Time zones: EST (UTC -5), CST (UTC -6), MST (UTC -7), PST (UTC -8), AKST (UTC -9), HST (UTC -10), ART (UTC -3), UTC -4, UTC -4:30, UTC -3, UTC -2, SBT (UTC +11), GMT (UTC +0), CET (UTC +1), EET (UTC +2), MSK (UTC +3), AST (UTC -4), FKST (UTC -3), NST (UTC -3:30)The CompanySimplyAnalytics is a powerful spatial analytics and data visualization application used by thousands of business, marketing, and social science researchers in the United States and Canada. It comes pre-packaged with 200,000+ data variables and allows our users to create maps, charts, tabular reports, and crosstabs. We are passionate about creating outstanding software, and we believe in test driven development, continuous integration, and code review.As a smaller company, each of our developers has an important role to play - at SimplyAnalytics, you are not just another cog in the wheel, you are an integral member of our team. You will be working on valuable features and making key decisions that impact the direction of the product and our users. In addition, we provide an excellent work-life balance, with 100% remote work, 20 personal days off, flexible work hours, a collaborative work environment, and quarterly professional development days to explore and share your interests with the rest of the team.The RoleWe're looking for a Senior Frontend Developer to take on an important role in the development and maintenance of our cutting edge analytics and data visualization application. You'll be developing and maintaining production-quality in-house tools and customer-facing features within a large shared code base.The ideal candidate has experience working on complex single-page applications, is a self-starter, has a high level of attention to detail, is comfortable asking questions, enjoys working with talented colleagues, and has an interest in analytics and data visualization.We are a 100% remote company. Our employees can live and work anywhere in Canada, the United States, Mexico, Central America, South America, or Europe. This is a full-time salaried position. When applying, please include a cover letter.Responsibilities:Design, develop, and test features, both in-house and customer-facingWrite modern high-quality, clean, scalable, and maintainable codeContribute ideas for new features or improvements to existing featuresAssist colleagues through code-review, collaboration, and troubleshootingRequired:8+ years of professional software development experience on large, structured code bases using vanilla JavaScript (this is not a React, Angular, Node.js, or full-stack position)Strong UI development skills (CSS & HTML)Open to learning new technologiesSelf-starter who gets things doneAttention to detailBonus:Experience implementing data tables, charts, graphs, or other data visualizationsExperience working on complex analytics, data visualization, or mapping applicationsD3.js experienceMapLibre GL JS or Mapbox GL JS experienceExperience with geospatial, demographic, business, marketing, or health dataExperience with TypeScriptComfortable using Linux CLI

A healthy heart beats at a steady rate, between 60 and 100 times a minute. Thats not the case for all of us, Im reminded, as I look inside a cardboard box containing around 20 plastic heartseach a replica of a real human one. The hearts, which previously sat on a shelf in a lab in West London, were generated from MRI and CT scans of people being treated for heart conditions at Hammersmith Hospital next door. Steven Niederer, a biomedical engineer at the Alan Turing Institute and Imperial College London, created them on a 3D printer in his office. One of the hearts, printed in red recycled plastic, looks as I imagine a heart to look. It just about fits in my hand, and the chambers have the same dimensions as the ones you might see in a textbook. Perhaps it helps that its red. The others look enormous to me. One in particular, printed in black plastic, seems more than twice the size of the red one. As I find out later, the person who had the heart it was modeled on suffered from heart failure. The plastic organs are just for educational purposes. Niederer is more interested in creating detailed replicas of peoples hearts using computers. These digital twins are the same size and shape as the real thing. They work in the same way. But they exist only virtually. Scientists can do virtual surgery on these virtual hearts, figuring out the best course of action for a patients condition. After decades of research, models like these are now entering clinical trials and starting to be used for patient care. Virtual replicas of many other organs are also being developed. Engineers are working on digital twins of peoples brains, guts, livers, nervous systems, and more. Theyre creating virtual replicas of peoples faces, which could be used to try out surgeries or analyze facial features, and testing drugs on digital cancers. The eventual goal is to create digital versions of our bodiescomputer copies that could help researchers and doctors figure out our risk of developing various diseases and determine which treatments might work best. Theyd be our own personal guinea pigs for testing out medicines before we subject our real bodies to them. To engineers like Niederer, its a tantalizing prospect very much within reach. Several pilot studies have been completed, and larger trials are underway. Those in the field expect digital twins based on organs to become a part of clinical care within the next five to 10 years, aiding diagnosis and surgical decision-making. Further down the line, well even be able to run clinical trials on synthetic patientsvirtual bodies created using real data. But the budding technology will need to be developed carefully. Some worry about who will own this highly personalized data and how it could be used. Others fear for patient autonomywith an uncomplicated virtual record to consult, will doctors eventually bypass the patients themselves? And some simply feel a visceral repulsion at the idea of attempts to re-create humans in silico. People will say I dont want you copying me, says Wahbi El-Bouri, who is working on digital-twin technologies. They feel its a part of them that youve taken. Getting digital Digital twins are well established in other realms of engineering; for example, they have long been used to model machinery and infrastructure. The term may have become a marketing buzzword lately, but for those working on health applications, it means something very specific. We can think of a digital twin as having three separate components, says El-Bouri, a biomedical engineer at the University of Liverpool in the UK. The first is the thing being modeled. That might be a jet engine or a bridge, or it could be a persons heart. Essentially, its what we want to test or study. The second component is the digital replica of that object, which can be created by taking lots of measurements from the real thing and entering them into a computer. For a heart, that might mean blood pressure recordings as well as MRI and CT scans. The third is new data thats fed into the model. A true digital twin should be updated in real timefor example, with information collected from wearable sensors, if its a model of someones heart. Taking measurements of airplanes and bridges is one thing. Its much harder to get a continuous data feed from a person, especially when you need details about the inner functions of the heart or brain. And the information transfer should run both ways. Just as sensors can deliver data from a persons heart, the computer can model potential outcomes to make predictions and feed them back to a patient or health-care provider. A medical team might want to predict how a person will respond to a drug, for example, or test various surgical procedures on a digital model before operating in real life. By this definition, pretty much any smart device that tracks some aspect of your health could be considered a kind of rudimentary digital twin. You could say that an Apple Watch fulfills the definition of a digital twin in an unexciting way, says Niederer. It tells you if youre in atrial fibrillation or not. But the kind of digital twin that researchers like Niederer are working on is far more intricate and detailed. It could provide specific guidance on which disease risks a person faces, what medicines might be most effective, or how any surgeries should proceed. Were not quite there yet. Taking measurements of airplanes and bridges is one thing. Its much harder to get a continuous data feed from a person, especially when you need details about the inner functions of the heart or brain, says Niederer. As things stand, engineers are technically creating patient-specific models based on previously collected hospital and research data, which is not continually updated. The most advanced medical digital twins are those built to match human hearts. These were the first to be attempted, partly because the heart is essentially a pumpa device familiar to engineersand partly because heart disease is responsible for so much ill health and death, says El-Bouri. Now, advances in imaging technology and computer processing power are enabling researchers to mimic the organ with the level of fidelity that clinical applications require. Building a heart The first step to building a digital heart is to collect images of the real thing. Each team will have its own slightly different approach, but generally, they all start with MRI and CT scans of a persons heart. These can be entered into computer software to create a 3D movie. Some scans will also highlight any areas of damaged tissue, which might disrupt the way the electrical pulses that control heart muscle contraction travel through the organ. The next step is to break this 3D model down into tiny chunks. Engineers use the term computational mesh to describe the result; it can look like an image of the heart made up of thousands of 3D pieces. Each segment represents a small collection of cells and can be assigned properties based on how well they are expected to propagate an electrical impulse. Its all equations, says Natalia Trayanova, a biomedical engineering professor based at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. This computer model of the human heart show how electrical signals pass through heart tissue. The model was created by Marina Strocchi, who works with Steven Niederer at Imperial College London.COURTESY OF MARINA STROCCHI As things stand, these properties involve some approximation. Engineers will guess how well each bit of heart works by extrapolating from previous studies of human hearts or past research on the disease the person has. The end result is a beating, pumping model of a real heart. When we have that model, you can poke it and prod it and see under what circumstances stuff will happen, says Trayanova. Her digital twins are already being trialed to help people with atrial fibrillation, a fairly common condition that can trigger an irregular heartbeattoo fast or all over the place. One treatment option is to burn off the bits of heart tissue responsible for the disrupted rhythm. Its usually left to a surgical team to figure out which bits to target. For Trayanova, the pokes and prods are designed to help surgeons with that decision. Scans might highlight a few regions of damaged or scarred tissue. Her team can then construct a digital twin to help locate the underlying source of the damage. In total, the tool will likely suggest two or three regions to destroythough in rare instances, it has shown many more, says Trayanova: They just have to trust us. So far, 59 people have been through the trial. More are planned. In cases like these, the models dont always need to be continually updated, Trayanova says. A heart surgeon might need to run simulations only to know where to implant a device, for example. Once that operation is over, no more data might be needed, she says. Quasi patients At his lab on the campus of Hammersmith Hospital in London, Niederer has also been building virtual hearts. He is exploring whether his models could be used to find the best place to implant pacemakers. His approach is similar to Trayanovas, but his models also incorporate ECG data from patients. These recordings give a sense of how electrical pulses pass through the heart tissue, he says. So far, Niederer and his colleagues have published a small trial in which models of 10 patients hearts were evaluated by doctors but not used to inform surgical decisions. Still, Niederer is already getting requests from device manufacturers to run virtual tests of their products. A couple have asked him to choose places where their battery-operated pacemaker devices can sit without bumping into heart tissue, he says. Not only can Niederer and his colleagues run this test virtually, but they can do it for hearts of various different sizes. The team can test the device in hundreds of potential locations, within hundreds of different virtual hearts. And we can do it in a week, he adds. This is an example of what scientists call in silico trialsclinical trials run on a computer. In some cases, its not just the trials that are digital. The volunteers are, too. El-Bouri and his colleagues are working on ways to create synthetic participants for their clinical trials. The team starts with data collected from real people and uses this to create all-new digital organs with a mishmash of characteristics from the real volunteers. These in silico trials could be especially useful for helping us figure out the best treatments for pregnant peoplea group that is notoriously excluded from many clinical trials. Specifically, one of El-Bouris interests is stroke, a medical emergency in which clots or bleeds prevent blood flow in parts of the brain. For their research, he and his colleagues model the brain, along with the blood vessels that feed it. You could create lots and lots of different shapes and sizes of these brains based on patient data, says El-Bouri. Once he and his team create a group of synthetic patient brains, they can test how these clots might change the flow of blood or oxygen, or how and where brain tissue is affected. They can test the impact of certain drugs, or see what might happen if a stent is used to remove the blockage. For another project, El-Bouri is creating synthetic retinas. From a starting point of 100 or so retinal scans from real people, his team can generate 200 or more synthetic eyes, just like that, he says. The trick is to figure out the math behind the distribution of blood vessels and re-create it through a set of algorithms. Now he is hoping to use those synthetic eyes in drug trialsamong other things, to find the best treatment doses for people with age-related macular degeneration, a common condition that can lead to blindness. These in silico trials could be especially useful for helping us figure out the best treatments for pregnant peoplea group that is notoriously excluded from many clinical trials. Thats for fear that an experimental treatment might harm a fetus, says Michelle Oyen, a professor of biomedical engineering at Wayne State University in Detroit. Oyen is creating digital twins of pregnancy. Its a challenge to get the information needed to feed the models; during pregnancy, people are generally advised to avoid scans or invasive investigations they dont need. Were much more limited in terms of the data that we can get, she says. Her team does make use of ultrasound images, including a form of ultrasound that allows the team to measure blood flow. From those images, they can see how blood flow in the uterus and the placenta, the organ that supports a fetus, might be linked to the fetuss growth and development, for example. For now, Oyen and her colleagues arent creating models of the fetuses themselvestheyre focusing on the fetal environment, which includes the placenta and uterus. A baby needs a healthy, functioning placenta in order to survive; if the organ starts to fail, stillbirth can be the tragic outcome. Oyen is working on ways to monitor the placenta in real time during pregnancy. These readings could be fed back to a digital twin. If she can find a way to tell when the placenta is failing, doctors might be able to intervene to save the baby, she says. I think this is a game changer for pregnancy research, she adds, because this basically gives us ways of doing research in pregnancy that [carries a minimal] risk of harm to the fetus or of harm to the mother. In another project, the team is looking at the impact of cesarean section scars on pregnancies. When a baby is delivered by C-section, surgeons cut through multiple layers of tissue in the abdomen, including the uterus. Scars that dont heal well become weak spots in the uterus, potentially causing problems for future pregnancies. By modeling these scars in digital twins, Oyen hopes to be able to simulate how future pregnancies might pan out, and determine if or when specialist care might be called for. Eventually, Oyen wants to create a full virtual replica of the pregnant uterus, fetus and all. But were not there yetwere decades behind the cardiovascular people, she says. Thats pregnancy research in a nutshell, she adds. Were always decades behind. Twinning Its all very well to generate virtual body parts, but the human body functions as a whole. Thats why the grand plan for digital twins involves replicas of entire people. Long term, the whole body would be fantastic, says El-Bouri. It may not be all that far off, either. Various research teams are already building models of the heart, brain, lungs, kidneys, liver, musculoskeletal system, blood vessels, immune system, eye, ear, and more. If we were to take every research group that works on digital twins across the world at the moment, I think you could put [a body] together, says El-Bouri. I think theres even someone working on the tongue, he adds. The challenge is bringing together all the various researchers, with the different approaches and different code involved in creating and using their models, says El-Bouri. Everything exists, he says. Its just putting it together thats going to be the issue. In theory, such whole-body twins could revolutionize health care. Trayanova envisions a future in which a digital twin is just another part of a persons medical recordone that a doctor can use to decide on a course of treatment. Technically, if someone tried really hard, they might be able to piece back who someone is through scans and twins of organs. Wahbi El-Bouri But El-Bouri says he receives mixed reactions to the idea. Some people think its really exciting and really cool, he says. But hes also met people who are strongly opposed to the idea of having a virtual copy of themselves exist on a computer somewhere: They dont want any part of that. Researchers need to make more of an effort to engage with the public to find out how people feel about the technology, he says. There are also concerns over patient autonomy. If a doctor has access to a patients digital twin and can use it to guide decisions about medical care, where does the patients own input come into the equation? Some of those working to create digital twins point out that the models could reveal whether patients have taken their daily meds or what theyve eaten that week. Will clinicians eventually come to see digital twins as a more reliable source of information than peoples self-reporting? Doctors should not be allowed to bypass patients and just ask the machine, says Matthias Braun, a social ethicist at the University of Bonn in Germany. There would be no informed consent, which would infringe on autonomy and maybe cause harm, he says. After all, we are not machines with broken parts. Two individuals with the same diagnosis can have very different experiences and lead very different lives. However, there are cases in which patients are not able to make decisions about their own treatmentfor example, if they are unconscious. In those cases, clinicians try to find a proxysomeone authorized to make decisions on the patients behalf. A digital psychological twin, trained on a persons medical data and digital footprint, could potentially act as a better surrogate than, for example, a relative who doesnt know the persons preferences, he says. If using digital twins in patient care is problematic, in silico trials can also raise issues. Jantina de Vries, an ethicist at the University of Cape Town, points out that the data used to create digital twins and synthetic quasi patients will come from people who can be scanned, measured, and monitored. This group is unlikely to include many of those living on the African continent, who wont have ready access to those technologies. The problem of data scarcity directly translates into technologies that are not geared to think about diverse bodies, she says. De Vries thinks the data should belong to the public in order to ensure that as many people benefit from digital-twin technologies as possible. Every record should be anonymized and kept within a public database that researchers around the world can access and make use of, she says. The people who participate in Trayanovas trials explicitly give me consent to know their data, and to know who they are [everything] about them, she says. The people taking part in Niederers research also provide consent for their data to be used by the medical and research teams. But while clinicians have access to all medical data, researchers access only anonymized or pseudonymized data, Niederer says. In some cases, researchers will also ask participants to consent to sharing their fully anonymized data in public repositories. This is the only data that companies are able to access, he adds: We do not share [our] data sets outside of the research or medical teams, and we do not share them with companies. El-Bouri thinks that patients should receive some form of compensation in exchange for sharing their health data. Perhaps they should get preferential access to medications and devices based on that data, he suggests. At any rate, [full] anonymization is tricky, particularly if youre taking patient scans to develop twins, he says. Technically, if someone tried really hard, they might be able to piece back who someone is through scans and twins of organs. When I looked at those anonymous plastic hearts, stored in a cardboard box tucked away on a shelf in the corner of an office, they felt completely divorced from the people whose real, beating hearts they were modeled on. But digital twins seem different somehow. Theyre animated replicas, digital copies that certainly appear to have some sort of life. People often think, Oh, this is just a simulation, says El-Bouri. But its a digital representation of an individual.

Submitted by WA ContentsMecanoo designs Americas "only purpose-built new dance theater" in the Berkshires United States Architecture News - Dec 17, 2024 - 15:49 html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd"Dutch architecture practice Mecanoo has unveiled design for a new theatre at at Massachusetts, which will be Americas "only purpose-built new dance theater" in the Berkshires, United States.Called Doris Duke Theatre, the new theatre is located on Jacobs Pillows beautiful destination campus in the Berkshire mountains of Massachusetts. Currently under construction at site, the new dance venue is set to open in 2025.The reimagined Doris Duke Theatre occupies the site of the former studio theater from 1990, destroyed by fire in November 2020.Aerial rendering of the Jacobs Pillow campus with the new Doris Duke Theatre. Rendering courtesy of Mecanoo Architects and Marvel"One of the most technologically advanced dance venues"By providing a makerspace for artists looking to include robotics, extended reality, artificial intelligence, and immersive platforms into live performances, the new theater hopes to become "one of the most technologically advanced dance venues" in the world.A spatial audio system, infrared camera tracking of artists for interactive video content, and live performance interactions with recorded/projected dance content are just a few of the features that the Doris Duke Theatre will include.Rendering of the garden of the Doris Duke Theatre. Rendering Marvel; courtesy of Jacobs Pillow"At the heart of the new Doris Duke Theatre lies a celebration of movement, space, and connection. Inspired by Mecanoos core values of people, place, purpose, and poetry, the new theater captures the essence of dance, not only as an art form but as a deeply human experience intertwined with the landscape and community," said Francine Houben, Mecanoos Creative Director and Founding Partner."Rooted in the rolling hills of the Berkshires, the theater honors the rich heritage of Jacobs Pillow while pushing the frontiers of the performing arts.""The design draws on the rhythms of nature, mirroring the fluidity and grace of dancers," Houben added.Rendering of the Doris Duke Theatre Artist Quad. Rendering courtesy of Mecanoo Architects and MarvelThe former Duke's footprint was about 8,500 square feet (790 square meters), whereas the renovated Doris Duke Theatre will be about 20,000 square feet (1,858 square meters).The building can accommodate performances, events, residencies, and more, often all at once, according to the design's versatility in terms of many uses. With a variety of seating and stage arrangements, the theater can accommodate up to 220400 people in the main performance area.Thermally treated wood, which is intended to age elegantly over time, covers the theater's mass timber construction. As the seasons change, the building's natural elements convey a tale of light and shadow, time and change, an organic record of nature's dance.Rendering of the Doris Duke Theatre performance space. Rendering courtesy of Mecanoo Architects and MarvelIn a subtle gesture of balance between sustainability and design, rainwater is collected for later use, and the spacious veranda offers natural shade.The new Doris Duke Theatre is an enduring tribute to the force of dance, nature, and human creativity combined; it embraces the poetry of location through its form, purpose, and connection to the earth.Marvel's landscape design for the new Doris Duke Theatre, which was inspired by the area's natural beauty, blends in with its surroundings and reflects the Berkshires' rich local biodiversity. In addition to celebrating the region's Indigenous past, this design fosters a strong bond between the performing arts and the natural world.Rendering of the Doris Duke Theatre performance space. Rendering courtesy of Mecanoo Architects and MarvelIn order to greet dancers and guests and to give areas for relaxation, practice, and celebration, the landscape design to the west of the theater forms a central quad that is framed by a sculpture known as a "scramble" formed of stone that is sourced locally.With a garden and a communal fire pit that honor the land's cultural traditions and acknowledge the original occupants who shape Jacob's Pillow and its vital identity, the landscapes created by Indigenous artists to the east showcase Indigenous knowledge.The principal architect of the project is Mecanoo, a Netherlands-based firm headed by Creative Director and Founding Partner Francine Houben.Rendering of the quad lobby at the Doris Duke Theatre. Rendering courtesy of Mecanoo Architects and MarvelMarvel, a New York-based architecture practice, is working as the local architect and landscape architect for the project. For the project, Charcoalblue is theater and acoustics design consultant. Jeffrey Gibson, Choctaw/Cherokee, is serving as a consultant on the buildings relationship to the site and Indigenous values, a key element of the buildings design.Numerous communities and stories that have influenced and defined Jacob's Pillow will come on stage during the Doris Duke Theatre's inaugural celebration week, which will be marked by a ribbon-cutting and premiere performances on Wednesday, July 9, 2025.Mecanoo transformed and revitalized the Perth's former City Hallwith bronze and meticulously-designed details throughout the interior space. In addition, Mecanooand Meng Architects, together with Lola Landscape Architectswere selected as the winners of a highly competitive international design competition for theShenzhen Guangming Scientist Valleyin China.Top image in the article: Rendering of the Doris Duke Theatre East Entrance. Rendering by Marvel; courtesy of Jacobs Pillow.All images courtesy of Mecanoo and Marvel.> via Mecanoo

The holidays can be a hotbed for arguments, whether its a squabble in the kitchen or a heated game of monopoly. Never discuss religion, sex, politics, or money might be sage advice when it comes to the festive period, but its more often than not ignored after a few drinks.Some opt to nod, smile, and quickly change the subject, all in the name of keeping the peace. But comedian Dan Donohue, known for his dishwashing monologues on TikTok, offers an alternative strategy when it comes to prickly family members.All right, this is how you deal with family members who have insane opinions that youre gonna see over the holidays, Donohue explains in one video. Now, a lot of people think you combat these people with facts and logic, but that has never worked once. Instead, he suggests fighting fire with an even bigger fire. What you should do is combat their crazy opinion by coming up with an even crazier opinion so they stop talking to you. @notbaddan How To Deal With Family Members #lol See Dan Live in Austin, TX12/6-7 San Diego, CA 12/19 Seattle, WA 12/20-21 in bio original sound Dan Donohue For example, if you say they should get rid of public schools, hit back with, Yeah, and we should get rid of public air while were at it, he says. And if they claim public schools are indoctrinating children, counter with, Yeah, by teaching them math. Ive proven all that stuff to be fake with a number of experiments Ive done with paint thinner in my garage. The idea, as Donohue sees it, is to meet crazy with crazier. If they take you aside after dessert and go hey, you know who controls the weather, you have to go yeah, I do with my mind.'Politics has become increasingly divisive in 2024, to say the least. In the comments section of Donohues video, people chimed in with their own tried-and-tested tactics for dealing with controversial family members. I just shift the conversation over to aliens and it works every time, one person wrote. Another suggested: just egg them on and observe while sipping your drink and enjoying the charcuterie board snacks.

OpenAI just launched a way to call ChatGPT over the phone as a means of introducing people to the generative AI service. Users in the U.S. and Canada can call 1-800-CHATGPT (1-800-242-8478) to chat with the service or ask questions for up to 15 minutes for free per month. The release is part of OpenAIs 12-day-release event that its playfully calling shipmas. (The most exciting announcement came on day three, when it rolled out its highly anticipated AI video-generation tool called Sora.)Its a clever marketing push for the tech company, which introduced the general public to generative AI with a bang in 2022 and has had to fight off stiff competition from rivals such as Anthropic and Google.As someone who regularly asks ChatGPT for help with things like putting together themed grocery lists and comparing ingredients in multivitamin brands, I figured Id try putting the audio version to the test.To start, I wanted to know how the whole thing worked. You ask questions or tell me what you need help with and Ill do my best to assist you. Whats on your mind today? the robotic womans voice says on the other end of the line. The system said it wants to come across as clear, friendly, and helpful when it speaks.Since this is a system to introduce people to AI, I wanted ChatGPT to explain how AI works. AI voice recognition works by converting spoken language into text, ChatGPT explains. It breaks down the audio into tiny fragments, analyzes them for patterns, and matches those patterns to phonemes, the basic units of sound in a language. Then it assembles them into words and sentences. Advanced models like GPT-4 can understand context and nuances making the recognition more accurate.Fair enough. But still, thats a lot of words. So I wanted to distill the definition into something easier. I asked how it would explain it to a kindergartner.It quickly dove into a sing-song tone. All right, imagine your voice is like a special song. AI listens to your song, figures out the words, and writes them down. It does this by breaking the song into little pieces, understanding the sounds, and then putting the words together like a puzzle. So its like having a friend who can understand and write down your favorite songs. Children probably arent calling OpenAI, though. So maybe it should explain the service to someone who is older. I asked how it would explain what it does to a 100-year-old. At that prompt, the robot voice switched back to its usual monotone.Id say, imagine a device that listens to you speak, then converts your words into text. Its a bit like a typist, but instead of using a typewriter, it uses advanced technology to understand and write down what youre saying. This technology has learned from lots of conversations so it understands different ways people speak.I got enough at that point, so I switched tactics to get into the holiday cheer. I asked for help picking a holiday gift for my mom and ChatGPT encouraged me to put some thought into it. Well, it said, think about what she enjoys.We went back and forth a bit on ideas, and I had my final, pressing holiday question: Is Santa Claus real?Reader, Im here to say that ChatGPT will softly break it to a curious child that the jolly man who flies across the world giving gifts doesnt actually exist. Santa Claus is a legendary figure who embodies the spirit of giving and joy during the Christmas season, ChatGPT says. While the stories about him are fictional, he represents the magic and generosity of the holiday. Did you have any particular questions about Santa?So . . . Santa is not real?Santa is a mythical character meaning hes not a real person you can meet, ChatGPT said, but hes very real in the sense of tradition, imagination, and the joy he brings to many people around the world.Prompt, measured, and accurateif not exactly festive.

India is preparing for possible trade talks with the United States, aiming for increased investments from U.S. companies and higher exports once President-elect Donald Trump takes office.While aiming to protect its manufacturers from potential U.S. tariff hikes on its exports, India is exploring ways to strengthen ties with Washington as Trump has threatened tariffs of 60% and other curbs on imports from China.Here are key commercial issues between the two countries:Trump policy on ChinaIndia seeks to leverage Trumps policy by capitalizing on U.S. trade tension with China, aiming to draw away from it investments and businesses diversifying supply chains.To align with Trumps America First policy, India is ready to offer more incentives such as tax cuts and land access in states like Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu in industries such as semiconductors, electronics, aircraft parts, and renewables.India also seeks to integrate into U.S. global supply chains by supplying low-end and intermediate products, from chips and solar panels to machinery and pharmaceuticals.Energy and securityTo tackle U.S. concerns on trade imbalances, India is open to increasing imports of energy products, such as LNG, and defence equipment while retaining its independent foreign and trade policies.Discussions on co-producing General Electrics, fighter jet engines by state-run Hindustan Aeronautics in India, have made little progress.But India hopes the two countries 2023 defence industrial co-operation roadmap will fast-track technology sharing and co-production initiatives.Broader trade-cum-investment pactThe government and industry groups favour a broader trade and investment pact with the United States to help Indian manufacturers integrate into global supply chains while retaining policy flexibility to safeguard national interests.Boost to exportsIn return, India seeks to increase exports in pharmaceuticals, garments, footwear, engineering goods, chemicals, areas where it has a growing comparative advantage over China.Aiming for U.S. investmentsIndia is targeting greater U.S. investments, inspired by Apple Inc starting production of iPhones in the country. India hopes to lure more companies into manufacturing by offering incentives, streamlined regulatory approvals, and affordable land.The United States is already Indias third-largest investor, with $65 billion in direct investments from 2000 to 2023.Selective tariff concessionsAdvisers have suggested considering selective tariff cuts on items such as pork and Harley-Davidson motorcycles, which have limited domestic demand. Broader concessions could be negotiated in exchange for gains such as more visas for Indian professionals and export-boosting investments.Two-way tradeTwo-way trade between India and the United States, Indias largest trading partner, surpassed $118 billion in 2023-24, with India posting a trade surplus of $32 billion.Industry estimates suggest trade could grow by $50 billion within two to three years, highlighting the growth potential for stronger economic ties.Manoj Kumar, Reuters

Eindhoven studio Dutch Invertuals challenged 14 designers to rework one of its chairs for its Specimen exhibition, with the results including tree branches, copper fossils and LCD-style graphics.Kiki van Eijk, Joost van Bleiswijk, Daphna Laurens and Earnest Studio are among those that have put their own spin on the armchair originally designed by Dutch Invertuals for an office interior.Fourteen designers and studios created a version of Dutch Invertuals' chairEach designer or studio was asked to create a version of the chair that reflects their design expertise.Founder Wendy Plomp initiated the project to mark the 15th anniversary of Dutch Invertuals, a studio known for its research-based approach to interior and exhibition design.Chairs by Scheublin & Lindeman and Max Lipsey explore different use of textilesDutch Invertuals unveiled the 15 chairs the original and the 14 remixes in an exhibition at its studio during Dutch Design Week, which took place in October.The name, Specimen, gives the project a sense of a scientific experiment."The project showcases each designer's expertise, craftmanship and personal style," said the studio.The original chair featurescross-shaped corners and projecting T details"Like biologists collect specimens to understand evolution, Dutch Invertuals invited 15 designers, highlighting each designer's evolutionary process," the studio added.Plomp originally designed the armchair for an office interior at 5Tracks, a major new mixed-use development currently under construction in the Dutch city of Breda.Read: Kiki & Joost adds self-designed exhibition space to Eindhoven studioThe chair comprises four artificial-leather cushions set into an ash plywood frame.The interlocking details of this frame give the chair distinct details, including cross-shaped corners and projecting Ts at the points where the seat meets the sides.Onno Adriaanse crafted his chair from oakRachel Griffin of Rotterdam-based Earnest Studio translated these details into laser-cut aluminium, while Japanese designer Sho Ota created a version in solid hardwood.Eindhoven-based designers Onno Adriaanse and Willem van Hooff worked with tree branches, one with oak and the other with maple, while Copenhagen-based Elly Feldstein created a woven seat with hemp rope.Myeonga Seo experimented with hydro-dipped wood and metalDesign Academy Eindhoven graduate Myeonga Seo experimented with hydro-dipped wood and metal, while Dutch designer Jeroen Wand added his Re-veneer, a surface covering made from offcuts of wood veneer.The most unusual chairs came from German designer Anna Resei, whose design took cues from digital graphics, and Joost van Bleiswijk, who made his from neon-painted plywood shards.Jeroen Wand's chair features a surface covering made from offcuts of wood veneerA curved base turns the design by Eindhoven-based Edhv into a rocking chair, featuring copper buttons cast from fossils, while Kiki van Eijk used wax crayons to add colour to her design.The remaining three, by designers Scheublin & Lindeman, Max Lipsey and Daphna Laurens, all explore different relationships between form, colour and textile.Joost van Bleiswijk made his chair from neon-painted plywood shardsDutch Invertuals often stages exhibitions for Dutch Design Week, as well as in Milan.Past examples include Slow-motion Flow, a fountain for a single drop of water, and Fundamentals, an archive of 800 objects.For the Specimen exhibition, the studio also created an animation featuring all of their exhibitions from the past 15 years, as well as digital versions of all the chairs.The photography is by Ronald Smits.The post Dutch Invertuals chair remixed by Kiki van Eijk, Daphna Laurens and more appeared first on Dezeen.

Skyscrapers such as Porsche Design Tower, Faena Hotel and Trump Tower III are among 35 buildings in the barrier islands of Miami that have sunk as much as eight centimetres since 2016. Conducted by researchers at the University of Miami, the study looked at skyscrapers in the strip of coastal islands off mainland Florida in population centres including Miami Beach, Surfside, Bal Harbor and Sunny Isles Beach.It examined many large buildings built on the strip, half of which were built in 2014 and after, and found that 35 had been affected by sinking or "subsidence" of between two to eight-centimetres.Sinking related to construction activities"We document vertical displacements ranging from two to eight centimetres, affecting a total of 35 coastal buildings and their vicinity," said the study."About half of the subsiding structures are younger than 2014 and at the majority of them subsidence decays with time. This correlation suggests that the subsidence is related to construction activities."The Porsche Design Tower is one affected by the sinking. Image courtesy of Porsche Lifestyle GroupThe heights of buildings varied, but the study did find a correlation between height and sinking.The Sieger Suarez Architects-designed Porsche Design Tower in Sunny Isles had one of the greatest levels of subsistence at almost eight centimetres since it was completed in 2016.The research was conducted over a period of seven years using a monitoring device called Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) a sensitive device that can measure changes in geology as little as a millimetre that is often used for structural engineering.Geological deformationThe reasons given for the sinking were the inconsistent layers of limestone and natural groundwater movements, with the study suggesting that construction activity may be "instigating" the "deformation" of the geological layers that provide support for the buildings."We attribute the observed subsidence to load-induced, prolonged creep deformation of the sandy layers within the limestone, which is accelerated, if not instigated, by construction activities," it said.In terms of long-term structural damage, the main problem for buildings on the barrier islands is when parts of the ground underneath and around buildings sink at uneven rates."While South Florida high-rises are designed to undergo several tens of centimetres of settlement of the entire structure, differential settlement induces internal stresses that can lead to structural damage," said the study.Surfside collapse highlights the need for monitoringIt also noted that construction could trigger the sinking of a nearby structure, such as the documented sinking of the site of an in-progress Bentley skyscraperdue to the construction of the nearby Turnberry Ocean Club skyscraper.This study follows the 2021 collapse of the Champlain South Condominium Tower in Surfside, which killed 98 people.Though it states that deterioration of the tower's concrete structure was a primary cause, it warned that the collapse made clear the need for further monitoring of buildings in the area."[It] has highlighted the need for monitoring of building stability, especially in coastal areas with corrosive environmental conditions," said the study.Read: Eight upcoming skyscrapers set to change the Miami skylineThe study did not give insights into whether or not the sinking effect was a cause at the Champlain Tower, because of lack of radar data for that area.Last year, Zaha Hadid Architects released designs for a 12-storey luxury condominium on the Champlain Tower site.Architecture studio Kengo Kuma and Associates are among the firms currently working on projects in the areaSome of the structures recorded in the research where sinking was observed were only 18 meters tall.Rates of sinking were different across the different towers, from "slow exponential" to "fast exponential", and many experienced a "sudden onset" of sinking around 2018, even for some structures completed more than 30 years ago."There are no indications that subsidence will come to a stop," concluded the study.Despite the uncertainty in stability laid out in the study and concerns over rising sea levels due to climate change in the city, construction continues in the area on massive structures.Read: Report on collapsed Miami building warned of "abundant cracking" in its concreteRecently, architecture studio Arquitectonica completed the 48-storey Five Park skyscraper in Miami Beach, the tallest in the city. Kengo Kuma and Associates is currently working on the structure for an 18-storey Aman residential tower in Miami Beach.On mainland Miami, which was not covered in the study, there are plans for several massive skyscrapers including supertall skyscrapers by Carlos Ott and Sieger Suarez Architects and by Foster + Partners.Last year, a similar study found that Manhattan was sinking under the weight of its skyscrapers.The main image is by Paashuu via Pexels.The post Over 30 skyscrapers sinking into ground on Miami barrier islands appeared first on Dezeen.

Dezeen School Shows: as 2024 comes to a close, we've selected 12 of the most intriguing design and architecture projects that have been published on Dezeen School Shows this year.These projects are from both undergraduate and postgraduate courses, ranging from textile design to architecture, covering topics which span social themes and concepts through material exploration and technical skills.Included in this roundup is a design for sustainable prayer mats, a proposal for a creative community centre and an electric vehicle charging port made from natural materials.The selection of projects comes from students on object design, architecture and industrial design courses from both UK-based and international institutions including University of Melbourne, University of the Arts London and Lucerne School of Design, Film and Art.Atlas of Extraction by Michaela PrunottoMichaela Prunotto produced Atlas of Extraction whilst studying on their Master of Architecture Design Thesis course at the University of Melbourne.Published on Dezeen School Shows in January, the project explores the concept of 'terrascapes' a scene of significant geological disturbance, caused by colonial extraction and expansion."As the beginning of an open project, this atlas explores four terrascapes: the Beech Forest Quarry (where sandstone was extracted), the Westgate Lakes (a former sand mine), the Birrarung River (subject to dredging) and a disused car factory (which has petrochemical soil contamination)," said Prunotto."Each corresponding proposition bares dirty histories for confrontation, while also proposing a programmatic ethic of care and renewal."Student: Michaela PrunottoSchool: University of MelbourneCourse: Master of Architecture Design ThesisView the full school show The Alternative Space by Amit ArbivIn Feburary, The Alternative Space by Interior and Furniture Design student Armit Arbiv was published on Dezeen School Shows.Designed to be a space to aid stress, Arbiv identified necessary guidelines for creating a relaxing environment, identifying four components that should be implementedin the design process."The project has no specific location and its principles can be implemented in various locations as long as the guidelines are applied," Arbiv said."In the process, I learned about the important things in interior design that can assure relaxation and de-stress people, such as colour, lighting and shapes."Student: Amit ArbivSchool: Istituto Europeo di DesignCourse: IED Firenze Three-Year Course in Interior and Furniture DesignView the full school show Upcycled Sajada by Tika Pratiwi SufyanDesign student Tika Pratiwi Sufyan produced Upcycled Sajada, which was published on Dezeen School Shows in March.The project explores the possibilities of creating eco-friendly prayer mats, through methods such as upcycling, aiming to reflect values of sustainability within Islamic beliefs."The Upcycled Sajada brand holds three core values to repurpose production, reflect on sustainability and Islamic values and reconnect with communities and individuals," said Sufyan.Sufyan also aimed to promote "awareness of sustainability values in young practising Muslims."Student: Tika Pratiwi SufyanSchool: University of the Arts LondonCourse: MA Design ManagementView the full school show Deconstructing Muqarnas by Yashraj Chauhan and Arefin ChistyIn April, Yashraj Chauhan and Arefin Chisty's project Deconstructing Muqarnas was published on Dezeen in New York Institute of Technology's School Show.Produced whilst studying Fabrication and Robotics, the project is a proposal for a lighting installation which explores utilising computational design for traditional craftsmanship techniques."The prototype proposes a lighting installation that combines both light and shadow interactions with folded aluminium sheets," Chauhan and Chisty explained."The Muqarnas in this case is treated as a deconstructed component that manifests in three different forms; the first form is the wooden component that acts as a structural column, the second form are translucent resin 3D pieces and the third form is the deconstructed unfolded metal components."Student: Yashraj Chauhan and Arefin ChistySchool: New York Institute of TechnologyCourse: Fabrication and RoboticsView the full school show Haeckel by Mo RamadanIn this School Show published in May, Industrial Design student Mo Ramadan created Haeckel, an electric vehicle charging point inspired by the illustrations of Ernst Haeckel.As Haeckel's style is inspired by details of the natural world, Ramadan ensured to use materials that "age gracefully", honing in on their maturing qualities that occur over time."Just as Haeckel found beauty in the complexity and order of biological forms, this design aims to capture the subtle yet profound transformation that materials undergo with age," Ramadan said."The intersection of Haeckel's artistic vision with the natural patina of ageing materials was a deep source of inspiration for this piece, guiding the creation of a design that honours nature's transient yet timeless aspects."Student: Mo RamadanSchool: University for the Creative ArtsCourse: Industrial DesignView the full school show The Loop Collective by Emily KajdiArchitecture student Emily Kajdi produced The Loop Collective, a creative community centre focused on furniture design, with workshops for woodworking and upcycling and a collection system for discarded furniture items.Published on Dezeen School Shows in June, the project aims to provide a space for like-minded designers to connect and collaborate."The design of the facility is focused on using sustainable local materials where possible and keeping furniture for as long as possible," said Kajdi."The project aims to reduce fly-tipping and educate local communities on the value of furniture-making and upcycled furniture."Student: Emily KajdiSchool: BA (Hons) Architecture (full-time)Course: London South Bank UniversityView the full school show Fibr by Mattia GaglianoMattia Gagliano's project Fibr was published on Dezeen School Shows in July, utilising the material of flax to show its versatility."The traditional material is being used more and more in various products and industries, albeit often in combination with composites that have a negative impact on their recyclability," Gagliano said."My goal is to demonstrate the versatility of flax as a plant, to abstain from combinations with non-compostable material and to retain flax's natural characteristics."Student: Mattia GaglianoSchool: Lucerne School of Design, Film and ArtCourse: Bachelor Object DesignView the full school show Flooding: The Anatomy of Propaganda by Aleksandra LemieszkaFlooding: The Anatomy of Propaganda by Engineering and Architecture student Aleksandra Lemieszka was published in The Bartlett's School Show in August.The project proposes repurposing an old meat market into a printing hall for unbiased, free media."The suspended printing machine, visible to museum visitors, symbolises transparency, as it rises above the flood of propaganda," said Lemieszka of the design."Journalists remain anonymous to prevent leaks and undue influence, with newspapers dispatched through secret canal passages, delivering on the project's goal of preserving truthful and independent media."Student: Aleksandra LemieszkaSchool: Engineering & Architectural Design MEng (ARB/RIBA Part 1 CIBSE JBM), Unit 4Course: The Bartlett School of ArchitectureView the full school show Mursell Council Estate by Charlie SmaleArchitecture student Charlie Smale produced Mursell Council Estate, which was published on Dezeen in the University of Brighton School Show in September.Proposing moveable market stalls to be used in a council estate in London, UK, the project intends to encourage community activities and events amongst locals."The market pods work independently as shops, food vendors and community facilities, but can also be attached to create larger social spaces that allow for larger community events," explained Smale."The pods can be easily changed by the residents to suit their needs facilitated by the bolted glulam structure which can be easily dismantled; this ensures that interventions can be adapted as required."Student: Charlie SmaleSchool: University of BrightonCourse: BA (Hons) Architecture L6View the full school show Concrete Need, Concrete Greed by Andrea VerdantIn October, Textile Design student Andrea Verdant's collection Concrete Need, Concrete Greed was featured on Dezeen School Shows.The collection explores post-war social housing, specifically focusing on tower blocks and council estates in East London."The work aims to amplify the voices of underrepresented people, highlighting their vital role in society and drawing attention to their overlooked experiences," Verdant said."Evidence of aggressive regeneration highlights the lack of upkeep in these spaces, capturing imagery of overlooked architectural features, hostile architecture and signs of deterioration as injustice has become further rooted into the UK housing system."Student: Andrea VerdantSchool: Loughborough UniversityCourse: BA (Hons) Textile DesignView the full school show Pequea Quebrada by Luis Fabricio Martnez SalinasFeatured in Instituto Tecnolgico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey's School Show in November, student Luis Fabricio Martnez Salinas produced Pequea Quebrada, a candleholder which honours the people of Acapulco."This set of candle holders is made from a biomaterial of sand and starch, which gives a rough look that simulates the rock formations of the famous Quebrada site in Acapulco," Salinas explained.Student: Luis Fabricio Martnez SalinasSchool: Instituto Tecnolgico y de Estudios Superiores de MonterreyCourse: Indito Universitario: Elemental y Cotidiano, 4th semester Campus Estado de MxicoView the full school show Utopia by Melinda DoktorIn this December School Show, design student Melina Doktor's project Utopia was featured, which focuses on utilising algae as a superfood via small-scale cultivation."The vision includes creating an algae biofarm designed for human-scale functionality, seamlessly integrating into both contemporary urban environments and speculative future scenarios," said Doktor."Through research and design, processing methods are examined, compatible materials and the overall usability of algae for food purposes, showcasing its versatility through innovative recipes."Student: Melinda DoktorSchool: Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design Budapest (MOME)Course: Designer-Maker MAView the full school show Partnership contentThese projects are presented in school shows from institutions that partner with Dezeen. Find out more about Dezeen partnership contenthere.The post Twelve design and architecture student projects featured on Dezeen School Shows in 2024 appeared first on Dezeen.

The amount of green belt land likely to be released as a result of the governments grey belt policy is likely to be lower than speculation has suggested, according to the housing minister.Appearing in front of the House of Lords built environment committee on Wednesday, Matthew Pennycook said he could not say exactly how much land would be released and refused to put a target on the level of delivery expected from the grey belt, although he said it would likely be less than 10% of overall green belt.Source: MHCLG / FlickrHousing and planning minister Matthew PennycookWere only talking about releases where local authorities are unable to meet assessed housing needs through brownfield development alone, but where it does need to be released, it will be based on a local figure, and that will differ in lots of different areas.So it is not, Im afraid, as easy as plucking a sort of single digit figure out of the air.Im quite happy to say we dont think it will be a significant quantity of land, but it will be a modest amount of land that does make a difference, he said, while challenging suggestions from peers that such a limited release would not be meaningful.He also said the level of release as a total proportion of the green belt would be lower than the double-digit estimates made by organisations such as Lichfields and LandTech.I think what we could say about those sorts of figures in those ranges is they are not overlaid with the policy requirements Im talking about, he said, noting that they did not take into account the governments golden rules and other requirements of the National Planning Policy Framework.What I would say is that Im confident that we will see green belt release through grey belt in single digits in terms of a total proportion of the green belt, and thats what I mean by not significant, he said.Pennycook stressed that the purpose of the grey belt policy was to make the release of green belt land more strategic.We thought there was a smarter, strategic way to release the right parts of the green belt, he said.Pennycooks appearance came at the end of the built environment committees short inquiry into the grey belt policy, which saw the original definition of the category called into question.> Also read:From green to grey: How the grey belt could steer development towards the wrong places> Also read:NPPF: Government drops 50% affordable housing requirement for grey belt sitesWitnesses suggested that the definition of grey belt lacked clarity and would lead to confusion among planners and a surge in legal challenges.Such concerns resulted in the government tightening up their definition of the term in the final version of the NPPF, published last week.Pennycook told the committee that the terms that the new definition are based on havecommon sense meaning in the courts.I dont think it introduces a level [] of ambiguity that is not present in other parts of the National Planning Policy Framework, I think its quite clear what the definition is, he said.The final version of the NPPF also saw the government drop its 50% affordability requirement, replacing it with a 15% premium on local requirements.Explaining the change, Pennycook said the previous approach would have made a huge swathe of sites in the Midlands and the North unviable.Quizzed on why the government had not set out interim targets for achieving its overall aim of building 1.5m homes across the parliament, Pennycook blamed the inheritance from the previous government.If we had inherited from the previous government a steady state of supply at a high level. We could have said we intend to continue with that steady state of supply or increase it by a margin amount, he said.>Also read:Lack of clarity over grey belt definition will lead to confusion and legal challenges, Lords told>Also read:Will Labours grey belt plans boost housebuilding or turn out to be an ill-defined gimmick?What we have instead inherited is a very sharp downturn in supply, I go so far as to say a collapse in affordable housing supply in many parts of the country. So we are in a real trough.He acknowledged that the 1.5m target was incredibly difficult, suggesting that a lower target of 1.1m would have been very easy to deliver given the scale of the governments planning reforms.We decided not to do that because I dont think it would have been commensurate with the scale of the housing crisis we see across the country, he said.Pennycook also spoke about the thoroughly depleted nature of local planning departments, which he blamed on historic cuts.Im slightly Im sort of straying outside my brief but when you sort of confront the challenges of the housing and planning system that weve inherited, you pretty much bump up against the fact that the state has been hollowed out in several areas that directly impact upon the functioning of that system, he said.