discover how to create eye-catching trails in Unreal Engine 5! In this clip, we explore a cool technique to make your game visuals pop. Perfect for cinematics or gameplay enhancements. Keep learning and elevate your projects!#UnrealEngine #GameDev #VFX #Niagara #UE5
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  • How pungent poop could help Antarctica’s penguins

    Adélie penguins walking along the Antarctic coastline.
     
    CREDIT: Matthew Boyer.

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    Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday.

    If you have ever stood in front of a penguin enclosure at an aquarium–or better yet traveled to Antarctica, New Zealand, or parts of southern Africa to see them in the wild–one reality really sticks out about these flightless birds. The smell. Their guanois pungent and plentiful, and dark stains of guano sticking out on white ice have even helped scientists find previously unknown penguin colonies.
    The ammonia released from their poop also might help reduce some of the devastating effects of climate change. This gas helps influence cloud formation, which can cool down surface temperatures. The findings are detailed in a study published May 22 in the journal Nature Communications Earth & Environment.
    A group of Adelie penguins standing on guano-covered snow. CREDIT: Matthew Boyer.
    Why ammonia?
    Antarctic ecosystems are under serious threat due to human-driven climate change, with some penguin colonies failing to breed altogether. Warmer temperatures means less critical sea ice for penguins, sea birds, seals, and whales. Penguins are a key species in this ecosystem at the bottom of the world and also are major emitters of ammonia in the region. 
    Ammonia is an atmospheric gas that can increase cloud formation by reacting with gases containing sulphur. In turn, this increases the creation of aerosols–the particles that give water vapour a surface to condense upon. All of that condensation leads to cloud formation.
    “Aerosol particles are necessary for cloud formation; liquid water will not condense to form cloud droplets without the presence of aerosol particles,” Matthew Boyer, a study co-author and atmospheric scientist at the University of Helsinki in Finland, tells Popular Science. “Clouds influence the surface radiation budget, which affects surface temperature. Therefore, clouds impact climate change. This is true across the entire planet, not just in Antarctica.” 
    First author Matthew Boyer piloting a drone for data collection in Antarctica. CREDIT: Zoé Brasseur.
    Since higher concentrations of aerosol particles creates clouds that are more reflective of the sun’s rays, the strength of an area’s aerosol particle sources matters.
    “In general, the Antarctic atmosphere is a pristine environment,” says Boyer. “It’s located far away from human pollution sources, and the background aerosol particle concentrations are low as a result. New particle formation, occurring from gases emitted from natural sources, is therefore an important source of aerosol particles in the region.”
    The resulting clouds can act as insulating layers in the atmosphere and those layers often help lower surface temperatures and can affect the amount of sea ice coverage. However, the specific interaction between penguins and their ammonia filled poop and the Antarctic climate is not well understood.
    Standing downwind
    In this new study, Boyer and his colleagues measured the concentration of ammonia in the air at a site located near Marambio Base, Antarctica between January 10 and March 20, 2023. When the wind blew from the direction of a colony of 60,000-individual Adélie penguinsabout five miles away, the ammonia concentration increased to as high as 13.5 parts per billion. That figure is over 1,000 times higher than the baseline value that is naturally found in Antarctica. The ammonia enhanced the particle concentrations in the clouds up to 30 times than the background, according to Boyer.
    Around the end of February, the penguins migrated from the area. The ammonia concentration was still more than 100 times higher than the baseline, because the penguin guano left at the colony site still emitted the gas. 
    “The most surprising part for me was the strength of ammonia emissions from the penguin guano for a month after the penguins were no longer present at the colony,” says Boyer. “They left for their annual migration, but the guano they left behind in the soils continued to emit gas ammonia at ~100 times higher than the baseline.”
    Thousands of Adélie penguins pictured from a distance at the studied Adelie penguin rookery, located on the southeastern coast of Seymour Island on the Antarctic Peninsula. CREDIT: Matthew Boyer.
    This indicates that the cloud-building ammonia emissions from penguins may cover even more of coastal Antarctica.
    To confirm that the increase in ammonia concentration eventually affected the cloud formation, the team recorded several additional atmospheric measurements during a single day. When the wind blew from the penguin colony, the number and size of the aerosol particles recorded at the site sharply increased. Approximately three hours after the wind changed, the team saw a period of fog. The team believes that this fog was likely a result of that increased aerosol particle concentration and cloud formation. 
    According to the team, the data suggests that penguin poop may be helping reduce some of climate change’s effects on an ever-warming Antarctica. 
    “Our measurements demonstrate that these environmental and ecosystem changes will subsequently impact the atmosphere and the climate of the region,” says Boyer. “This matters, because changes to the climate/ecosystem in Antarctica can have consequences for global climate.”
    #how #pungent #poop #could #help
    How pungent poop could help Antarctica’s penguins
    Adélie penguins walking along the Antarctic coastline.   CREDIT: Matthew Boyer. Get the Popular Science daily newsletter💡 Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. If you have ever stood in front of a penguin enclosure at an aquarium–or better yet traveled to Antarctica, New Zealand, or parts of southern Africa to see them in the wild–one reality really sticks out about these flightless birds. The smell. Their guanois pungent and plentiful, and dark stains of guano sticking out on white ice have even helped scientists find previously unknown penguin colonies. The ammonia released from their poop also might help reduce some of the devastating effects of climate change. This gas helps influence cloud formation, which can cool down surface temperatures. The findings are detailed in a study published May 22 in the journal Nature Communications Earth & Environment. A group of Adelie penguins standing on guano-covered snow. CREDIT: Matthew Boyer. Why ammonia? Antarctic ecosystems are under serious threat due to human-driven climate change, with some penguin colonies failing to breed altogether. Warmer temperatures means less critical sea ice for penguins, sea birds, seals, and whales. Penguins are a key species in this ecosystem at the bottom of the world and also are major emitters of ammonia in the region.  Ammonia is an atmospheric gas that can increase cloud formation by reacting with gases containing sulphur. In turn, this increases the creation of aerosols–the particles that give water vapour a surface to condense upon. All of that condensation leads to cloud formation. “Aerosol particles are necessary for cloud formation; liquid water will not condense to form cloud droplets without the presence of aerosol particles,” Matthew Boyer, a study co-author and atmospheric scientist at the University of Helsinki in Finland, tells Popular Science. “Clouds influence the surface radiation budget, which affects surface temperature. Therefore, clouds impact climate change. This is true across the entire planet, not just in Antarctica.”  First author Matthew Boyer piloting a drone for data collection in Antarctica. CREDIT: Zoé Brasseur. Since higher concentrations of aerosol particles creates clouds that are more reflective of the sun’s rays, the strength of an area’s aerosol particle sources matters. “In general, the Antarctic atmosphere is a pristine environment,” says Boyer. “It’s located far away from human pollution sources, and the background aerosol particle concentrations are low as a result. New particle formation, occurring from gases emitted from natural sources, is therefore an important source of aerosol particles in the region.” The resulting clouds can act as insulating layers in the atmosphere and those layers often help lower surface temperatures and can affect the amount of sea ice coverage. However, the specific interaction between penguins and their ammonia filled poop and the Antarctic climate is not well understood. Standing downwind In this new study, Boyer and his colleagues measured the concentration of ammonia in the air at a site located near Marambio Base, Antarctica between January 10 and March 20, 2023. When the wind blew from the direction of a colony of 60,000-individual Adélie penguinsabout five miles away, the ammonia concentration increased to as high as 13.5 parts per billion. That figure is over 1,000 times higher than the baseline value that is naturally found in Antarctica. The ammonia enhanced the particle concentrations in the clouds up to 30 times than the background, according to Boyer. Around the end of February, the penguins migrated from the area. The ammonia concentration was still more than 100 times higher than the baseline, because the penguin guano left at the colony site still emitted the gas.  “The most surprising part for me was the strength of ammonia emissions from the penguin guano for a month after the penguins were no longer present at the colony,” says Boyer. “They left for their annual migration, but the guano they left behind in the soils continued to emit gas ammonia at ~100 times higher than the baseline.” Thousands of Adélie penguins pictured from a distance at the studied Adelie penguin rookery, located on the southeastern coast of Seymour Island on the Antarctic Peninsula. CREDIT: Matthew Boyer. This indicates that the cloud-building ammonia emissions from penguins may cover even more of coastal Antarctica. To confirm that the increase in ammonia concentration eventually affected the cloud formation, the team recorded several additional atmospheric measurements during a single day. When the wind blew from the penguin colony, the number and size of the aerosol particles recorded at the site sharply increased. Approximately three hours after the wind changed, the team saw a period of fog. The team believes that this fog was likely a result of that increased aerosol particle concentration and cloud formation.  According to the team, the data suggests that penguin poop may be helping reduce some of climate change’s effects on an ever-warming Antarctica.  “Our measurements demonstrate that these environmental and ecosystem changes will subsequently impact the atmosphere and the climate of the region,” says Boyer. “This matters, because changes to the climate/ecosystem in Antarctica can have consequences for global climate.” #how #pungent #poop #could #help
    How pungent poop could help Antarctica’s penguins
    www.popsci.com
    Adélie penguins walking along the Antarctic coastline.   CREDIT: Matthew Boyer. Get the Popular Science daily newsletter💡 Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. If you have ever stood in front of a penguin enclosure at an aquarium–or better yet traveled to Antarctica, New Zealand, or parts of southern Africa to see them in the wild–one reality really sticks out about these flightless birds. The smell. Their guano (aka poop) is pungent and plentiful, and dark stains of guano sticking out on white ice have even helped scientists find previously unknown penguin colonies. The ammonia released from their poop also might help reduce some of the devastating effects of climate change. This gas helps influence cloud formation, which can cool down surface temperatures. The findings are detailed in a study published May 22 in the journal Nature Communications Earth & Environment. A group of Adelie penguins standing on guano-covered snow. CREDIT: Matthew Boyer. Why ammonia? Antarctic ecosystems are under serious threat due to human-driven climate change, with some penguin colonies failing to breed altogether. Warmer temperatures means less critical sea ice for penguins, sea birds, seals, and whales. Penguins are a key species in this ecosystem at the bottom of the world and also are major emitters of ammonia in the region.  Ammonia is an atmospheric gas that can increase cloud formation by reacting with gases containing sulphur. In turn, this increases the creation of aerosols–the particles that give water vapour a surface to condense upon. All of that condensation leads to cloud formation. “Aerosol particles are necessary for cloud formation; liquid water will not condense to form cloud droplets without the presence of aerosol particles,” Matthew Boyer, a study co-author and atmospheric scientist at the University of Helsinki in Finland, tells Popular Science. “Clouds influence the surface radiation budget, which affects surface temperature. Therefore, clouds impact climate change. This is true across the entire planet, not just in Antarctica.”  First author Matthew Boyer piloting a drone for data collection in Antarctica. CREDIT: Zoé Brasseur. Since higher concentrations of aerosol particles creates clouds that are more reflective of the sun’s rays, the strength of an area’s aerosol particle sources matters. “In general, the Antarctic atmosphere is a pristine environment,” says Boyer. “It’s located far away from human pollution sources, and the background aerosol particle concentrations are low as a result. New particle formation, occurring from gases emitted from natural sources (e.g., penguins and the ocean), is therefore an important source of aerosol particles in the region.” The resulting clouds can act as insulating layers in the atmosphere and those layers often help lower surface temperatures and can affect the amount of sea ice coverage. However, the specific interaction between penguins and their ammonia filled poop and the Antarctic climate is not well understood. Standing downwind In this new study, Boyer and his colleagues measured the concentration of ammonia in the air at a site located near Marambio Base, Antarctica between January 10 and March 20, 2023. When the wind blew from the direction of a colony of 60,000-individual Adélie penguins (Pygoscelis adeliae) about five miles away, the ammonia concentration increased to as high as 13.5 parts per billion. That figure is over 1,000 times higher than the baseline value that is naturally found in Antarctica (less than 10.5 parts per trillion). The ammonia enhanced the particle concentrations in the clouds up to 30 times than the background, according to Boyer. Around the end of February, the penguins migrated from the area. The ammonia concentration was still more than 100 times higher than the baseline, because the penguin guano left at the colony site still emitted the gas.  “The most surprising part for me was the strength of ammonia emissions from the penguin guano for a month after the penguins were no longer present at the colony,” says Boyer. “They left for their annual migration, but the guano they left behind in the soils continued to emit gas ammonia at ~100 times higher than the baseline.” Thousands of Adélie penguins pictured from a distance at the studied Adelie penguin rookery, located on the southeastern coast of Seymour Island on the Antarctic Peninsula. CREDIT: Matthew Boyer. This indicates that the cloud-building ammonia emissions from penguins may cover even more of coastal Antarctica. To confirm that the increase in ammonia concentration eventually affected the cloud formation, the team recorded several additional atmospheric measurements during a single day. When the wind blew from the penguin colony, the number and size of the aerosol particles recorded at the site sharply increased. Approximately three hours after the wind changed, the team saw a period of fog. The team believes that this fog was likely a result of that increased aerosol particle concentration and cloud formation.  According to the team, the data suggests that penguin poop may be helping reduce some of climate change’s effects on an ever-warming Antarctica.  “Our measurements demonstrate that these environmental and ecosystem changes will subsequently impact the atmosphere and the climate of the region,” says Boyer. “This matters, because changes to the climate/ecosystem in Antarctica can have consequences for global climate.”
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