One of our favourite things about Unreal Fest are the amazing talks Head on over to the Unreal Engine YouTube channel to check out talks from Unreal Fest Seattle, with more and more being uploaded each day:https://epic.gm/unreal-engine-youtube

Dive into an immersive 3D experience as Lewis Benfields Elysium meets Yanis Georges award-winning animation Imagine, exclusively showcased at London's Saatchi Gallery! The collaboration merges tech, nature, and sound, pushing traditional art boundaries with real-time interaction and the power of UE. Discover a unique space where humanity and digital art connect: https://www.lbvvfx.com/imaginethenewelyisum

President-elect Donald Trump on Monday named former New York Congressman Lee Zeldin to lead the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as he continues to build out his future administration with loyal supporters.Zeldin, a Republican who mounted a failed bid for governor of New York in 2022, would ensure fair and swift deregulatory decisions that will be enacted in a way to unleash the power of American businesses, while at the same time maintaining the highest environmental standards, including the cleanest air and water on the planet, Trump said in a statement.Zeldin, who left Congress in January 2023, was a surprising pick for the role. His public appearances both in his own campaigns and on behalf of Trump often had him speaking about issues such as the military, national security, antisemitism, U.S.-Israel relations, immigration, and crime.He was among the Republicans in Congress who voted against certifying the 2020 election results. While in Congress, he did not serve on committees with oversight of environmental policy.In 2016, he pushed to change the designation of about 150 square miles of federal waters in Long Island Sound to state jurisdiction for New York and Rhode Island. He wanted to open the area to striped bass fishing, which is allowed in state waters but banned in the federal area.Zeldin said at the time that he wanted to restore local control and common sense to fishery management. He later pushed to allow striped bass fishing in an amendment to a federal spending bill. Environmental groups criticized the amendment, which they said risked overfishing in the area.Trump often pointed to Zeldins performance in the 2022 gubernatorial race, when the Republican did far better than had been expected against Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul. While Trump didnt win New York State in last weeks election, he did far better than he had during previous elections, particularly in the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Queens.New York Republican chair Ed Cox said Zeldins surprise appointment was a testament to President Trumps commitment to revitalizing the original mission of the EPAan agency created . . . under President Richard Nixon to protect our nations environment.The announcement comes after Trump selected longtime adviser Stephen Miller, an immigration hard-liner, to be the deputy chief of policy in his new administration and named Rep. Elise Stefanik as his nominee for U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations.Confirming the Miller appointment, Vice President-elect JD Vance posted a message of congratulations Monday on X and said, This is another fantastic pick by the president. The announcement was first reported by CNN.Miller is one of Trumps longest-serving aides, dating back to his first campaign for the White House. He was a senior adviser in Trumps first term and has been a central figure in many of his policy decisions, particularly on immigration, including Trumps move to separate thousands of immigrant families as a deterrence program in 2018.Miller has also helped craft many of Trumps hard-line speeches, and was often the public face of those policies during Trumps first term in office and during his campaigns.Since leaving the White House, Miller has served as the president of America First Legal, an organization of former Trump advisers fashioned as a conservative version of the American Civil Liberties Union, challenging the Biden administration, media companies, universities and others over issues such as freedom of speech and religion and national security.He was also a frequent presence during Trumps campaign this year, traveling aboard his plane and often speaking ahead of Trump during the pre-shows at his rallies.Miller drew large cheers at Trumps rally at Madison Square Garden during the races final stretch, telling the crowd that, your salvation is at hand, after what he cast as decades of abuse that has been heaped upon the good people of this nation their jobs looted and stolen from them and shipped to Mexico, Asia and foreign countries. The lives of their loved ones ripped away from them by illegal aliens, criminal gangs and thugs who dont belong in this country.We stand here today at a crossroads, he went on, casting the election as a choice between betrayal and renewal, between self-destruction and salvation, between the failure of America or the triumph of America.Because it is not a Cabinet position, the appointment does not need Senate confirmation.Zeldin said in 2016 that he disagreed with then-candidate Trumps call to eliminate the EPA. He told a candidate forum on Long Island that he saw a need to improve the agency, including bettering its relationship with Congress and deferring to lawmakers on some regulations, which is very different from advocating to eliminate it.When a proposal is being signed off on that really should be passed through Congress, and going through the legislative process, I think thats what caused the additional tension, Zeldin said, according to the Suffolk Times. Certain policies are being implemented through the EPA that should be vetted out statutorily through the legislative process, through committee of jurisdiction, more than what were seeing right now. Michelle L. Price, Jill Colvin and Zeke Miller, Associated PressMiller reported from Washington, D.C. Associated Press writers Matthew Daly in Washington, D.C., and Michael Sisak in New York contributed to this report.

For years, key members of the Democratic Party have been pushing for filibuster reform. According to one 2021 tally, 46 Democratic senatorsexpressed an opennessto transforming the filibuster, which prevents legislative action without a supermajority of 60 votes. And in 2022, Democratic Senators Jeff Merkley and Elizabeth Warren pushed for changes to the filibuster to pass key pieces of their agenda, such as voting rights legislation. But those efforts fell flat, largely because of opposition from Democratic Senators Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema, who argued that eliminating or substantively tweaking the filibuster would create a more partisan Senate.That adds an ironic twist to last weeks results at the polls: Following an election that saw Republicans take back the White House, the Senate, and in all likelihood the House of Representatives, the filibuster may be Democrats best hope for preventing the mass adoption of right-wing policies.Given the somber election news, Democrats have mostly shut down the filibuster debate. Of the 12 senators reached for this pieceincluding Merkley, the most vocal on reformsnone responded to Fast Companys request for comment. Fix Our Senate, 2022s loud anti-filibuster lobbyist group, has since shut down its website and been wiped from the founders LinkedIn. Lobbyist group Common Cause, previously campaigned to fix the filibuster, wrote via email that it was still monitoring the election results, and would finalize our federal strategy for the incoming administration in the coming weeks.A brief history of the filibuster debateThe filibuster is not a constitutionally codified practice; in fact, it was born of an absence. While the House of Representatives has standing rules for how long a member can speak, the Senate was left unregulated. That gap was exploited during World War I, when 16 senators blocked President Woodrow Wilsons protections against German U-Boats, fearing that it would bring the U.S. into the war. Back then, the filibuster involved lengthy speeches and declarations, as dramatized in the 1939 film Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. Now, even the threat of a filibuster is often enough to kill a bill.The Senate responded by setting cloture rules in 1917, which would shut down delays in debate and voting. At the time, they set the watermark at two-thirds of the vote, which was later changed to three-fifths in 1975. That also happens to be the last decade one-party cloture was possible: No single party has held the necessary 60 Senate seats since 1979.Back then, a bipartisan vote for cloture may have been more achievable, but its increasingly rare in present politics. Steven Smith, professor of political science at Arizona State University, points to the mass legislative blockages of the Republican minority under Senator Mitch McConnell.[Democrats] have had to get a sizable number of Republicans to move forward, and thats often been impossible, Smith says. Weve been living in an era of intense partisanship, small majority parties, and truckloads of obstructionism. As a result, bills surrounding gun-violence protections, treatment of undocumented minors, and workers rights have all been shot down via filibuster.There are notable exceptions. In 2005, the Senate moved to bypass the filibuster for most judicial nominations; 12 years later, that precedent was extended to Supreme Court nominations. Most government spending bills are now passed through budget reconciliation, a Senate workaround that supersedes the filibuster. Smith argues that reconciliation may offer a strong enough pathway to legislative change that the filibuster can remain a low priority: The public doesnt care about procedural matters.Filibuster flip-floppingIn 2022, Democrats led by Senator Merkley rallied around filibuster reform in order to more easily pass voting rights legislation. Senators Manchin and Sinema blocked the move, but both announced theyd leave office in 2025, which opened the door for more speculation over the filibusters uncertain future. (Sinema herself warned the filibuster wouldnt survive without her.)But now, the Democrats have lost the Senate. What was once a block to their legislative priorities, the filibuster now represents something of a saving grace for the left-wingers. University of Chicago political science professor Ruth Bloch Rubin says that, while some senators will continue supporting filibuster reform out of ideological commitment, most will switch their position.Most people are pragmatic politicians and recognize that theres a lot of policies that Democrats want to protect [for which] a filibuster will be necessary, she says. Its just a valuable weapon in their arsenal, and to get rid of it [now] would be a disservice to the folks who put them in office.While Donald Trump may have pushed for filibuster reform to pass his right-wing policy initiatives, Republicans have generally remained hesitant. Per their theory of small government, the ability to block Democratic excess is more important than their own ability to pass bills.[Republicans] see it as a protection against further expansion of the role of government, says Arizona State Universitys Smith. This is certainly what McConnell has preached to them: In the long view, better to have a high threshold for getting things passed in the Senate.Sure enough, Senator McConnell announced last week that the filibuster will stand under the new Republican majority.Will we ever see filibuster reform?If outright abolition is all but impossible, thats not to say reform is dead in the water. Rubin references the move toward a talking filibuster, which would force senators to physically engage in the obstruction and not merely threaten it.Were actually going to make people read the phonebook, or Green Eggs and Ham, or whatever it is, and put in the work, Rubin says. Maybe just the fact that that takes time, is unpopular, and takes energy and resources will be enough to make people think twice.Reformers like Senator Merkley have also argued for a filibuster-free motion to proceed, which would protect the move to open debate from blocks. But Smith remains skeptical: Then the filibuster simply goes to the bill itself, and nothing has changed.The filibuster isnt the root of all policy woes. Rubin points out that large swaths of bills are stopped not by minority obstructions, but by disagreements within the majority party. To smooth out the legislative process, the Senate would also need to consider changes to debate tactics like carve-outs, where senators can withhold their vote unless a bill has specific clauses benefiting their position.The Democrats and the filibuster have endured a curious enemies-to-lovers arc. If they want to keep core government programs intact, theyd better get ready to use it.

Mexican designer Norberto Miranda has created an inflatable "museographic device" made from PVC with a built-in shelf supported by air pressure.Named Intermittent Dome, the structure was created for The Arts and Cultures Program at Instituto Tecnolgico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey (TEC) in Monterrey, Mexico, and was tied to a workshop designed to teach students about upcycling in design.Made from clear PVC, the dome is six metres tall with striations marked by white PVC sheets that, according to Miranda, give the structure a "mise en abyme" effect.Norberto Miranda has installed an inflatable installation at TEC in Monterrey, MexicoOne of the circular bands that makes up the dome forms a shelf within the walls of the structure and is accessible from inside via four zippers."Zippers access air cells into what could be the thinnest shelf ever, 0.35 millimetres thick, totally suspended by air pressure," said Miranda."It has four access points and is a very silly process [to access] because it literally blows your face [when you open it]; we developed some skills to get the material passed the zipper but once inside it behaves pretty well."It is made out of PVCThe shelf runs around the perimeter and can be used to showcase items for educational purposes or student work.Air is constantly being pump into the structure to maintain the form. A vent at the top helps to modulate the temperature inside the structure, which is directly affected by the outside conditions.Read: Norberto Miranda creates inflatable bean galleries for travelling exhibit in Mexico"]"The dome has a hole in the last segment, that makes a natural ventilation at the top it gets hot if you put it outside at the straight sun," said Miranda."It does provide some shade, though, and shelter from the rain. Ultimately, it replicates the outside conditions, offering diffraction of light entering."It was created for design educationThough Miranda often works with recycled plastics through his design studio Bolson, he opted to use virgin PVC fabricated by Jalisco-based manufacturer Publiglobos to assure structural consistency and to achieve a see-through finish.TEC will host workshops in the dome geared towards upcycling processes, and Miranda said he will field proposals for ways to recycle the dome once the programming is complete.Miranda said it has a shelf that may be the "thinnest" in the worldHe said that some of the dome may be converted into the handbags Bolson is known for, but that he wants students to "develop the sensibility" addressing the afterlife of projects, noting that no matter what the entirety of the dome will be reprocessed.Miranda was featured in a cross-section of Guadalajara's design scene as part of Dezeen's North American Design 2024 series.Other inflatables meant for occupation include a "womb-like" installation created by Annabelle Schneider during NYCxDesign.The photography is courtesy of Norberto Miranda.The post Norberto Miranda creates inflatable classroom with world's "thinnest shelf" appeared first on Dezeen.

Architecture studio Javier Senosiain Arquitectos has created a wood-lined office space in Mexico City informed by an "animal's refuge" and other cave-like spaces.The 202-square-metre office was designed to be "adapted to the human being" and consists of several main cave-like chambers linked by curving pathways.Javier Senosiain Arquitectos has created a cave-like office in Mexico City. Photo is by Francisco LlubertIt serves as a Mexico City office for Javier Senosiain Arquitectos, an architect and office known for its organic architecture."The main idea [was] to achieve adapted spaces to the human body: similar to [the] maternal cloister, animal's refuge, the troglodytes that are sculpted under the ground, the igloo not a turn back but a meditated reconciliation," said Javier Senosiain Arquitectos founder Javier Senosiain.It is covered in maple root veneer. Photo is by Francisco LlubertThe space spreads out over one level of a wedge-shaped shared office building and contains a terrace on one side.Visitors enter through the main door, which opens onto a waiting area with a reception desk that leads into a curving hallway.The space is organised into various chambers. Photo is courtesy Javier Senosiain ArquitectosThis main hall branches off into a large work area, which contains two large snaking desks that look out over the terrace. On the other side, the main hall leads into a kitchenette, a material library and two enclosed offices.The larger of the two offices contains a circular meeting area with curved benches. Past it is another curvilinear desk and a wall of floor-to-ceiling windows.Read: "Every work is very different" in organic architecture says Javier SenosiainEach space is enclosed with overhanging, curved ceilings and walls clad in a marble-like maple root veneer, also used for the floor.Organically shaped columns, shelving and light pendants were distributed throughout the space, while ground-level lighting runs along the perimeter.Large desks snake through the main working area. Photo is by Francisco LlubertThe space was previously a "rectangular prism", which the studio converted by creating wooden framing in the space and then covering it with "thin strings of wood".According to the studio, the use of wood versus prefabricated or synthetic materials reduced the project's environmental impact.Private offices branch off a main hallway. Photo is by Tanya Picazo Navarro"The project is made out of wood in its structure and finishing; this wood certifies the planification and the legal felling of trees," said the studio."With this in mind, it also guaranteed a lower environmental impact, compared to the energy and resources used in prefabricated materials."Desks and other surfaces were covered in leather. Photo is courtesy Javier Senosiain ArquitectosLeather was used to cover the desks and other surfaces to create a "soft" working space."[Living] together in the workshop is like working in a warm and illuminated cave, with stimulating sensations that change from one space to another, an interplay of lights that change throughout the day," said the studio.This project has been shortlisted in the Workplace interior category of Dezeen Awards 2024. Other projects shortlisted in this category include Land Over Water Office by Firm Architects and Link Lab Creative Offices by Stay Studio.A circular seating area is designed for meetings. Photo is courtesy Javier Senosiain ArquitectosRecently, Latvian photographer Anna Dave released images of the studio's snake-shaped aparment complex outside of Mexico City.The photography is courtesy of Javier Senosiain Arquitectos unless otherwise statedThe post Javier Senosiain Arquitectos creates "illuminated cave" office in Mexico City appeared first on Dezeen.

Zaha Hadid Architects is building a scientific research center in Uzbekistan. They adopted a low-tech approach to create a comfortable climate. The building is visually appealing, and equipped with a clever passive cooling system that draws inspiration from the traditional local architecture.The center is named after the 15th-century poet, author, linguist, and statesman Alisher Navoi. Called the Alisher Navoi International Scientific Research Centre, it is marked by big swooping arches and expansive glazing. The form is inspired by the traditional wind-catching towers of Central Asian and Middle Eastern Architecture, to remove the string from the desert heat.Designer: Zaha Hadid ArchitectsThe building is equipped with curvy supporting arches, which have been constructed from local bricks. The arches are built as hollow structures with openings that collect wind, and channel air into the building. During summer, the system will be offered support by electric fans and water misting to cool the air before it moves around the building. The hollow arched structures form a chimney effect, which enables the warmer air to escape through the openings at the top of each arch. The warm air rises naturally and escapes, building a pressure difference that pulls in the cooler air from lower levels, promoting ventilation throughout the building.These cooling principles are enhanced by the day-night cycle, extracting warmer air while trapping cooler air below, said Zaha Hadid Architects. Coupled with the high thermal mass of the centers structure, optimum conditions of comfort can be maintained with minimal energy consumption. Courtyards and skylights bring natural light into the heart of the center while deep roof overhangs provide its facades with effective solar shading in summer yet permit winter sun into the building to warm the interiors.The interior will occupy 23,000 sq m, and will also include the Navoi State Museum of Literature. It also contains research areas, a workshop, and a repository housing a collection of 3,500 historical books and manuscripts. 13 permanent exhibition halls will be placed around a central courtyard, promoting collaboration between literary education, research, and performing arts.The post Zaha Hadids Curving Science Center Is Marked With Big Swooping Arches & Expansive Glazing first appeared on Yanko Design.

DSLR cameras have evolved from their bulky forms into compact versions, that are now superseded by mirrorless versions that are more consumer-oriented. If you are someone who is a social butterfly, chances are you need high-resolution photo and video shooting equipment handy at all times. Sure, smartphones are the best bet when it comes to quick reels or IG-worthy stories, still they cannot match the details of DSLR or mirrorless shooters.Traditionally both these versions have an optical viewfinder to shoot the subject in the frame. Now, a designer has taken a completely different approach to what a camera should be like.Designer: Yasuaki MatsuuraThis is the Eye to Eye camera that takes a completely radical approach to digital photography both in form and function. Right where you would find the viewfinder and the lens of the digital camera, this one has a flush hollow part that lets the shooter see the subject without anything in between. This creates a direct eye-to-eye between the photographer and the subject right at the moment of capture. More than a mere gimmick, the digital camera actually shoots photographs.According to Yasuaki, the idea is to create a deeper connection between the two individuals and also let them be more aware of their visual surroundings. Since the subject knows the human eye instead of a lens looking straight him/her in the eye, the final shot has a more engaging emotion to it. Its beyond just the digital recording or picture shooting moment, staying as a cherished memory. This interesting gadget is a part of his art series, and a limited edition artwork that we are sure will have more interesting things to follow.The in-person interaction of this interesting digital camera can be a bit too much for shy individuals, however, more confident people can take advantage of this unique proposition.The post This digital camera with hollow viewfinder creates direct eye-to-eye contact for more engaging shots first appeared on Yanko Design.