The AJ Retrofit & Reuse Awards celebrate architectural expertise and ingenuity in the physical and environmental adaptation and upgrade of buildings, and the reuse of building materials and structure in response to the climate emergency and changing requirements of use.The awards (formerly the AJ Retrofit Awards) were retrofitted themselves last year brought up to date with the introduction of brand-new categories, which the AJ adapted with the help of industry experts to make more appropriate to the discussion surrounding repurposing and renovating existing buildings.These range from adaptive reuse to positive addition, to decarbonisation and net zero. The 15 categories are listed below.AdvertisementAt this years inaugural awards held last September all shortlisted practices were able to present their projects to a panel of judges. This will be repeated in 2025.The awards saw Scottish practices coming out strong. Glasgow-based ODonnellBrown won top prize Retrofit of the Year for its Glasgow defurb of New Olympia House. The sensitive 1.7 million scheme has transformed a former Salvation Army Citadel in Bridgeton into 280m2 of commercial office space, announced on the streetscape by a sculptural metal entrance tower. Source: David BarbourNew Olympia House by O'DonnellBrownThe AJs editorial team said that the overhaul ticked all the boxes of what a good adaptive reuse should be: making careful interventions while improving the sustainability and lifespan of a building but, above all, creating something special for the community.Glasgow and Leeds-based practice Page\Park won the 2024 Practice of the Year accolade for its excellence in conservation and adaption of existing buildings, while Client of the Year was awarded to Historic England for pushing hard for over 15 years for the repair and transformation of the worlds first iron-framed building Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings into a social enterprise hub and leisure destination and in doing so creating a flagship heritage regeneration project.Have a retrofit project that similarly fits the bill? The deadline for entries is 7 February 2025 and your project must have completed between 1 July 2023 and 31 January 2025 (except for the Retrofit revisited and Future reuse categories).AdvertisementThe awards ceremony will be hosted again at The Brewery, London, on Wednesday 10 September 2025, the same day as AJ Retrofit Live. More details and entry requirements can be found here.AJ Retrofit & Reuse Awards 2025 categoriesAdaptive reuse into mixed use The conversion and repurposing of an existing building to multiple uses other than that for which it was originally built.Adaptive reuse into office The conversion and repurposing of an existing building to a new use that must include workspace. The new use must differ to that for which it was originally built.Adaptive reuse into residential The conversion and repurposing of an existing building to a new use that must include housing. The new use must differ from that for which it was originally built. Excludes one-off houses.Adaptive reuse into other The conversion and repurposing of an existing building to a single use other than office or residential and other than that for which it was originally built.Climate resilience and adaptation Projects with a focus on adaptations/additions intended to deal with or mitigate environmental change and weather extremes. Can be adaptions to both/either built fabric or landscaping including increased shading, incorporation of green roofs, landscaping SuDS strategies etc.Conservation and historic The restoration or careful upgrade of ancient, historic or listed buildings and structures.Decarbonisation and net zero Projects involving the environmental upgrade of fabric and services of large or multi-occupancy buildings or multiple buildings across a property portfolio OR data-driven projects that have specifically or demonstrably targeted net zero benchmarks during their upgrade in anticipation of the grid becoming decarbonised. For example: council schemes to upgrade and electrify housing stock etc.Deconstruction and reuse New-build or retrofit projects demonstrating circularity and the reuse of building components, materials and structural elements from previous buildings. For example, reclaimed doors or flooring. Excludes reuse of a stripped-back concrete frame alone.Fit-out Projects focused on the rework and refresh of interior spaces, including shop and commercial fit-outs, employing low-carbon and circular economy principles.Future reuse Planned and future projects on the drawing board, particularly those looking to push the envelope in terms of retrofit and reuse.Meanwhile and grassroots Neighbourhood-based and community-initiated and/or led projects, or temporary retrofit projects for meanwhile use in anticipation of a larger retrofit scheme.Positive addition Projects that include new build adjoining an old/existing element. Must involve the renovation of the existing as well as a new-build addition that together extend the useful life of the whole. The existing needs to be larger in m2 than the new-build element. Excludes domestic projects.Private/individual renovation From domestic renovations and home extensions to other personal projects designed to improve private houses or properties.Project under 800,000 Retrofit on a budget and for smaller renovation or adaptive reuse projects.Retrofit revisited Open to retrofits over five years old, celebrating proven long-life/long-lasting projects. Can include projects that have previously been entered for an AJ Retrofit Award. Projects must have been completed before January 2020.

The AJ100 practice is drawing up a fresh masterplan to overhaul Croydons Whitgift shopping centre, Centrale shopping centre, and the surrounding town centre for site owner Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield (URW).URW, which also owns Westfield Stratford and Westfield Sheppard's Bush, said yesterday (12 November) that a mixed-used, residential-led scheme would replace Allies and Morrisons original vision which featured a large shopping centre.That masterplan, which won consent in 2013, was never delivered. Last year the AJ reported last year that firms including KPF were being considered to lead on a new masterplan for the same site.AdvertisementHowever Allies and Morrison has been officially unveiled as the design lead and its revised masterplan will focus on delivering housing and pedestrian-friendly public spaces to create a more sustainable and better-connected town centre, URW says. The development could also include shops and cultural uses.Proposed housing tenures will include market sale, build-to-rent, student, co-living, and supported housing. No numbers have been put on the homes set to feature in the scheme.A consultation runs until 29 November to seek public views on the emerging plans for the 10.5ha site, which has now been branded The North End Quarter masterplan,Allies and Morrison partner Paul Eaton said: The masterplan framework focuses on revitalising the centre of Croydon; transforming it with green pedestrian-friendly routes and public spaces, high-quality homes and thriving retail and community spaces.URW chief operating officer Scott Parsons added that the new vision will drive major positive change, establishing a thriving heart of Croydon that is inclusive and welcoming for all.AdvertisementWe know there is a strong desire from residents, businesses and stakeholders to see progress in the town and our goal is to harness Croydons creativity, youth and connectivity to develop a scheme that leverages its strengths with a diverse economy across retail, finance, community and the arts.Speaking to the AJ last year, Parsons said URWs vision for the site would be much more focused on the sustainability side of things and include more retrofitting of existing structures, while avoiding this big Deathstar-type inward-looking Westfield thats all singing, all dancing.He added: Were looking at the whole of the Croydon estate and have structural engineers and specialist advisers on board to look at what we can repurpose and what can be adapted and reused [and] It will be a phenomenal mixed-use development opportunity but it will happen in a much more organic and feasible way rather than just getting the wrecking ball out.In May last year, URW took full ownership of the site after buying out its 50 per cent joint venture partner Hammerson, which once had its own Terry Farrell-designed scheme to regenerate Croydon.Plans for Croydon town have been in limbo for almost a decade. A previous 1.4 billion plan drawn up by Leonard Design Architects was axed in 2021 after Croydon Council deemed it no longer appropriate.Croydons mayor, Jason Perry, said of the new masterplan: The regeneration of Croydon town centre remains a top priority, and we have been working closely with URW so that our vision for the future of Croydon is aligned with the plans they are consulting on.

If you've had your Gmail account for years, there's a good chance that you havethousands ofunread messages. If you're close to using up your15GB of free storage, you've probably tried to delete some spammy emails or unsubscribe to those newsletters you stopped reading. But if the idea of cleaning out your Gmail inboxfills you with dread, and you don't want to start paying for extra storage, read on: We'll show you how to get your account back to inbox zero while keeping all your old email.All you need to do is create a second Gmail account to store all of your current messages. There's no restriction on the number of free Google accounts you can own, which means you can set one up as a dedicated archive account, and then transfer all your old emails to it.Transferring your Gmail messages is also a great strategy if you have a school or business Gmail account that you won't be able to access permanently. Most universities and businesses will deactivate your account once you are no longer a student or employee, so if you want to view your old messages and files, you'll have to port them to a personal account before you lose access.Completing the whole process of transferring your Gmail messages to a new account doesn't take too long, but it will depend on just how many messages you have. We'll walk you through the simple process of transferring your emails from your old account to a new one (including the important step of backing everything up first).For more about Gmail, learn about its new AI summaries or how to use emoji reactions. How much data can you store on Gmail?Fifteen gigabytes of free storage may sound like a lot when you make a Gmail account, but it gets filled up quickly. For starters, the 15GB isn't just used for email: It also includes the files you've saved in your Google Drive and Google Photos.If you frequently send or receive messages that contain large files such as videos, or if you find yourself uploading a lot of pictures and videos to your Google Photos, then it won't be long before you'll see the "Account storage is full" notification. This means that you will no longer be able to send or receive emails on this account, so you'll want to do something ASAP. The quickest solution is to upgrade to a Google One account. Even if you opt for the least expensive plan -- 100GB for $20 a year -- you'll still end up paying money to store old emails that you might not even need anymore.If you don't want to buy more storage, you can always delete your old emails. You can get back a surprising amount of storage space by putting large files in the trash. Gmail makes it easy for you to identify and delete files by size. Even so, that option might seem tedious; maybe you don't want to spend hours sifting through correspondence from a decade or more ago, deciding which memories to keep and which to get rid of forever.There's always the option to download large files to your desktop before you delete them from your Google account, but at some point, you'll probably run into the same issue with your local files and have to manage the storage space on your device.This brings us to our "nuclear option:" Transferring all your emails to a new Gmail account.How to transfer your Gmail messages to a new email accountBefore you start the Gmail transfer process, we recommend that you back up your emails. You can do this by downloading your emails either to your computer or an external hard drive. You can delete the backup after you finish transferring the emails to your new account if you like, but it's always a good idea to have an extra copy stored locally.To back up your Gmail messages, go to Google Takeout. Using our test Gmail account that held about 75,000 messages, we got a download from Google Takeout in about 2 hours.Once you've saved a copy of your emails, you're ready to begin transferring them. Here are the steps you need to take:1. Start by logging into your original Gmail account, clicking the "gear" icon in the top right and clicking See all settings.2.Select the Forwarding POP/IMAP tab, and then select the option Enable POP for all mail (POP stands for Post Office Protocol).3.You'll have several options under When messages are accessed with POP. To automatically delete the emails from your original account after the transfer, select delete Gmail's copy.4.Select Save Changes. Now it's time to create your new account and transfer all your messages there:If you haven't already done so, create your brand new, inbox-zero Gmail account -- we'll call this your archive account.1. Login to your new archive account, click the gear icon at the top and select See all settings.2.Select the Accounts and Import tab at the top, and then select Add a mail account next to Check mail from other accounts.3.In the pop-up window, enter in the name of your original Gmail account. Select Next.4.Select Import emails from my other account (POP3), andNext again.5.Enter the password of your original Gmail account. You might also be required to create a Google app password (see note below).6.Select 995 under Port.7.Check these 3 boxes:Always use a secure connection (SSL) when retrieving mail, Label incoming messages,Archive incoming messages (Skip the Inbox)8.Select Add Account. You'll probably need to create a Google app password to transfer Gmail messagesWe tested this Gmail message transfer process twice, and both times the standard password for the Gmail accounts did not work. After a bit of research, we determined that we'd need to create a temporary "app password" to sync the accounts.Google app passwords are 16-digit passcodes created for "less secure" apps or devices to access your Google account. They work exactly like your Google password.If your regular Google password doesn't work for syncing Gmail accounts, visit https://myaccount.google.com/apppasswords to create an app password. Simply create a name for the password -- we used "Transfer Bulk Email" -- and then hit the Create button. You'll get a pop-up window with your new 16-digit passcode. Once you've created the app password, return to step 6 of the instructions above and use that new app password instead of your usual password.Important: Google will only display your app password once. After you've created it, you can't ask to see it again, so be sure to write it down or otherwise record it after it's been created.Google's own Help Center mentions that "app passwords aren't recommended and are unnecessary in most cases." So once you're done transferring your Gmail messages, we recommend deleting your app password.What happens after my Gmail accounts are synced?Once you've successfully linked your new Gmail archive account to your original account, your emails should begin to transfer automatically. The process could take several hours or days, depending on how many emails you have.In our test account with about 75,000 messages, we found that it took Gmail about 2 full days to transfer all of them from the original account to the new archived mail account.Important: After transferring your Gmail messages to your archived mail account, your original Gmail account will place all those messages in the Trash folder, which you'll need to empty manually. Clearing out those 75,000 messages from the Trash took about an hour. Before transferring Gmail messages, our test account was using a little more than 12GB, or 80%, of Google's free 15GB. After transferring, the account was only using 0.66GB, of which 0.06GB was from Gmail.What Gmail messages won't be transferred?We found that Gmail transferred all of our messages except for two categories -- Drafts and Spam.You'll need to decide what to do with your Drafts manually. Spam messages are automatically deleted every 30 days, so you can let Gmail handle that, or go into the Spam folder yourself after transferring your mail and delete or forward those messages.Once all of your emails have been imported to your new account, enjoy the experience of inbox zero. You've given your original account a new lease on life.At this point, there are two last steps: you'll want to stop the automatic transfer process so that you can continue using your original account, and you'll want to delete that app password if you had to make one.1.Login to your new account, go into your Settings and select See all settings.2.Select the Accounts and Import tab, and then select delete for your original account (under Check mail from other accounts.)3.When prompted to Confirm delete mail account, select OK.If you had to create a Google app password and want to delete it now, go back to https://myaccount.google.com/apppasswords and click the trashcan icon next to the password you created.Congrats, you're done.One important final note: Google will delete accounts that have been inactive for more than two years. So make sure you don't completely ignore all your old emails after transferring them. If you don't plan to regularly use your archive account to send email, you can still keep the account active by signing in at least once every two years.

It's not Thanksgiving yet, but holiday deals are already heating up, with many merchants releasing big savings on kitchen, home, electronics, and other items you may be hunting for as gifts -- or for yourself. Check out amazing deals from our partners below, which will be updated throughout the holiday season.And don't miss CNET's 100 Days of Holiday, our ultimate guide to the holiday season, for more incredible deals and gift guides for everyone on your list.Early holiday deals to jump on now QVC Keep this one on the counter. Enjoy fluffy Belgian waffles with a crisp finish -- every time -- with the Ninja Waffle Maker Pro. The space-saving vertical design is engineered to heat evenly for consistent results, and it's nonstick for easy cleanup. Plus, with five shade settings, everyone in the fam gets the waffle they want. Pass the syrup, please! See at QVC Dreame/CNET Dreame Technology's new state-of-the-art robot vacuum, the X40 Ultra, redefines clean living. With powerful suction, a fully automated cleaning station, an antitangle brush and intelligent mapping technology, it has never been easier to keep your home sparkling clean without ever having to get your hands dirty. Tackling your home's most stubborn cleaning challenges is just a few taps away with Dreame's Dreamehome app, which gives you personalized control over the X40 Ultra's many features, including:Extendable and liftable side brushHands-free base stationSmart mop and washboard cleaningMopExtend RoboSwing technology12,000Pa Vormax suctionOmniDirt detection technologyRemovable mop for carpet cleaningPrecision mopping strategy See at Amazon Mattress Firm Don't miss Mattress Firm's Black Friday sale! Get a king-sized mattress for the price of a queen, or queen for the price of a twin. Save up to $700, plus get a free adjustable base on select mattresses, up to a $499 value. See at Mattressfirm Getty Images/Tharon Green/CNET No Wi-Fi? No problem! Cellular service lines for your smartwatch or tablet are now half-off, or only $5 per month, on Go5G Next plans. See at T-Mobile Pair Eyewear Pair Eyewear's mixed material frames will elevate your Gen Z giftee's style. Available in gold with a black base and in silver with crystal clear base, they'll let you take Pair's customizability to the next level and even match your jewelry to your glasses. Designed with ease in mind, they're compatible with any top frames in the same base shape. And now you can get new limited-edition holiday collection toppers. These frames come in Pair's iconic Kirby, Murphy, Wanda, Larkin and Finley styles, combining sleek new metal temples with the same acetate front you already know and love. Your Gen Z giftee is sure to love it. $85 at Pair Eyewear MyQ From the living room to the kitchen to the busiest doors and your garage, MyQ helps you keep an eye on your home. Get tailored movement notifications guaranteeing you see real-time activity right from your phone. Revolutionize your home monitoring with a camera that doesn't just watch, it acts. Featuring exclusive MyQ Smart Secure technology, these cameras can automatically lock doors and close your garage, notifying you the moment it detects any person during predefined times. Use the exclusive codeCNET10for 10% off your order through Dec 31. See at MyQ Lectric The Lectric XP 3.0 is your gateway to an elevated and powerful adventure. It takes Lectric's award-winning XP 2.0 design to the next level, providing the company's best ride to date. A quieter motor, increased torque, hydraulic brakes, longevity boosters and added suspension are only a few of the many notable upgrades with this epic e-bike design. Best of all, brand-new optimized gearing makes riding at higher speeds smoother than ever before. The XP 3.0 is also compatible with fan-favorite new accessory options, including the Yepp Seat and a Passenger Package that can hold riders up to 150 pounds. $999 at Lectric E-Bikes AncestryDNA / CNET Surprise your loved ones with a personalized journey into their roots and a deeper understanding of their genetic traits. Uncover the untold stories of your origins and connections to living relatives. AncestryDNA doesn't just tell you which countries your DNA originates from, but can pinpoint specific regions within them. A meaningful gift that's priced just right. $39 at Ancestry See more deals at CNET's 100 Days of Holiday.

November 13, 20246 min readKristi Noem, Set to Oversee Disaster Agency, Has Rejected Climate SciencePresident-elect Donald Trumps pick to lead the Department of Homeland Security and its disaster agency has said people arent driving temperature increases and declined to accept federal climate money for disaster preparedness as governor of South DakotaPresident-elect Donald Trump named South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) to his Cabinet on Tuesday. Kamil Krzaczynski/AFP via Getty ImagesCLIMATEWIRE | President-elect Donald Trumps pick to run the department in charge of disaster recovery has been skeptical of climate change, declined to accept federal climate money and been criticized for her own handling of a natural catastrophe.Trump named Gov. Kristi Noem of South Dakota on Tuesday to run the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees the Federal Emergency Management Agency at a time when damage from extreme weather is soaring. FEMA distributes billions in disaster aid yearly and runs the country's biggest insurer against flooding the most damaging disaster in the U.S.But Noem has dismissed the idea that people are causing temperatures to rise.On supporting science journalismIf you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.Asked by a reporter in March 2022 if she believes the climate is changing, Noem replied, I think the science has been varied on it, and it hasnt been proven to me that what were doing is affecting the climate.Noem, a Republican, is one of five governors who declined to accept EPA planning grants that the Biden administration offered every state to address climate pollution.She is the only governor to opt out of a new $4 billion Energy Department program that gives states money to distribute to their residents for rebates on energy-efficient home appliances and improvements. South Dakotas share was $69 million, one of the largest amounts per capita in the nation.That money would have been available to commercial contractors to install energy-efficient appliances, which would lower heating and cooling costs for the individuals who are renting or buyers of those homes, said South Dakota state Sen. Linda Duba (D) on Tuesday.Were trying to drive down costs for individuals, so there was tremendous opportunity there, Duba added.Ian Fury, a Noem spokesperson, said last year that the governor declined the rebate money because federal spending often comes with strings attached, and more of it is often not a good thing.Noem declined the pollution grant because we focus on solving long-term problems with one-time investments rather than creating new government programs, Fury said.Noem also did not claim most of the money that FEMA has made available to states through a grant program for resilience projects.FEMA offered each state $3.6 million from 2021 to 2023. South Dakota collected just $1.3 million, FEMA records show. Thats one of the lowest collection rates of any state.Noem has also sought minimal funding from a separate FEMA grant program that pays for projects to lower flood damage, FEMA records show.She would be the eighth Homeland Security secretary since the department was created after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in 2001. Two of them had also been governors Tom Ridge of Pennsylvania and Janet Napolitano of Arizona.Noem is expected to focus largely on border and immigration issues if the Senate confirms her. DHS includes Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.Noem joined legal attacks on climate programsNoems skepticism about climate change stands in sharp contrast to DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell, both of whom are currently serving under President Joe Biden. They have both emphasized the enormous damage being caused by intensifying hurricanes, wildfires and floods, which they link to climate change.Trump has not yet named a FEMA administrator, who requires Senate confirmation, and is likely to wait until he has selected his Cabinet and other top officials.Noem, who has been governor since 2019, faced criticism for her response in June to major flooding in southeastern South Dakota due to massive rainfall overflowing streams, including the Big Sioux River. Some local residents criticized Noem for not activating the South Dakota National Guard and for flying to Tennessee during the flooding to attend a Republican fundraiser.When journalists asked Noem why she didnt deploy the National Guard, she pointed to the cost and said no local officials requested it, according to South Dakota Searchlight. Fury, the spokesperson, said at the time that county emergency managers handle local emergencies and are supported by the state on request.Quite frankly she was back and forth out of the state when all of that rain was falling, and her focus should have been right here. She should have canceled all of her press and been here because the flooding was substantial, said Duba, the Democratic state senator.A couple of weeks after the flooding, Noem asked Biden to approve federal disaster aid for South Dakota. Biden approved the request, and FEMA has given $9.1 million to 1,100 residents for emergency expenses and minor home repairs.Noem has experience with the FEMA disaster system. During her time in office, she has made 10 requests to the White House for FEMA aid after natural disasters five to Biden and five to Trump, who denied one request due to insufficient damage. South Dakota has received a total of $142 million in FEMA aid under her leadership, agency records show.In 2023, Noem hired Navigators Global, a Washington lobbying firm, to make sure that South Dakota is getting their fair share of all the taxpayer money they send to the federal government, lobbyist Cesar Conda said at the time.Noem met with Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack in early 2023. Around the same time, her chief of staff, Mark Miller, met with Mitch Landrieu, who was then at the White House overseeing implementation of the bipartisan infrastructure law.As she sought help from the White House, Noem also attacked some of the Biden administration's actions on climate change. She joined 15 other Republican governors to protest a move by the Securities and Exchange Commission to require publicly traded companies to disclose their risks from climate change.Since climate change models vary dramatically, the notion of evaluating investment risk based on such uncertain variables is inherently subjective and unreliable, the governors wrote to SEC Chair Gary Gensler in 2022. The SEC rule is tied up in a court challenge.Noem also joined a lawsuit to stop the Biden administration from putting a price on the social cost of carbon emissions, which agencies could use to write stronger climate regulations. The lawsuit was dismissed.'You're fired!'A year after becoming governor, Noem gained national attention during the pandemic for insisting that state and local businesses stay open. She was the only governor to reject Trumps offer of additional unemployment benefits.Noem has described the pandemic and the response as a life-changing event.In 2020, dysfunction mutated into dictatorship, Noem wrote in her autobiography "No Going Back," published this year.The COVID-19 pandemic changed our country and changed me. It almost killed us, and Im not talking about a virus. Most of the American population was at high risk for being controlled, Noem wrote.South Dakota, she boasted, was the only state in the nation that never once closed a single business.Before then, as a member of Congress from 2011 to 2019, Noem had few dealings with climate issues or disasters and was focused on agriculture and the military.Noem, who is 52, served in the South Dakota Legislature from 2007 to 2011 and grew up on a farm in the eastern part of the state.In "Not My First Rodeo," Noem's memoir published in 2022, she wrote, If I had to describe my overall political beliefs and the political beliefs of my whole family and most of my neighbors in just one word, it would be: respect.But Noem expressed a sharper edge in her newest book, "No Going Back."Near the end, she lists actions she would take as president on her first day. They include close the border and build that wall and restore the Made in Mexico policy.Noem also said she would hire John Kerry as climate czar just to have the satisfaction of looking him in the eye and saying, Youre fired!'"Reprinted from E&E News with permission from POLITICO, LLC. Copyright 2024. E&E News provides essential news for energy and environment professionals.

November 13, 20246 min readAlternate Timelines Cant Help You, Quantum Physicists SayThe multiverse offers no escape from our realitywhich might be a very good thingBy George Musser Hiroshi Watanabe/Getty ImagesAs memes go, it wasnt particularly viral. But for a couple of hours on the morning of November 6, the term darkest timeline trended in Google searches, and several physicists posted musings on social media about whether we were actually in it. All the probabilities expressed in opinion polls and prediction markets had collapsed into a single definite outcome, and history went from what might be to that just happened. The two sides in this hyperpolarized U.S. presidential election had agreed on practically nothingsave for their shared belief that its outcome would be a fateful choice between two diverging trajectories for our world.That raises rather obvious (but perhaps pointless) questions: Could a darkest timeline (or any other timeline, for that matter) be real? Somewhere out there in the great beyond, might there be a parallel world in which Kamala Harris electorally triumphed instead?It turns out that, outside of fostering escapist sociopolitical fantasies and putting a scientific gloss on the genre of counterfactual history, the notion of alternate timelines is in fact something physicists take very seriously. The concept most famously appears in quantum mechanics, which predicts a multiplicity of outcomescats that are both alive and dead and all that. If a particle of lighta photonstrikes a mirror that is only partially silvered, the particle can, in a sense, both pass through and reflect off that surfacetwo mutually exclusive outcomes, known in physics parlance as a superposition. Only one of those possibilities will manifest itself when an observation is made, but until then, the particle juggles both possibilities simultaneously. Thats what the mathematics saysand what experiments confirm. For instance, you can create a superposition and then uncreate it by directing the light onto a second partially silvered mirror. That wouldnt be possible unless both possibilities remained in play. Although this feature is usually framed in terms of subatomic particles, it is thought to be ubiquitous across all scales in the universe.On supporting science journalismIf you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.What supports the idea that these timelines are real, and not just imaginative fictions, is that they can interfere with one another, either enhancing or diminishing the probability of their occurrence. That is, something that might have happened but doesnt has a measurable effect on what does, as if the former reaches from the shadowy realm of the possible into the world of the actual.Consider the bomb detector that physicists Avshalom Elitzur and Lev Vaidman proposed in 1993 and that has since been demonstrated (fortunately not with real bombs): Perform the experiment with the partially silvered mirror but place a light-sensitive bomb along one of the two paths the photon can take. This blockage prevents you from uncreating the superposition to restore the traveling photon to its original state. It does so even if the bomb never goes off, indicating that the photon never touched it. The mere possibility that the photon could strike the bomb affects what happens. In theory, you could use this principleknown as counterfactual definitenessto take x-ray images of cells without subjecting them to damaging radiation. In an emerging subject known as counterfactual quantum computing, a computer outputs a value even if you never press the run button.One way to think about counterfactual definiteness is known as the many-worlds interpretation. A photon striking a mirror causes the cosmic timeline to branch, creating one world in which the particle passes through the mirror and one in which it reflects off that surface. Each of us is stuck inside our world and therefore sees only one outcome at a time, but the other is still there, visible to an inhabitant of the alternate world. All such worlds, taken together, constitute a multiverse.Whether they agree with the many-worlds interpretation or not, physicists and philosophers certainly love to argue about it. Some admire its elegance; others grouse about conceptual difficulties such as the slippery matter of what exactly constitutes a world. Quantum theory not only allows multiple worlds but also offers an infinity of ways to define them.In all the debate over many worlds, though, the key insight of the ideas originator, physicist Hugh Everett, is often forgotten. Everett developed his view in reaction to assumptions by other physicists that, because we can see only one of the possibilities of a superposition if a particle enters into that state, something must cause all the other possibilities to be discarded. In other words, some mechanism must collapse the superpositionperhaps the act of observation itself or some sporadic randomness inherent to the fabric of reality. Everett noticed a fallacy in this reasoning: it will always look as though the superposition has collapsed, even if it remains intact. The reason is that, in making our observation, we interact with the particle, and together we and it become a single combined system. Because the particle is in superposition, so are we. But we cant tell. Everetts fundamental point is this: We are part of the reality we seek to observe, yet no part can fully apprehend the whole, and thus our view is limited. Multiple timelines arise in the hidden recesses imposed by our very embedding within the universe.Other branches of physics also conceive of existence as comprising forking timelines. Physicists consider counterfactuals when calculating the path of a particle; according to what they call the principle of least action, even a classical particle that exhibits no distinctively quantum effects susses out all the possibilities. In statistical physics, researchers study particles by the septillion by thinking in terms of ensembles, which are another kind of multiverse, spanning all the possible ways the particles can be arranged and evolve. Over time, the particles explore all possibilities open to them. We sense their machinations indirectly as the flow of heat and establishment of thermodynamic equilibrium. Going outside physics, evolutionary biologists also routinely talk about multiple timelines: If you reran the evolution of species, would things turn out the same?All these scientific issues are rooted in a fundamental puzzle: What does it mean to be possible but not actual? Why is there something rather than something else? The physicist Paul Davies has called this the puzzle of what exists. It touches not just on esoteric ideas about branching timelines but also on aspects of everyday life such as causation. To say that something causes something else, there must be the possibility that the something else would never have happened in the first place. In astrobiologist Sara Imari Walkers recent book on the physics of life, Life As No One Knows It, she noted that the entire observable universe doesnt contain enough material to create every single possible small organic molecule, let alone big ones such as the DNA strands we know and love. For her, living things distinguish themselves by making molecules and other structures that are otherwise vanishingly unlikely to exist. Life blazes a path through the void of possibility space.Perhaps some deep rule selects the actual reality from among the possible realities, but efforts to identify that principle have been serially dashed. It is hard to argue that ours is the best of all possible worlds. Nor, despite what the 19th-century philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer proclaimed, does it seem to be the worstthings could always get worse, Google searches for the darkest timeline notwithstanding. For many, such as philosopher David Lewis and cosmologist Max Tegmark, the most straightforward conclusion is that all possible realities exist.The real question, then, is not whether there are other timelines; there certainly are. Rather it is why we see only one. Perhaps life or intelligence would not be possible if the branching were too evident to us. Physics is replete with such preconditions for our existence. For instance, if temporal flow did not have a directionalityan arrow of timethere could be no lasting change, no memories, no intelligence, no agency. Keeping other timelines hidden might be of similar importance. Quantum superposition may serve some specialized functions in our bodies, but otherwise italong with any traces of alternate timelinesis dissipated in biologys vigorous exchange of material and energy with the environment. The very nature of intelligence is to be selective; we would be paralyzed if we had to assay boundless infinitudes. Rather than holding open all possibilities, a mind must settleat least tentativelyon one. The effort required to make that choiceand, from there, to act upon itmay be key to giving us at least the subjective feeling of free will.So be careful what you wish for. In dark hours we may imagine alternate timelines and long for escape to another, but we seem to be inseparable from our own. Were it easier to flit between them, we might arrive only at oblivion. Like it or not, were stuck in this oneif we want to change it, well have to do that the old-fashioned way.

Sea of Thieves is finally letting private server players earn full rewards starting in DecemberBut it's lowering the level cap.Image credit: Rare/Xbox News by Matt Wales News Reporter Published on Nov. 13, 2024 We're coming up to a year since Sea of Thieves launched its long-requested private servers, and with that first anniversary looming, Rare has announced it's making some welcome changes, finally allowing players to earn full rewards while sailing in Safer Seas mode.Safer Seas, if you're unfamiliar, provides a means for a single crew of up to four pirates to sail Sea of Thieves' entire open-world map without the ever-looming PvP threat of High Seas mode. While the absence of other crews means a good chunk of PvP focussed content is unavailable in Safer Seas, players can still tackle emergent PvE events, complete Trading Company voyages, and embark on narrative-driven Tall Tales.Crucially too, it's possible to earn gold to spend on cosmetics and to increase Trading Company standing by earning reputation in Safer Seas - but both of these have been capped at 30 percent of the amount you'd ordinarily earn in High Seas until now, making things a bit of a drag for pirates who just want to, say, have a chill time raising funds for a shiny new figurehead away from the hubbub of Sea of Thieves' main mode.Sea of Thieves News, November 7th 2024.Watch on YouTubeIn a new developer update, however, Rare has acknowledged Safer Seas' "punishingly restrictive rewards", admitting they're working against its intention of providing an "onboarding ramp for new players". As such, it'll be increasing the current gold and reputation payout rate all the way up to 100 percent, matching the rewards earned in High Seas. There's a trade-off, though; the studio is dropping Safer Seas' level cap down from 40 to 25.Essentially, that means players wanting to work their way up to Pirate Legend status and gain access to the various Trading Company cosmetics unlocked along the way will now need to hop over to High Seas much sooner. On the flip side, players looking for a safe environment to learn the ropes, or for a more relaxed space to amass gold or Seasonal Renown (which continues to be awarded at a 100 percent rate in Safer Seas) can now do so completely unhindered. It is, admittedly, a shame the Hunter's Call faction has been slapped with a lower level cap given how perfect Safer Seas mode is for a evening of quietly contemplative fishing (and given the Trading Company's already glacial reward payouts), but perhaps that'll be something - alongside the use of Captaincy ships, pretty please Rare - revisted as a Christmas treat next year.In other Sea of Thieves news, players will soon get their hands on a number of features originally promised for the start of the current stealth-focused Season 14, but which were pulled en masse as part of "drastic steps" following a disastrous launch in October. Once Rare releases its next patch this Thursday, 14th November, players can finally lay traps, hang from ledges while sneaking, and wear disguises. Rare is also promising a number of "high impact" fixes, putting a stop to players using crouch to gain a firing speed advantage, and preventing pirates grabbing supplies from barrels after moving out of range. Additionally, measures have been introduced to stop players swiping treasure from the Fort of the Damned's vault by swimming underneath.The studio notes this week's update has gained "additional [testing] time internally and with insiders", and that the team has also been trialling a new process enabling it to address critical experience issues as it locks down each build. "There's been a concerted effort across the team to improve on quality control", says Rare, and plans are also now in motion for "broader improvements for quality at the studio", with more details to come.And finally, players sailing the Sea of Thieves within the first week of tomorrow's update will earn bonus gold and doubloons, alongside a Lucrative Voyage of Luck or Legendary Voyage of Luck for Pirate Legends. These bonuses will now be offered with every monthly update.

World of Warcraft getting customisable cars, player housing, and Classic Classic's launching soonWow.Image credit: Blizzard Entertainment News by Matt Wales News Reporter Published on Nov. 13, 2024 Warcraft, you might have noticed, is 30 this year (this week in fact, if you want to be more specific), and Blizzard is celebrating the occasion with a bit of a news splurge covering its various games set in the Warcraft universe. And that, of course, includes World of Warcraft, with today bringing word the long-running MMO will soon see customisable cars, the launch of World of Warcraft Classic Classic, plus player houses sometime next year.On the World of Warcraft Classic front, Blizzard has announced it'll be launching Mists of Pandaria Classic in 2025, with a roadmap accompanying the news pointing to a pre-patch drop early next summer, before the full release a little later on. Additionally, it's confirmed the impending arrival of World of Warcraft Classic Classic (not strictly an official title), which introduces new fresh realms as part of a WoW Classic 20th Anniversary Edition launching on 21st November this year. These will be available in PvP, PvE, and Hardcore flavours, all progressing through to Burning Crusade Classic (Classic?) next year.Over in World of Warcraft regular, meanwhile, patch 11.0.7 is on the horizon, introducing the Siren Isle as this year's The War Within expansion continues to unfold. That's alongside a revamped Winter Veil event for the festive season, and the previously announced return of WoW's battle royale-style Plunderstorm mode, which is making a comeback next year.Mists of Pandaria Classic launches next year.Watch on YouTubeAnd as for what's next, that'll be WoW's 11.1 update, officially known as Undermined, releasing this winter. Undermined takes players to the capital city of the goblin's trade empire - called, yes, Undermine - where they'll learn more about goblin culture as The War Within's story continues, aligning themselves with one of the four warring goblins cartels: Steamwheedle, Blackwater, Bilgewater, and the Venture Company.There's a lot going on in update 11.1, including a new dungeon, Operation: Floodgate, which'll see players racing to stop a group of goblins from blowing up a dam that would bring ruin to the Ringing Deeps. This'll be immediately available as part of Season 2's dungeon pool, alongside four other launch dungeons and three returning legacy dungeons - including Motherlode from Battle for Azeroth. There's also a new arena PvP map set in the heart of the city, plus an eight-boss raid zone - The Liberation of Undermine - taking players through the city's streets and into the colourful but deadly Gallagio, where its owner, Gallywix, awaits.Undermined's most notable addition, however, is the introduction of cars, which players will earn early on in their quest, enabling them to barrel through Undermine's streets "much, much faster" than a regular ground mount would allow. Better yet, car characteristics - grip, drift, acceleration, top speed, and so on - can all be customised to suit players' tastes.Blizzard has plenty more planned for World of Warcraft in 2025, of course, with its roadmap outlining various new content drops as the year continues. That includes the MMO's next expansion, World of Warcraft: Midnight, which continues the Worldsoul Saga started in The War Within. And while Blizzard is mostly keeping tightlipped about Midnight for now, it has teased - via its favoured medium of cinematic reveal trailer - the introduction of player houses. It'll likely be some time, however, before it's ready to share more.In other Warcraft news, Blizzard has announced remasters of Warcraft 1 and 2, which real-time strategy fans can purchase via - either on their own or as part of a new $39.99 USD Battle Chest bundle containing Warcraft 3: Reforged - starting today.

You can trust VideoGamer. Our team of gaming experts spend hours testing and reviewing the latest games, to ensure you're reading the most comprehensive guide possible. Rest assured, all imagery and advice is unique and original. Check out how we test and review games hereThe First Descendant Season 2 is only a few weeks away. Season 1 has been fantastic with the debut of Hailey followed by the introduction of Ultimate Freyna, and fans can expect similar content for Nexons second chapter. While we dont know the new upcoming character or Ultimate yet, Nexon has revealed how The First Descendant skins are being improved in Season 2. Players only have to wait until December 5th for Season 2 to arrive. Massive news is incoming this weekend as Nexon are about to reveal the newest Ultimate set to join TFD. In addition, Nexon has shared a new Season 2 feature that was previously kept secret for a surprise reveal, and the developer has confirmed an appealing character who is set to receive a huge upgrade. While the curtain will officially be pulled aside on Season 2 soon, right now the Korean developer has shared notable improvements they are making to The First Descendant skins. The First Descendant skin improvements arriving in Season 2 One of the best aspects of The First Descendant is undoubtedly its skins. Players absolutely adore the characters in the game, and they are made even better thanks to cosmetics that are very alluring and bodacious. Leading up to Season 2s launch, Nexon has previously discussed how they want to add more body diversity as its an aspect that made Hailey so beloved but also challenging to develop. Elaborating on the desire for more body diversity, TFD_PD_Lee recently posted in Discord that Nexon are prioritising improvements related to appearances. These improvements include more diverse and appealing outfits (sexy, cool, cute), helmet-free heads, mask-free heads, fixing body shape errors, and accommodating different body types. In regard to mask-free heads, Nexon is specifically adding an Ultimate Freyna head without a mask and providing it as a Battle Pass or event reward. As for long-term improvements, Nexon plans to produce a wider variety of skins while also strengthening the character customization system. Image credit: The First Descendant DiscordOne of the biggest bones of contention with skins has been seasonal windows where they are no longer available to buy. For example, fans adored the swimsuit skins earlier this year, but they were seasonal only and thus no longer available to anyone joining the game anew. Fortunately, this will end with Season 2. In response to a question on Discord, TFDs producer confirmed permanent availability will apply to skins released starting with Season 2. While this is fantastic news for when S2 arrives, it unfortunately means The Bunny/Glay nurse outfits are considered limited and will no longer be available for sale once the sales period ends. Image credit: The First Descendant DiscordFor more The First Descendant, we have a guide to thebest skills and loadout for Viessa, along with thebest skills, gear, and mods for the hugely popular Bunny. We also have a guide forFreynaalong with fundamentaltips for beginners.Related TopicsThe First Descendant Subscribe to our newsletters!By subscribing, you agree to our Privacy Policy and may receive occasional deal communications; you can unsubscribe anytime.Share

You can trust VideoGamer. Our team of gaming experts spend hours testing and reviewing the latest games, to ensure you're reading the most comprehensive guide possible. Rest assured, all imagery and advice is unique and original. Check out how we test and review games hereCollabs in Fortnite are a never-ending phenomenon as Epic keeps adding more and more crossover cosmetic items to the game. Even in the current season, which brings back the OG Chapter 2 gameplay, Fortnite has brought in hip-hop icons like Juice WRLD, Eminem, Snoop Dogg, and Ice Spice to lead the way.However, not to forget the last season, which was completely themed around a Marvel storyline, brought plenty of characters to the game and even made players battle Dr. Doom as a boss on the island. Now Epic is once again set to bring a new round of Marvel collaborations, but this time with one of the biggest game releases of the year.Fortnite joins hands with Marvel Rivals to bring new skinsMarvel Rivals, developed by NetEase Games is 2024s biggest free-to-play multiplayer title launching on December 6th. Now NetEase has announced that with the games release, a new Chronoverse will be launched, bringing characters from Rivals into other popular games.The release of Marvel Rivals Chronoverse will bring a new Fortnite collab. Image by NetEase Games.This Weeks Fortnite Quiz Test Your Skills, Win FREE V-Bucks!Sign up for our newsletter, and well tell you exactly how you can win V-Bucks in this weeks Fortnite challenge!These games include Marvel Snap, Puzzle Quest, Contest of Champions, Future Fight, and even Fortnite which has the most number of Marvel skins out of any third-party game.Furthermore, according to the Executive Producer of Marvel Rivals, the collab will take place in Fortnite, and not Marvel Rivals, which most likely means skins. Since Galacta is one of the protagonists in Marvel Rivals, the first speculation strongly points towards her appearing as a skin in Fortnite.However, other characters in the game such as Jeff The Land Shark may also be released with the collab as theres now a Chomper Kicks style in Fortnite. While it is currently unknown the exact date of the collab, players have expressed their enthusiasm for such a possibility.One user wrote, If they dont bring out a new version of Storm that isnt locked behind a battle pass Im quitting Fortnite. Another chimed in, Fantastic collabs upcoming lets go! FortnitePlatform(s):Android, iOS, macOS, Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/XGenre(s):Action, Massively Multiplayer, Shooter9VideoGamerRelated TopicsFortnite Subscribe to our newsletters!By subscribing, you agree to our Privacy Policy and may receive occasional deal communications; you can unsubscribe anytime.Share