An international consortium of scientists, engineers, and urban planners called Project Hyperion has launched a design competition for a massive multi-generational spaceship that could sustain and transport humans on long journey across the interstellar expanse.As Universe Today reports, the competition is challenging the public to come up with a concept that relies on current and near-future technologies. The winning team gets a prize of $10,000.Despite the exciting prospect of a spacecraft that could carry us to far-flung places in the universe, the competition isn't much more than a fascinating thought experiment, ripped straight out of a sci-fi novel.For one, relying on the currently available propulsion methods, getting to even the closest star system Proxima Centauri which isn't believed to be habitable, by the way could take north of 1,000 years.Even projecting ahead, futuristic propulsion concepts would only cut thatcommute down to anywhere from 36 to 85 years, according to Universe Today.Generation ships would lean into that reality by allowing humanity to thrive and even have children while on their way to a distant location light-years away, making the competition a fun brain teaser about what such a ship might look like."An interstellar starship flies by an icy planet in a nearby solar system," reads a design brief. "Going beyond the classical examination of the problem of interstellar propulsion and structural design, for a voyage lasting multiple centuries, what might be the ideal type of habitat architecture and society in order to ensure a successful trip?"The generation ship needs to be "self-sustaining" to allow the "initial crew" to "live, reproduce, and die on the ship, with their descendants continuing the journey until reaching the destination."In other words, it needs to have all the kinds of life-support systems necessary to keep humans alive for multiple generations, such as agriculture or alternative ways to grow food.Specifically, the ship's mission should be "designed to span 250 years," while providing "Earth-equivalent gravity through artificial means, such as rotation," and "comprehensive radiation shielding" to protect anywhere from 500 to 1,5000 inhabitants."Think about the difference between a drone and an ocean liner," Hyperion Project's Organizing Committee member Andreas Hein told Universe Today. Generation ships "tend to be much larger than interstellar probes, though they would likely use similar propulsion systems, such as fusion-based propulsion."Instead of struggling with the constraints of current technologies, the design competition takes a step back, requiring each participating team to consist of at least one designer, engineer, and social scientist."This competition uniquely explores the complex interplay between generation ship technologies and the dynamics of a highly resource-constrained society," Hein said.The thought experiment could even inform how we fight off existential threats back on Earth, such as climate change."I believe that thinking beyond Earth can offer valuable insights into how we might improve life here on 'spaceship Earth,'" Organizing Committee architect and designer Yazgi Demirbas told Universe Today. "Just as in space, where we face numerous challenges, our planet requires innovative approaches to foster harmony and resilience amidst current global conflicts and challenges."More on generation ships: On an Interstellar Flight, Language Itself Would EvolveShare This Article

Nov 20, 2024Ravie LakshmananZero Day / VulnerabilityApple has released security updates for iOS, iPadOS, macOS, visionOS, and its Safari web browser to address two zero-day flaws that have come under active exploitation in the wild.The flaws are listed below -CVE-2024-44308 - A vulnerability in JavaScriptCore that could lead to arbitrary code execution when processing malicious web contentCVE-2024-44309 - A cookie management vulnerability in WebKit that could lead to a cross-site scripting (XSS) attack when processing malicious web contentThe iPhone maker said it addressed CVE-2024-44308 and CVE-2024-44309 with improved checks and improved state management, respectively. Not much is known about the exact nature of the exploitation, but Apple has acknowledged that the pair of vulnerabilities "may have been actively exploited on Intel-based Mac systems."Clment Lecigne and Benot Sevens of Google's Threat Analysis Group (TAG) have been credited with discovering and reporting the two flaws, indicating that they were likely put to use as part of highly-targeted government-backed or mercenary spyware attacks.The updates are available for the following devices and operating systems -iOS 18.1.1 and iPadOS 18.1.1 - iPhone XS and later, iPad Pro 13-inch, iPad Pro 12.9-inch 3rd generation and later, iPad Pro 11-inch 1st generation and later, iPad Air 3rd generation and later, iPad 7th generation and later, and iPad mini 5th generation and lateriOS 17.7.2 and iPadOS 17.7.2 - iPhone XS and later, iPad Pro 13-inch, iPad Pro 12.9-inch 2nd generation and later, iPad Pro 10.5-inch, iPad Pro 11-inch 1st generation and later, iPad Air 3rd generation and later, iPad 6th generation and later, and iPad mini 5th generation and latermacOS Sequoia 15.1.1 - Macs running macOS SequoiavisionOS 2.1.1 - Apple Vision ProSafari 18.1.1 - Macs running macOS Ventura and macOS SonomaApple has so far addressed a total of four zero-days in its software this year, including one (CVE-2024-27834) that was demonstrated at the Pwn2Own Vancouver hacking competition. The other three were patched in January and March 2024.Users are advised to update their devices to the latest version as soon as possible to safeguard against potential threats.Found this article interesting? Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn to read more exclusive content we post.SHARE

Nov 20, 2024Ravie LakshmananSoftware Security / VulnerabilityOracle is warning that a high-severity security flaw impacting the Agile Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) Framework has been exploited in the wild.The vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2024-21287 (CVSS score: 7.5), could be exploited sans authentication to leak sensitive information."This vulnerability is remotely exploitable without authentication, i.e., it may be exploited over a network without the need for a username and password," it said in an advisory. "If successfully exploited, this vulnerability may result in file disclosure."CrowdStrike security researchers Joel Snape and Lutz Wolf have been credited with discovering and reporting the flaw.There is currently no information available on who is exploiting the vulnerability, the targets of the malicious activity, and how widespread these attacks are."If successfully exploited, an unauthenticated perpetrator could download, from the targeted system, files accessible under the privileges used by the PLM application," Eric Maurice, vice president of Security Assurance at Oracle, said.In light of active exploitation, users are recommended to apply the latest patches as soon as possible for optimal protection.The Hacker News has reached out to Oracle and CrowdStrike for comment. We will update this story if we get a reply.Found this article interesting? Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn to read more exclusive content we post.SHARE

You clicked a link fora 3,000 word article about IHOPsIndiana Jonesmenu?You chose ... wisely.In conjunction withthe new Xbox gameIndiana Jones and the Great Circle, IHOP is now offering six limited-time items based on thepop cultures most famousarchaeology professor. IHOPs Indy-fiedcreations include three different stuffed French toasts, and severaldishes thatshowcase Indiana Jones canonicalfavorite food: Cookie butter.(What? You dont remember the classic scene fromRaiders of the Lost Arkwhen Indy reaches into his satchel, pulls out a big jar of spreadable Speculoos, androars It belongs in a museum!? Clearly you haventwatched the Raidersdirectors cut.)IHOPIHOPloading...READ MORE: 12 Movies You Never Knew Were Produced by George LucasOof. There isso much bread in that picture. Today, I am going to eat all of it. Why, you (and myexasperated wife) might ask? Well, justlike Indiana Jones, I take my job seriously. And for almost a decade now, my job as a movie journalist has included eating any menu based on movies (or, in this case, video games based on movies) available at big chain restaurants. In recent years, Ive eatenAddams Familypurple Whoppers andBeetlejuice Beetlejuice Beetlejuicy Burgers. Iveinhaleda calzony shaped like The Batman logo and devouredIFdazzleberry pancakes.Before you ask, let me state for the record: Ihave no clue what a dazzleberry is. Or what a calzony is, for that matter. Again, much like Indiana Jones, I am an explorerof the unknown; a man who risks his ownlife to recover objects heretoforeunseen by mankind. The only difference between he and I (and I mean the onlydifference) is thatI then eat those objects.For help on this most perilous crusade, Ive solicited the assistance of Griffin Newman, co-host of the Blank Check podcast and a fellow thrill seeker in the world of cinematic culinary curiosities. Griffin is also a very talented actor and comedian who appears regularly inmovies and television series,so pleasewhatever you do,dont let him knowhe has much better things to do with his his time than eat cookie butter French toast with me. (Its really helps when I dont have to do this alone, and hes the only person who says yes when I invite him.)We just orderedthe first ofmany courses of archaeologically themed breakfast items. Today, you can call us ...Indiana Jones and the Eaters of the Promotional Tie-In Menu. (Please bear in mind, Indiana Jones is noteating with us. I reached out to Harrison Fords team to extend an invitation to him to eat French toast sticks at the downtown Brooklyn IHOP with Griffin and I. For some weird reason, I never heard back.)Does IHOPs menu in any way capture the spirit ofIndiana Jones? Thats what were here to find out. But just like the classic film serials that inspired George Lucas and Philip Kaufman when they firstconceived Indiana Jones, this article will be released in regular installments. So keep refreshing to see we narrowly escape doom, or get smushed beneath an enormous rolling pile ofstuffed French toasted.UPDATE #1Were going to ease into the Stuffed French Toast and start instead with the Junior Adventurers Cookie Butter French Toast Sticks. Think ofthis as the cold open where Indy finds the fertility idol before he spends the rest of the movie chasing the Ark of the Covenant. Only with more cookie butter.IHOP describes this item thusly...These French toast sticks are ideal for dipping in creamy cookie butter, making them a delightful discovery for any adventurer. Found alongside fresh strawberries and bananas. (850 calories)Heres what the item looks like on IHOPs website:IHOPIHOPloading...And heres what we were served:Photo By AuthorPhoto By Authorloading...Weve eaten these dippers before, in a slightly different form.IHOPsWonkamenu included the same French toast sticks with chocolate sauce (becauseWonka) instead of cookie butter (because Indiana Jones, as we have already established, simply cannot get enough cookie butter).Thecooks at our IHOP have done a heroic job of recreating the plating from the menu, and I gotta say, French toast dipped in cookie butter: Pretty good. (The bananas dipped in cookie butter: Even better.) ButGriffin and I are literally sitting hereracking our brains to think ofanyway in which this might connect to theIndiana Jones franchise and coming up totally empty.Maybethere was an episode ofThe Young Indiana Jones Chronicleswhere kid Indy invented cookie butter by accidentallysitting on a big pile of Biscoff cookies?All right at this point I am literally just stalling for timeto avoideating three plates of stuffed French toast. Lets do this.UPDATE #2Stuffed French toast... why did it have to be stuffed French toast?No seriously, why is there so much stuffed French toast on an Indiana Jones menu? What does that particular food of all the possible foods you could use have to do with Indiana Jones? I cant think of a single notable French character or scene set in France across five Indiana Jones movies. (I guess its possible there might be one in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle I havent played it yet but if it does, I couldnt find any evidence of one online.)Admittedly, the only obvious connections between Indiana Jones and food are the chilled monkey brains and assorted other epicurean nightmares from Temple of Doom. While I would have admired any restaurants with crystal skulls big enough to put chilled monkey brains on their menu, you can understand why IHOP might have gone in a different direction.Somehow that direction led us to a trio of stuffed French toasts. The first were trying today isThe Great Circle of Cinnamon. Here is how IHOP describes it.This treasure trove is layered with rich cinnamon spread and drizzled with a sweet cream cheese icing that will make you feel like youve uncovered an ancient culinary secret. (1240 calories)Here is the picture on the IHOP menu:IHOPIHOPloading...And here is what we were served.Photo By AuthorPhoto By Authorloading...Well ... they tried. And, much like Indiana Joneswhen he tried to keep the Ark of the Covenant away from the Nazis, they didnt quite get there. If this is supposed to be the Great Circle of Cinnamon why didnt they just do a circle ofcinnamon spread on top? Wouldnt that have been easier and more sensible?More ominously, when we cut the two ginormous pieces of French toast, all of the various goos soaking into the top of the bread came pouring down onto the plate like the waterfall fromIndiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.Does that count as theming?Photo By AuthorPhoto By Authorloading...Flavor-wise, this is fine, provided youre in the market for the sweetest, cinnamon-iest French toast youve ever eaten in your life. Itwas going to say it doesnt reallynail the vibe of pulse-pounding excitement ofIndiana Jones but then I noticed my heart was poundingin much the same way it might while watching the great mine car sequence fromTemple of Doom.But I think that just has more to do with my cholesterol level than anything else.Two more stuffed French toasts to go. Will there be diminishing returns each time, much like theIndiana Jonessequels themselves? Stay tuned...UPDATE #3:After almost ten years of eating theme menus, Im starting to understand what Indiana Jones meant when he said Its not the years, honey. Its the mileage.Our next course is the Berryd Treasure Stuffed French Toast, which is ...Gemstones of juicy glazed blackberries, raspberries, and blueberries and a drizzle of rich cream cheese icing, you cant help but want to take a bit out of this berryd treasure! (1210 calories)Here is the extremelywell-composed photo of the dish from the IHOP menu:IHOPIHOPloading...And here is the extremely not-well-composed photo of what we were served:Photo By AuthorPhoto By Authorloading...No, thats not just the same photo of the Great Circle of Cinnamon again. The two dishes looked almost identical, except for the color of the ooze on top. On this one, there was a small spread of a sticky purplish liquid.They did taste different though; instead of cinnamon, this one had berries or at least what IHOP is calling berryd sauce. But, asGriffin quite astutely put it, I feel stupid for even saying this: It's more artificially sweet than I was expecting. There were no gemstones of berries that we could see or taste. Just a lot of sugar and a few tiny specks of what might have once been fruit back in the days of Archimedes and his Dial of Destiny.Also, Im not suremy overhead shots are quite capturing just how thickeach plate of stuffed French toast is. Heres a side view:Photo By AuthorPhoto By Authorloading...Who needs this much bread, even if youre eating just one of these? Ive bought entire loaves of bread at the supermarket that contained less bread than this one plate of food. This berryd treasure is going to be buried in my colon for an eternity.Two down, one to go. Im starting to feel likeIjust looked inside the Ark of the Covenant...UPDATE #4Remember in Raiders of the Lost Ark when Indy almost gets poisoned but Sallah grabs the deadly fruit out of midair and says Bad dates, and then they both look down and see the little monkey lying on the floor?Right now, I know how the monkey feels.At last, weve arrived at our final stuffed French toast course: The Secret Cookie Butter Stuffed French Toast. IHOP says it is...Creamy cookie butter and vanilla sauces topped with a dusting of cookie crumbles, reminiscent of long-lost treasures found in faraway lands.Its like that famous line fromKingdom of the Crystal Skull: Cookie butter ... cookie butter was their treasure.The menu picture looks like this:IHOPIHOPloading...What we were served looks like this:Photo By AuthorPhoto By Authorloading...Well, theres not much secret about the cookie butter. This French toast is practically drowning in cookie butter.Butit does look the closest to what itssupposedto look like. And maybe it evokesIndiana Jones famous design. As Griffin notes Indiana Jones default color is brown. It is certainly a brown menu. Hes not wrong! This is some extremely khaki food.In some ways this was the best item, and in some ways it was the worst. The cookie butter and crunchy cookie pieces work wellas aFrench toast topping. On asingle piece ofnormalFrench toast, this would be a really satisfying breakfast. But IHOP served it asstuffed French toast, with two pieces of toast that were each thicker than Henry Jones Sr.s Grail diary.Plus, the cookie butter is only on the top layer, with only a thin spread of cream cheese icing in between the two pieces of bread. As a result, that lower piece isBut also we had about3500calories each in one sitting. So maybe our opinions should not be trusted at this point? Thankfully weveonly got course to go.FINAL UPDATE:Our waitress (who has been so patient and so non-judgmental) put our desserts down on the table and I turned to Griffin and screamed Dont look! Keep your eyes shut!Alas, averting our gazedid not save us from what was coming. First up, theLong Lost Cookie Butter Milkshake. It is ...This cold & creamy milkshake is the perfect blend of cookie butter, cookie pieces, and rich vanilla ice cream that feels like youve uncovered a forgotten treasure! (860 calories)Heres theglamour shot:IHOPIHOPloading...Heres what we got...Photo By AuthorPhoto By Authorloading...Much likeDial of Destiny, this looks pretty good. A little artificial, a little uncanny, but close enough to what youre hoping to see. Taste-wise and I cannot believe I am saying this after eating about a jar and a half of the stuff already I kind of wanted more cookie butter flavor? This is a serviceable vanilla milkshake with a couple of cookie crumbles dusted on top. But for a cookie butter shake ... much likeIndiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, it sorely under-delivers on expectations.Finally, we have the Explorers Caramel Apple Butter Hot Chocolate. Which is...Rich hot cocoa infused with the flavors of caramel and apple butter creating a cozy drink that will make you feel like youre by the campfire after a day of thrilling adventures. (250 calories)Im not sure you need to beshown what a cup of hot chocolate issupposedto look like, but in the interest of transparency...IHOPIHOPloading...And what we were served...Photo By AuthorPhoto By Authorloading...Griffin was nice enough to film me as I drank this one...I haveconsumeda lot of weird foods and beverages in my day. I thought nothing would ever top theAddams Familypurple hot chocolatefor sheer unnatural horror. But this caramel apple butter hot chocolate did. It looks perfectly acceptable, but it tastes ... poorly.(I know I already made aLast Crusadeknight joke. With the amount of sugar Ive eaten in the last two hours, youre lucky Im still writing in complete sentences at this point!)Hot chocolate with caramel apple flavor would have been excessive enough; butaccording to the menu description, this is hot chocolate with separate carameland apple butter flavors. In practice, it doesnt really taste like any of those things. You get the tiniest hit of chocolate as it passes your lips. After that, allIm getting is ansickly medicinal flavor. I do not feel like Im by the campfire after a day of thrilling adventures. I feel like Im chugginghot Dimetapp. It is so bizarre.Thats probably a good word for the menu as a whole, too. Theres just somuch French toast! As one reader on Blueskypointed out, this is all in service of hypingIndiana Jones and the Great Circle wouldntpancakes make a lot more sense for the great circle? While its true,as another reader observed, that IndysRaidersnemesis Belloq is French, I dont think thats what IHOP was going for with all this French toast. Unless whoever is in charge of promotional tie-ins over there is just a huge fan of Paul Freeman.This was just weird. Weirder than the scene inCrystal Skull where Shia LaBeouf swung from vines in the jungle like Tarzan. Sadly, Im sort of used to that by now.On this beat, I eat a lot of foods that defy simple explanation or digestion. I regularly treat my body like a temple. (Of Doom.) Why do I do it? For the fortune and glory, kid. Fortune and glory.Get our free mobile app20 Sequels You Forgot ExistedThese hit films all got sequels although most were flops, and all are now forgotten.

Project GROT Procedural Flesh | 04 | Vertex Color Masks

Snhetta and TODD Architects unveil designs for visitor attraction and creative hub planned for Art Deco bank building and Royal Avenue siteArchitectural illustration of what Belfast Stories might look like approaching from Royal AvenueArchitectural illustration of what Belfast Stories might look like from North Street aerial viewArchitectural illustration of what Belfast Stories might look like from the central courtyard1/3show captionConcept designs for the 100 million Belfast Stories project have been revealed.The development, centred on the former Bank of Ireland building and a 5,000-square metre site on Royal Avenue, is expected to open by 2030 and aims to become a major public attraction and creative hub.The initiative, led by Belfast City Council, is a flagship project within the 1 billion Belfast Region City Dealprogramme, which seeks to deliver economic growth across the region.Belfast Stories will include spaces for storytelling, a visitor centre, and a creative hub designed to celebrate the citys heritage and culture. A key feature is the story engine a programme of activities for collecting and sharing the stories of Belfasts residents and visitors.The architectural team is led by Snhetta, the Oslo-based practice behind the Oslo Opera House and the 9/11 Memorial Pavilion in New York, in collaboration with Belfast-based TODD Architects.Daniel Berlin, senior architect at Snhetta, said: Our aim is for Belfast Stories to become a familiar and loved feature of Belfasts cityscape, creating an orientation point for everyone in the city. The project will regenerate this part of Belfast city centre, and we believe it has the potential to change how both residents and visitors interact with and navigate the city.Architectural illustration of what Belfast Stories might look like from North Street (aerial view)Ralph Appelbaum Associates (RAA), whose portfolio includes the US Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington DC, is tasked with designing the visitor experience, alongside Barker Langham as curator and interpretation planner. Gleeds is overseeing project management.The project is currently in RIBA Stage 2. A 14-week public consultation is underway, offering residents an opportunity to provide feedback on the proposals. This follows an initial consultation in 2022.The scheme is anticipated to attract over 700,000 visitors annually and support up to 1,200 jobs during its construction and launch phases.The public consultation will run until 23 February 2025.

Eight toilets to be refurbished across the borough in bid to replicate Victorian civic pride in public sanitationDesigns for a toilet on Victoria EmbankmentWestminster council has appointed Hugh Broughton Architects and artist James Lambert to refurbish eight toilets in the borough as part of celebrations for World Toilet Day.The council said the 12.7m project, part of a wider strategy to rethink the provision of toilets across Westminster, will bring together architecture, engineering and art to deliver a holistic vision for equitable space in the heart of the capital.Toilets at Victoria Embankment, Parliament Street, Piccadilly Circus and Green Park will all receive an extensive refurbishment in 2024 and 2025 with Carnaby Street, Westminster Pier, Covent Garden and Leicester Square due to be upgraded from 2025.Hugh Broughton Architects, the practice behind the refurbishment of Cliffords Tower in York, has been commissioned for the scheme by Westminsters infrastructure partner FM Conway along with Healthmatic and the Contemporary Art Society.Some of Lamberts designsIt aims to use high quality and inclusive design to address issues of maintenance and antisocial behaviour which affect Londons public toilets.Westminster said the project will seek to enshrine as much civic pride as the Victorians displayed when they first started looking at a proper sanitation system for the general public in the 19th century.Artist James LambertThe scheme will employ a shared material palette to maintain design consistency across the eight sites, while allowing the expression of the history and overlooked and previously under-represented aspects of each local area.Some of Lamberts designsThe first toilets to open will be on Victoria Embankment, featuring lines of energy intended to represent Joseph Bazelgettes complex feat of engineering, and an embankment guardian sphinx.There will also be design references to the London Underground and the sights of Victoria Embankment Gardens, along with the Thames as seen in a stylised Tattershall Castle Steamer and abstracted anchors and palm trees echoing the historical importance of the river in shaping global sea trade routes.A proposal for the Piccadilly Circus toiletHugh Broughton Architects founder Hugh Broughton explained: Whilst our designs deliver consistency, James Lamberts engaging art will give each its own character, aligned to local context.Westminster councillor Paul Deimoldenberg added: This is part of the councils ongoing commitment to enhance our public realm and enrich the cultural experience of residents and visitors. And we hope the artwork, which will tell a story of Westminsters diversity and vibrancy, will capture the publics imagination.World Toilet Day, on 19 November, is an officialUnited Nationsinternational observance dayseeking to inspire action to improve sanitation across the world.A design motif to be used on a toilet near the Palace of Westminster

On Monday (18 November), the prime minister bought up the proposed embassy scheme in a face-to-face meeting with Xi Jinping during the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro. It was the first time a UK prime minister has met their Chinese counterpart since Theresa May was in No 10.The proposals which would transform the former Royal Mint site opposite the Tower of London into embassy quarters was resubmitted to Tower Hamlets, the local planning authority, in the immediate aftermath of Julys general election.The planning application for a 2.3ha embassy complex was called in last month by deputy prime minister Angela Rayner. This means Chipperfields scheme will now face a planning inquiry with government ministers making the final decision.AdvertisementVideo of the encounter with Xi Jinping showed Starmer saying: You raised the Chinese embassy building in London when we spoke on the telephone and we have since taken action by calling in that application. Now we have to follow the legal process and timeline.China had criticised the previous government for failing to intervene in an original planning application, which Tower Hamlets councillors refused in December 2022 a decision later upheld by London mayor Sadiq Khan.Tower Hamlets councillors cited the schemes potential harm to surrounding heritage assets such as the Tower of London, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and the impact of the development on residents of the neighbouring Royal Mint Estate. They overturned a recommendation to approve the scheme by council planning officers, who had described the scheme as well-designed.Protesters and local politicians opposed the scheme because of Chinas repression of the predominantly Muslim Uyghur people and David Chipperfield was criticised for accepting the commission. Tower Hamlets has the largest Muslim population of any local authority in England and Wales, at 39.9 per cent.Last month it was alleged that China was blocking proposals by Eric Parry Architects for a new British ambassadors residence in Beijing in response to the delays to its London embassy plansAdvertisementAccording to a report in The Guardian, Chinese officials have resisted the UKs requests to rebuild its embassy complex for at least a year. The AJ understands that plans for the site were first submitted to authorities two years ago.A Department for Housing, Communities and Local Government spokesperson said: Applications for a new Chinese embassy in Tower Hamlets have been called in for ministers to decide. A final decision will be made in due course.There is currently no timeline for the inquiry into the Chipperfield scheme.

From the 17th-storey roof terrace of whats commonly called the Paddington Cube, Londons cityscape unspools with leisurely aplomb. To the south, the trees are turning brown in Hyde Park; to the north, the still terraforming Paddington Basin features a jostling cluster of disparate buildings, like over-dressed guests at a cocktail party studiously trying to ignore each other. To the east, the Citys multifarious extrusions of capitalism dominate the horizon presided over by the hypodermic pinnacle of the Shard. Yet, if the Shards developer, Irvine Sellar, had realised his original ambition for Paddington, the Shard would have had a twin: a 72-storey, 254m-high tower that quickly became known as the Paddington Pole, the pair winking conspiratorially at each other across central London.The ensuing saga of how the Pole became the Cube was measured out in the minutiae of planning and legal battles but, from the getgo, there was a torrent of spitting feathers outrage from heritage groups and the local community over its Brobdingnagian scale. An online petition opposing it attracted 1,800 signatures. Where the Shard exuded a swashbuckling swagger in a part of London already in thrall to tall buildings, the Pole seemed like an opportunistic pale imitation, audaciously out of sync with its surroundings, dwarfing Paddington Station and the neighbouring St Marys Hospital and looming over the localitys agreeable Victorian terraces and squares.AdvertisementUltimately, the outrage proved insuperable and Westminster planners rebuffed the scheme. So, just like that, Sellar and his architect, Renzo Piano, went back to the drawing board and lopped off 65 storeys, a volte-face that was a gift to architectural magazine headline writers. Pole-axed, trumpeted Building magazine. The scheme also changed from being residential-led (the views from those literally high-end apartments doubtless commanding huge premiums) to being essentially a shell-and-core office block.Sellar, a man who once said with the Shard, we can kick sand in the face of the Eiffel Tower and whose urge to reshape the London skyline seemingly knew no bounds, was phlegmatic about this reverse ferret, as was Piano. I was a bit surprised by the criticism; but theres a lack of love for towers in England, where theyve long been seen as symbols of power and arrogance, he told the AJ in 2016.Paradoxically, after all the hoo-hah, the Cube does everything it can to blend in. It appears made of a singular material glass and is of a singular colour, a kind of pale, milky grey, as if it had been batch-dipped; practically the same hue as the roof of Paddington Station. Homogenous, crystalline and curiously self-effacing, despite its cubic chonk, its sheer flanks of low-iron glass reflect the mutable London sky. Derived in part from studies of the lace-like station vaults, full-height glazing modules a mere 1.5m wide, held in place by slim structural fins, ripple around its colossal, four-square volume.Apart from its notched corners, where the structure is exposed and expressed with some discreet cross-bracing, the Cube has a glacial, Euclidian perfection. Theres also a scenic exterior lift set within a skeletal tower clamped to its west side, another residual hint of Pianos High-Tech proclivities, that will whizz diners up from the pavement to a penthouse eatery (West Londons highest rooftop restaurant). But this polite and refined ghost building is, perhaps predictably, a very far cry from the batshit exuberance of the Pompidou Centre.The schemes genesis lay in the changing post-industrial patterns of use around Paddington Station, specifically the historic link between rail and mail. The Cube occupies the site of the former Paddington Sorting and Post Office, originally designed by Henry Tanner in 1892, and later extended in 1907 by Jasper Wager. Strategically situated next to the station, it leveraged this infrastructural proximity to convey mail on trains across the west of England. But, as mail volumes declined, it was vacated in 2010 and remained unlisted and unloved. Its subsequent removal paved the way for a major and much-needed redevelopment of the area around Paddington Station. For Sellar and Piano, there were clear parallels with London Bridge and the Shard, in how a station-adjacent showpiece building could intensify and reactivate a languishing part of the city.AdvertisementEmblematic of Victorian engineering puissance, Paddington has assumed a kind of national treasure status. When completed in 1854, Brunels iron and glass tour-de-force could claim to be the largest train shed roof in the world. Yet, for decades, the user experience was unspeakably dismal, with no sense of arrival and no obvious station front door, exacerbated by a chaotic and inhospitable public realm. Passengers were siphoned down a busy vehicle ramp from Praed Street to an underwhelming entrance resembling a giant mousehole, where the stations undulating roofscape telescopes down to a single bay.Where the Cube is rational and repetitive above ground, with its slickly stacked floor plates, where it meets the ground it becomes more subverted and fractured, catalysing and shaping a new public realm. This is how most people will encounter it and its fair to say that the experiential uplift is palpable. The dismal ramp is now a paved piazza, with steps around its edge and new landscaping, part of a network of spaces and routes designed to embed the station more legibly and logically into its wider surroundings.A key move is the creation of a diagonal axis across the footprint of the Cube, which forms a subterranean concourse connecting with a new entrance to the Bakerloo line. This also opens up views through to the main station, so people can see where they going. A familiar gamut of shops and cafs activates the ground plane and specially commissioned artworks, including a serpentine sculpture by American multimedia artist Pae White precipitously suspended over the Bakerloo concourse, add further visual incident. The area is sheltered by a large glass canopy suspended from the base of the Cube. Flaring out like a protective tutu, this also marks the distinction between public and corporate realms. To access the Cube, you ascend an external bank of escalators to the entrance, where a softly lit and softly furnished concourse straight from the playbook of WeWork is contrived to winkle people out of offices for a spot of informal interaction. Lower floors have fugitive, Rear Window-style views of neighbouring buildings, from the hospital campus of St Marys to assorted hotels, while upper levels enjoy master of the universe panoramas.Irvine Sellar died in 2017, as the Cube was making its not uneventful way through the planning system, so he never saw it completed. Yet, though Sellar was denied a second trophy tower, the outcome is still, in its way, a showpiece, albeit more demure in form and scale, the yin to the Shards yang. But beyond the fixed point of the building and its architecture, how it reimagines the public realm and redefines what goes on around it, transforming the day-to-day experience of station users and the wider Paddington populace, is ultimately just as if not more consequential. Perhaps its not always the size of the ship but the size of the waves.Catherine Slessor is a writer and critic and president of The Twentieth Century SocietyProject dataStart on site November 2019Completion December 2022 (offices), September 2024 (public realm)Gross internal floor area 63,000mConstruction cost UndisclosedArchitect Renzo Piano Building WorkshopClient Great Western Development with Sellar Property GroupExecutive architect Adamson Associates ArchitectsInterior designer Universal Design StudioStructural engineer WSP StructuresM&E consultant WSPCost consultant Gardiner & TheobaldProject manager Gardiner & TheobaldPrincipal designer Adamson Associates (International)Approved building inspector Sweco Building ControlAccess consultant David Bonnett AssociatesLighting designer Cosil-Peutz Lighting DesignLandscape designer BDP, Flora FormMain contractor MaceCAD software used RevitAnnual CO2 emissions 149kgCO2/m2

Our Experts Written by David Watsky Our expert, award-winning staff selects the products we cover and rigorously researches and tests our top picks. If you buy through our links, we may get a commission. Reviews ethics statement Why You Can Trust CNET 16171819202122232425+ Years of Experience 14151617181920212223 Hands-on Product Reviewers 6,0007,0008,0009,00010,00011,00012,00013,00014,00015,000 Sq. Feet of Lab Space How we test CNETs expert staff reviews and rates dozens of new products and services each month, building on more than a quarter century of expertise. What to consider Cooking modes and special features Digital displays, niche cooking modes and smart settings are all available for a price. Size and capacity You'll want to square your cooking needs with the amount of counter space you're willing to give up. Cost and value The fanciest air fryer toaster ovens can cost upwards of $500, but you may not need all that oven. Table of Contents Our Picks $187 at Best Buy Best countertop oven and air fryer overall Ninja Foodi View details $187 at Best Buy View details $190 at Best Buy Best looking air fryer and toaster KitchenAid Digital Countertop Oven View details $190 at Best Buy View details $300 at Amazon Best air fryer and toaster to replace your big oven Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro View details $300 at Amazon View details $80 at Walmart Best budget air fryer toaster Cuisinart Compact Airfryer Toaster View details $80 at Walmart View details Table of Contents Do you know what's perfectly fine and acceptable? Having both an air fryer and a toaster oven. Yet, air fryer toaster ovens exist, combining the two into a space-saving device. It's perfect if you have a smaller kitchen or are renting an apartment and can't afford to take up too much space. As a rule of thumb, dual-function appliances help organize your kitchen and save money.Read more: 52 Best Christmas Gifts 2024: Early Ideas to Clear Your Holiday ListAir fryers are typically basket or pot-style kitchen gadgets and can either focus on heating up one thing or can be a two-in-one appliance. Air fryers cook food by circulating hot air, making it more straightforward to cook food without the use of oil. On the other hand, air fryer toaster ovens cook food using concentrated heat and are typically useful for cooking things that need to be laid flat, like toast or reheating leftovers. Now imagine combining these two appliances into one, it becomes clear why a toaster oven with dual functions similar to an air fryer would be desirable.We've tested several of these combo machines from top small appliance brands to find the best air fryer toaster ovens to add to your kitchen.What's the best overall air-frying toaster oven?I've tested dozens of toaster ovens and air fryers and now hybrid models that do it all. After hours of baking, browning, broiling, toasting and air-frying with hot air, Ninja's Foodi toaster with its powerful air fryer function tops this list as the best toaster oven and air fryer for 2024.Pod-shaped air fryer ovens mostly do one thing: air fry. You can control the temperature, but you're limited to a single cooking function -- there's no broiling, for instance -- and it's much harder to be precise if you're making something finicky and not simply crisping up fried food, frozen pizza or frozen french fries. They also have smaller capacities in comparison to their overall size so I wouldn't call them good space-budgeters, especially if you want one that'll cook enough for two or more people. If you're a little tight on kitchen space, like this New Yorker here, an air fryer/oven combo will do the work of an air fryer and a toaster and some models, like the flip-up Ninja Foodi Air Fryer Oven, don't take up much counter space at all.Here's how the hybrid air fryer toaster ovens performed and a few of my top picks. Best air fryer toaster ovens of 2024 Pros Powerful air fryer function Cooks precisely and evenly Folds up on a hinge to save space on the counter Cons A short interior makes it difficult to cook bulkier foods Walls of oven get dirty faster than larger models Power 1,800 wattsControls DigitalFunctions Air fry, bake, broil, pizza, toastDimensions 8H 15.3W 10.2DPrice $200 $187 at Best Buy The small yet mighty Ninja Foodi bested all others in my final assessment and placed either first or second in nearly every single test I ran, blending fierce power, consistency and control. The Ninja preheated the fastest (by far) and kept its heat consistent throughout. The air fryer function was also best in show and it broiled a salmon filet nicely. It's also the most compact of these countertop ovens and the only model that flips up via a hinge in the back to rest no more than 7 inches from the wall.One drawback is the Ninja's interior size, but I suspect that's also why it works as well as it does. The Ninja is short -- about 6 inches and half the height of many of the others -- so you're somewhat limited in what you can put inside. It also makes things a bit clumsy when you're loading food in and taking it out and it's harder to see while it's cooking. Photo Gallery 1/1 $190 at Best Buy Best looking air fryer and toaster KitchenAid Digital Countertop Oven $190 at Best Buy $190 at KitchenAid While the KitchenAid didn't run away with many of the test categories, it didn't struggle mightily in any of them either. It sports a serviceable air fry function -- although certainly not the best -- excellent temperature consistency and a very sleek and intuitive control panel (my favorite of the lot). It makes the list because I found it to be a reliable oven that's also an ideal size formostkitchens and its sleek and modern design was my favorite of the bunch.It's a bit of a hybrid between the Ninja and the Breville in that it's compact -- just 17 inches across versus the Breville at more than 21 -- but also has a more traditional cooking capacity so you could get some taller items in there, whereas the Ninja is limited in that department. It also looks great, which always counts for something. Photo Gallery 1/1 $300 at Amazon Best air fryer and toaster to replace your big oven Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro $300 at Amazon