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The following post is brought to you by Dacor. Our partners are hand-picked by the Design Milk team because they represent the best in design.Luxury appliance brands are constantly working to increase their products capabilities while improving user experience through features of convenience and intuitive controls. At the forefront of this race and keeping pace with technologys rapid evolution is Dacor, who has proven their appliance prowess with a continuous string of ingenious designs. Modular ranges and cooktops in 1975. The self-cleaning, built-in wall oven in 1987. And now, the newly launched panel-ready 24-inch Dishwasher with their unique Kitchen Fit Sliding Door hinge mechanism. A common thread throughout each development within this storied history remains an investment in innovative hardware.Timeless Yet on TrendOwners can enjoy a long shelf life with expert engineering and styling that seemingly adapts to changing tastes and modern needs. Dacor delivers a remedy, nay solution, to the future-proofing problem with a unique structural change two years in the making. And it has positive implications for the future of realizing new, exciting, and oft creative kitchen concepts. The contemporary kitchen surface is complicated, says interior designer Leyden Lewis of specifying appropriate surfaces that meet the needs of varied culinary lifestyles. The functionality of the dishwasher is completely practical and intuitive. As designers, our ability to express ourselves comes through in the panel ready installations of the appliance door.Artful casework, particularly from European brands, poses a challenge when it comes to seamless integration of the dishwasher. Recently, cabinetry dimensions began to change where the toe-kick has shortened, becoming increasingly difficult to integrate the most common panel ready dishwasher, says Maddalena Nicolosi, Senior Kitchen Design and Innovation Manager, Dacor. In order to meet todays trends, the dishwasher needs to be flexible. No longer limited to a finite dimension, the sliding door hinge accommodates varying panel heights even the unusually tall as they swing open. Vertical kitchen surfaces avoid any disruption caused by cutting into the toe-kick and sight lines remain unadulterated by technical complications. Todays height requirements can vary. Our new sliding door hinge allows for more application versatility, empowering designers and consumers to achieve the desired aesthetic. adds Charna Kety, National Sales Manager, Dacor. It sets us apart from our competitors.Delight in DesignEngaging the device makes loading the dishwasher a delight as a seemingly solid door shears into two planes, whether that be a custom panel or one of the standard available stainless finishes. The interior face opens in a typical forward motion from the unit to reveal the tub while the exterior face slides upward to reconcile its length with the surrounding styling and swing radius. And the flexible toe-kick also ensures a final, perfect fit upon installation.The National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA) reports a steady increase in homeowners actively seeking personalized designs comprising slab door styles, sweeping surfaces, and full height backsplashes with minimal grout lines. Just as invisible induction cooktops are being asked to integrate into countertops, so too are dishwashers into their respective housings. The sliding door construction offers designers a level of refinement easily attainable without compromise and clients near-limitless options for interior architecture when it comes to the kitchen.Quiet PerformancePersonalization translates to the maximized interior tub with three individually adjustable racks echoing the level of specificity each user can configure including collapsible tines, a height adjustable center shelf, and silicone-lined wine glass holders. Behind the impressive facade also lies Dacors StormWash+ with dual-washing arms to remove tough stains. Noteworthy still are functions that improve accessibility across cultural and religious requirements like the Sabbath Mode for restrictions on electricity use. And for the tech savvy, customers may use the SmartThings app and AI Energy mode to manage the dishwasher remotely. Otherwise, the only time passersby may notice its presence are from a few subtle visual cues like a floor light to indicate cycles in progress or when the AutoRelease function is selected, which pops the door open at end-of-cycle to achieve spotless dry dishes quickly and efficiently.The evolution of design has pushed machines of utility to become equal parts appliance and architectural element. It will make it easier for designers to have a panel-ready application. Everything will line up from the top and bottom of the base cabinets completing a holistic look, Kety continues. This unit will give designers the ability to design without some of the limitations they see today and achieve the best overall look, adds Nicolosi. The designers will be able to ask their clients Can you find the dishwasher in your kitchen?To learn more about Dacors new 24-Inch Dishwasher, with features like the Kitchen Fit Sliding Door and StormWash+, visit dacor.com.

4 lessons about onboarding, emptiness, professionalism, and reality.Continue reading on UX Collective

This post is part of Lifehackers Exposing AI series. Were exploring six different types of AI-generated media, and highlighting the common quirks, byproducts, and hallmarks that help you tell the difference between artificial and human-created content.AI companies are excited about video generators: They tout the creative possibilities these new models offer, and relish in how impressive the end results can be. From my view, however, a technology that allows anyone to create realistic videos with a simple prompt isn't fun or promising, but terrifying. Do you really want to live in a world in which any video you see online could have been created out of thin air with AI? Like it or not, it's where we're headed.When you give bad actors the tools to manipulate videos to a degree that many, if not most, people will believe are real in passing, you're throwing gasoline on a fire that's been burning since the first person lied on the internet. It's now more important than ever to be vigilant about what we see online, and take a critical eye to any videos that purport to represent realityespecially when that reality is meant to provoke us or influence our outlook of the world.AI videos aren't all the sameThere are really two kinds of AI videos to watch out for right now. The first are videos fully generated by AI models, entire sequences that use no real footage and never existed before being produced. Think OpenAI's Sora model, which is capable of rendering short yet high-quality videos that could easily trick people into thinking they're real. Luckily for us, Sora is still in development, and isn't yet available to the public, but there are other tools those in the know can use to generate these videos from scratch. What's more relevant at this point in time, and more concerning for short-term implications, are videos altered by AI. Think deepfakes: real videos that use AI to overlay one person's face on top of another, or to alter a real face to match manipulated audio content. We'll cover ways to spot both types of AI video content: As AI video generators get better and become more accessible, you may start to see these videos appear online the same way AI images have blown up. Stay vigilant.How AI video generators workLike other generative AI models, AI video generators are fed a huge amount of data in order to work. Where AI image models are trained on individual images and learn to recognize patterns and relationships on static pieces, AI video generators are trained to look for the relationship between multiple images, and how those images change in sequence. A video, after all, is simply a series of individual images, played back at a speed that creates the illusion of movement. If you want a program to generate videos out of nowhere, you not only need them to be able to generate the subjects in those videos, but to know how those subjects should change frame to frame.Deepfake programs are specifically trained on faces, and are designed to mimic the movements and emotions of the video they're overlaying. They often use a generative adversarial network (GAN), which sets two AI models against each other: one that generates AI content, and another that tries to identify whether that content is AI-generated. On the other hand, a model like Sora is, in theory, able to generate video on just about anything you can ask it to. Sora is what's known as a diffusion model, which adds "noise" (really static) to training data until the original image is gone. From here, the model will try to create a new version of that data from the noise, which trains it to create new content from scratch.It's still early days for total AI video generation, and while deepfake tech is good, it's not great. There are limitations here that might not be present in future iterations of these technologies, but as of today, there are clues you can look for to tell whether that video you're watching is actually real, or something manipulated. The faces don't look quite rightThe technology to overlay one person's face on top of another is impressive, but it's far from perfect. In many (if not most) cases, a deepfake will have obvious signs of forgery. Often, it looks like a mediocre photoshop: The face won't blend into the rest of the person's head, the lighting doesn't match the scene its set in, and the whole thing has an uncanny valley effect to it. If you're watching a video of a notable person saying or doing something controversial, really look at their face: Is it possible AI has played a part here? This video of "President Obama" saying ludicrous things shows off some of the flaws. This deepfake was made six years ago, but demonstrates some of the notable visual flaws this type of AI altered video is known for: The mouths don't match the speechLikewise, another flaw with current deepfake technology is how it struggles to match the fake face's mouth movements to the underlying speechespecially if the speech is artificial as well. Take a look at this deepfake of Anderson Cooper from last year: The fake face is more realistic than the video of Obama above, but the lip movements do not match the speech they've given AI Anderson: So many of the deepfakes circulating social media are so poorly made, and are obvious AI slop if you know what you're looking for. Many people don't, so they see a video of a politician saying something they don't like and assume it is trueor are amused enough not to care.Look for glitches and artifactsLike AI image generators, AI video generators produce videos with odd glitches and artifacts. You might notice the leaves in a tree flickering as the camera moves towards them, or people walking in the background at a different frame rate than the rest of the video. While the video below appears realistic on first glance, it's full of these glitches, especially in the trees. (Also, notice how the cars on the road to the left constantly disappear.) But the worst of the bunch? Deepfakes. These videos often look horrendous, as if they've been downloaded and reuploaded 1,000 times, losing all fidelity in the process. This is on purpose, in an attempt to mask the flaws present in the video. Most deepfake videos would give themselves away in an instant if they were presented in 4K, since the high resolution video would highlight all of their aforementioned flaws. But when you reduce the quality, it becomes easier to hide these imperfections, and, thus, easier to trick people into believing the video is real.The physics are offA video camera will capture the world as it is, at least as the camera's lens and sensor are able to. An AI video generator, on the other hand, creates videos based on what it's seen before, but without any additional context. It doesn't actually know anything, so it fills in the blanks as best as it can. This can lead to some wonky physics in AI generated video. Sora, for example, generated a video of a church on a cliff along the Amalfi Coast. At first glance, it looks pretty convincing. However, if you focus on the ocean, you'll see the waves are actually moving away from shore, in the opposite direction they should be moving. The generator also produced a surface-level convincing video of a man running on a treadmill. The big tell here is that the man is running "forward" while facing away from the treadmill, as the model doesn't understand exactly how treadmills are supposed to work. But looking closely, you can see the man's stride isn't normal: It's as if the top half of his body stops every now and then, while the bottom half keeps going. In the real world, this wouldn't really be possible, but Sora doesn't actually understand how running physics should work. In another video, "archaeologists" discover a plastic chair in the sands of the desert, pulling it out and dusting it off. While this is a complicated request for the model, and it does render some realistic moments, the physics involved with the entire endeavor are way off: The chair appears out of thin air, the person holding it carries it in a way no person ever would, and the chair ends up floating away on its own, eventually distorting into something else entirely by the end of the clip. There are too many limbsThe AI models producing this video content don't understand how many limbs you're supposed to have. They make the connection that limbs move between frames, but don't quite grasp that its supposed to be the same limbs throughout the scene.That's why you'll see arms, legs, and paws appearing and reappearing throughout a video. While it doesn't happen all the time, you can see it in this Sora video: As the "camera" tracks the women walking forward, there's a third hand that bobs in front of her, visible between her left arm and her left side. It's subtle, but it's the kind of thing AI video generators will do. In this example, look very closely at the cat: Towards the end of the clip, it suddenly generates a third paw, as the model doesn't understand that sort of thing generally doesn't happen in the real world. On the flip side, as the woman rolls over in bed, her "arm" seems to turn into the sheets. Things just don't make senseExtra limbs don't make a whole lot of sense, but it's often more than that in an AI video. Again, these models don't actually know anything: They're simply trying to replicate the prompt based on the dataset they were trained on. They know a town in the Amalfi Coast should have plenty of stone staircases, for example, but they don't seem to understand those staircases have to lead to somewhere. In OpenAI's demo video, many of these stairs are placed haphazardly, with no real destination. In this same video, watch the "people" in the crowd. At first, it might look like a bunch of tourists strolling through town, but some of those tourists disappear into thin air. Some look like they're walking downstairs, only they're not using the staircases to nowhere: They're simply "walking downstairs" on the level ground.Look, it's been important to take the things you see on the internet with a grain of salt for a while now. You don't need AI to write misleading blog posts that distort the truth, or to manipulate a video clip to frame the story the way you want. But AI video is different: Not only is the video itself manipulated, the whole thing might never have happened. It's a shame that we have to approach the internet (and the wider world) so cynically, but when a single prompt can produce an entire video from nothing, what other choice do we have?

The Pixel Fold was Googles first phone with a flexible display when it launched last year. And at its upcoming Made By Google event, were about to get a successor in the Pixel 9 Pro Fold. So theres no better time to check in on how Googles original bendy handset has survived being my daily driver for an entire year.The Pixel Fold doesnt look like any other foldable on the market. It has a curvy polished aluminum frame with squatty dimensions that results in something shaped more like a passport than a traditional handset or Samsungs long and skinny batons. When you open it up, youll find relatively chunky bezels and a big main display that sits in landscape orientation instead of portrait like practically all of its rivals. Around back, theres an absolutely massive camera bar. But as I found out after talking to the phones designers, the opportunity to shape Googles first foldable gave the team a blank slate to try new approaches. And I think the phone is much better off for it.Photo by Sam Rutherford/EngadgetThats because even though its widescreen setup sometimes causes issues with apps and websites that expect portrait mode, it made sitting down with a movie much faster and more enjoyable. Meanwhile, its thick frame left enough room for Google to build a selfie camera into the phones bezel rather than taking up room on its main display. And even though its rear camera module is definitely bulky, it allowed Google to equip the Fold with sensors that are basically as good as those on a standard flagship Pixel (including a 5x optical zoom). Thats something Samsung still hasnt managed to do for the Z Fold line, which continues to take a backseat in photo quality compared to an equivalent Galaxy S Ultra.Granted, Samsungs version still boasts a few features the Pixel Fold doesnt get such as native stylus support and Dex mode, which offers a superior layout for multitasking. Plus, thanks to Qualcomms Snapdragon chips, it delivers slightly faster overall performance. However, I think Google largely makes up for that with better software including apps like the Pixel Recorder, Call Screener and Live Translate.Photo by Sam Rutherford/EngadgetAll in all, despite being Googles first foray into the category, the Pixel Fold is a very compelling device with a unique design, class-leading cameras and great displays thats pretty much everything you want in a big fancy flexible phone. That said, one thing I couldnt properly evaluate in my original review was the phones long-term durability. To close the loop, heres how its faring one year later.Before we get in too deep, I should note that Im pretty tough on devices. The Pixel Fold Ive been using has been naked since the day I got it, simply because I dont like cases. After all, companies like Google spend millions coming up with exquisite designs, so it seems like a shame to throw a cheap smock over everything. I also live with a toddler who doesnt care about nice things, so he doesnt think twice about batting the phone around when it's in his way. But even so, the Pixel Fold has held up surprisingly well.Photo by Sam Rutherford/EngadgetOn its frame, there are a ton of scuffs and scratches all over along with some dents from being dropped. There are also a few scapes on its matte Gorilla Glass Victus back, but all of this is purely cosmetic. If youre the type of person who gets jazzed up about wear and patinas on vintage furniture, you might even say the Pixel Fold is aging rather gracefully considering how much abuse its absorbed. Most importantly though, none of this damage has impacted the phones functionality.That said, there is a small crack in the phones exterior display. But I want to be clear, that one is 100 percent my fault. While trying to potty train my toddler, I would often sit on a low stool near him in a bathroom with hard tile flooring. And often, because of how I was seated, the phone would slip out of my pocket. This happened countless times and I should have simply put the phone on a nearby changing table. But I didnt, and about a month ago, it fell and hit the corner of its display, causing a small cobweb of fractures. Still, even with that blemish, the screens functionality is unaffected.Photo by Sam Rutherford/EngadgetNaturally, I tried to get the exterior display repaired. Unfortunately, a representative at my local uBreakiFix (which is a Google-authorized repair center) told me that they didnt have the required parts or the proper jig for a panel replacement. I was then told to contact one of the companys main locations in Kearny, NJ, which did have the necessary materials and gave me a rough estimate (over the phone) of about four hours and $220 for the repair. Then, just to be sure, I took the Pixel Fold into Googles flagship retail store in NYC for a second opinion, which resulted in a slightly cheaper ballpark quote of $180. Both prices are in the same range as what it would cost to replace a display on a traditional candybar-style handset, which is nice considering the added complexity of the Pixel Folds design. As for its main display, probably due in large part to the fact that it's protected by the rest of the phone when closed, it's remained pristine.Ive also dropped this thing in the sand, which scared the crap out of me since its IPX8 rating technically only specifies its level of water resistance (up to 5 feet for 30 minutes). Things got even more concerning when I tried to open it and was greeted by the distinctive sound of particles grinding somewhere inside. But after wiping it off and blowing in the hinge like it was an old NES cartridge, everything went back to normal. Perhaps the most impressive thing is that even after a year, theres not a single hint of bubbling from the Folds factory-installed screen protector, which is something Ive experienced on every one of Samsungs Z Fold phones Ive owned. And based on the searches Ive done online, aside from a small handful of odd cases, I havent seen many complaints from other Pixel Fold users either.Photo by Sam Rutherford/EngadgetIn a lot of ways, the Pixel Folds impressive durability is yet another sign that Google has been carefully watching the evolution of rivals like the Z Fold and studying it to see what aspects can be improved. Despite being the companys first go at a phone with a flexible screen, the Pixel Fold definitely doesnt suffer from a lot of the issues you typically get on first-gen devices. The one thing I might do differently in the future is to perhaps use a sleeve instead of a case to make the device a bit less slippery when its in my pocket.My one gripe with the Pixel Folds design is that it never fully opens all the way. Granted, this is an incredibly minor complaint, but it looks awkward when the phone stops at 179 degrees, just short of being totally flat. During my initial review, I thought the phones hinge might relax over time, but its just as stiff as ever, which in all other situations is a good thing.Photo by Sam Rutherford/EngadgetRegardless, for a type of device that many think needs to be treated with kid gloves, the Pixel Fold has proven that its a lot tougher than I thought. And while it seems Google has some significant design changes in store for the next model, Im quite satisfied with what Ive experienced thus far.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/google-pixel-fold-durability-report-one-year-later-more-durable-than-i-expected-133037946.html?src=rss

SayMotion 2.0 can convert stories into animation sequences. DeepMotion's text-to-animation generative AI tool can now extract AI prompts from up to 512 words of text, then generate full-body animations matching them for use in DCC apps and game engines: https://www.cgchannel.com/2024/08/saymotion-2-0-turns-stories-into-sequences-of-animations/

The laundry giant is making headlines, again, for all the wrong reasons.

Senior Concept Artist Sam Balzer started off across several creative departments at Wt FX but after a three week stint in the Concept Art Department he never looked back. Seven years later, his most recent work was character concept art for Marvels Deadpool & Wolverine in cinemas NOW!

From episode 406. Cr. Christos Kalohoridis/Netflix 2024

No frills, high street style digital fashion from Robin Schmidt Utilizing MetaHuman and Unreal Engine, the goal here was to create a more authentic, realistic digital fashion showcase rather than one with fantasy or extravagance-based direction.