The following post is brought to you by Fermob. Our partners are hand-picked by the Design Milk team because they represent the best in design.Soft lighting cast on tabletops from overhead. Passageways aglow from handheld lanterns. And beams of light directed to the task at hand. Every luminary by the French outdoor living brand Fermob fosters a lighting experience that can only be fashioned from marrying utility with each objects personal narrative. From delighting public terraces and secret gardens to imbuing outdoor bistros with a little bit of romance, their eclectic solutions possess a je ne sais quoi best understood when fully immersed in its atmosphere. And options abound for end users to scene build with portable, table, and hanging variations some of which incorporate smart technology.Fermobs modest in-house studio has been critical in cementing their status as iconic, garnering accolades including the prestigious Red Dot design award. The five-person team, whose creative process is supervised by CEO Bernard Reybier, is responsible for long-term creative collaborations with external designers, as well as proprietary product design. The teamwork of a design studio that is part of an industrial operation is incredibly demanding, stimulating, and enriching, says Diane Du Chaxel, a project manager within Fermob Design Studio. This minimal circuit makes our decisions more meaningful, adds Eric Bibard, manager of the Fermob Design Studio.Whats more, the industry leading maker and manufacturer implemented sobriety initiatives, or rather sustainable practices, into their operations some 35 years prior to competitors going green. Product durability, responsible production, timeless design, and an extensive service life will have consumers enjoying the return on that investment for decades to come. Read more to discover the many personas within their collections.APLAn ingenious invention and the curious human spirit inspired APLs form. In collaboration with designer Tristan Lohner, Fermob captures the three main tenets guiding their products: simplicity, accessibility, and creativity. Like Edisons lightbulb freeing man from the constraints of daylight, so too does this wireless luminary free its user from being tethered in place. APLs portable design is bolstered by a smattering of accessories to accommodate a variety of lighting solutions and convenient charging.BALADFermob forged ahead into a fresh product category with BALAD back in winter 2015 as the brands inaugural foray into lighting, launching an industry-first portable lamp at that. It also marked the first of many projects with long-time collaborator Tristan Lohner. The lanterns glowing gumdrop body dons a headphones-inspired handle, which is now available in bamboo. While BALAD is best enjoyed on the move, customers may opt for a variety of stands when its time to settle down and admire its aura.HOOPIKDesigned by J. Mazoyer-Do, the elegant HOOPIK ring light has a commanding presence as a standalone lobjet dart. The table lamps scale punches up with an ethereal effect hard to miss and is available in a variety of soft, mineral colorways to maximize that aura. Although intended for indoor use, HOOPIK is resistant to splashes and impacts, and comes with all the conveniences typical of Fermobs thoughtful solutions.MOOON!Akin to a Gibbous moon, the symbolic spherical shape takes inspiration from 19th century Parisian street lamps with a globe that rests atop a hairpin pedestal. The timeless design by Tristan Lohner offers stunning material contrast and a minimal form available as a table or floor lamp. MOOON! is suitable for use indoors and outdoors, imbuing spaces with the feeling of home through every passing season.OTOWith character imbued by its anthropomorphic form, OTO combines playfulness and practicality for a table lamp as versatile as its brethren. The totem-like structure features two independent light sources that can be rotated 360 for direct or muted lighting, and is wireless, suitable for use indoors and outdoors. Noteworthy still, OTO is the fixture having earned the Fermob Design Studio a Red Dot design award.ULLIULLI distills the camping lanterns silhouette into a three-piece structure where the traditional form is suggested by negative space rather than a lighting element. The two-disc structure comprising a magnetic, chargeable base and indirect light oriented downward are held in beautiful tension by a continuous handlebar available in four classic colors. This portable lamp can be held or hung wherever outdoor adventure may land the user.To view Fermobs lighting, or to peruse other furnishings from the brand, visit fermob.com.

If youre looking for the Wordle answer for August 17, 2024 read on. Well share some clues, tips, and strategies, and finally the solution. Todays puzzle is medium difficult; I got it in four. Beware, there are spoilers below for August 17, Wordle #1,155! Keep scrolling if you want some hints (and then the answer) to todays Wordle game.How to play WordleWordle lives here on the New York Times website. A new puzzle goes live every day at midnight, your local time.Start by guessing a five-letter word. The letters of the word will turn green if theyre correct, yellow if you have the right letter in the wrong place, or gray if the letter isnt in the days secret word at all. For more, check out our guide to playing Wordle here, and my strategy guide here for more advanced tips. (We also have more information at the bottom of this post, after the hints and answers.)Ready for the hints? Lets go!Does todays Wordle have any unusual letters?Well define common letters as those that appear in the old typesetters phrase ETAOIN SHRDLU. (Memorize this! Pronounce it Edwin Shirdloo, like a name, and pretend hes a friend of yours.)They're almost all common letters from our mnemonic today. Only one isn't, and it's also pretty common. Can you give me a hint for todays Wordle?May bring thunder, lightning, and/or rain. Does todays Wordle have any double or repeated letters?There are no repeated letters today.How many vowels are in todays Wordle?There is one vowel.What letter does todays Wordle start with?Todays word starts with S.What letter does todays Wordle end with?Todays word ends with M.What is the solution to todays Wordle?Ready? Todays word is STORM.How I solved todays WordleI started with RAISE and TOUCH, which confirmed four of five letters. I guessed NYMPH to eliminate consonants that appeared in possible answers, which left only STORM as the solution.Wordle 1,155 4/6Yesterdays Wordle answerYesterdays Wordle was medium difficult. The hint was as a verb, to prepare for or support and the answer contained three common letters and two pretty common letters. The answer to yesterdays Wordle was BRACE. A primer on Wordle basicsThe idea of Wordle is to guess the days secret word. When you first open the Wordle game, youll see an empty grid of letters. Its up to you to make the first move: type in any five-letter word.Now, you can use the colors that are revealed to get clues about the word:Green means you correctly guessed a letter, and its in the correct position. (For example, if you guess PARTY, and the word is actually PURSE, the P and R will be green.)Yellow means the letter is somewhere in the word, but not in the position you guessed it. (For example, if you guessed PARTY, but the word is actually ROAST, the R, A and T will all be yellow.)Gray means the letter is not in the solution word at all. (If you guessed PARTY and everything is gray, then the solution cannot be PURSE or ROAST.)With all that in mind, guess another word, and then another, trying to land on the correct word before you run out of chances. You get six guesses, and then its game over.The best starter words for WordleWhat should you play for that first guess? The best starters tend to contain common letters, to increase the chances of getting yellow and green squares to guide your guessing. (And if you get all grays when guessing common letters, thats still excellent information to help you rule out possibilities.) There isnt a single best starting word, but the New York Timess Wordle analysis bot has suggested starting with one of these:CRANETRACESLANTCRATECARTEMeanwhile, an MIT analysis found that youll eliminate the most possibilities in the first round by starting with one of these:SALETREASTTRACECRATESLATEOther good picks might be ARISE or ROUND. Words like ADIEU and AUDIO get more vowels in play, but you could argue that its better to start with an emphasis on consonants, using a starter like RENTS or CLAMP. Choose your strategy, and see how it plays out.How to win at WordleWe have a few guides to Wordle strategy, which you might like to read over if youre a serious student of the game. This one covers how to use consonants to your advantage, while this one focuses on a strategy that uses the most common letters. In this advanced guide, we detail a three-pronged approach for fishing for hints while maximizing your chances of winning quickly.The biggest thing that separates Wordle winners from Wordle losers is that winners use their guesses to gather information about what letters are in the word. If you know that the word must end in -OUND, dont waste four guesses on MOUND, ROUND, SOUND, and HOUND; combine those consonants and guess MARSH. If the H lights up in yellow, you know the solution.One more note on strategy: the original Wordle used a list of about 2,300 solution words, but after the game was bought by the NYT, the game now has an editor who hand-picks the solutions. Sometimes they are slightly tricky words that wouldnt have made the original list, and sometimes they are topical. For example, FEAST was the solution one Thanksgiving. So keep in mind that there may be a theme.Wordle alternativesIf you cant get enough of five-letter guessing games and their kin, the best Wordle alternatives, ranked by difficulty, include:Wheeldle, which lets you play one puzzle after anotherDordle and Quordle, which ask you to play two (Dordle) or four (Quordle) puzzles at the same time, with the same guesses. There is also Octordle, with eight puzzles, and Sedecordle, with 16.Waffle, which shows you several five-letter words, scrambled in a grid; you play by swapping the letters around until you solve.Absurdle, which changes the solution after each guess, but needs to stay consistent with its previous feedback. You have to strategically back it into a corner until there is only one possible word left; then you guess it, and win.Squabble, in which you play Wordle against other people with a timer running. You take damage if you spend too much time between guesses; winner is the last one standing.Antiwordle, in which you are trying not to guess the days solution. Youre required to reuse any letters that you (oops) guessed correctly, so the longer it takes you, the better you are at the game.

A data dump that contains 2.7 billion records of personal information for people living in the US, including their Social Security Numbers, have recently been leaked online. The data dump's contents were linked to National Public Data, a company that scrapes information from non-public sources and sells it for background checks. Now, the company has confirmed that it did have "a data security incident" wherein people's names, emails, addresses, phone numbers, social security numbers and mailing addresses had been stolen.National Public Data's wording in its Security Incident report is a bit a vague and convoluted, but it did blame the security breach on a third-party bad actor. It said that the bad actor "was trying to hack into data in late December 2023" and that "potential leaks of certain data" took place in April 2024 and summer 2024, indicating that the hacker had successfully infiltrated its system. In April, a threat actor known as USDoD tried to sell 2.9 billion records of people living in the US, UK and Canada for $3.5 million. It claimed that it stole the information from National Public Data. Since then, the records have been leaked in chunks online with the more recent one being more comprehensive and containing more sensitive information.The company said it worked with law enforcement to review potentially affected records and will "try to notify" individuals "if there are further significant developments applicable" to them. It also said that it published the notice so that those who were potentially affected can take action. The company is advising people to monitor their financial accounts for fraudulent transactions, and it's also encouraging them to get free credit reports and to put a fraud alert on their file.The National Public Data is already facing a proposed class action lawsuit that was filed in early August by a plaintiff who received a notification from their identity theft protection service that their personal information was posted on the dark web. They argued that the company failed "to properly secure and safeguard the personally identifiable information that it collected and maintained as part of its regular business practices."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/national-public-data-confirms-breach-that-exposed-americans-social-security-numbers-100046695.html?src=rss

Open Brush 2.8 is out. Check out the new features in the free virtual reality 3D sketching software, including better export to Blender and other DCC applications.https://www.cgchannel.com/2024/08/open-brush-2-x-updates/

The anti-theft measure was announced earlier this year, and is now making its way out to devices.

Amazon is seeking FAA approval to expand its drone delivery service in College Station, Texas, but many residents aren't too happy.

Want more housing stories from Lance LambertsResiClubin your inbox?Subscribe to the daily freeResiClubnewsletter.At the height of the pandemic housing boom, housing demand was so fierce that homes sold so quickly they barely registered as active inventory.Indeed, in July 2021, there were just 546,686 U.S. active listings. That was a staggering 56% below the 1,239,534 active listings in July 2019. In July 2021, every single one of the nations 200 largest housing markets was below pre-pandemic 2019 inventory levels.But were slowly starting to see a bounce backnational active listings in July 2024 came in at 884,273, down 29% from pre-pandemic 2019 active inventory levels.ResiClub created a new chart to track the active inventory recovery across the country.In July 2023, just eight of the nations 200 largest housing markets had active inventory that exceeded July 2019 levels.As of July 2024, 41 of the nations 200 largest housing markets had active inventory that exceeded July 2019 levels.Generally speaking, housing markets where inventory (i.e., active listings) has returned to pre-pandemic levels have experienced weaker home price growth (or outright declines) over the past 24 months. Conversely, housing markets where inventory remains far below pre-pandemic levels have, generally speaking, experienced stronger home price growth over the past 24 months.Heres an interactive map that shows the one-year shift:And the following interactive map shows the markets that haveor haventreturned to pre-pandemic levels. Many of the areas that are above pre-pandemic inventory levels are located in the gulf region. Back in June 2022, Fed Chair Jerome Powell told reporters that home buyers needed a "reset."Id say if you are a home buyer, somebody or a young person looking to buy a home, you need a bit of a reset. We need to get back to a place where supply and demand are back together and where inflation is down low again, and mortgage rates are low again," said Powell. "We are well aware that mortgage rates have moved up a lot. And you are seeing a changing housing market. We are watching it to see what will happen. How much will it really affect residential investment? Not really sure. How much will it affect housing prices? Not really sure.While many parts of the country remained sellers markets even as rates spiked, some places might finally be seeing some type of reset, or at the very least some relief.

A range of colours, patterns and forms animate this sports and play area in Tianjin, China, designed by international studio Ballistic Architecture Machine to "rethink the role of parks in dense cities".Named Tianjin 4A Sports Park, the project eschews the common idea of a park as an open green space and offers locals in Tianjin a densely packed and multipurpose activity area.According to Ballistic Architecture Machine (BAM), the design draws on the historic plan of the ancient town of Yixing, which previously occupied the site but was relocated during the construction of China's Grand Canal.Ballistic Architecture Machine has created Tianjin 4A Sports Park"We were initially very taken with the site history, which included a temple and small town called Yixing town," explained the studio's co-founder Daniel Gass."While this historical town was destroyed, BAM utilises the urban plan of the original Yixing as a palimpsest, resurfacing the lost history and giving it back to the community in a contemporary form," he continued."People tend to think of parks and public spaces in terms of green spaces and open lawns, but the reality is that people are in desperate need of quality recreational spaces [that] rethink the role of parks in dense cities and reimagine our relationship with nature."The studio used the project to "rethink the role of parks in dense cities"Tianjin 4A Sports Park is divided into four quadrants, each with different functions. At its centre is a large plaza marked by a bright yellow tower, which doubles as a steam exhaust for a reservoir of hot water underground.To the east is the food quadrant, which contains a beer garden and outdoor eating areas. It sits alongside the play quadrant, where curved and contoured playground areas, sandpits and fountains are organised around a bright yellow canopy.Tianjin 4A Sports Park is divided into four distinct areasThe maze quadrant sits to the west and comprises four different zones the hedge maze, earth maze, wood maze and water maze. BAM designed these to evoke the winding streets of the ancient Yixing town.Finally, the sports quadrant features a small bike track and three pitches of various sizes, each of which has been finished with a different bright geometric design.Read: Studio Saar crowns Udaan Park in India with canopy of colourful birdsThis bold use of colour and pattern continues throughout Tianjin 4A Sports Park, not only in each quadrant but also in the striped grey and white paved areas between them and a winding red path that leads through the surrounding trees."Layering the design further are patterns of trees, plants, street furniture, and lights, playfully marking various activity zones with stripes, colours, and geometric elements," explains Gass."[It is] a thought-provoking play with the boundaries of landscape, architecture, and the contemporary city," he added.One quadrant contains a series of mazesBAM was founded by Gass, Allison Dailey and Jacob Walker in 2007 with offices in Beijing and New York City.Other colourful playground spaces in China include a series of converted 1970s warehouses in Beijing by We Architech Anonymous and a"folding landform" in Changzhou by Atelier Scale.The photography is by Wu Qingshan.The post Tianjin 4A Sports Park is a multipurpose play area in China by BAM appeared first on Dezeen.

Just a step short of shaving your beard with Wolverines claws themselves, the Titaner TiGlide S1 is perhaps the coolest, slickest, and most durable razor you could grace your jawline with. Machined from solid titanium, the TiGlide S1 sports a gorgeous minimal design that leverages single-edge shaving. A microtexture on the titanium and a scalloped bar below the blade edge allows the razor to glide along your skin, while Titaniums natural anti-bacterial and biocompatible properties truly make it the perfect pick for this razors design. Besides, its so durable, youll probably never need to buy another razor ever again.Designer: Titaner TiGlideClick Here to Buy Now: $129 $215 (40% off) Hurry, only 3 of 70 left!Titanium has for long been a go-to choice for EDC makers, given its durable, anti-corrosive nature however, the same reasons its perfect for EDC also make it perfect for a shaving razor. Its durable, skin-friendly, rust-proof, and bacteria-resistant all features that lend themselves wonderfully to the TiGlide S1s design.The TiGlide S1 relies on a single-edge shaving experience. Most razors on the market (were looking at you, Gillette) come with two, three, or sometimes even four blade edges, claiming that it provides a cleaner shave. The truth, however, is that the clean shave also comes at a cost of skin burn, caused by multiple blades grazing against your skin. The trick to a clean shave doesnt lie in the number of blades, it lies in the angle at which the blade runs against your skin. Get that right and youll be left with a clean, stubble-free jawline that doesnt turn red from razor-burn. The TiGlide S1 achieves this by allowing you to micro-adjust the blades angle once you load it into the razor. A screw at the back lets you control the angle of the blade down to a fraction of a degree, letting you quickly optimize as you shave so youre left with the perfect clean shave without the sensitive skin that follows after.The razors design is incredibly simple, which is what I personally love so much about it. Rather than complicating things with multiple blades, pivoting heads, and aloe-vera skin-hydrating strips, the Titaner TiGlide S1 just nails the basics and does it spectacularly well. The razor comes machined from titanium, with a simple, low-poly-inspired design that may remind you of a certain electric trucks form factor. The smooth handle may strike you as slippery, but its quite the opposite, with a design thats fairly grippy even when being used with wet or soapy hands. A microtexture on the razors head helps it glide across your skin with ease, and theres a scalloped bar right underneath the blades edge, which further helps this frictionless glide by allowing shaving cream lather to flow through its tiny grooves as the blades edge runs against your skin, finely cutting any hair.Using the TiGlide S1 feels pretty intuitive if youve ever shaved before. Load half a blade into the razors top, before snapping the magnetic head on. Tighten the screw at the back till you get the blade angle you desire (ensuring everythings locked in place), and youre ready to go. You can use the razor for dry-shaving or wet-shaving, and once youre done, a simple rinse under tap water cleans all the cream/stubble off. A single-edge blade is a lot easier to clean than those multi-edge ones that have loads of grooves in them to trap hair, and titanium is inherently rust-proof and anti-bacterial, making maintenance a no-brainer.Once youre done, the TiGlide S1 comes with its own stand that lets you vertically dock it. It feels almost anti-gravitational, the way the razor stands perfectly upright although thats precisely whats so cool about the stand. This upright docking also allows the razor to dry faster, thanks to gravity, so your blade doesnt rust (the blades still going to be made of steel with a diamond-like coating). If youre looking to travel with your TiGlide S1, it comes with a nifty silicone pouch too, allowing you to carry the razor along with a few spare blades to cover the duration of your trip.The TiGlide S1 stands majestically on its circular baseDock it on your bathroom counter or carry it with you using the silicone pouchAside from looking undeniably gorgeous, the TiGlide S1 also champions sustainability. Just like printer companies, razor companies like Gillette make their money not by selling razors, but rather by selling cartridges. They control the cartridge market (you can only use branded cartridges with your branded razor, right?), which means youre perpetually their customer. You also end up buying use-and-throw cartridges that contain blades and skin-soothing strips encased in a plastic outer cover, which is impossible to recycle once thrown in the trash. The TiGlide S1 has none of that. All you need is a simple pack of shaving blades (choose a good quality one for a great shave) and youre good to go. The blades break in half before mounting within the TiGlide S1, and its recommended you change the blade every 5-10 shaves, so each complete blade lasts anywhere up to 20 shaves.Although it isnt specifically guaranteed, your Titaner TiGlide S1 should last you a couple of lifetimes thanks to its titanium construction. Each TiGlide S1 starts at a discounted $129, comes with the silicone pouch included, and ships globally. An extra $12 also gets you the titanium base/stand.Click Here to Buy Now: $129 $215 (40% off) Hurry, only 3 of 70 left!The post This CNC-Machined Titanium Razor will probably be the last razor youll ever want to buy first appeared on Yanko Design.