Submitted by WA ContentsSnhetta wins competition for cable car stations in Koblenz, Germany Germany Architecture News - Nov 20, 2024 - 14:43 html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd"Norwegian architecture firm Snhetta has won a new competition for the new city cable car stations in Koblenz, Germany.The Upper Middle Rhine Valley's designation as a UNESCO World Heritage Site requires extra caution, according to the firm. The expressive stations respectfully integrate into the historical setting as modern statements.Since 2011, Ehrenbreitstein Fortress on the opposite side of the Rhine has been connected to Koblenz's city center via a cable car. The popular, eco-friendly mode of transportation was initially intended to be a temporary structure for the Federal Horticultural Show, but it is now intended to be used permanently.A redesign of the stations was required due to technical requirements and the location's sensitive historical context. Snhetta's proposal for the sculptures for the valley and mountain stations, which form a "cohesive pair" and respond sensitively to the respective context, won the architectural competition held by the cable car operator.The Basilica of St. Castor, which is listed, is close to the valley station. The gently curved shape reinterprets the city's architectural heritage and motifs while paying homage to the historic basilica.According to the jury, "the design exhibits restraint within the World Heritage Site without losing any of its architectural significance." "The St. Castor Church is referenced in the design by the graceful roof shape."A wooden framework supported by V-shaped concrete columns holds up the metal roof shell. While the gently sculpted concrete columns are reminiscent of the church's vaulted stonework and traditional masonry along the river, the metal shingles on the roof are inspired by the city's traditional faade and roof motifs.The reflections and play of light and shadow along the river and the tree-lined riverbank are further enhanced by the subtle green hues and the glossy metal cladding.This subtle effect is further enhanced by the station's curved shape. The station's open area blends in with the Rhine promenade's natural surroundings.The mountain station's technical facilities are also covered by a common, gently chamfered metal roof. Strong, stoic shapes establish a connection to the Ehrenbreitstein stronghold.The metal cladding, whose warmer hues allude to the earthy tones of the fortress walls, supports the wooden structure on slender columns. In front of the station, a "flying" roof incorporates an existing tree, provides a covered waiting area, and spans the ticket office, technical rooms, and kiosk.The historic landscape in front of the fortress is clearly horizontal, as highlighted by the station and the cantilevered canopy. Similar to the bottom station, the top station will keep all of the cable car's technical installations while adding amenities for long-term use."The cultural landscape and identity of the Upper Middle Rhine Valley are characterised by centuries of human intervention," Patrick Lth, Snhetta Partner and Managing Director of the Innsbruck studio."The new stations are part of this natural and cultural context and with our design we continue the dialogue with the significant cultural landscape of Koblenz," Lth added.Snhetta, recently, completed a new expansion and site redesign for the Joslyn Art Museum in Omaha, United States. Moreover, the firm completed the Blanton Museum of Art at the University of Texas, Austin. In addition, the firm also completed Beijing City Library in China, with a giant canopy supported by ginkgo trees and wraped by a fully glazing faade. All images Snhetta.> via Snhetta

Submitted by WA Contentsgmp completes Nanchang East Station with the rhythm of the arcsChina Architecture News - Nov 20, 2024 - 14:16 html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd"The team of von Gerkan, Marg and Partners Architects (gmp) has completed a new station with the rhythm of the arcs in Nanchang, China.Named Nanchang East Station, the 100,000-square-meter station has been built in Nanchang, a well-known city that is situated along the middle Yangtze and the southern shore of Poyang Lake.The project was created by Shanghai United Design Group (UDG), China Railway Siyuan Survey and Design Group (T4), and von Gerkan, Marg and Partners Architects (gmp).According to gmp, the station is the centerpiece of a brand-new neighborhood in eastern Nanchang that was created using the concepts of transit-oriented development, or TOD. This neighborhood will have residential units, shops, spaces for creative industries and cultural events, and office space for start-ups. The station houses eight platforms and sixteen tracks.With rail links to Beijing in the north, Hong Kong in the south, Kunming in the west, and Shanghai in the east, it is a significant hub within China's quickly growing high-speed rail network.Additionally, it serves as the beginning of a new route that travels through Jingdezhen to Huangshan, a popular tourist destination.A distinctive feature of the stations design is the three-aisled arc structure, designed by schlaich bergermann partner (sbp) and gmp.The main entrance on the western side is highlighted by a laterally shortened arc. In total, the roof structure consists of a steel construction of 14 rows of triple arc elements.The central, large arc spans 96 meters, creating a spacious, column-free area in the middle for the concourse. The construction time for the structure was significantly shortened by pre-fabricating each arc truss directly on the construction site and then positioning them with the help of a crane runway.The atrium functions as an "urban living room"The main entrance atrium on the west side forms a three-story continuous space that connects the various functional areas across different levels: the main halls, taxi stands, and the subway stations.The atrium functions as an urban living room, linking the station with Nanchangs city center and the TOD area, with eateries and retail outlets that are open to the public.In Chinese urban development, Nanchang East Station is regarded as a prototype transit-oriented development project. The station is a new transportation hub in the eastern part of Nanchang, which is home to about five million people.To facilitate a smooth and quick passenger flow into the city, the station's infrastructure was modified using the Ground Traffic Center (GTC) model, which is utilized in contemporary airports. The station is conveniently located for both public transportation and pedestrians.Employees at surrounding companies can commute to work from farther away thanks to its connection to the high-speed rail network, which enables rapid travel to other major cities.After Tianjin West Station, Hangzhou South Station, and Beijing's Fengtai Station, this project is gmp's fourth significant high-speed rail station in China. Ground floor planSectionRecently, the team of von Gerkan, Marg and Partners Architects (gmp) completed the conversion of a 1940s Santiago Bernabu Stadium, known as Estadio Santiago Bernabu, in Madrid. In addition, the firm completed the refurbishment of a 1969s multi-purpose hall, known as The Hyparschale in Magdeburg, Germany.Another significant gmp project is the Alsterschwimmhalle, often called Hamburgs Swimming Opera, which reopened after an extensive refurbishment.Project factsProject name: Nanchang East StationArchitects:gmpLocation:Nanchang, ChinaCompetition:2020 1st prizeDesign: Meinhard von Gerkan and Nikolaus Goetze with Jan BlaskoCompetition Project Lead: Nils KlinkmannCompetition Team:Tim Andrasko, Deng Zihe, Mariam Hamidou, Li Bo, Liu Jianfeng, Pan Mei, Alp YilmazDetailed Design Project Lead:Liu JianfengDetailed Design Team:Deng Zihe, Lesley-Anne Fischer, Mariam Hamidou, Nils Klinkmann, Luo Dian, Li Jiahui, Lin Qihong, Lorenz Riedinger, Monica Sallowsky, Johann von BothmerProject Management:China Pan MeiPartner Firm in China: China Railway Siyuan Survey and Design Group, UDG GroupStructural Engineering: schlaich bergermann partnerLandscape Architecture:WES LandschaftsArchitekturClient:Jiujingqu Railway JiangxiGFA: 100,000m2All images CreatAR.All drawings gmp.> via gmp

October has seen rising pessimism across workloads and recruitment compared to the previous monthArchitectural staff recruitment fell back in October while overall industry confidence took a hit, according to RIBAs monthly outlook survey.Source: RIBAThe most recent RIBA Future Trends staffing index shows that 81% of surveyed firms expect their number of permanent staff to plateau over the next three months, with 9% of practices expecting an increase and the same number anticipating job cuts.Although small practices returned a -2 staffing figure, medium and large companies expect growth with a +13 index number.In London, staffing outlook remains positive, despite falling from last Septembers +12 balance to +4 in October. The North of England mimics this pattern, dropping from +7 to +3.However, Wales and the West (-6) and the South of England (-3) have not fared so well, becoming negative last month.Despite the increasingly cautious approach to recruitment, views on near-term workload remain just about positive, having returned a +2 balance.The sector toes the line, as 23% of firms expect workloads to decrease versus 24% that anticipate growth. Optimism is strongest in the North of England, the only region anticipating private housing workloads to pick up.Views on private housing turned negative overall, with a ten-point index drop from September (+5) to October (-5).The commercial sector has garnered similar opinions as the workload figure has also experienced a ten-point fall from +8 to -2.Meanwhile, outlooks for the public and community sectors have furtherdeteriorated.The outlooks of small and larger companies on future work continue to differ sharply with smaller firms expressing pessimism whereas bigger practices are hopeful.Current workloads are also 10% lower than twelve months ago.Octobers Future Trends data was collected before the UKs budget announcement on 30 October and saw practices reporting projects being put on hold as the supply chain awaited the news as well as reluctant attitudes towards commissioning and tendering higher-risk building projects.

The design competition for a memorial to Queen Elizabeth II will invite multidisciplinary teams to reimagine a site within St Jamess ParkSource: Malcolm Reading Consultants/Emily Whitfield-WicksSt Jamess ParkThe Queen Elizabeth Memorial Committee (QEMC) has confirmed plans for an international design competition to create a masterplan for a memorial to the late Queen Elizabeth II. The project, located in St Jamess Park near The Mall, will commemorate her life of service and contribution to the United Kingdom, Realms, and Commonwealth.The two-stage competition, to be organised by Malcolm Reading Consultants, is set to open in the coming weeks. It will invite submissions from architects, artists, landscape architects, engineers, and other disciplines, with the aim of developing an integrated masterplan that honours the Queens legacy.Source: Original image by Cecil Beaton. Royal Collection Enterprises Limited 2024, Royal Collection TrustQueen Elizabeth II National Memorial Masterplan Design CompetitionAccording to the QEMC, chaired by the late Queens former private secretary, Lord Janvrin, the initiative has been shaped by public and stakeholder consultation conducted across the UKs four nations. The selected site includes land adjacent to the Mall at Marlborough Gate and the pathway leading to the lake at the Blue Bridge, within the Grade I listed park.The QEMC, established jointly by the UK Government and the Royal Household, comprises members including Baroness Valerie Amos, Dame Amelia Fawcett, and Sir William Shawcross. The committee is tasked with developing proposals for both a permanent memorial and a wider national legacy programme, with recommendations to be presented to the Prime Minister and King Charles III by 2026.The competition will adhere to the Public Contracts Regulations 2015. Prospective participants can register their interest and sign up for updates via the competition website, managed by Malcolm Reading Consultants.

Make Architects, Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios (FCBS) and Fletcher Priest Architects have all confirmed they made staff cuts in recent weeks It is the second time this year that Ken Shuttleworths practice Make has been through a round of redundancies, having laid off around 15 per cent of its staff in March.The practice said it had now made 20 employees redundant and shut down its Sydney office which it set up in 2016.The news comes in the wake of poor financial figures published last month. The company's accounts for the year ending 31 December 2023 revealed a loss of 1.46 million and a drop in turnover from to 19.2 million in 2022 to 18.3 million. The practice, whose key workload is in the office sector, said the downturn had been caused by the economy taking longer to recover than expected and planning decisions [on key projects being] held up.AdvertisementSpeaking about the latest cuts, Shuttleworth, said: Its been a tough time for everyone in the industry.[We] have had to say goodbye to 20 friends and close the Sydney studio, which has been very painful.Looking ahead, the practice founder said: The budget impact on the National Insurance (NI) has been a cruel blow to everyone in a people-based business. It means that costs have increased, which will have an impact on the ability to pay more or employ future staff, when the market changes.However, we believe that we are now very well placed to respond to the challenges and opportunities ahead.The practice will be hoping that one of the schemes to soon move forward is its redevelopment of the former ITV Studios on Londons South Bank.AdvertisementNext week a ruling is expected on a High Court action brought by Save Our South Bank Action Group (SOS), a coalition of local opponents of the 25-storey project who successfully applied for a judicial review.Meanwhile, AJ100 practice Fletcher Priest has confirmed it recently made 10 voluntary redundancies. The company was ranked 28th in this years league table of the UKs largest architectural firms and had a 130-strong workforce at the end of last year.The practices most recent accounts show a 10.5 million turnover. Earlier this year Fletcher Priest unveiled concept plans for a 40-storey tower at 63 St Mary Axe, in the City of London, next door to Foggo Associates Can of Ham, which completed in 2019.Bath-based practice FCBS said it too was reducing the number of employees on its books. The company, which recorded a 19.6 million turnover in its most recent accounts, had 164 staff at the end of last year.FCBS said: Like many practices, we have recently made some redundancies, including voluntary redundancies, across our four offices. This decision was driven by a reduced workload, including a few major projects put on hold or cancelled due to funding.Earlier this month, it emerged the government was looking to scrap funding for FCBSs Liverpool museums plans, along with cash pots promised to other major Northern projects.In its October Budget, it said it was minded to cancel the as-yet unfunded Levelling Up Culture and Capital Projects which were announced in the previous governments final Budget earlier this year.The move throws into question a number of major projects planned in the North, including FCBSs proposed 58 million transformation of Liverpool Slavery and Maritime Museums, a new northern branch of the British Library in Leeds and schemes for the National Railway Museum in York.The AJ understands Hopkins Architects has also carried out a round of redundancy consultations, though the outcome of that process could not be confirmed.In April, Hopkins reported a 30 per cent hike in turnover on the back of increasing international workloads but revealed that income from UK jobs had dropped.According to Hopkins Architects group accounts for the year ended 31 March 2023, the practices fee income rose from 23.4 million to 30.6 million while its headcount remained steady at 180. This increase was down to a significant hike in work outside the UK and Europe, where its turnover more than doubled from 7.9 million to 16.9 million.However, fees from projects in this country fell from 15.3 million to 13.7 million during the reporting period.Last months RIBAs Future Trends survey the institutes monthly bellwether of the professions workload confidence shows that optimism has dropped among the practices regularly surveyed.RIBA's head of economic research and analysis Adrian Malleson said: On balance, practices remain positive about Future Workload, but only just.The recent gains in overall outlook and sectoral confidence have fallen back somewhat this month. Practices are increasingly cautious about recruitment. While the north of England remains positive, the south of England (excluding the capital) has seen marked falls in confidence and recruiting intention.After increasing confidence across the monitored sectors, this month sees all four soften, with a negative outlook.Practices described projects being put on hold ahead of the new governments first budgetHe added: Commentary received from practices described projects being put on hold as practices, clients and contractors awaited the new governments first budget. Practices also reported higher-risk building (HRB) projects being put on hold or progressing slowly, with clients being reluctant to commission HRB projects, and contractors being reluctant to tender for them.While awaiting the budget, practices described ongoing planning delays, a still weak economy, and elevated (though slowly falling) interest rates holding back the sector.2024-11-20Richard Waitecomment and share

With just one week untilThanksgiving, it's time to seriously start planning the menu. If you're dreaming of the perfect turkey and sides,artificial intelligencemight just be the best sous-chef out there.While Thanksgiving might be the most magical day of the year, it's also one of the most stressful. Thanksgivingmemesare hilarious, but there ain't nothing funny about slaving away in a hot kitchen from sunup to sundown only to have your aunt that you see twice a year question the quality of yourmac and cheese. "Who made this?" can be a very loaded sentence on Thanksgiving.If you have the means, it can be a time to revel in the bounty of the season's most succulent offerings. But it's also when relatives dip too deep in the sauce and start arguments about pronouns at the dinner table.One of the ways AI can help is by taking the guesswork out of planning an undeniably delicious Thanksgiving meal, no matter what the holidays throw at you. Here's how to use it.Choose an AI tool and get real about your skills Upgrade your inbox Get cnet insider From talking fridges to iPhones, our experts are here to help make the world a little less complicated. Since I'd like the benefit of choosing certainrecipesfrom around the web, I'm using Microsoft's in-browser, text-prompt AI tool,Copilot. Copilot uses LLM (large language model) processing as well as cited sources from the internet to respond to conversational search requests, and it can analyze web pages as you browse.But make sure you give it the info it needs. As in, if you can barely boil water, don't ask an AI tool to design a multicourse French-Chinese fusion banquet with sous vide steaks and flat noodles made from scratch.I let Copilot know I was an amateur in the kitchen, and it gave me some easy-to-prepare recipes with simple-to-source ingredients and minimal steps and prep. One of the options even sounded fancy -- green bean almondine -- which is literally just green beans with sliced almonds.Give AI a head countLet the robot chef know how many hungry people will be in attendance for your Thanksgiving meal. I used Microsoft's Copilot to convert this New York Times recipe for gravy to accommodate 20 people, and it seamlessly converted the measurements into a larger batch: Screenshot by Rachel Kane/CNETAlter recipes to your needsNot everyone wants raisins in their potato salad, and it's best to avoid foods that might upset people's stomachs or inflame allergies when you'll all be trapped at a dinner table in close proximity.For instance, Copilot was able to give me some critical ingredient substitutions on the fly for removing onions from the green bean casserole. Screenshot by Rachel Kane/CNETTake your budget into accountLet the AI tool know how much you've got to spend on Thanksgiving dinner. Copilot was able to provide me with a list of dishes that were low on cost and high in flavor, including waiting for sales or discounts on turkey, getting a smaller turkey, and using plain potatoes, boxed stuffing mix, gravy mix packets, premade pie crust and canned versions of beans, cream of mushroom soup, pumpkin and cranberry sauce.Copilot estimated my entire Thanksgiving meal to cost between $50 and $75, and included an itemized price breakdown of every ingredient I'd need.Be sure to double-check your local prices, though. I'm not convinced you can still find genuine whipped cream for $2 a container, as a quick search reveals the price to be closer to $4.50. Something called "whipped topping," however, was on sale at Kroger for $1.79.Let AI know what you're working withSometimes bad things happen to good people, and one of those bad things might include losing the use of your oven during the Thanksgiving holiday. Copilot was able to swoop in with some solid suggestions for cooking a whole turkey without the aid of an oven. Just please don't deep-fry a frozen turkey. Screenshot by Rachel Kane/CNET Screenshot by Rachel Kane/CNETI pressed Copilot further, letting the tool know I had only a large pot to cook with, and it gave me a detailed recipe for how to poach a whole turkey.Whatever you're working with on Thanksgiving, AI appears to be a decent kitchen companion.Just don't let your judgmental relatives know a robot helped you season the turkey.

Those of us who own one know it: The air fryer's specific magical power is in imitating foods you would normally fry but without the actual frying part.Making frozen foods such as tater tots and chicken tenders taste and feel like they actually got deep fried, and restoring fried takeout items like mozzarella sticks and onion rings to their former glory is where the air fryer really shines. An air fryer has myriad other uses, but its capacity with fried items alone is worth the price. But can you actually make fried food from scratch in an air fryer? With "fryer" in its very name, can an air fryer actually live up to its promise and produce convincing, homemade fried chicken?"You can get a great fried texture from making fried chicken in the air fryer," said Yvette Ervin, owner and head chef of Brooklyn Chckn 'N' Lbstr. "It won't be exactly the same consistency as it would from being deep fried in oil, however, it will still be really crispy and is a healthier alternative to conventional fried chicken."As a chef who has staked her claim on fried foods, Ervin shared her best practices when it comes to making fried chicken in an air fryer. I went ahead and tried them.How does an air fryer work? Air fryers aren't complicated machines. Just traditional convection heat supercharged by a simple fan. Hazal Ak/Getty Upgrade your inbox Get cnet insider From talking fridges to iPhones, our experts are here to help make the world a little less complicated. Deep frying and air fryer cooking are both considered dry heat cooking methods. Both achieve results via 360 degrees of contact with the source of heat. In a deep fry situation, it's oil, and in an air fryer it's -- you guessed it -- air. "An air fryer uses convection, like a convection oven, and it's the air circulation that cooks the food and transforms it without using any type of trans oil or direct contact heat," said Ervin.While technically not frying, radiant heat from preheating the air fryer gets moved via a circulating fan in an enclosed space, cooking rapidly while creating an atmosphere that can effectively crisp skin or brown any coating on the food in a way that produces fry-like results.Read more:Everything You've Always Wanted to Know About Air FryersAir fryer chicken considerations Classic fried chicken calls for bone-in, skin-on pieces but you can make with boneless if you prefer. David Watsky/CNETWhen it comes to making air fryer fried chicken from scratch, first, consider the chicken. While white and dark meat are individual preferences, as are bone-in chicken versus boneless tenders, different cuts require different approaches."The air fryer is mainly meant for quick, simple meals that you could just set to go and forget about it," said Ervin. "Boneless will cook faster, and will also get an evenly crispy texture from the air fryer because of its uniform thickness.""Larger pieces of bone-in chicken tend to take more time, and they also need more attention," Ervin added. This may involve flipping them during the cooking process, and checking for doneness.Bone-in chicken retains more flavor and juiciness during the cooking process, however, while boneless chicken can be easier to overcook. Dark meat contains more fat than does white meat; when released during cooking, it can add an additional oil element to crisp up the skin.Preparing the chicken The pieces should be uniform in size. Pamela Vachon/CNETWhatever chicken you're working with, "the cooking time is going to vary if you have pieces of different sizes," said Ervin. You can do yourself a favor by cutting them into pieces of similar size, especially with bone-in chicken.Whereas with deep frying you are able to observe the cook in progress and remove smaller pieces as they're ready, most air fryers don't have windows to see what's happening inside the fryer. You can cut breasts and some thighs in half to match smaller pieces like wings and drumsticks. (Kitchen shears are a great way to accomplish this.)The chicken should also be as dry as possible to start, to better adhere to the coating, and to not create opportunities for steam during the cooking process, which impedes the ability to get the exterior crispy or crunchy.The coating is key My full fried-chicken dredge setup. Pamela Vachon/CNETYou can air fry chicken with skinless or skin-on pieces. But without any type of coating, "it's not really fried chicken," said Ervin, "but maybe more like roasted, or rotisserie chicken." It's still a potentially excellent outcome in an air fryer, but it doesn't qualify as fried."You want a flour or a batter, or even a fish fry coating, because it will make the item crispy and feel like fried chicken," said Ervin.An argument can be made for skin-on chicken wings, which are typically deep fried without a coating, (note: without a coating) before they're tossed in the traditional hot sauce mixture, and the air fryer also excels at this.Sourcing various recipes for air fryer fried chicken, there are two schools of thought as respects the coating. The first involves a simple milk or buttermilk brine, and a single dunking in dry coating such as that made with flour, cornstarch, cornmeal, breadcrumbs, or a combination of those things. Cornstarch both absorbs moisture and prevents gluten development in flour, promoting a crispy outcome. Leave enough space so that pieces don't steam. Pamela Vachon/CNETThe second method is more aligned with deep fried chicken, where the chicken gets coated with flour or a flour-based seasoning mixture, dunked in egg or milk, and coated with flour again. This will create a thicker, fried-like coating on the chicken, whereas the first method produces more of a thin crust, or an extension of the skin.In either case, "you don't want to have it wet," said Ervin. While a deep fryer can handle coatings such as a slightly fluid beer batter, the air fryer isn't appropriate for that style.Just a touch of oil An inexpensive oil sprayer will come in handy when making air fryer fried chicken. WonderchefThe final step is a light coating of oil, to make sure any dry flour isn't exposed on the surface of the chicken. Some fat will be released from the meat itself and help hydrate the flour during the cooking process, but you'll need just enough oil to moisten the coating. Ervin suggests olive oil or grapeseed oil, which can be carefully brushed on, or is best dispensed in a spray or pump bottle.This is what separates fried chicken from air fryer fried chicken, as there's far less fat to be absorbed by the coating, resulting in a fried-like exterior with a crispy coating but with a much healthier outcome.The verdict on air fryer fried chicken Don't forget to to flip the bird halfway through. Pamela Vachon/CNETUsing all the available wisdom, I swung for the fences with bone-in, skin-on chicken, cut to pieces of a similar size, and used a coating similar to that of a deep fried chicken. The pieces were dredged in a flour mixture containing both flour and cornstarch, dipped in an egg wash spiked with Tabasco, and coated a final time in the flour mixture.What I would recommend is to spritz oil on all sides of the chicken before putting the pieces in the air fryer, or to brush some oil on the air fryer basket itself to prevent it from sticking. Following the online recipe I sourced, I sprayed the top, and again once the pieces were flipped, but some of the coating got left behind.After about 8 minutes on each side, the outcome was a convincing facsimile of fried chicken, without any of the hassle of deep frying. No deep fryer smell, no oil to discard, just a tasty, crunchy, healthier alternative to the real thing. Pretty good for under 25 minutes. Pamela Vachon/CNETFor more air fryer favorites, see how we made anentire chicken and10-minute salmon in the countertop cooker.

November 20, 20245 min readClimate Change Amplified the Winds in Every Hurricane in 2024Every Atlantic hurricane that formed this year had higher wind speeds because of climate change. Two likely would have remained tropical storms without its influenceBy Chelsea Harvey & E&E NewsSatellite image of Category 4 Hurricane Helene making landfall in Florida, USA, with powerful winds and heavy rainfall causing widespread damage. Gallo Images/Orbital Horizon/Copernicus Sentinel Data 2024CLIMATEWIRE | Climate change increased the maximum wind speeds of every Atlantic hurricane that formed this year, scientists have found. All 11 storms intensified between 9 and 28 miles per hour under the influence of warmer-than-average ocean temperatures.The extra juice pushed seven storms at least one category higher than they would have been without the influence of climate change. And Hurricanes Debby and Oscar likely would have remained tropical storms in a world without global warming.The new analysis was released Wednesday morning by researchers from the climate science and communications nonprofit Climate Central. Its the latest study to warn of the dangers of intensifying hurricanes in a warmer world.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.We know climate change is increasing the temperatures around the planet, said lead study author Daniel Gilford, a climate scientist with Climate Central. We know temperatures in the ocean, and in the Atlantic Ocean in particular, are getting warmer. So now we can estimate what does that mean for hurricane intensities.The full study examines not only the 2024 season, but all Atlantic hurricanes over the last five years. Between 2019 and 2023, elevated ocean temperatures boosted the wind speeds in five out of every six hurricanes, causing them to intensify by an average of 18 miles per hour. Over that time period, 30 hurricanes jumped at least one category higher than they would have been without the influence of climate change.And in 2024, every Atlantic hurricane was strengthened to some degree by warming ocean waters.The analysis also finds that some hurricanes reached a catastrophic Category 5 only because of the influence of climate change. That includes Hurricane Lee in 2019, Ian in 2022 and Lorenzo in 2023, as well as both Milton and Beryl in 2024.Milton was an especially remarkable case, the analysis notes. It gained 120 miles per hour in wind speeds in less than 36 hours after passing over waters more than 3 degrees Fahrenheit above their typical temperatures. A separate Climate Central analysis found that these water temperatures were 400 to 800 times more likely to occur because of climate change.The new study relies on a special kind of analysis known as attribution science, which investigates the links between global warming and extreme weather events.Using a combination of on-the-ground observations, statistical analyses and climate models, the research compares real-world events with a hypothetical scenario in which human-caused climate change doesnt exist. This comparative analysis can help scientists determine the extent to which global warming has influenced an extreme weather event.In this case, the scientists focused on the influence of warming waters. Ocean temperatures are a major factor in the formation and intensification of tropical cyclones, and studies have suggested for decades that hurricanes will grow stronger as sea surface temperatures rise.That doesnt necessarily mean the total number of hurricanes will increase. But the proportion of storms that achieve major hurricane status, at a Category 3 or higher, will rise over time.The new analysis confirms its already happening. And it reinforces the findings of other similar recent studies, according to Friederike Otto, a climate scientist at Imperial College London and co-founder of World Weather Attribution, a climate science consortium dedicated to investigating the links between climate change and extreme weather events around the world.World Weather Attribution performed a similar analysis earlier this year, she noted. The study used slightly different methods, based on a mathematical model, to investigate the links between climate change and hurricane wind speeds, focusing specifically on Hurricane Helene.The exact numbers differed slightly from the Climate Central findings, but were very much in the same ballpark, according to Otto.It really shows that these two completely different lines of evidence show us the same thing, she added.Age of unprecedented disastersIts not just wind speeds that are strengthening.Studies have found that climate change can increase the intensity of hurricane rainfall, making floods more likely and more damaging. And research suggests that water, from rainfall or from storm surge, causes more damage during tropical cyclones than winds.But overall hurricane damage, including water-related impacts, scales up exponentially with higher wind speeds, according to NOAA. That means higher category storms tend to be costlier and deadlier across the board.All of which underscores the importance of studies that focus on wind speeds, experts say. And they may be able to help scientists better communicate the dangers to the public, potentially saving lives.Is it relevant that were getting more violent hurricanes? You bet it is, said John Morales, a longtime meteorologist and hurricane specialist with NBC. Because these are the ones that cause the vast majority of the destruction. And were seeing more of those in recent years.One emerging danger of strengthening hurricanes is that theyre intensifying faster than they used to, Morales added sometimes ballooning into major storms in a matter of hours. That gives emergency managers little time to prepare their communities and organize evacuations.Hurricanes also are intensifying in ways that many communities have rarely or never seen, he added.Hurricane Helene, which carved a path of destruction from Florida through Southern Appalachia in September, is a prime example.An unusually large, powerful and fast-moving storm, Helene was able to maintain its strength long enough to dump historic levels of rainfall on communities unaccustomed to severe impacts from tropical cyclones. The storm left swaths of western North Carolina submerged in floodwaters and cut off from aid, killing hundreds of people.There are huge death tolls when extreme events happen that people have not experienced before, said Otto, the World Weather Attribution co-founder.Thats not just a problem with hurricanes. Scientists have warned that extreme weather events of all kinds, from wildfires to floods, are worsening as global temperatures rise. And the odds of record-breaking or unprecedented events is climbing, meaning communities around the world are at more frequent risk of disasters they've never experienced before.We see now again and again that records are broken, that wind speeds are higher than ever before, rainfall is higher than ever before, Otto said. We really need to use that to make sure that people dont die.Scientists and emergency managers are still considering the best ways to communicate the dangers of intensifying disasters to vulnerable communities. Some experts have floated the idea of adding a Category 6 to the hurricane scale, as tropical cyclones strengthen into record-breaking territory.While the exact strategies are still under debate, increased communication is key, Otto said.Just so people are aware that something is going to hit them that is different from everything else they have experienced before, she said. And therefore more dangerous.Reprinted from E&E News with permission from POLITICO, LLC. Copyright 2024. E&E News provides essential news for energy and environment professionals.

November 20, 20245 min readSpaceXs Starship Soars in 6th Test Flight but Skips Booster CatchThe sixth test flight of SpaceXs giant rocket ended with a fiery splashdown rather than a clean chopstick catchBy Mike Wall & SPACE.comSpaceXs Starship rockets into the skies near Boca Chica, Texas on November 19, 2024 for the Starship Flight 6 test. Chandan Khanna/AFP via Getty ImagesThe biggest and most powerful rocket ever built now has a half-dozen launches under its belt.SpaceX's 400-foot-tall (122 meters) Starship megarocket lifted off for the sixth time ever today (Nov. 19), rising off the orbital launch mount at the company's Starbase site in South Texas at 5:00 p.m. EST (2200 GMT; 4:00 p.m. local Texas time).SpaceX landed Starship's huge first-stage booster, known as Super Heavy, back at the launch tower on the vehicle's most recent flight, which occurred on Oct. 13. The company aimed to repeat that feat which the tower achieved with its "chopstick" arms today, but the flight data didn't support an attempt.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."We tripped a commit criteria," SpaceX's Dan Huot said during the company's Flight 6 webcast. So Super Heavy ended up coming down for a controlled splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico instead, hitting the waves seven minutes after liftoff.Anticipation for Flight 6 was high, in part because of the planned booster-catch attempt. For example, President-elect Donald Trump made the trip to South Texas to watch Flight 6 in person.Trump's support for Musk and Starship isn't terribly surprising; the two billionaires have apparently grown quite close over the past few months.Musk campaigned hard for Trump's election and put more than $100 million of his own money toward that effort. And Trump has appointed Musk to co-lead the "Department of Government Efficiency." This advisory group, Trump said, will help his administration "dismantle Government Bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures and restructure Federal Agencies."An action-packed flightToday's mission aimed to do far more than just bring Super Heavy back to Earth in one piece. SpaceX also wanted to put Starship's upper stage a 165-foot-tall (50 m) spacecraft called Starship, or simply "Ship" through its paces.The launch sent Ship on the same semi-orbital trajectory that it took on Flight 5, targeting a splashdown in the Indian Ocean off the northwestern coast of Australia about 65 minutes after liftoff. But Ship also achieved some new milestones along the way this time.For example, Flight 6 carried the first-ever Starship payload a plush banana onboard Ship, which served as a zero-gravity indicator. (It was not deployed into space.) In addition, Ship briefly re-lit one of its six Raptor engines about 38 minutes into the flight. (Super Heavy also employs Raptors a whopping 33 of them.)This burn helped show that Ship can perform the maneuvers needed to come back to Earth safely during orbital missions. Indeed, Ship is designed to be fully and rapidly reusable, just like Super Heavy; SpaceX eventually intends to catch it with the chopstick arms as well, and will likely try to do so on a test flight in the near future. (Landing directly on the launch mount, rather than on a ship at sea or a designated touchdown pad, will enable quicker and more efficient inspection, refurbishment and reflight, SpaceX has said.)Flight 6 also tested modifications to Ship's heat shield, which protects the vehicle during reentry to Earth's atmosphere."The flight test will assess new secondary thermal protection materials and will have entire sections of heat shield tiles removed on either side of the ship in locations being studied for catch-enabling hardware on future vehicles," SpaceX wrote in a mission description. "The ship also will intentionally fly at a higher angle of attack in the final phase of descent, purposefully stressing the limits of flap control to gain data on future landing profiles."SpaceX also shifted the launch time for Flight 6, to allow for better observation of Ship's reentry and splashdown. Flight 5 (and all four of its predecessors) lifted off from Texas in the morning, and Ship came down in darkness on the other side of the world.So we all got great views of Ship's return to Earth today, which went swimmingly. The shiny silver vehicle survived its scorching-hot trip through the planet's atmosphere, fired up three of its six Raptors to flip itself into a vertical position as it approached the water, and hit the waves base-first as planned 65.5 minutes after liftoff."Incredible! We really pushed the limits on Ship, and it made it all the way back down to Earth," Jessica Anderson, SpaceX manufacturing engineering manager, said during today's webcast."I am shocked, to be honest," added webcast co-host Kate Tice, a senior quality engineering manager at SpaceX. "I think many folks are. The fact that it survived all the way through while flying a lesser-gen heat shield is just absolutely incredible."SpaceX is developing Starship to help humanity settle the moon and Mars, and to perform a wide variety of other spaceflight tasks, such as building out its Starlink broadband megaconstellation in low Earth orbit.NASA has a serious stake in the vehicle, selecting Starship to be the first crewed lander for its Artemis program of moon exploration. If all goes according to plan, Starship will put NASA astronauts down on the moon for the first time in late 2026, on the Artemis 3 mission.SpaceX is working to get Starship up and running as soon as possible, and test flights are a big part of this effort. The megarocket has now flown six times in April and November of 2023, and March, June, October and November of this year and the cadence is likely to increase greatly in the near future.Musk is apparently targeting 25 Starship launches in 2025 and 100 a few years after that. Those numbers may seem optimistic, but SpaceX has already launched 113 missions of its workhorse Falcon 9 rocket so far in 2024. And the regulatory environment which Musk has railed against repeatedly in recent months could soon relax considerably, given Trump's stated goals and his apparently closeness with the SpaceX founder and CEO.These test missions are designed to pave the way for more ambitious jaunts and soon, if all goes according to plan."Every one of these flights is a step closer to a fully operational Starship that will take us beyond Earth orbit, and with our pace of rapid iteration here, the moon and Mars are not nearly as far in the future as you may think," Tice said today. "In fact, we're planning to send Starships to Mars as soon as 2026, which is when the next Mars transfer window opens."Copyright 2024 Space.com, a Future company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers can now stream "select" games from their own library via Cloud Gaming50 titles currently supported.Image credit: Microsoft News by Matt Wales News Reporter Published on Nov. 20, 2024 Five years after announcing the feature was on the way, Microsoft has finally launched the ability for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members to play "select" games they already own outside the Xbox Game Pass library via cloud streaming.Microsoft originally announced the feature back in 2019, with the goal of launching it alongside Xbox Cloud Gaming (then known as Project xCloud) the following year. It was then re-announced for launch in 2022, but again failed to materialise, with The Verge later reporting its arrival had been "complicated by having to prepare key infrastructure for thousands of games" .However, word began circulating last month that the long-in-the-works feature was finally almost here - and those reports have now been proven true. Microsoft has announced Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members can use Xbox Cloud Gaming to stream games they own starting today - albeit only if they appear on its 50-strong list of currently compatible titles.Microsoft's Stream Your Own Games trailer.Watch on YouTubeThat's not, admittedly, a huge number of games when you consider the size of the Xbox catalogue, but it's a pretty solid list, mixing blockbuster titles old and new with acclaimed indie games. Baldur's Gate 3, Cyberpunk 2077, Star Wars Outlaws, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Warhammer 4K: Space Marine 2, and Life is Strange: Double Exposure all feature, as do Balatro, Hades, Animal Well, Dredge, Phasmophobia, The Plucky Squire. The full list, as it currently stands, is available at the bottom of this story, and Microsoft adds its "library of cloud-playable titles will continue to grow, as we work with our partners around the world". It also notes it'll only be possible to stream games through TVs and browsers on supported devices such as tablets, smartphones, and Meta Quest headsets to begin with, but says the feature will expand to Xbox consoles and the Xbox app on Windows sometime next year.You'll find instructions and a list of supported devices for Microsoft's new Xbox Cloud Gaming feature (which coincidentally arrives just as PlayStation expands its own cloud gaming options) over on Xbox Wire. Additionally, that 50-strong list of currently compatible titles is below:Animal Well Assassins Creed Mirage Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora Balatro Baldurs Gate 3 Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II (2022) The Casting of Frank Stone Cyberpunk 2077 Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake DredgeDying Light 2 Stay Human Farming Simulator 25 Fear the Spotlight Final Fantasy XIV Online Final FantasyFinal Fantasy II Final Fantasy III Final Fantasy IV Final Fantasy V Final Fantasy VI Hades Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions High On Life Hitman World of Assassination Hogwarts Legacy House Flipper 2 Kena: Bridge of Spirits Lego Harry Potter Collection Life is Strange: Double Exposure Metro Exodus Mortal Kombat 1 NBA 2K25 PGA Tour 2K23 Phasmophobia Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown Rust Console Edition 7 Days to Die Star Wars OutlawsStray The Crew Motorfest The Outlast Trials The Plucky Squire The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Tom Clancys The Division 2 TopSpin 2K25 UndertaleVisions of Mana Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 WWE 2K24