Over the past five years, single-family home prices have risen roughly 54% nationally. This is pushing property tax bills higher for homeowners, as local governments often fail to offset these increased valuations with reduced tax rates.Meanwhile, rising office vacancies due to ongoing remote work trends have led to declines in some commercial property values, placing added pressure on residential properties to sustain revenue for local budgets.Currently 76% of Americans believe housing affordability is a growing problem. This past Tuesday, voters across nine states weighed in on housing-related measures.The following provides a summary of statewide housing measures, how they fared, and what their outcomes could mean for our future housing landscape.ArizonaStatewide Proposition 312 passed with 58.4% of the vote. The measure allows people to seek property tax refunds if they incur expenses because local governments fail to enforce laws against illegal camping, loitering, panhandling, public urination, and similar issues.Prop 312 was on the ballot after a homeless encampment in downtown Phoenix, known as The Zone, was cleaned up by the city following a court order with a November 2023 deadline.At its peak, The Zone had an encampment that consisted of about 1,000 unhoused people. Last Tuesday, on October 29, the nonprofit group Keys to Change counted 140 individuals.The measure was designed by the Goldwater Institute, a conservative and libertarian public policy think tank based in Phoenix.The reform garnered a large coalition of support from residents, property owners, and business owners who have been hurt not only by their governments failure to enforce the law, but by the governments proclivity for shunting homeless people into unofficial open-air shelters like The Zone in Phoenix, Goldwater Institute wrote in a press release after the measure passed.Opponents of the proposition include Arizona Housing Coalition and the ACLU of Arizona, which argue that this is an inhumane and counterproductive measure that criminalizes homelessness without addressing the root cause.Proposition 312 criminalizes homelessness, forces cities and towns to act in ways that violate the rights of unhoused people, allows corporations to avoid paying taxes, and threatens the financial well-being of our state, wrote ACLU of Arizona. It added that the proposition would reduce the citys tax revenue and the resources available to address housing instability.CaliforniaCalifornia is the only state in this election cycle with multiple statewide housing measures.Proposition 33:For the third time, California residents tried and failed to overturn a state law restricting rent control. Proposition 33, the Prohibit State Limitations on Local Rent Control Initiative, was defeated with 61.5% of California residents voting no.Proposition 33 would repeal the states Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act enacted in 1995, limiting how cities can regulate rents and allowing local governments to make that decision.The measure was initiated and funded by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation; proponents want to preserve the affordable-housing units available, and create more. Though most cities wouldnt see an immediate change, some cities, such as Berkeley and San Francisco, already have the local legal infrastructure and public support to see the effects quickly.But rent control has always faced loud opposition. One main concern was that cities will enact rent control so strict that it will end up stifling new housing construction despite the desperate need for it.Currently, California caps rent increases for apartments and corporate-owned houses more than 15 years old at 10% per year. Tenant advocates say this can still significantly burden tenants, according to CalMatters.Prop 34While the Protect Patients Now Act looks like a healthcare reform measure, its really just another battle over the states rent control, as KCRW reported.Prop 34 would require certain healthcare providers to spend 98% of the revenue they earn through a federal drug-discount program on direct patient care. If found to be out of compliance with the new rules, those providers would have their healthcare license and nonprofit status revoked.Californians passed this ballot measure with 51.5% voting yes.Prop 34 is targeting the AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), which has spent more than $150 million on ballot initiatives, including rent control measures, over the past few years. According to KCRW, the criteria set by Prop 34 seem to be true only for AHF.Prop 34s primary sponsor is the California Apartment Association, a lobbying group that represents the states rental property landlords and does not support rent control. Since passed, this proposition effectively stops AHF from ever backing another rent control ballot initiative again.Prop 5The last housing-related ballot measure for California is Prop 5, which would allow approval of local infrastructure and housing bonds for low- and middle-income Californians with a 55% vote, as opposed to the current two-thirds vote of the local electorate.The bill failed to pass, with 56.3% voting no.Proponents argued that the measure would shift local spending priorities away from the state government and empower local voters to address challenges facing their communities.Whereas opponents said Prop 5 would shift the financial burden from the state to local communities, increasing costs for homeowners, rents, and consumers. The measure would make it easier to increase bond debt, leading to higher property taxes.ColoradoThe Colorado ballots Amendment G to the state constitution, regarding veteran access to property tax exemptions, passed with 72.6% of the vote.Currently, the Colorado Constitution only allows veterans with a service-connected disability rated as a 100% permanent disability to claim a property-tax exemption for a portion of the actual value of the veterans owner-occupied primary residence.House Concurrent Resolution 23-1002 is a Colorado State constitutional amendment that expands veteran eligibility for the exemption. Now, veterans with individual unemployability status, as determined by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), can claim the exemption.The Colorado legislature predicted that an additional 3,400 veterans in the state could claim a property tax exemption if Amendment G passed.Opponents, however, argued that the exemptions extension could make property taxes more complicated and difficult to fairly administer.The resolution also changed the existing defined term disabled veteran to veteran with a disability to conform to public policy of using people-first language in new or amended legislation that refers to people with disabilities.FloridaFloridas ballot contained a state constitutional amendment on housing. Amendment 5, or the Annual Inflation Adjustment for Homestead Property Tax Exemption Value Amendment, passed with 66% of the vote.The amendment essentially requires an annual adjustment for inflation to the value of current or future homestead exemptions. The portion of the exemption that pays school district levies will not be impacted by the adjustment for inflation. A separate state law, the Save Our Homes Act, caps homestead tax increases at 3% per year or the Consumer Price Index (CPI), whichever is less.As a result, in the new year, homeowners will see an increase anywhere from 1% to 3% on the $25,000 exemption, matching the inflation rate.Homestead tax exemptions decrease the assessed property value of a home, which means lower property taxes for homeowners primary residences. Most homeowners qualify for at least two $25,000 exemptions that add up to a fixed $50,000 deduction from a homes assessed value each year. With the passage of Amendment 5, one of the two homestead exemptions will now be adjusted for annual inflation. This means that when inflation goes up, so will that exemption.Supporters, including the resolutions sponsor, Representative James Buchanan, believe the amendment aims to lower the cost of home ownership over time, Florida Phoenix reports, as cost-of-living increases are reflected in homeowners homestead-exemption taxes.Opponents of the amendment, including Democratic Representative Robin Bartleman of Broward County, worry about the decrease in property-tax revenue, as well as the increasing inequality this amendment would bring. Florida counties will now collect $406 million less in property-tax revenue over the next five years after Amendment 5 passed, according to the Florida Policy Institute.While local governments grapple with this reduction in revenue, Floridians will see only modest relief under Amendment 5, as [Florida Policy Institute] estimates that the 4.3 million households eligible for this inflation-adjusted homestead exemption will see an average of just $20 in savings over the next five years, Florida Policy Institute wrote. Plus, since this is not targeted property-tax relief, the wealthiest families in the state are among those who will benefit, while small business owners and renters are left out.GeorgiaGeorgias state ballot had a constitutional amendment also related to Homestead Property Tax Exemptions. Amendment 1, or the Local Option Homestead Property Tax Exemption Amendment, passed with 62.9% of the vote.Amendment 1 limits increases in the assessed value of homesteads by authorizing the state legislature to implement a statewide local-option homestead exemption from ad valorem taxes. This limits increases in assessed home values for tax purposeshome property assessments will be capped to the rate of inflation for the previous year, measured by the CPI.The change goes into effect on January 1. Local governments like counties, consolidated governments, municipalities, or local school systems, have the ability to opt out of the homestead exemption between January 1 and March 1, given that they hold three public meetings before March 1 that abide by certain timing and scheduling regulations.While proponents of the amendment are largely homeowners experiencing increasing property taxes, opponents warn that the caps will unfairly shift the burden onto new homeowners, renters, and other property holders.The amendment will make tax bill calculations increasingly complicated, result in inconsistent tax relief across different local jurisdictions, and reduce property-tax revenue for counties and cities that heavily depend on those taxes to fund local services, according to the Georgia Public Policy Foundation.New MexicoNew Mexicos Constitutional Amendment 2 amended the state constitution to increase the property-tax exemption for honorably discharged members of the armed forces or their widows or widowers from $4,000 to $10,000. Starting 2025, the amendment also requires the exemption to be annually adjusted for inflation.The amendment passed with 71.7% of the vote, with proponents claiming that increasing the property-tax exemption for honorably discharged veterans and their spouses helps them maintain homeownership, reflecting New Mexicos appreciation for their service.Opponents argued that veteran benefits are the responsibility of Congress, not the states, that this exemption unfairly shifts the tax burden to other property taxpayers, and isnt based on financial need. Additionally, the inflation adjustment provision could further increase nonveteran property tax bills in the future.The measure was referred to the ballot by unanimous votes in both the states Senate and House.North DakotaNorth Dakota voters had the opportunity to largely end property taxes on Tuesday, but 63.5% of citizens voted no.Measure 4 would have prohibited state and local governments from levying taxes on the assessed value of any real or personal property except for those designed to pay for bonded indebtedness. If passed, it would have made North Dakota the first state to repeal property taxes on the assessed value of a home.The initiative also would have required the legislature to make up that lost tax revenue, which is estimated to be around $3.15 billion every two years.Rick Becker, who led the measure, believes it would provide long-sought relief that the state can afford, CBS News reported. We are such a rich state per capita that we can actually make this conversion and be able to afford it without increasing taxes and without cutting services, said Becker, a former Republican state representative.However, more than 100 organizations in agriculture, energy, education, healthcare, and more, formed the Keep It Local ND coalition to oppose the measure.If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is, reads the Keep It Local website. There is no well-vetted plan to make up the estimated $1.575 billion per year to cover property taxes to fund essential services.Rhode IslandQuestion 3, the Housing Acquisition, Development, and Infrastructure Bond Measure, asked voters whether they supported issuing $120 million in bonds to increase the availability of housing in the state.The answer was yes, according to 65.7% of the states voters.Housing insecurity has emerged as the leading social determinant of health, according to Jay OGrady, senior program officer at the Rhode Island branch of the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC).The need for more housing is accepted at a consensus level, OGrady said before the election. I have no reason to believe it wont be approved. Were at a crisis level thats not been seen.WyomingWyomings Constitutional Amendment A, The Wyoming Property Tax on Residential Property and Owner-Occupied Primary Residences Amendment, was passed by residents with 59.3% of the vote.This creates a separate class for residential real property for property-tax assessments. It also creates a subcategory, owner-occupied primary residence, which can be taxed at a different rate.Over the past several years, Wyoming has seen increasing property values, resulting in increasing property taxes. While the state legislature has responded through expanding the states property tax refund program, among other measures, achieving a more robust property tax reform has proven complicated.One challenge is that the Wyoming Constitution grouped residential property in the same tax class as commercial and agricultural properties, largely preventing lawmakers from making isolated changes to how homes are taxed.While Measure A solves that problem, even politicians who were in favor of the measure have expressed concern about the impact.Creating a new class does not provide tax relief, Republican state Representative John Bear of Gillette, who voted for the change, told WyoFile. In fact, this body could choose to raise taxes within that new class. If anything, keeping it tied together to corporations is probably a good idea for right now because it keeps this body from doing just that.The other main concern, like a variety of other states voting on property taxes, is the reduction in revenue for the state.Were on the cusp of a pretty big change, Republican state Senator Cale Case of Lander, who voted against the change, told WyoFile, pointing to Wyomings fossil fuel industry and declining demand for and production of coal.

A few years ago, when a friend learned that we share a love for Warren Zevon, he told me that he wanted Zevons songs I Have to Leave, My Rides Here, and Keep Me in Your Heart played at his funeralin that order. Not only did this conversation prompt me to think about what songs Id like for my own curtain call, but my friends funeral mixtape plans also helped me understand that end-of-life planning doesnt have to be an exercise in existential nihilism. Heres how you can prepare yourself and your family for end of lifewithout feeling like youre staring into the void.What end-of-life planning do you need?There are a few important documents and decisions you need to have in place for your end-of-life planning. These include:Living willWhen you can no longer make medical decisions for yourself, an advance directive gives guidance to your loved ones and medical team about what kinds of treatment you would prefer.Typically, an advance directive includes a living will, which spells out which common medical treatments you would want, which you would like to avoid, and if there are any conditions that affect those choices.Some of the types of medical care you may want to address in your living will include:CPRBreathing machine or ventilatorDialysisFeeding tube or artificial hydrationBlood transfusionsSurgeryThe living will is also where you can indicate your preferences for organ donation.There are a number of free online resources for creating your advance directive, such as CaringInfo, which will provide you with your states advance directive forms.Power of attorneyIn addition to a living will, you may choose to name a power of attorney (POA) to make decisions on your behalf for when you become incapacitated. Typically, a durable POA can make financial and medical decisions for you. However, some prefer to assign a separate medical POA to make healthcare decisions on your behalf, separate from financial ones.You will also need to determine when the POA comes into effect. An immediate durable power of attorney is effective as soon as you sign it and remains in effect once you become incapacitated, whereas a springing durable POA comes into effect only after youve become incapacitated. Regarding a medical POA, estate attorneys often recommend sticking with an immediate rather than a springing POA since an event that incapacitates you may require quick healthcare decisions before the legalities have been completed.For your POA, choose someone you trust to make choices that align with your values and wishes rather than someone who may make decisions based on their own grief or preferences.Each state offers free POA forms. You can find your states form here.Digital estate planningWe mere humans may only be mortal, but social media lives forever. Which is why your end-of-life plan needs to cover your digital estate.Specifically, this means creating an inventory of all your digital assets, including:Social media accountsEmail accountsSubscriptionsOnline banking and credit cardsUtilitiesShopping accountsPhoto storageCloud data for your devicesWebsites you maintainCryptocurrencyAny online intellectual propertyYoull want to make a list of login credentials for each digital asset. A safe way to do this is with a password manager. These services only require a single password to access your accounts, and they stay current with your passwords even if you change them.With that inventory in place, you can designate a digital estate executor in your will and outline what you want to happen with each of your accounts. For example, would you want your social media accounts deleted or archived?Unfortunately, even creating your digital inventory and estate may not be sufficient to access all your accounts. Some digital services may require you to use the services own tools for designating how the account will be handled after your death. Make sure you double-check with your most important accounts (including your email) to find out what the service provider requires.Is there a way to make this . . . fun?If reading through the above planning needs has you reaching for a bottle of Pepto Bismol (or worse), youre not alone. Nearly 75% of Americans dont have any kind of advance directive in place.But just like ping-pong, end-of-life planning is improved with the addition of some friends and red Solo cups. In other words, the best way to make end-of-life planning something you actually complete is to turn it into a party.One option is to throw a death dinnera dinner party specifically to talk about death and making end-of-life plans. Death Over Dinner, which is the brainchild of Michael Hebb, provides potential hosts with reading material, a video, and a podcast to share with your dinner guests ahead of the meal. Together, you share memories of departed loved ones, talk about your fears, plans, and hopes, and learn more about your friends.Alternatively, you could schedule a party for completing your planning forms together. After suddenly losing her mother in 2012, Amy Pickard developed the Good to Go party, which offers curated death-themed playlists and asks each guest to bring a potluck dish based on a loved ones recipe. At the party, everyone works together to fill out their planning forms. With a playful sense of humor and some willing friends, you can create your own version of this kind of party.Dont fear the reaperEnd-of-life planning combines two of the worst parts of modern life: legal paperwork and death. But taking seriously the need for an advance directive doesnt mean the process has to be devoid of fun. You can create the needed living will, power of attorney, and digital estate plan during a celebration that you want.And while youre all together, dont forget to ask your friends what song they want playing at their funeral. I recommend Warren Zevons Lawyers, Guns, and Money.

LA-based Jared Frank Studio has looked to Milan's history of modernist design for references while focusing on "what a West Coast pizza parlour could be".Wildcrust occupies a single-storey building with a fully glazed front in Highland Park, north of Downtown LA.At Wildcrust, Jared Frank Studio chose contrasting colours and materials in reference to Italy's design greatsWhen designing the interiors, Jared Frank Studio used the opportunity to rethink the pizzeria typology and move away from the aesthetic typically found in the Northeast US."Chef Miles Okabayashi engaged Jared Frank not just to design a restaurant, but to develop an original vision for what a West Coast pizza parlour could be," said the studio.Pistachio was chosen for the colour of cabinet fronts and a light fixture above the stainless steel counter"Instead of trafficking in Tri-State nostalgia, Frank looked towards the long history of Milanese modernism, from Piero Portaluppi's Deco to Aldo Rossi's PoMo and everything in between."With the greats of Italian design in mind, the designer imbued the space with contrasting colours and materials, and a variety of decorative lighting fixtures.A mirrored band with zigzag trim wraps the space above claret-hued banquettesPistachio green was chosen for wall-mounted cabinets, the sliding fronts below the stainless steel service counter and a linear light suspended above it.A backsplash of tiny red and burgundy tiles echoes the claret-coloured leather used to cover banquette seating, which wraps around circular tables.Decorative lighting designs throughout the space include sconces shaped like inverted stepped pyramidsA band of wraparound mirrors above the banquettes is topped with a zigzag trim where the pistachio hue appears again.Additional seating is provided at a picnic table and benches, all with A-shaped metal supports, and a small counter at the window.Read: Eight eclectic pizzerias that take the slice-shop to the next levelSpeckled back and white tiles cover the floor and extend part of the way up the wall, above which the exposed brickwork is whitewashed.For lighting, sconces shaped like inverted stepped pyramids are mounted on the walls, while pendant lights comprising stacked disks match the leather upholstery.Tiny red and burgundy tiles form the service area backsplash"With Wildcrust, Frank argues that it is LA, not New York, that has inherited Italy's exuberantly playful relationship to modern life and food," said the studio.This is Frank's first hospitality project since Tenants of the Trees, a popular LA nightclub during the late 2010s.Wildcrust is located in a single-storey building in LA's Highland ParkThe dining scene in Los Angeles continues to boom, particularly across the neighbourhoods north of downtown.Recent openings with notable interiors include Moroccan-influenced Zizou and the tiny Thai eatery Holy Basil Market.The photography is by Tim Hirschmann.The post Milanese modernism informs LA pizzeria interior by Jared Frank Studio appeared first on Dezeen.

Local architecture studio Dlna has extended the art department at Masaryk University in Brno, Czech Republic, creating a minimalist stack of studios that were designed to look "more like a modern art gallery than a traditional educational facility".Designed for the university's Faculty of Education, the 300-square-metre building adds new workshop and studio facilities directly alongside the faculty's neoclassical main building.Dlna designed the new building to be a "practical and utilitarian" contrast to this existing historic building, with a minimal, white-plastered exterior that mirrors the white cube-style studio spaces within.Dlna has created art studios within a stack of white cubes"The challenge was to design a building that deviates from traditional university building standards, while outwardly reflecting its artistic focus," Dlna founder Michal Palaak told Dezeen."Our aim was to highlight the creation of something new in the district, while deliberately choosing not to imitate the form of the neighbouring historic building," he added."[It] feels more like a modern art gallery than a traditional educational facility, standing out in the street space and engaging in a compelling dialogue between the neoclassical architecture of the surrounding buildings and its own generous, orthogonal shapes."The studios were designed to look "more like a modern art gallery"Loosely corresponding to the floor levels of the adjacent building, the studios are organised across four storeys housed within three distinct rectilinear blocks, which have been pushed and pulled slightly to articulate the building's facades.Space for the studios themselves was maximised by connecting to existing circulation at the northern end of the adjacent historic building, which includes a recently added lift.Read: Thomas Phifer uses white concrete to create boxy Museum of Modern Art in WarsawA double-height multimedia studio occupies the top floor, illuminated by a set-back, high-level window and featuring colour-changing lighting built into its walls.On the floors below, a painting studio is illuminated by a large, square window framing the trees behind the site, and workshops for cutting, drilling and welding overlook the street through a ribbon window.The building is constructed from reinforced concreteThe building's "monolithic" structure of reinforced concrete has been finished internally with an epoxy coating and white paint, with the areas of glazing left largely frameless to maximise the feeling of space and light."The goal was to maximise the available space, so we made it as large as possible," Palaak explained."We were also limited by the neighbouring apartment building which we could not overshadow. This limit we turned to our advantage, creating clean sculptural gestures," he added.Glazing is used to maximise the feeling of space and lightBased in Brno, Dlna was founded by Palaak in 2015.Other projects in Brno recently featured on Dezeen include a steel-framed pavilion by Chybik + Kristof at the historic Mendel Museum and a compact ice-cream shop.The photography is by Studio Flusser.The post Dlna houses Brno art studios within a stack of white cubes appeared first on Dezeen.

Kia Design Center America unveiled a funky concept EV van at this week's SEMA show. This PV5 WKNDR is intended to be "an ideal escape pod for extended weekends in nature." Among its unusual features are a steering wheel that pivots out of the way (sort of), a pivoting passenger seat and a pull-out unit they're calling a "Gear Head:"The PV5 WKNDR EV VAN features a highly flexible and adaptable modular interior that can be easily and efficiently customized to maximize space and function akin to a Swiss Army Knife on wheels. The van's "Gear Head" feature is the first-of-its-kind storage solution that provides an off-board, sheltered storage space for gear when the vehicle is stationary, allowing for maximum utilization of interior space while still offering easy access to gear outside. The "Gear Head" can also be transformed into a mobile pantry for cooking afficionados that want to "Cook with a View". Truly self-sufficient, the PV5 WKNDR EV VAN features solar panels and unique hydro turbine wheels that can recharge the batteries for many uses. As an example, Kia installed an onboard compressor to handle needs for inflation, from adjusting tire pressure when out on the trail to inflating space efficient mattresses when setting up camp for the night. Kia's clear that this is purely a concept. "Our vehicles already help people live their active and adventurous lifestyles and it was fun to see just how far we could go with these latest concepts. The SEMA Show acts as a blank canvas for creativity and offers a glimpse into what Kia's automotive future may hold."

Dutch company Airback has invented a backpack that can shrink its contents. Their eponymous backpack ($185) features a zippered airtight compartment with a port; once you've stuffed this compartment full, you attach either a household vacuum cleaner, or the company's small electric pump, to the port. All of the air gets sucked out of the compartment, compressing the clothing within. The company reckons this allows you to cram in 50% more stuff. The backpack also has a scale built into the handle, so you can avoid exceeding airline weight limits and being forced to check it at the airport. The overall design is quite intelligent, featuring a passport stash pocket, a locking laptop compartment, bottle holder and more:Following the popularity of the backpackwhich was Kickstarted to the tune of 350,000 (USD ~$380,000), they designed a smaller Airback Go ($152) which fits beneath an airplane seat. This design lacks the scale in the handle. There's also a larger Airback Max ($361), which boasts rollers and a telescoping handle as well as the Airback Next ($416), a hard-sided carry-on roller. All of the bags feature a built-in USB-C port, to which you can connect your own powerbank. The company's separately-sold pump runs $52. One does wonder what to do if either that or the handle scale breaks. For their part, the company says "we've committed to a circular system - allowing you to send your bag back to us when it's lived its life, whereupon we, along with our partners, will give it a new purpose." However, what I'd prefer to see is some mention of repair options.

Chess is a game that has existed for centuries, and it hasnt really changed much during that time, especially in recent decades. The rules of the game are pretty much the same, which includes power-ups that were invented way before the term even showed up in video games. Of course, these moves dont require any special piece outside of whats already included in the entire set, but that doesnt mean we cant do anything to spruce it up.This rather elaborate 3D printed design, for example, solves the practical problem of how to represent a pawn that has reached the opposite end and evolved into a queen. Sure, you can just try to remember which is which, but wouldnt it be easier if you had spare queen pieces instead? Better yet, why not just literally evolve the pawn instead, keeping the chess set simple, relatively? Designer: Works By DesignQueening is what happens when a pawn is crowned and gains the queens large movement powers when it reaches the opposite end of the board. In some cases, when your queen has already been captured, you can simply swap out the pieces. But what if your queen is still there or, by some stroke of luck, you have two pawns that become queens?This form-changing pawn is one solution that utilizes 3D printing, springs, magnets, and a rather complicated internal design. The challenge was to take a regular-sized pawn and have it not only expand to the size of a queen but also exhibit its features, particularly its flared crown. If youve ever watched Transformers, then you might get the idea more or less.The design underwent several iterations, particularly with the spring mechanism that holds the pieces together and then pushes them out to expand. In the end, the simpler version won out, though the final pawn size was definitely larger than normal. Fortunately, it still fits within international standards, so it probably wont be contested in an official match.The 3D-printed pawn uses magnets in its feet to trigger the expansion mechanism, so placing it on any metal surface, like the back row of this custom-made chess board, would make it spring into action, so to speak. Its definitely a convoluted design for a rather simple problem, but it also adds a bit of excitement and thrill to the game, becoming a goal of its own in addition to actually winning the match.The post 3D printed chess pawns transform into queens thanks to magnets and springs first appeared on Yanko Design.

If youre staying outside your house or office for a certain period of time, its almost always required that you need to bring a power bank. Well, unless youre one of those people who can live without looking at their smartphone (or your device has a lot of juice). But for the rest of us that need our smartphones almost always, a power bank is attached to our bag as well as our devices. We dont really think about the design of our power banks but some product designers do. Designer: Anil Ramesh, Arun Kumar, Joel Dsilva (Analogy Design Studio)The folks over at Analog thought about adding a bit more functionality to the power bank and make it easier for users to carry it around. They focused on usability, portability, and aesthetics, the latter of which we dont really think about as long as it gets the job done. But since we probably hold the power banks alongside our phone, it makes sentse to make it look better and also make it ergonomic. The power bank has an elongated design rather than the normal brick version that most of them have. It actually looks like a cosmetic case and since thats the look theyre going for, they added a beauty aspect to it. Theres a mirror inside of the power bank so you get another function for it aside from juicing up your device. The power banks come in various pastel colors and because of the added mirror function, it might appeal more to women or at least those who need mirror on the go and like the color scheme. The ergonomic function will also be useful for those who may have some grip or muscle issues from holding phones for a long time. The post Power bank concept is not only ergonomic but even comes with a mirror first appeared on Yanko Design.

Semiconductor sales rose to $166,000,000,000 in a single quarter this year.The AI boom goes hypersonic for some.

Well before the immersive sim was recognised as a subgenre, System Shock was showing how to create a world in which you feel completely enveloped, where everything fits in the fiction.Back to Citadel to see the origins of the emergent sim.