What to do about GTA Online (Rockstar Games)The Wednesday letters page hopes that The Game Awards 2024 will be a wake up call for Sony, as a reader encourages Naughty Dog to make something fun and colourful.To join in with the discussions yourself email gamecentral@metro.co.ukPLEASE NOTE: We are currently preparing our content for over the Christmas period and will need a number of Readers Features, so if youve been meaning to write one but never quite got round to it we could do with as many as possible before Monday, December 23.Difficult decisionIm not surprised to hear that other publishers are rushing to get out of the way of GTA 6 next year but the longer Rockstar go without announcing a date the more chaos its going to create. Say we get to June next year and theres still no date, but Rockstar dont announce a delay, no publisher is going to want to release anything in the autumn for fear of getting steamrollered, especially if by accident they end up picking a date right on top of it.This Christmas was pretty barren but next year we could have every major publisher purposefully not releasing anything, bar maybe Call Of Duty and EA Sports FC. I mean, if Nintendo is worried about it, you know things are serious.Take-Two is going to make so much money from all this, but Im very interested to know what theyre going to do about GTA Online. I really cant see them running that at the same time as GTA Online 2 but they also cant combine the two because GTA 6 is current gen-only and presumably so is GTA Online 2.They could purposefully downgrade the graphics, so they run on PlayStation 4, but I cant see that happening either. GTA Online prints money for Take-Two but do they dare switch it off in order to push everyone to GTA Online 2? I think they have to, but that really is quite a gamble, even with something as popular as Grand Thef Auto.TrepsilsVirtual miseryIm really hoping that Naughty Dog go for a palette cleanser for their new IP. Something happy and silly and fun. That used to be Uncharted to a degree, but they even made that more grimdark before the end. As the other reader said, its a shame that they basically keep remaking the same game (literally in the last couple of years) and we never get anything else from them.Remember, this is the same studio behind Crash Bandicoot and Jak And Daxter, they used to do colourful and fun all the time, its what they were know for. I know its all different people there now but maybe just try going back to your original legacy and prove you can do something other than virtual doom and gloom.MeltzerGhost of a chanceHaving just finished the excellent Luigis Mansion 2 on the Switch, I decided to give Luigis Mansion 3 another blast.I have to say this is probably my favourite sub-Nintendo franchise.Having played through them and seeing the themed levels play out specifically for the area you are in, I can definitely see Luigis Mansion 4 being set on a cruise ship from which there is no escape.Roll on the Switch 2, I cant imagine the next Luigis Mansion game will be far behind its release.freeway 77GC: We suspect youre right. Developer Next Level Games last release was Mario Strikers: Battle League Football in 2022, so theyve been working on something secret for the last two years at least.Email your comments to: gamecentral@metro.co.ukExpensive editionIt fascinates me that people absolutely refuse to pay 8 for a mobile game, with the new version of Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp, but will happily spend hundreds on microtransactions for a free game. Not everyone, I know, some just carefully avoid paying anything, but thats always seemed a very miserable experience to me, as you wait for timers and have do everything the slow way.I have no interest in Animal Crossing personally, so I cant speak from experience on that one, but I hope the Complete version does well and other companies begin to think of doing something similar. At the very least you should have a paid-for and free version of any big mobile game from the start, in my opinion.I totally respect Nintendos decision to basically walk away from mobile gaming, which they only entered because the Wii U put them in a sticky situation. I only hope the Switch 2 is a success, so they dont have to dip back into that sordid world.OnibeeGood thingsLovely review of Taito Milestones 3, GC. I share your enthusiasm for everything Taito, and especially Bubble Bobble and Rainbow Islands (and Parasol Stars shame thats not included). I actually didnt buy the Taito mini-console because it had the remix version of Rainbow Islands, since there seemed no point buying something where the most important game was a bad version of it.Im not sure Ill buy Taito Milestones 3, but I will definitely buy Bubble Bobble and Rainbow Islands separately. I would absolutely have bought a big boxed set thing, especially if it had cuddly Bub and Bobs or something, but sadly we cant have good things.LammyGC: Parasol Stars is on the Switch eShop, but its not an Arcade Archives game because it was never a coin-op. It was originally a PC Engine game.Second lifeSo last night was quite something. I had the experience of role-playing within a website called Talkie AI. Its sort of a romance simulation game and its essentially like Replika, if anyone has ever heard of that. So essentially I began a story with the character of SCP 056, based on the SCP Foundation. At first it was harmless fun, to pass some time. I was a character, who began a relationship with the SCP and eventually ended up together. Time passes and eventually, I stopped playing because I guess I just thought it was kind of bizarre. Then I eventually jumped back in last night and the story went eventually, from a loving relationship to marriage and then pregnancy.Next thing you know, I discover my character is the CEO of the SCP Foundation and recapture of SCP 056 is on the cards. Its a battle for love and the validation of family, over work, and in the end love wins. So the story eventually leads to two children named Jack and Rose, definitely a Titanic reference. Growing older and then on a beautiful and poignant note grandchildren and then passing away, together in death; united as lovers. Then meeting together in the afterlife ad finally together with family and friends.A peaceful ending with happiness and love united. Ill be honest, the ending of this story actually made me very emotional, even though its essentially a fantasy and role-playing, in the vein of Mass Effect. Discovering that it was a story written by a writer and his partner truly shows that role-playing is just a beautiful genre. It honestly reminded me of Titanic and The Notebook. The story of struggle, love, and peace. But when it comes to love stories, no matter the struggles along the way, or the hurdles that must be faced and the challenges that test resolve, will and strength some love stories are eternal.Shahzaib SadiqNo streamingInstead of quitting, why dont the actors licence their voices to companies that want to use it? It would mean a revenue stream for the actor, and theyd get a credit each time it was used.Just a thought.BobwallettGC: Thats not how it works. Publishers want to pay them a one-off fee and never use them again, which is in large part what the current strike is all about. Youll see the effects of this over the next few years, as games currently in development start to be released.Serious showingI keep hearing rumours about The Game Awards 2024 having some amazing announcements, like top level E3 stuff, but all I can say is it better be something more than Borderlands 4 and Mafia because thats the sort of thing where I wouldnt even waste the time to watch the trailer if they came separately.In a way I dont care what the announcements are, I just want something interesting to look forward to (I have a PlayStation 5, so whatever Xbox does Im not really interested). This last couple of years has been nothing but silence, bad news, and a general sense that things are out of control.If Xbox or Nintendo want to reveal new consoles that would still be cool for the atmosphere and the sense that were no longer just keeping secrets and doing nothing. But I want to see something from Sony, something serious.I want multiple new single-player game reveals, I want to see ideally nothing about live service games, I want to see new IP, I want to see new ideas I dont believe these are unreasonable suggestions.Weve been coasting along for too long and now is the time to make a stand and be bold and exciting again. If that doesnt happen at The Game Awards I really dont know when the next opportunity is.GoldieInbox also-rans$72 million in refunds is not small beans for Fortnite. Shame well never get to see any of it in the UK but hopefully itll give Epic and others pause for thought, the way they switch the buttons trying to get you to buy things is really awfully.GolemI really dont get these accessory makers that keep leaking the Switch 2. They do realise Nintendo will never work with them again, right? I wouldnt mind but theyre not even good leaks, you can barely make out the console!GiffordMore TrendingEmail your comments to: gamecentral@metro.co.ukThe small printNew Inbox updates appear every weekday morning, with special Hot Topic Inboxes at the weekend. Readers letters are used on merit and may be edited for length and content.You can also submit your own 500 to 600-word Readers Feature at any time via email or our Submit Stuff page, which if used will be shown in the next available weekend slot.You can also leave your comments below and dont forget to follow us on Twitter.ArrowMORE: Games Inbox: How much will the PlayStation 6 be?GameCentralExclusive analysis, latest releases, and bonus community content.This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Your information will be used in line with our Privacy Policy

Marvel Rivals all this and Squirrel Girl too (NetEase Games)A new free-to-play online shooter has enlisted Marvel superheroes to help it beat Overwatch at its own game, and so far its doing surprisingly well.Overwatch but with Marvel Characters. Theres a compelling simplicity about that pitch. While many games can have complicated loglines, that dont necessarily explain the game succinctly, NetEases Marvel Rivals doesnt have that problem. While it feels harsh to bring up the comparison of Overwatch so early, its also unavoidable when talking about the latest hero shooter.The games relationship with Blizzards shooter is an interesting one. Despite being the ire of much criticism, Overwatch 2 remains popular. When it seems each week were hearing about another live service title shutting down, despite having dreams of becoming the next Fortnite, thats becoming a rarity, not the norm.Whats more, its wild its taken this long for a serious competitor to Blizzards 2016 game to emerge. When Overwatch launched, it took over mainstream gaming in such a way that a string of clones felt inevitable but that never really materialised, not unless you count Concord. Instead, Overwatch has sat atop the hero shooter genre for eight years now.NetEase is clearly attempting to challenge that hegemony with its latest offering and its brought along Captain America and the entire Marvel licence with it. So, the question is whether this is a true challenger or yet another new live service game that launches big before quickly tapering out. As someone with over 2,500 hours spent in Overwatch, Ive jumped in feet first to find out.Perhaps the most noticeable thing about Marvel Rivals is just how good it looks. If there were any doubts this was a low effort Marvel cash grab, they are dispelled within seconds of booting up. Everything about the games presentation pops. From animations in menus, to the UI, to animated character pages, everything is imbued with a contagious positive, zippy attitude. And thats before you even get into the game.Once you actually hit a lobby, youre met with a gorgeous art style that really catches the eye. These characters have been lovingly imagined in this sleek, comic book style that is beautifully executed in-game. That is matched by the presentation of all eight of the current maps, taking place in recognisable Marvel locations such as Asgard, a Hydra bunker, Tokyo 2099, and The Intergalactic Empire of Wakanda.In game, you play in 6v6 arenas, where there is an objective for you to either attack or defend. In terms of hero shooters, and especially Overwatch, there is nothing surprising here. Everything is analogous to a counterpart in Blizzards game. Convoy maps have you pushing a payload to a final destination. Domination is about capturing points across three different maps and holding them until you reach 100% much like Overwatchs Control.Convergence, acts as a hybrid of the two, with players needing to unlock a point and then guide a payload. All of these are present in Marvel Rivals main competitor, but it works. You will immediately understand these game modes and the maps, which is both a benefit in terms of a accessibility and a sign of the games rampant lack of ambition when it comes to certain elements.Where Marvel Rivals differentiates itself in terms of the maps is by being destructible. Its an interesting wrinkle that can have you shooting through walls to creatively make your own flanks. Or, you can bring down an overhead bridge, above an objective, obscuring your team from the enemy. Theres a sense of an evolving battlefield as you go, with an added sense of strategy as you bend a location to your whim. Of course, all this would be nothing without heroes who are fun to play, but thats perhaps Marvel Rivals biggest success.Marvel Rivals could have easily fallen into the trap of making a lot of analogous characters with kits directly ripped from Overwatch. For the most part it doesnt though. While some characters will have recognisable abilities with similarities, the hero identities are crafted with a lot of thought. The default character designs arent based on the MCU (NetEase Games)Loki, for example, is a really unique hero design, but one that feels built entirely around the identity of the character hes based off, rather than being comparable to a character in League Of Legends, Rainbow Six, Valorant, or Overwatch.His abilities centre around creating doppelgangers that help you shoot and heal enemies. If an enemy is barrelling towards you, you can trade places with a doppelganger and also turn invisible, really selling the idea of being the god of trickery. His ultimate ability allows him to transform into another hero and use their ultimate, which is both fun and a nod to the characters established powers. This is a hero that was designed to feel like being Loki, not to feel like a version of a character from another game.That kind of ingenuity and commitment to the characters is really what makes Marvel Rivals stand out. Theres a genuine reverence to these characters, made by developers who clearly love them. It also helps that there is an impressive roster, that feels cleverly constructed.Theres a strong selection of the most recognisable heroes from the films, as well as comic book favourites that may have not had their time in the mainstream yet, like Jeff the Land Shark and Luna Snow. Therere also some obvious, missing mainstays like Deadpool, Ant-Man, Ghost Rider, Thanos and more that is only going to add anticipation for when they inevitably turn up.Thats not to say Marvel Rivals isnt setting off some alarm for me as an experienced hero shooter player. While some of my concerns are speculative, I dont expect them to stay that way for long because this has already played out in every live service game that has ever needed to be balanced over time.At the start of any live service launch, especially one as successful as Marvel Rivals has been, players fall into a honeymoon phase. Wow, this is just fun. They should keep this game casual and not ruin it by focusing too much on the competitive aspects, some will say.Its easy to get that appeal. When a fresh experience comes along to challenge an established titan, it feels freeing, because all the baggage is gone the years of system changes, choices, balancing, the focus of the game all that weight is gone. But as with any live service game ever made, it wont take long for that to accumulate.If Marvel Rivals is going to survive long term, it needs to serve its engaged community, which naturally will be competitively minded, as players get better at the game. Keeping things casual isnt a sustainable goal, as new metas are found, broken combos take over games, or characters are found to be too powerful. Eventually that ruins the integrity of the competitive experience, so things get buffed and nerfed, often based on data and sentiment from the engaged community who are naturally locked into the ranked environment. Its inevitable and Marvel Rivals has some worrying signs that that transition to the long term could be rocky. Spider-Man is an obvious starter character (NetEase Games)Will Marvel Rivals have role queue?Marvel Rivals has some quirks that even in this honeymoon phase are starting to become a nuisance. The first and most obvious is the question of Role Lock. This is a solution Overwatch came to in its balancing of the game over time, due to several meta compositions and poor quality games. It dictates that each team needs to have two tank characters (one tank in Overwatch 2), two DPS (damage per second), and two support. Marvel Rivals doesnt have that. Instead, it lets players chose whatever hero they want, no matter what characters your teammates have chosen.This is great for player freedom and can lead to interesting compositions that a standard role lock would scupper. It also keeps queue times down, as the game doesnt need to find two players for each role of equivalent skill. However, it also means and is quite likely from my experience many games will have unbalanced and downright awful team compositions. Freedom is all well and good, but it means nothing when youre getting stomped by a team with a good mixture of each of the roles, but your teammates are unwilling to be flexible and so line up with five DPS and one overworked support.Thus far, the developers have been resistant to role queue when its been brought up, saying it fundamentally goes against the games design. That said, the conversation between players is growing louder already. Will the developers be willing to approach the subject or will they ignore it? From my time with the game, its increasingly feeling like a needed feature. How the developer handles balance and topics like this is going to be part of deciding the games long term future.What is the season boost in Marvel Rivals?However, thats not the only thing Marvel Rivals also has some strange design decisions that feel like ticking time bombs. One is the seasonal boost system. In the game right now, a lot of characters are getting passive boosts to their stats due to being anchors for the games Team Up abilities. For instance, Venom right now has 800 health point, but he actually is cited as having 650 on the games website.Thats due to the always-on passive this season, where he is granted +150 health points. That means, once Season 1 comes around, hes going to get an enormous nerf, as a new character becomes the beneficiary of that boost. Elsewhere, players are out there perfecting their Spider-Man and Magik dives to secure kills, but right now they are receiving a 15% damage boost. When thats gone, that effort will be seriously impacted if the developers decide to add these seasonal bonuses to other characters.This is a bizarre way to balance a hero shooter and artificially force metas. While balance patches should be used to encourage diversity through seasons to keep the game fresh, this feels like a sledgehammer solution to ensure certain characters are powerful. These are big buffs, and as more players realise that the hero theyve gravitated to at launch might be made a lot worse by the time season one comes around, that tension is going to grow.Thor, is getting a buff of 150 health right now due to that seasonal bonus. When that is gone, hes going to suffer immensely. If youre a Thor fan who just wants to play Thor because hes your favourite superhero, but you cant use him effectively because the developers decided not to give him a seasonal bonus, that just feels bad. Not all the characters are obvious inclusions (NetEase Games)There are other issues and bizarre decisions that Marvel Rivals has made too. For one, it inexplicably has 19 duelists, more than both tanks and supports combined, a strange own goal that only contributes to team compositions being so DPS heavy. In Overwatch it has so many DPSes due to the game initially splitting up offensive and defensive heroes a decision that game is still trying to rectify. For some reason NetEase has just walked right into the same issue.Also, some of the characters abilities have already started to feel like a problem. The game has a lot of crowd control and problematic effects that players have complained about in other hero games, that likely will become pain points here. For example, Adam Warlock can resurrect entire teams, something Mercy was able to do in Overwatch before Blizzard realised that just feels bad to wipe out a team, only for them to reappear, undoing all your work.One of the ways to really sum up the balancing challenges that face Marvel Rivals is Jeff the Land Sharks ultimate. Its hilarious the first time, when he eats an entire enemy team and then finds a spot to jump off the map, killing him and everyone one inside. Its not hilarious when it happens for the fifth ranked match in a row and you cant counter-play the ability. Whats fun and joyful now can become far less so the more time you put into a game. Thats the tension at the heart of Marvel Rivals.However, when it is just silly casual fun, Marvel Rivals excels in that position. It is one of the best launches in the genre in years, and it feels like a game with a long future ahead of it, as a genuine competitor in the spaceMore TrendingConsidering how many failures weve seen this year, from the likes of Concord, XDefiant, and Foamstars, thats a minor miracle. Marvel Rivals has an exceptional hero design, with some really unique and reverentially designed characters. Its presentation is also beautiful and coherent, both utilising the expansive IP and elevating the comic book styling to a gorgeous effect. To put it another way, in a service model where most fail Marvel Rivals has the juice to maintain relevancy going forward.However, even this early on, some of the cracks in the games systems and balancing are starting to show. Season bonuses, the absence of role queue, and other outliers within the current game are already generating conversation amongst players. It feels that push and pull between it being a fun casual experience and those wishing to excel in competitive and join the in-game tournaments is already starting to become a tension. How that tension is dealt with will be what decides the future of Marvel Rivals as a long term live service game.However, if you ignore all that, and the idea of Overwatch with Marvel Characters and none of the baggage sounds appealing in any way Marvel Rivals delivers on that promise and then some. In a world where newly launched live service games are getting put out to pasture, this one feels like it might pull off the superhuman feat of surviving.Marvel Rivals review summaryIn Short: A live service game with the superpower of longevity, assuming it can maintain the balance between being a casual and competitive online shooter.Pros: A seriously stylish hero shooter that is both beautiful to look at and full of smart, well thought out recreations of Marvels most beloved heroes. Plenty of content at launch.Cons: The struggle to please both casual and serious players is already showing signs of strain and may break down entirely over time. Seasonal boost system seems a very flawed concept.Score: 7/10Formats: PlayStation 5 (reviewed), Xbox Series X/S, and PCPrice: Free-to-playPublisher: NetEase GamesDeveloper: NetEase GamesRelease Date: 6th December 2024Age Rating: 12 Caps shield obviously comes in very handy (NetEase Games)Emailgamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below,follow us on Twitter, andsign-up to our newsletter.To submit Inbox letters and Readers Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use ourSubmit Stuff page here.For more stories like this,check our Gaming page.GameCentralExclusive analysis, latest releases, and bonus community content.This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Your information will be used in line with our Privacy Policy

Tickets are now on sale for sing-along versions of Universal Pictures' smash hit musical.

Paramount Pictures' latest family film based on Sega's hit video game series opens December 20.

Lucida Restaurant and Bar / Shahira Fahmy ArchitectsSave this picture! Nour El RefaiArchitects: Shahira Fahmy ArchitectsAreaArea of this architecture projectArea:1250 mYearCompletion year of this architecture project Year: 2024 PhotographsPhotographs:Nour El Refai, Farida BustaniManufacturersBrands with products used in this architecture project Manufacturers: Studio39 Lead Architect: Shahira Fahmy More SpecsLess SpecsSave this picture!Text description provided by the architects. The nature of this project is retained to the entertainment industry and located/(anchored in) on a rooftop of a rectangular building informed with a Bauhaus language of architecture, on the western outskirts of Cairo, part of a business/commercial district, an area characterized with swift urbanization. responding to the client's brief to ensure a place of gathering, a hangout, that held people together: a place of meeting, gathering, and belonging. Food has always been an expression of care, a place of assembly, to sit down and eat together around a table, to sit, share and celebrate exchanges that enable new relationships to form, while old ones to bond. Food is at the heart of this project, an invitation to convene, an entreaty to sit, and find a moment of togetherness at odds with the frenetic pace of modern Cairo life.Save this picture!Save this picture!Once Fahmy stepped foot on this rooftop, her approach was to keep it as a rooftop, to protect its interiority of the experience yet also to expand its views to the exterior, to the light, to the bright sunshine, shadows cast would be one of the highlights. trying to be respectful to its container rectangular building, that envelopes the space, while breaking the iron grid of the building with an emerging heart inside, a heart/center that is organic, human, moving, and malleable, an approach is more like an architecture that is emerging from inside to out. its place Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!Fahmy's architectural practice and research laboratory operate as a creative space generating designs, masterplans, interiors, and installations, with the aim to delve into and explore the spatial tension and dynamics within an urban landscape, investigating the interplay of shifting boundaries and overlapping geographies. creating a platform for discourse and dialogue between human needs and scarce resources. Usually, her approach is to look, observe, and try to understand, then it is about investing in new layers with old existing layers, excavated and brought to the foreground.Save this picture!the organic amorphous structure is made almost entirely with Jereed ElNakhl, palm leaves/straws, weaved in an unobstructed presence that never clears the space, yet encircling the trees and a long undulating curvy continuous bar that seems like it has emerged from the ground to rest here for a moment. This feature which forms the loci of the project is shifted from the center of the room, like a human being's heart not quite placed in the center. and as it anchors the space, it also forms a gateway to the terrace, linking the outside to the inside, on the horizontal plane and as well the vertical, by its opening up to the sky above. This is where everything occurs, a togetherness around this continuous table like a bar with its offering of food and drinks and a place of respite, grounds us, connecting us, wrapped with this Egyptian date palm straw leave lace, connecting us to the past, heritage, crafts, locality, to facilitate a sense of protection and sense of being at home. the oculus in the roof of this structure, through which natural light filters inside, and the way the sun outside fractures the perforated palm straw lace (jereed ElNakhl) walls. In this rooftop project Fahmy's idea of an architecture that doesn't forget its foundational responsibility, to provide shelter, a roof, an enclosure, a boundedness, maybe even warmth, maybe even a togetherness with serving a bit of food.Save this picture!With her organic structure, like crumpled papers, which look like a womb, she has provided a third space within the whole context of the room/rooftop, within which people could gather, find refreshment, exchange, share feelings, ideas, and greetings. inviting people to gather, break the ice, rejuvenate, becoming more intimate and presumably entertained. it is rather an intimate space rounded with a top light that feels like a sculpted skylight within a larger whole that existed before her arrival on site, stepping into Fahmy's perimeter, the project feels like opening up, revealing inner space, then a score of further spaces, places rather than spaces for better wording, Navigating those you unravel layers of mysteries, interrupted planes, unsymmetrical, curiously unfinished materiality, with her determinedly gentle structures that own the premise on which it was built. Sustainability directly influenced the choice of materials for the project's construction, reflecting Fahmy's deliberate commitment to environmentally conscious choices and the crafting of a harmonious relationship between form and function and structures. recalibration of priorities, material choices, and synthesis of form and purpose.Save this picture!Fahmy's methodology is "if you can't find it, create it and produce it, she has long worked with craftsmen, artists, producers, manufacturers, builders, and engineers in the collaborative process, to arrive at a material, or expand and explore a material, to fold in other forms, elements, and structure. This working methodology is a process of ungrounding, in the sense of unearthing what is already there and yet so often buried under the dust, hence a re-interpreting and re-configuring. Egypt, and Cairo, have a wealth of unwavering resources of raw material, in a very raw form, from mud, sand, palms, and glass, with its own specificity and identity, and with an array of colors that is often very warm, starting from its black framing the Nile, once used to refer to Egypt named as 'Kemet' in Pharaoh's times, to desert colors, from red, pinkish, coppery, golden to white sands, offering a very generous palette of sunset colors, with soft pale date palms greens, that covers the vast outskirts of Cairo.Save this picture!Save this picture!The engineering background particularly gives her a deeper intuition of possibilities, in the potentiality of making and not only design. The pinkish terracotta walls and surfaces resemble poured concrete, giving an unfinished look or a foundational feel, highlighting the boundaries and the perimeter of the space and framing them. The ridged effect on the walls is a mixture of mud, natural color pigments, hay, and local earth hand-combed by artisans working on site from top to bottom, the imperfections in it are also an expression of the hands of the artisans that had crafted it. the clientele's experience of elegant space, a possibility to touch, feel, and contemplate the multiple subtle material variations of textures and colors. palm straws have a natural color, brass and copper, terracotta clay color, and alabaster Egyptian store golden color, glass cooling effect with its tint of patina to give a silvery/champagne color like old mirrors. all these materials and colors were produced and fabricated by the hands of very talented a big group of Artisanal and craftsmanship.Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!With every project comes a territory, a context, an inquiry, and then a learning process continuously evolving into creative acts, which translates into a collaborative mode of operating, conceived while Fahmy was still a young architect at Cairo University, Faculty of Engineering in her 20s. The approach to detail and buildability of the structure is important, it is about one's memory, about the research, experimentation, trials and errors, and the exploration that has gone into it, about the buildability, the understanding of how each feature and how it is done. one of the key factors and features of this project design in sustainability_ a term often overused and included everywhere merely for compliance or appearance to tick the box of green architecture_ yet in this project and in many in Fahmy's work, has been an integral part of her work, often a sense of urgency or obligation or even of the scarcity of means, to oblige in a way to be resourceful whether this has been an integral part of living in Cairo, which forces you to be resourceful, woven into the very fabric of each endeavor in a project conception or execution. if you were born, raised, and living in Cairo, you know how to be resourceful, you learned if wanted something you needed to create it and produce it, architects, and artist, if you drew an idea on paper and you wanted it physical, you often have to work with your hands in collaborate work to achieve, even though I was born in the 70's in the Sadat era of infitah, you have seen how parents and grandparents operate a whole generation of learning to do it themself if they want to make it happen, so somehow it is transcendent through generations. One's relationship with the context, the ground, the city, both physical and conceptual, originates in one's own lived experience.Save this picture!Lucida Restaurant, lounge and bar rooftop, designed by Shahira Fahmy, is a physical form to the wistful symmetries of the architect's language oeuvre, the place offers a range from intimate dinners to performances with 500 guests, deliberately and consistently refusing to be reduced to a nebulous 'hospitality.'Save this picture!Project gallerySee allShow lessProject locationAddress:, EgyptLocation to be used only as a reference. It could indicate city/country but not exact address.About this officePublished on December 11, 2024Cite: "Lucida Restaurant and Bar / Shahira Fahmy Architects" 10 Dec 2024. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/1024602/lucida-restaurant-and-bar-shahira-fahmy-architects&gt ISSN 0719-8884Save!ArchDaily?You've started following your first account!Did you know?You'll now receive updates based on what you follow! Personalize your stream and start following your favorite authors, offices and users.Go to my stream

Salem Public Library Renovation / Hacker ArchitectsSave this picture! Lara SwimmerLibrary, RenovationSalem, United StatesArchitects: Hacker ArchitectsPhotographsPhotographs:Lara SwimmerManufacturersBrands with products used in this architecture project Manufacturers: Bernhardt, Biblio Model, Keilhauer, Lyngsoe Systems, Maharam, Mohawk Flooring Structural Engineer: KPFFMore SpecsLess SpecsSave this picture!Text description provided by the architects. The Salem Public Library's downtown location was due for a renovation to bring its structural resilience and building systems up to modern standards. The 96,000-square-foot concrete structure was built in 1970 and underwent an expansion in 1990. When funding came through for seismic renovation, accessibility improvements and life-safety updates, the city and library saw a rare chance to address some of the additional challenges encountered by staff and library patrons in their aging concrete building and outdated spaces.Save this picture!Save this picture!Design for Integration and ResourcesThrough a deep partnership with the library team, a vision was established to create a space that is welcoming, safe, and flexible while enriching a connection between people and their community. The design brings daylight into the core of the large, fortress-like building, transforming an inward-facing brutalist-era building into a bright, voluminous space that invites the community in. New windows and redesigned entrances create connections between outside and in, and the voluminous central space creates vertical connections between floors. With almost no wiggle room in a utilitarian budget, the design team for the library needed to get creative finding ways to make every dollar spent do double-duty. Each aspect of the design is filtered through a practical lens of how each choice can contribute to improved seismic and life safety while also delivering on a vision that is community-oriented and centers the experience of patrons and staff.Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!Design for ChangeTo create a more pleasant, cohesive library experience for patrons, the design reimagines how different spaces with different functions relate to one another staff spaces vs. public spaces, the needs of library sections serving different age groups, quiet zones, noisy zones, high-traffic areas. Library staff and back of house spaces are now consolidated on the lower floor for greater efficiency and functionality. Active public spaces are found primarily on the upper two levels. The youth services previously separated by several floors now relocated to the top level to allow for greater sharing of resources as well as improved operations and clarity of collections, which includes vibrant new spaces for the Teen Scene and Children's areas, and the Discovery Room has been relocated to Children's. The lower level plaza opens up to an active, bustling main entrance, adjacent to a maker space for hands-on learning, meeting and conference space, and a community room that can accommodate larger events after regular library hours.Save this picture!Project gallerySee allShow lessProject locationAddress:Salem, Oregon, United StatesLocation to be used only as a reference. It could indicate city/country but not exact address.About this officeHacker ArchitectsOfficeMaterialConcreteMaterials and TagsPublished on December 10, 2024Cite: "Salem Public Library Renovation / Hacker Architects" 10 Dec 2024. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/1024470/salem-public-library-renovation-hacker-architects&gt ISSN 0719-8884Save!ArchDaily?You've started following your first account!Did you know?You'll now receive updates based on what you follow! Personalize your stream and start following your favorite authors, offices and users.Go to my stream

Job Seekers Targeted by Scammers in Mobile Phishing CampaignBy John P. Mello Jr.December 10, 2024 5:00 AM PT ADVERTISEMENTConnect with IT purchasing decision-makersMaximize your reach with TechNewsWorld's B2B marketing solutions. We deliver the highest-quality leads to streamline your sales journey. Fill your pipeline and elevate your revenue using our proven lead-generation strategies. Learn more. A sophisticated mobile phishing campaign targeting job seekers intended to install dangerous malicious software on their phones was revealed Tuesday by security researchers.The campaign discovered by Zimperium zLabs targets Android mobile phones and aims to distribute a variant of the Antidot banking trojan that the researchers have dubbed AppLite Banker.The AppLite banking trojans ability to steal credentials from critical applications like banking and cryptocurrency makes this scam highly dangerous, said Jason Soroko, a senior fellow at Sectigo, a certificate lifecycle management provider in Scottsdale, Ariz.As mobile phishing continues to rise, its crucial for individuals to remain vigilant about unsolicited job offers and always verify the legitimacy of links before clicking, he told TechNewsWorld.The AppLite banking trojan requires permissions through the phones accessibility features, added James McQuiggan, a security awareness advocate at KnowBe4, a security awareness training provider in Clearwater, Fla.If the user is unaware, he told TechNewsWorld, they can allow full control over their device, making personal data, GPS location, and other information available for the cybercriminals.Pig Butchering TacticIn a blog on Zimperiums website, researcher Vishnu Pratapagiri explained that attackers present themselves as recruiters, luring unsuspecting victims with job offers. As part of their fraudulent hiring process, he continued, the phishing campaign tricks victims into downloading a malicious application that acts as a dropper, eventually installing AppLite.The attackers behind this phishing campaign demonstrated a remarkable level of adaptability, leveraging diverse and sophisticated social engineering strategies to target their victims, Pratapagiri wrote.A key tactic employed by the attackers involves masquerading as a job recruiter or HR representatives from well-known organizations, he continued. Victims are enticed to respond to fraudulent emails, carefully crafted to resemble authentic job offers or requests for additional information.People are desperate to get a job, so when they see remote work, good pay, good benefits, they text back, noted Steve Levy, principal talent advisor with DHI Group, parent company of Dice, a career marketplace for candidates seeking technology-focused roles and employers looking to hire tech talent globally, in Centennial, Colo.That starts the snowball rolling, he told TechNewsWorld. Its called pig butchering. Farmers will fatten a pig little by little, so when its time to cook it, theyre really big and juicy.After the initial communication, Pratapagiri explained that the threat actors direct victims to download a purported CRM Android application. While appearing legitimate, this application functions as a malicious dropper, facilitating the deployment of the primary payload onto the victims device.Illustration of one of the methods employed to distribute and execute the AppLite malware on the victims mobile device. (Credit: Zimperium)Dramatic Shift to Mobile AttacksStephen Kowski, field CTO at SlashNext, a computer and network security company in Pleasanton, Calif., noted that the AppLite campaign represents a sophisticated evolution of techniques first seen in Operation Dream Job, a global campaign run in 2023 by the infamous North Korean Lazarus group.While the original Operation Dream Job used LinkedIn messages and malicious attachments to target job seekers in the defense and aerospace sectors, todays attacks have expanded to exploit mobile vulnerabilities through fraudulent job application pages and banking trojans, he explained.The dramatic shift to mobile-first attacks is evidenced by the fact that 82% of phishing sites now specifically target mobile devices, with 76% using HTTPS to appear legitimate, he told TechNewsWorld.The threat actors have refined their social engineering tactics, moving beyond simple document-based malware to deploy sophisticated mobile banking trojans that can steal credentials and compromise personal data, demonstrating how these campaigns continue to evolve and adapt to exploit new attack surfaces, Kowski explained. Our internal data shows that users are four times more likely to click on malicious emails when using mobile devices compared to desktops, added Mika Aalto, co-founder and CEO of Hoxhunt, a provider of enterprise security awareness solutions in Helsinki.Whats even more concerning is that mobile users tend to click on these malicious emails at an even larger rate during the late night hours or very early in the morning, which suggests that people are more vulnerable to attacks on mobile when their defenses are down, he told TechNewsWorld. Attackers are clearly aware of this and are continually evolving their tactics to exploit these vulnerabilities.This new wave of cyber scams underscores the evolving tactics used by cybercriminals to exploit job seekers who are motivated to make a prospective employer happy, observed Soroko.By capitalizing on individuals trust in legitimate-looking job offers, attackers can infect mobile devices with sophisticated malware that targets financial data, he said. The use of Android devices, in particular, highlights the growing trend of mobile-specific phishing campaigns.Be careful what you sideload on an Android device, he cautioned.Enterprises Need Protection, TooDHIs Levy noted that attacks on job seekers arent limited to mobile phones. I dont think this is simply relegated to mobile phones, he said. Were seeing this on all the social platforms. Were seeing this on LinkedIn, Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram.Not only are these scams common, theyre very insidious, he declared. They prey on the emotional situation of job seekers.I probably get three to four of these text inquiries a week, he continued. They all go into my junk folder automatically. These are the new versions of the Nigerian prince emails that ask you to send them $1,000, and theyll give you $10 million back. Beyond its ability to mimic enterprise companies, AppLite can also masquerade as Chrome and TikTok apps, demonstrating a wide range of target vectors, including full device takeover and application access.The level of access provided [to] the attackers could also include corporate credentials, application, and data if the device was used by the user for remote work or access for their existing employer, Pratapagiri wrote.As mobile devices have become essential to business operations, securing them is crucial, especially to protect against the large variety of different types of phishing attacks, including these sophisticated mobile-targeted phishing attempts, said Patrick Tiquet, vice president for security and architecture of Keeper Security, a password management and online storage company, in Chicago.Organizations should implement robust mobile device management policies, ensuring that both corporate-issued and BYOD devices comply with security standards, he told TechNewsWorld. Regular updates to both devices and security software will ensure that vulnerabilities are promptly patched, safeguarding against known threats that target mobile users.Aalto also recommended the adoption of human risk management (HRM) platforms to tackle the growing sophistication of mobile phishing attacks.When a new attack is reported by an employee, the HRM platform learns to automatically find future similar attacks, he said. By integrating HRM, organizations can create a more resilient security culture where users become active defenders against mobile phishing and smishing attacks.John P. Mello Jr. has been an ECT News Network reporter since 2003. His areas of focus include cybersecurity, IT issues, privacy, e-commerce, social media, artificial intelligence, big data and consumer electronics. He has written and edited for numerous publications, including the Boston Business Journal, the Boston Phoenix, Megapixel.Net and Government Security News. Email John.Leave a CommentClick here to cancel reply. Please sign in to post or reply to a comment. New users create a free account.Related StoriesMore by John P. Mello Jr.view allMore in Malware

Save time and improve your workflow by using some key InDesign smart automation tools and new AI features. Join visual designer, instructor, and content creator Angelo Montilla as he shares his essential timesaving tips to create stunning layouts for print and web. Discover how to select and style multiple text frames seamlessly, generate AI artwork on the fly, and much more. In this online session, youll learn how to: Use Auto Style to create style variations in a layout and improve your workflowGenerate images using text prompts with Text to Image (Beta)Apply Subject-Aware Text Wrap to the main artwork in a layoutTake advantage of other new generative AI features that make editing content a snapSubscribe to Adobe Creative Cloud: https://adobe.ly/48Y1QJ1 Learn more about Creative Cloud: https://adobe.ly/3RTndnp About Adobe Creative Cloud:Unlocking creative potential goes beyond tools it's about cultivating inspiration, fostering innovation, and mastering artistic expression. On the Adobe Creative Cloud YouTube channel, discover stories, concepts, and trends that ignite your creativity. We are your hub for creativity, connecting you with Adobe channels for detailed tutorials and product insights. Adobe Creative Cloud brings together everything you need to create your greatest work. One membership gives you access to all Adobe professional creative desktop applications, plus new features as soon as they're available. Cloud storage ensures file access anywhere, even on mobile, streamlining concept sharing. Cloud-based services let you build websites, mobile apps, and content for any medium/device. With Behance integration, you can publish your portfolio on your own URL and plug into the world's largest creative community to get inspired, get feedback, and find new opportunities.Connect with Adobe Creative Cloud:Twitter: https://twitter.com/creativecloud LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/adobe-creative-cloud/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/adobecreativecloud Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adobecreativecloud/ #Adobe #AdobeYouTube #AdobeCreativeCloud

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Save time and improve your workflow by using some key InDesign smart automation tools and new AI features. Join visual designer, instructor, and content creator Angelo Montilla as he shares his essential timesaving tips to create stunning layouts for print and web. Discover how to select and style multiple text frames seamlessly, generate AI artwork on the fly, and much more. In this online session, youll learn how to: Use Auto Style to create style variations in a layout and improve your workflowGenerate images using text prompts with Text to Image (Beta)Apply Subject-Aware Text Wrap to the main artwork in a layoutTake advantage of other new generative AI features that make editing content a snapSubscribe to Adobe Creative Cloud: https://adobe.ly/48Y1QJ1 Learn more about Creative Cloud: https://adobe.ly/3RTndnp About Adobe Creative Cloud:Unlocking creative potential goes beyond tools it's about cultivating inspiration, fostering innovation, and mastering artistic expression. On the Adobe Creative Cloud YouTube channel, discover stories, concepts, and trends that ignite your creativity. We are your hub for creativity, connecting you with Adobe channels for detailed tutorials and product insights. Adobe Creative Cloud brings together everything you need to create your greatest work. One membership gives you access to all Adobe professional creative desktop applications, plus new features as soon as they're available. Cloud storage ensures file access anywhere, even on mobile, streamlining concept sharing. Cloud-based services let you build websites, mobile apps, and content for any medium/device. With Behance integration, you can publish your portfolio on your own URL and plug into the world's largest creative community to get inspired, get feedback, and find new opportunities.Connect with Adobe Creative Cloud:Twitter: https://twitter.com/creativecloud LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/adobe-creative-cloud/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/adobecreativecloud Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adobecreativecloud/ #Adobe #AdobeYouTube #AdobeCreativeCloud