The holiday shopping season is fun, but it can also cause you to incur additional costs, especially if you host gatherings and have a lot of people on your shopping list. If you need to save up, one of the best ways to stretch your monthly budget is to buy home essentials in bulk. Big Box stores like Costco are your best bet, but they require a membership, and right now you can not only save on membership, you can also score a gift card with your purchase.See at StackSocialWith this deal, you can get a yearlong Costco Gold Star membership for just $65, and you'll get $45 back in the form of a Costco gift card. That credit is ideal given how much money we tend to spend at this time of year and means you're essentially paying just $20 for the one-year membership. Alternatively, you can go for the Executive Gold Star membership instead for $130,and you'll also get a $45 Costco gift card. You can also gift a membership to a family member or friend who wants to join Costco, too (limited to two memberships; one for you, one for a gift). To take advantage of these savings, you'll have to sign up before Dec. 22, and you'll have to redeem your membership before Jan. 31, 2025. Keep in mind that it's available only to new customers or those whose memberships have been expired for more than 18 months. If you've been thinking of picking up a Costco membership, this deal puts more cash back in your pocket.With a Costco Gold Star subscription, you'll get one membership card for your household. It allows you to shop at any Costco warehouse worldwide, as well as online at Costco.com. Costco is a great place to save on groceries and other everyday essentials. We did the math and shopping at Costco can save you as much as $1,000 over a year compared to shopping at the grocery store. A Gold Star membership also means you can use Costco's gas stations and pharmacies, as well as Costco's optical and hearing aid centers. Costco frequently has seasonal plants, decor, furniture, electronics and other products as well.Hey, did you know?CNET Deals texts are free, easy and save you money.The Executive Gold Star membership adds a 2% annual reward of up to $1,250 and additional benefits and discounts on select Costco services. If you're going to shop at Costco frequently or make use of its extra services, it might make sense to go for the premium membership. After you sign up, you'll receive your bonus shop card via email within two weeks. The card can be used both in-store and online, so you can use it right away. Just remember that after you pay through StackSocial, you'll have until Jan. 31, 2025, to redeem the membership at Costco or you may not be able to take advantage of the deal. StackSocial recommends that you redeem this deal sooner if you decide to go for this deal.Now that groceries are going to cost you a little less, check out our gift guide on the best toys for kids, because it's always nice to treat them. And if you're looking for even more ways to cut down on monthly expenses, you can also check out our roundup of the best streaming service deals available now. Read more:How to Get the Most Out of Your Costco MembershipWhy this deal mattersWe love this StackSocial deal because of the free $45 Costco gift card, which basically nets you a year of club membership for $20. And it's not just about the holidays. You'll find sales on gifts now, and discounts on bulk groceries and essentials all year long. Plus you'll have access to Costco's cheaper gas, too. CNET is always covering a wide array of deals on tech products and much more. Start with the hottest sales and discounts on theCNET Deals page, and sign up for theCNET Deals Textto get daily deals sent straight to your phone. Add the freeCNET Shopping extensionto your browser for real-time price comparisons and cash-back offers. And peruse ourgift guide, which includes a full range of ideas for birthdays, anniversaries and more. See at CNET

December 5, 2024Could Menstruation Be Causing Low Iron Levels?Underdiagnosed iron deficiency and anemia could be leaving people without affordable fixes for their concerns.By Rachel Feltman & Fonda Mwangi Anaissa Ruiz Tejada/Scientific AmericanSUBSCRIBE TO Science QuicklyApple | Spotify | RSSRachel Feltman: Picture the teens in your life. Are they getting enough sleep? If not, you might assume theyre just falling prey to late nights on social media and school-related stress. But research suggests that for a huge percentage of kids and young adults, low iron levels may be to blame for their fatigue. It turns out that menstruation poses a bigger risk to iron levels than many doctors realize.For Scientific Americans Science Quickly, Im Rachel Feltman. My guest today is Angela Weyand, a pediatric hematologist and clinical associate professor at the University of Michigan Medical School in Ann Arbor. Shes here to explain how iron deficiency can affect everything from energy levels to mental healthregardless of whether it leads to full-blown anemiaand why doctors so often miss it, especially in adolescents.Thanks so much for coming on to chat today.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.Angela Weyand: Thanks for having me.Feltman: So lets start with a pretty basic question: What is anemia, and why is it important that its properly diagnosed?Weyand: Sure, so anemia is when your hemoglobin is low or kind ofwe think about that as, like, the number of red blood cells, which are important cells that carry oxygen to all of your tissues. Its incredibly prevalent and can cause a lot of problems; as you can imagine, its important that we get adequate oxygen to all of our tissues, and so when were anemic and it impairs our ability to do that, we can have a lot of different symptoms. Probably the most common that people think of is fatigue.Feltman: So, when did you start to suspect that some cases of anemia were flying under the radar?Weyand: Yeah, so I mentioned Im a pediatric hematologist, and I see a lot of adolescents and young women who have heavy menstrual bleeding, and that is one way that you can become quite anemic. So I see atI work at a large academic medical center, so I see pretty severe cases but was thinking that if Im seeing as many patients as Im seeing with pretty severe anemia that theres probably a lot of people out there that have less severe anemia that arent necessarily being identified.Most of that is iron-deficiency anemia, which I think is a whole nother issue that is very undiagnosed and often dismissed. And iron deficiencyactually, a lot of people conflate iron deficiency with anemia, but theyre actually two different things. And iron deficiency, even when youre not anemic, also matters and can cause a lot of symptoms and problems.Feltman: Yeah, so how did you go about investigating that?Weyand: Yeah, so we did a big study that [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] has, kind of national study that they do called NHANES [National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey], where they collect data on kind of the general population and they get a lot of demographic data, medical history data; they get labs from them; and then its available to researchers to use for free.And so we just took that database and looked at adolescents between 12 and 21 years of age that were female because a big risk factor for iron deficiency and anemia is menstruation cause thats how you lose iron. And so we looked at that and kind of tried to weed out a number of patients who had other diseases or kind of other co-morbidities that would affect our prevalence to try to really get at what we would consider a healthy population to determine the rate of both iron deficiency and then also iron-deficiency anemia.Feltman: Yeah. Well, what exactly has your research found?Weyand: Yeah, so overall we found that aboutit was 38.6 percent, so almost 40 percent of those 12- to 21-year-old females who were kind of otherwise healthy were iron-deficient ...Feltman: Wow, yeah.Weyand: And a smaller proportion, around 6 percent, were iron-deficient and anemic, because iron deficiency is kind of a spectrum, where you can be iron-deficient for quite some time and then kind of the severe end of iron deficiency, you become anemic.Feltman: So how is it that doctors are, you know, so routinely missing these signs of iron deficiency and anemia in patients?Weyand: I think its just really tough because the symptoms are so nonspecific, right? So if you think about other medical conditions: people talk about if you have chest pain, like, youre having a heart attack, right? But a lot of the symptoms of iron deficiency and anemia are things like trouble sleepingokay, well, theres lots of causes for not sleeping well. Fatiguetheres lots of reasons for people to be fatigued, especially in todays day and age, where people are so busy and not necessarily getting adequate sleep or have time to exercise or eat healthy. So fatigue isyou know, can be caused by lots of things, and I think most of the people I see, even though Im seeing adolescents, theyre all tired, right, so ...Feltman: Mm-hmm.Weyand: That doesnt necessarily point you in a specific direction. Other things that its associated with, like depression and anxiety, are also really common and can be associated,or due to other things outside of iron deficiency.It can also cause things like hair loss, which also, you know, people dont necessarily have a good sense of, like, how much hair you should be losing. Or even, like, fatiguelike, how do we rate fatigue? Like, if you talk to a lot of people, theyre like, Yeah, Im tired, but when is it actually a problem versus just, Okay, maybe you need to, like, sleep a little later on the weekend?Feltman: Yeah. I understand that anemia or iron deficiency were more prevalent in certain groups; is that correct?Weyand: Yes, thats correct. So the most affected kind of worldwide are women of reproductive age, or, you know, people who menstruate or can get pregnant, as well as kind of toddlers is another kind of age group where it can be more prevalent as well.Feltman: And what are sort of the, the main takeaways for both doctors and patients from what you found?Weyand: So I think for a doctor specifically, you know, in medical school, were really taught iron deficiency is important because it causes anemia, right? And anemia, as I mentioned, is, like, the latest stage of iron deficiency, so you have to be very iron-deficient before your body stops making enough red blood cells. But we know that iron is actually involved in all of these different other areas, right, that cause the other symptoms, like poor sleep and anxiety and depression and fatigue. And so I think its really important for doctors to remember from way back in med school that actually theres a lot of different other processes in the body that matter, and so even if your patient isnt anemic, if theyre iron-deficient, they may feel much better if they can get that corrected.And I think for patients, its really hard because I think, especially the population thats affected by this, when you think about reproductive-age people who menstruate, they may not recognize their symptoms as something that should prompt them to go to the doctor or thats fixable. And then oftentimes when they do go to their health care provider, they may have been dismissed previously as like, Okay, well, eat better or sleep more, exercise more.And so I think just having this knowledge of this is very prevalent in people who menstruate and can cause all of these kind of wide-ranging symptoms thatI dont ever think its bad to go to your doctor and say, Hey, you know, I read this article that said 40 percent of people, you knowand we looked at a young age, right, so you can imagine that if these patients arent identified, its not like this problem is gonna get better on its own. And so its probably even higher in older ages.So I think just being aware that this is a problem and it is a very correctable problem; it's not something, like, that we say, Oh, well, now we know why youre tired, but sorry, nothing to do about it. Theres very effective treatments that are widely available and inexpensive and oftentimes make people feel much, much better.Feltman: What else do you think it's important for people to know about iron deficiency and anemia?Weyand: I would say, as someone who sees a lot of adolescents, they come inand as I said, I see, like, the most severe cases, where theyre very anemic and, like, sometimes require blood transfusions and being hospitalized, which is a big deal. But I think so often the root cause is their periods, and I think thats something we dont talk about enough: thatlike, what a normal period is. So Ill have people tell me, like, My periods are normal, but they bleed for three weeks out of the month, cause I dont think that we, as a society, do a great job of talking about that; its so stigmatized.So I would just say kind of being aware of what a normal period is can be so helpful for patients, I think. And it really shouldnt be bleeding more than seven days a month. It really should be: you should go multiple hours without having to change a product. And you shouldnt be having accidents at school or at work because you cant get up to change or having to wake up overnight to change things.Those would all be signs that youre bleeding too much. And thats another area of medicine where we have a lot of options that can help people, but its important to identify that its abnormal so that you can avoid things like severe iron-deficiency anemia.Feltman: Well, thank you so much for coming on. This has been really informative.Weyand: Thank you so much for having me. Im glad to get the word out.Feltman: Thats all for todays episode. Well be back on Monday with our usual news roundup. Then on Wednesday were going to do a deep dive on Googles new podcast-generating AI feature, which, as Im sure you might imagine, I have a lot of feelings about. Then well be wrapping up the year with a special Fascination series on the new science of animal conservation. In other words, weve got a lot of great episodes to share with you before we officially enter lets circle back in the new year season.If youre enjoying Science Quickly, do us a favor and take a second to like, follow, subscribe, rate, review or commentwhatever your favorite podcast platform lets you do to say our show is neat. If youve got any questions or suggestions for us, drop us a line at ScienceQuickly@sciam.com.Science Quickly is produced by me, Rachel Feltman, along with Fonda Mwangi, Kelso Harper, Madison Goldberg and Jeff DelViscio. Shayna Posses and Aaron Shattuck fact-check our show. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith. Subscribe to Scientific American for more up-to-date and in-depth science news.For Scientific American, this is Rachel Feltman. Have a great weekend!

Call of Duty: Block Ops 6 players accuse Activision of using "AI slop"My name is Inigo Montoya.Image credit: Activision News by Vikki Blake Contributor Published on Dec. 8, 2024 Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 players have hit out at "AI slop" they believe has been used within the game and its promotional materials.Over the weekend, players noticed a six-figured zombified Father Christmas had popped up on the loading screen, and whilst some fans simply attributed this as a nod to the fact this is the sixth Black Ops game, others alleged it was evidence that the art was machine-generated, as AI typically struggles to generate realistic-looking hands.Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 live-action reveal trailer.Watch on YouTubeMore generous fans suggested the rogue digit could be the curb of a pavement behind the spooky Santa, or indeed just loose skin from a degloved finger giving the impression of a sixth finger.Santa's teeth and moustache have also come under scrutiny.Posts from the gaming community on RedditTo see this content please enable targeting cookies.But that's not the only image that's caught fans' eyes for all the wrong reasons. This image of a gloved hand holding out Gobblegum has similarly picked up traction for its curious digit display, too: To see this content please enable targeting cookies."It's very clear that the game is full of AI," said one player in a thread entitled, "this is unacceptable at this point"."This alone is fucked but the fact the the zombies crew is almost fully recasted because they want to use AI to replicate the actors' voices so they can STOP PAYING THEM."I don't care if this isn't read by many but it's needs to be know how fucked and inexcusable this shit is. They are feeding us slop because they want to pay their millionaire executives a little bit more. It's ridiculous."Last week, Activision announced it'll be giving those few remaining Call of Duty fans who haven't already bought this year's Black Ops 6 or played it through Game Pass the chance to get stuck in for free next week, as part of a seven-day trial. Call of Duty: Black Ops 6's Free Trial starts next Friday, 13th December, on Xbox, PlayStation, and PC. It'll continue into the following week, wrapping up on Friday, 20th December."For a series built on high-octane thrills and explosive gratification, its withdrawal to the well-trodden formula echoes the wider industry's continued allergy to risk," Chris Tapsell wrote in Eurogamer's Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 review.

Soulframe dev hears your feedback about combat and social featuresAnd that's why Digital Extremes is "focused" on "new things like social hubs".Image credit: Digital Extremes News by Vikki Blake Contributor Published on Dec. 8, 2024 Warframe developer Digital Extremes has given us another peek at its upcoming free-to-play fantasy action-MMORPG, Soulframe.In a new developer stream, Digital Extremes offered an update on the pre-alpha - known as Preludes - both at it currently stands, as well as "a glimpse at Preludes to come".Creative director Geoff Crookes also reflected on how important community feedback was to development, saying "feedback from the community will always remain our north star".Soulframe: Preludes - Coming in 2025 Trailer.Watch on YouTube"Ever since we started letting players get their hands on Soulframe earlier this year in our pre-alpha playtests, things have ramped up in the best way possible," Crookes said. "We've always had a greater vision for what we aspire Soulframe to be, but feedback from the community will always remain our north star."That community feedback paves a tailored roadmap on changes to make and focus on in our current Pre-Alpha around nearly every aspect of the game as we ramp things up for full public access," Crookes added. "We hear the feedback around combat and lack of social features, which is why you've seen those elements become major focuses for us as we add new things like social hubs."For more, you can check out the teaser above, which shows off the player social hub and some new quests, as well as introduce some new NPCs (thanks, PC Gamer)."Even as Ode'n shadow spreads across Alca, the future of Soulframe: Preludes is bright, Envoys! Enjoy a preview of what's to come to Preludes in 2025," DE teases in the description.Back in July 2022, Digital Extremes unveiled its first new property since Warframe's release back in 2013. Besides a 30-minute gameplay teaser this time last year, though, we've seen very little else. Back in July, however, at TennoCon 2024, we finally got our first extended look at it.Soulframe will be Digital Extremes' first new game in over five years, following on from 2017's short-lived team-based FPS The Amazing Eternals.

Van Cleef & Arpels celebrated a new chapter in its relationship with New York City this week, opening a flagship on Madison Avenueits third shop in the city. Situated in a landmark building on the corner of 62nd Street and Madison Avenue, the new boutique spans five levels and a rooftop while maintaining an intimacy that would make even the most discerning clientele feel at home. The jewel box features moments of glamour peppered throughout: a Veronese chandelier in the entry, Ludo-inspired metallic screens on the exterior windows, and a hand-painted Fromental floral paper on the second floors walls. All serve as a dazzling backdrop for the gems: In addition to the maisons current collections, the flagship showcases historical pieces, among them a 1968 Poodle brooch, Marlene Dietrichs Jarretire bracelet, and the remarkable Eveil du Cyclamen automatona brilliant feat of jewelry and watchmaking.AD PRO Hearsthat Patina Collection, the purveyor of European antiques and artisan-made accoutrement led by Karen Abell, has expanded beyond its Naples, Florida, home base with a new location in Chicagos Old Town neighborhood.Perigold, the online destination for luxury labels including Visual Comfort and Stark Rugs, has announced plans for brick-and-mortar retail in 2025. The inaugural storefronts are set for Houston and West Palm Beach, Florida, opening in spring and fall respectively.Project SpotlightVictoria Beckham taps Rose Uniacke for London flagship revampjust in time for the holidaysIts not an official color of the year announcement, but when tasked with reimagining the Victoria Beckham London flagship, AD100 interior designer Rose Uniacke went all-in on a darkened, posh green. Appearing in a custom paint shade and velvet-upholstered furnishings, the color envelops the Dover Street store, resulting in a refreshed interiorjust in time for the flagship's 10-year anniversary. The luxe and livable space has an intimate feel: Clothing draped casually on chairs and boots planted underneath an ornate mirror conjure a mise-en-scene, as if youve stepped into Beckhams boudoir. To sugar-coat the refresh, Uniacke has layered on festive finery, on view through January 3.The Elder Statesman unveils interiors for its New York City locationThe Elder Statesman is an LA-based luxury lifestyle brand founded in 2007 by Greg Chait.Photography Courtesy of Elder StatesmanThe new location is at 101 Crosby Street in Soho.Photography Courtesy of Elder StatesmanWarming up the Big Apple in more ways than one, buzzy cashmere brand the Elder Statesman revealed its New York City flagship this week. Founder Greg Chait tapped Isaac Brest and Michael Bargo as collaborators for the Crosby Street space, with the latter consulting on furniture and decor sourcing. Highlights of the interiors include patchwork cashmere curtains and a cashmere stacked bedboth can be made to orderand resin sconces by Brooklyn-based designer Moch Hahn.Design HappeningsUpstate New Yorks Olana State Historic Site unveils expanded cultural center

The next prompt for the Blender Artists 10 Cubes challenge dropped! As always, you can find the rules, prompts and entries in the 10 Cubes category on Blender Artists. Have fun!Source

Demo Reel 2024: Albin Merle, Director & 3D Artist By albin on December 8, 2024 Video Spectacular work by Albin Merle!Sere's the howcase of my most exciting and impactful work as a film director and 3D artist. This reel features highlights from the past year, along with some standout projects from 2023( because, lets face it, editing last years reel didnt make the to-do list ! ).From captivating commercials to intricate 3D visualizations, this collection reflects my passion for storytelling, my dedication to craft, and the creative collaborations that brought these projects to life.I hope you enjoy this journey through my lens and imagination !Music : Jungle Pulse - Flint

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A Polite ProdIf you want a Need for Speed: Most Wanted remake, it seems all you need to do is keep asking for it, as one actor from the series says that "anything is on the table" at EAWhat about everything?Image credit: EA News by Oisin Kuhnke Contributor Published on Dec. 8, 2024 The 2005 original version of Need for Speed: Most Wanted is easily one of the most popular in the series, and it turns out a remake of it isn't entirely impossible.Over the course of the thirty years the series has been around for now, there's definitely a case to be made that 2005's Need for Speed: Most Wanted is the best one of the bunch. It was hugely successful, and it's still the best selling game in the entire series, so it's no surprise that there are fans that want a remake of it. Well, there's some slightly good news for those of you that fit into that category, as it seems like it could be possible. Reddit user Jarol2K shared a clip seemingly of himself interviewing Derek Hamilton, who played Razor in the original Most Wanted, at a convention asking how the game changed the actor's life.Question to Razor and EA Plans... byu/Jarol2K inneedforspeedTo see this content please enable targeting cookies."I've always been kind of quiet with [the game], you know," Hamilton shared. "Everything that I've been asked to do for Need for Speed and for Razo has always been a bigger thing, an interview, or that type of thing, and I haven't done too many." Hamilton noted that his appearance at the con was because fans asked him to be come, with the interviewer then making the point that he hopes EA will see this clip and make a remake of Most Wanted, to which the actor responded: "You guys keep asking for it, they told me anything's on the table. They love you guys and want to do what you want."To see this content please enable targeting cookies. This year was actually the 30th anniversary of the series, with the games' own devs sharing in a roundtable last month that new entries' biggest challenge is "literally the age of the franchise." The most recent release was 2022's Need for Speed Unbound, which was generally received well, but seemingly did quite poorly compared to its predecessor Heat. So it seems like right now your best bet is to hope EA does give you a remake of Most Wanted, though whether that's the right choice for the series is anyone's guess.

Hero TimeInvincible season 3 "feels a little serious" in its first full trailer, but it looks like a good time at the very leastMark Grayson is looking a bit black and blue, but not because he's getting beaten up a lot this time.Image credit: Prime Video News by Oisin Kuhnke Contributor Published on Dec. 8, 2024 Prime Video has released the first full trailer for Invincible season 3, and it's offered up a first look at the titular hero in his new black and blue suit.It's been CCXP over in Brazil this weekend, offering up plenty of announcements, behind the scenes tidbits, and more, with Prime Video also sharing the first trailer for Invincible season 3 there too. Lucky for you that trailer has been shared online too, which you can check out below if you're not someone who's completely spoiler averse. It seems like this time around protagonist Mark Grayson will be grappling what it means to be a good person versus a good hero, with the main issue being his sort-of boss Cecil - that relationship appears to be dissolving fast, with Mark heading off on his own route, and adopting his black and blue suit (which he notes "feels a little serious") that fans of the comic will recognise.Watch on YouTubeOn top of that, Mark's new and younger (but growing fast) brother Oliver wants to take part in the superhero life, which obviously isn't an easy thing to manage because when have kids with superpowers ever been easy to deal with? Never! Aside from that, it's not exactly clear what else is going on; there's some punching, some blood and guts, the usual thing you might expect from Invincible, but I doubt that Invincible season 3 will just be about a workplace debut. Plus Atom Eve is missing in action, so who knows what's going on there.To see this content please enable targeting cookies. You don't have too long to wait until you can check out the third season at the very least, as it's currently set to air on Prime Video February 6 next year, where you'll be able to check out the first three episodes, before switching to a weekly release until March 13.