Enchantments have always been a significant part of Minecraft's identity, yet despite standing out as one of the game's most popular and iconic features for well over a decade, the system surrounding enchantments could use an overhaul now more than ever. A long list of free annual updates has brought no end of new features, enemies, tools, weapons, and more to the game, and while years of new content has created plenty of room for the enchantment system to grow, Minecraft's ever-changing ecosystem of mechanics has left the traditional enchantment system to become more of a nuisance than anything else.

Myself and a couple of others have worked toward creating a prototype of a game. I used pseudorandomness to paint the tiles (e.g. a road with weeds and flowers in it) and then I used pseudorandomness again to vary the hue and brightness of the tile. Using pseudorandomness to paint the tiles was an idea from @warp9. I came up with the varying hue and brightness idea, insomuch that I stole it from Corel Painter. :)The

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No matter how many wall outlets you have in your home, chances are there arent enough (especially if you've got an older house) and youre going to need an extension cord or two. And that opens you up to a certain amount of danger. Using the wrong extension cordsor old, damaged cordscan cause fires, damage your tools and equipment, and potentially even kill youthere are an estimated 2,200 shock-related injuries involving extension cords every year.Choosing the correct extension cord for your needs is a necessary step if you want to avoid injury and property damage. There are four things to consider when choosing an extension cord.CodeFirst, you need to make sure youre using the right extension cord for the environment youll be working inare you going to use it indoors or outdoors? In oily conditions (like a mechanics shop)? When buying an extension cord this information will typically be printed clearly on the packaging. but if you bought your cord a while back and cant remember, there is a code printed on every extension cord that tells you all you need to know:S = general useW = weather resistant, outdoor useO = oil resistantFT2 = flame retardantYoull find many other codes, but for most household projects these are the ones you need to know.GaugeNext, you need to make sure youre using the correct gauge of extension cord. Every extension cord has an American Wire Gauge (AWG) rating that describes how thick the wire is inside the insulation. Lower AWG actually indicates larger gauge; most extension cords range from 16-gauge (smallest) to 10-gauge (largest) in two-gauge incrementsyou can find larger or smaller cords, but theyre not common.The gauge determines how much power the cord can handle, measured in amps. Sixteen-gauge cords are suitable for light duty, 10-gauge cords are intended for tools and appliances that pull a lot of power. If in doubt, use a higher-gauge cordits sometimes recommended that the 14-gauge is the smallest extension cord you should use, because its rated for 15 amps, which matches the typical breaker in your homes electrical cabinet. That means your breaker will trip before the extension cord is overwhelmed and overheated.AmpsSpeaking of amps, choosing the right gauge of extension cord requires knowing how much power you need to pull through it. The appliance or tool youre powering will tell you how much power it needs measured either in watts or amps; if its watts, you can easily calculate the amps it needs by dividing by 120 volts (the standard residential voltage; if you know youre on a different voltage, divide by that).Once you know the amps you need the extension cord to handle, select the proper gauge:16 AWG = 10 Amps14 AWG = 15 Amps12 AWG = 20 Amps10 AWG = 30 AmpsAgain, if youre uncertain, a larger gauge cord is better than an undersized one.LengthFinally, you need to know how long your extension cord needs to be. Electricity encounters resistance when it flows, and the farther it has to travel, the more resistance it meets, reducing how much power actually arrives at your tools or appliances. Its always a good idea to get an extension cord thats exactly as long as you need.If you need to run a very long (50-100 foot) extension cord, consider going up in gauge to compensate for the distance.

New York City has implemented a new drone warning system to alert residents to hazardous weather conditions. Unfortunately, the drones need to work on their Spanish.A resident spotted one of the new drones issuing a flood warning on Wednesday to NYC neighborhoods in English and Spanish, but the Spanish words that came out of the drones were incomprehensible, according to a resident who shared a video on X.As a Spanish speaker, I can confidently say that this is incomprehensible. The city couldnt find a single person who spoke Spanish to deliver this alert? https://t.co/uI9ERCuDmV Josefa Velsquez (@J__Velasquez) August 6, 2024 The drones had no problem issuing a weather warning in English as it delivered the news about an incoming batch of heavy rainfall in a clear and distinguishable tone. The Spanish message, however, sounded like a robot speaking the language for the first time.Zach Iscol, the commissioner of NYCs emergency management department, acknowledged the mistake on X in a reply.Im very proud of the work our team has done preparing for this storm, but this shouldnt have happened and were going to make sure it doesnt happen again, Iscol wrote in a reply.The New York Times published a story on Tuesday about the new emergency alert drone system. The city sent the drones out to communities around 1 p.m. to inform residents about the heavy rainfall headed their way. Iscol told the newspaper that NYC Mayor Eric Adams came up with the idea to use drones as a new part of its warning system. Adams has instituted similar, tech-heavy initiatives during his term such as a security robot that patrolled the Times Square subway station, and the controversial Spot Robot, also known as the Digidog, for the New York Police Department to use during hazardous situations like hostage standoffs.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/new-yorks-flood-warning-drones-screamed-at-residents-in-incomprehensible-spanish-194507725.html?src=rss

Despite hiring two separate firms to uncover the reason why millions of Windows computers crashed - Crowdstrike thinks it already has a good answer.

Airbnb shares dropped 14% in after-hours trading after the company reported second-quarter earnings that missed analyst expectations.

Demand for the most magical place on earth is softening.On Wednesday, the Walt Disney Company released its quarterly earnings reports. The company saw a net positive quarter, thanks to a bump from streaming growth and the success of in-theater hits such as Inside Out 2. Still, there was one sour spot: Disneys theme parks.The Disney Parks financial report was weaker than expected. Revenue increased only 2% from the previous year, hitting $8.4 billion. Meanwhile, operating profit declined 3% to $2.2 billion. In its executive commentary, Disney blamed this shift on a moderation of consumer demand that exceeded our previous expectations.Disney is not alone in this slowdown: Both McDonalds and Lamb Weston, the food processing company for which McDonalds is its biggest customer, reported softened demands this quarter, citing inflation as the primary culprit. The park profit sag also has staying power. In the commentary, Disney wrote that the demand moderation we saw in our domestic businesses in Q3 could impact the next few quarters.The Parks have been crucial to Disneys profitDisney Experiences, the division that includes the companys theme park and cruise ventures, has seen a significant boost in the past few years. In 2023, the division made up 70% of Disneys operating income, compared to 30% a decade prior. Much of this has to do with the post-pandemic return to travel. Consumers are more likely to shell out big money on a trip; Disney offers them a destination.While the quarterly earnings were still beneficial for Disney, the Experiences profit dip could signal a turnaround on this recent travel boom. Consumers are still responding to the inflationary environment of the past three years. Disney hasnt been immune from these price hikes; Walt Disney World raised its prices by up to $10 per ticket for 2025.The success of the Experiences division could also be critical for Disneys ongoing succession drama. When formerly retired CEO Bob Iger took over for disgraced predecessor Bob Chapek, the company began looking for a new leader to helm the entertainment company. According to Vanity Fair, that list has now been narrowed down to four, with Josh DAmaro, chairman of Experiences, among the hopefuls. A downturn in the Experiences operating profits could diminish his chances.Disney isnt the only company struggling under inflationary conditionsSoftening demand in the current economic environment isnt unique to Disney parks. While the inflation rate has now settled back down to 2.97%, consumers are still reeling from the pricy turns of the past three years, with the rate reaching a peak of 9.06% in June 2022. Everyday costs are now more expensive, leaving less budget for discretionary spending, like travel. Even the job market is slowing down.Another market hit hard by inflation-softened demand has been fast food. McDonalds, once the pinnacle of cheap eats, has had to raise its prices to counteract economic pressures. The cost of fries at the Golden Arches has increased 44% in five years. Buyers revolted, leading to the first dip in sales since the early pandemic. McDonalds has slowly been coaxing customers back in with promotions, such as Free Fry Friday and the limited-time $5 value meal.The list goes on. Lamb Westons Q2 earnings-per-share were down 74%; their CEO blamed lower restaurant traffic on inflation-strapped customers. Worse off is the luxury marketwith high prices all around, ultraexpensive clothing items may be less appealing. The Disney Parks appear to be joining these ranks, at least for this quarter. No one, not even Disneyland, can outrun inflation it seems.

Austin-based design agency Kartwheel Studio has renovated a structureto preserve the mid-century modern atmosphere of the 1960s seaside motor lodge in Galveston, Texas.Originally constructed as the Treasure Isle Motel by Kotin & Beerman Architects in 1963, the low-slung, two-storey building reopened in November 2023 as Hotel Lucine.Kartwheel Studio and the owners worked to revitalise the 28,500-square foot (2,645-square metre) U-shaped building the oldest remaining mid-century beachfront motel on the town's famous seawall to maintain "as much of the original architecture as possible" while recentering guests' focus on the interior courtyard.Kartwheel Studio has renovated a 1960s motel, both updating and paying homage to original mid-century structuresOn the exterior, the team removed the mid-century porte-cochere and straightened the stair-stepped facade into an angled front wall that follows the line of the street.Fresh white paint coats the stucco and brick walls, while a breeze block wall forms a short railing on the second floor.Changing the layout of the front-of-house areas, the team opened up the ground floor with narrow bands of floor-to-ceiling windows and a large skylight that brings light into the centre of the plan.Hotel Lucine's stucco and brick exterior was painted whiteTo the left of the lobby lies The Den. Formerly a set of offices, it is now an open lounge space with wall-to-wall sisal and mahogany, mixed textiles, custom furniture and three porthole windows that look out to the beach.To the right of the lobby is a restaurant known as The Fancy.The team removed an old spiral staircase in favour of a 56-guest seating area with reeded glass, a mahogany bar, and natural stone.The Den is an open lounge space with wall-to-wall sisal and mahogany, custom furniture and porthole windowsThroughout the interiors, the team placed Nicaraguan cement tile in shades of cream, teal and green adding a dusty matte finish with a handmade touch.Above the lobby is Galveston's largest rooftop bar, seating 200 people with a beach view under the square-framed hotel sign.The occupiable rooftop space was created when the front wall was pushed out.Read: Adean Studios overhauls High Country Motor Lodge with nods to astronomyThe central courtyard is the focal point of the plan. Kartwheel Studio moved the old swimming pool, pushing it to the far end of the courtyard.In the resulting space, a wooden lanai creates a shaded dining area, and a moveable white fence around the pool allows the deck to be extended for events.The team maintained the original folded roofline for an iconic wave-like border around the courtyard, with soffits painted in a muted rainbow.A new swimming pool area includes a moveable fence and original wave-like rooflines with rainbow-painted soffitsThe guest rooms were gutted save the antique pink, teal, and cream square tile in the bathrooms for quiet interiors with natural ash, upholstered leather, and epoxy floors, which are lightened through large courtyard-facing windows that the team restored from the original design.The previous guest room exterior access points were closed off, moving circulation to the interior, but the doors are still visible on the outside of the hotel, serving as a nod to the building's history.Rooms face the pool courtyard"I didn't want this to be a kitschy time capsule of a redesign," co-owner Dave Jacoby told Dezeen."I wanted to celebrate [mid-century modern] a little bit more in a commercial space," noting that the majority of preserved and restored buildings in the town are Victorian and predate the 1900 hurricane, but that Galveston's older residents would identify the mid-century design as a period from their own lives.Besides antique pink, teal, and cream square tiling in bathrooms, original guest room interiors were gutted for a quiet aestheticCo-owner Robert Marcus identified the area's void between the mid-to-high-rise franchise hotels and single-family beach house rentals and lauded the freedom that the team had in creating a boutique hotel that allowed younger patrons to experience a moment of history, while older patrons can revisit the Galveston they remember."I'd love to see the renovation of Hotel Lucine inspire other property owners to honour and revamp existing structures versus tearing down a piece of history," Kartwheel Studio founder David Clark said.In a similar fashion, Adean Studios overhauled a roadside motel on Route 66 in Flagstaff, Arizona with a nod to the area's astrological history, while Studio Tack revamped a1950s beachfront motel on Long Island to reference the regional ferry boats.The photography is by Johanna Andruchovici.Project credits:Architect of Record: Esterwood Architects StudioArchitecture, interior architecture, interior design, industrial design, furniture & lighting Design: Kartwheel StudioBranding: Preacher AustinThe post Kartwheel Studio "honours and revamps" mid-century Texas beach motel appeared first on Dezeen.

The TWS Earbuds case is perhaps the most fertile ground for design exploration. Companies have put screens on them, buttons on them, even shaped them like Deadpool or a Pokeball, and now Japan-based Radius Co., Ltd. is turning the humble earbuds case into a symbol of feline love. Dubbed the Neko Earbuds, these wearables come in a case that looks like a little cat snoozing in a cat basket. The case sports a variety of cat-themed colors, from white to beige and black, and flip the cat open and you see it casually warming your earbuds the way sometimes pets snooze on your slippers to keep them toasty!Designer: Radius Co., Ltd.TWS earbuds are literally a dime a dozen, and Ill be honest, most of them have absolutely uninspiring designs. Thats where something like the Neko really catches the eye. The outer appearance is really a perfect playground for design intervention, and the folks at Ritual did an absolutely stand-up job. The Neko instantly catches the eye and melts the heart. The cat resting adorably in its cat-bed is a universal symbol of eternal cuteness. The cats come in 3 colors, the bed features fish-shaped LED battery indicators, and the inside of the case houses earbuds with a marbled plastic design, ensuring that no two earbuds look the same sort of like how no two cats have the same personality.Designed less to be carried in your pocket and more for WFH or tabletop audio requirements, the Neko TWS Earbuds feel almost like a desktop collectible than like tech. Sure, you can slip them right into your pocket or backpack if you want to travel, but given how adorable they look, theyre best suited kept on your table along with other toys and trinkets, etc.As far as hardware goes, the Neko boasts pretty solid mid-level specs. Youve got 6.1 mm dynamic drivers, a 20 Hz-20,000 Hz frequency response, Bluetooth 5.3 for up to 10 meters (33 feet) of wireless audio transmission, and IPX4 water resistance (just like cats, keep these earphones away from water). However, the products UX boasts a neat twist. Any announcements for calls are made in a feline voice, and tapping your earbuds 5 times activates the Nekos Purr Mode, which gives you 3 glorious minutes of purring sounds playing directly in your ear.The fish-shaped battery indicator is a beautiful touch, adding an easter-egg of sorts to the already adorable design. Speaking of battery, the earphones deliver a solid 3.5 hours of use, extendable to 17.5 hours when used with the charging case. Flip it over and a USB-C port on the back lets you nourish your cat-themed earphones.The Neko TWS Earbuds were announced as a precursor to International Cat Day (on the 8th of August), for people who love to wear their feline love on their sleeve or in their ears. Priced at 8,822 Yen (around $60 USD), the earbuds garnered more than 10,000 pre-orders on the website following virality on social media (I totally understand the hype). The earbuds are due to ship starting 8th August, and a portion of the sales are also going to be donated to a rescue organization for street cats in Japan.The post Celebrate International Cat Day with this Adorable Sleeping Cat-shaped TWS Earbuds Case! first appeared on Yanko Design.