• Quinzhee Architecture imagines a rustic retreat like a climbing block in Canada
    worldarchitecture.org
    Submitted by WA ContentsQuinzhee Architecture imagines a rustic retreat like a climbing block in Canada Canada Architecture News - Dec 20, 2024 - 14:33 html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd"Canadian architecture practice Quinzhee Architecture has imagined a rustic retreat like a climbing block at the top of a natural climbing wall in the heart of Mount Le Maelstrom in Lac-Beauport, Canada.Named Blok, the 59-square-metre building was designed for climbers to provide an ultimate haven. This monolithic object with angular edges resembles a climbing block due to its asymmetrical shape and grey stucco materiality.The irregularly placed apertures mimic climbing grips, forming a faade that directs the sight and the ascent similarly to a climbing path.The living areas' surface area is increased by the coexistence of heated spaces and covered outdoor areas within this square layout, which also offers a natural setting.The outdoor areas, shielded from the weather and prying eyes, are initially discovered when entering through the volume's truncated corner.Climbers can practice their sport on the ground floor's walls, and a spa welcomes rest in between workouts. The terrace upstairs offers a social area for preparing and enjoying meals while taking in the scenery.There are several levels to the heated areas as well. The guestrooms on the ground level take advantage of the seclusion and closeness of the nearby woodland. The living areas upstairs enjoy natural light and unhindered views of the surroundings.Bedroom 1A big mezzanine that is situated over the kitchen may hold more visitors. Every room is covered in wood, which contrasts with the building's envelope's raw, mineral quality while establishing a pleasing visual continuity between the interior and outdoor living areas.Bedroom 2Bedroom 2Living roomKitchen and dining roomMezzanineMezzanineGround floor planMezzanine floor planSecond floor planRoof floor planThe Quinzhee company, which was established in 2013, embodies this ideal home: it is Nordic, whimsical, and environmentally conscious.By including its clients in the design process of their projects, the firm hopes to increase their understanding of architecture and the environment.Project factsProject name:BlokArchitects:Quinzhee ArchitectureArea:635pica. (59 mc.)Team project: Guillaume Fafard et Gabriel LemelinContractor:Nomad ConstructionEngineer: MA-TH Solutions dingnierieProject completion date:2024All images Adrien Williams.All drawings Quinzhee Architecture.> via Quinzhee Architecture
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  • British Museum unveils Western Range design proposals and appoints Studio Weave for new visitor pavilions
    www.bdonline.co.uk
    Source: Studio WeaveInitial concept design, the pavilion resets the visitors relationship with the forecourt and landscapeThe British Museum has announced that Studio Weave, leading a multidisciplinary team including Wright & Wright Architects, Webb Yates Engineers, Tom Massey Studio, and Daisy Froud, has been selected to design new visitor welcome pavilions as part of its wider masterplan.The visitor welcome pavilions are intended to improve the experience of visitors arriving via the museums forecourt on Great Russell Street and from Montague Place. The pavilions, which will incorporate soft landscaping, are expected to be complete by spring 2026, subject to planning approvals.Nicholas Cullinan, Director of the British Museum, commented: As the most visited building in the UK, and one of the top three most visited museums in the world, first impressions count. With the visitor welcome pavilions were striving to create the most inspiring greeting possible for the 6.2 million people (and counting) from across the nation and around the world who come through our doors each year whether its their first visit or fifteenth, aged 5 or 95.Je Ahn, Founding Director of Studio Weave, stated: Our proposal aims to resolve complex issues on the site. The project will preserve the appearance of the historic Grade I listed buildings, address the changing climate, and look forward to the future of the institution. It will also introduce new soft landscaping and plants, dotted with engaging installations encouraging curiosity and becoming a memorable highlight of every visit.> Also read:British Museum names finalists in competition to create new entrance experiencesThe visitor welcome pavilions form part of the British Museums broader masterplan, a long-term programme intended to address the museums infrastructure and visitor experience challenges while modernising its facilities. This includes a major overhaul of the Western Range, which holds one-third of the Museums gallery space, along with significant back-of-house areas. The complex, comprising buildings from the 1850s alongside later additions, requires upgrades to meet modern performance standards, with consideration for its significant heritage fabric.The competition to select the lead architect for the Western Range project is ongoing, with submissions from five shortlisted teams 6a architects, David Chipperfield Architects, Eric Parry Architects and Jamie Fobert Architects, Lina Ghotmeh Architecture, and OMA currently on public display in the museums reading room.6a architectsSource: 6a architectsSource: 6a architects1/3show captionDavid Chipperfield ArchitectsSource: David Chipperfield ArchitectsSource: David Chipperfield ArchitectsSource: David Chipperfield Architects1/3show captionEric Parry Architects and Jamie Fobert ArchitectsSource: Eric Parry Architects and Jamie Fobert ArchitectsSource: Eric Parry Architects and Jamie Fobert ArchitectsSource: Eric Parry Architects and Jamie Fobert Architects1/3show captionLina Ghotmeh ArchitectureSource: Lina Ghotmeh ArchitectureSource: Lina Ghotmeh ArchitectureSource: Lina Ghotmeh Architecture1/3show captionOMASource: OMASource: OMASource: OMA1/3show captionAlex Surguladze, head of design management at the British Museum, explained: The British Museum has embarked upon the largest redevelopment in its near 300-year history, and the success of such an ambitious project is dependent upon the support of our neighbours and the wider public.As part of its masterplan, the museum is also progressing other key projects, including the recently completed British Museum Archaeological Research Collection facility in Reading and the construction of a new Energy Centre at its Camden site. The Energy Centre is intended to phase out fossil fuel use and align with the museums decarbonisation targets.
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  • High Court upholds approval of Makes controversial South Bank tower
    www.architectsjournal.co.uk
    Handing down a long-awaited decision this morning, High Court justice Timothy Mould upheld the decision by former communities secretary Michael Gove to allow the 25-storey development on the Thames.Mould said Gove, in making his much-delayed decision to approve the scheme in February, could rule in favour of the development despite taking the view that it would not deliver an attractive development of the very prominent and sensitive site.Gove said in his decision that, although he had reservations about the scale and massing of the north building, he agreed with the planning inspectors conclusion that it was an appropriate response to the site, following the planning inquiry held in late 2023.AdvertisementThe former secretary of state also acknowledged concerns about the developments impact on designated heritage assets, including Denys Lasduns Grade II*-listed National Theatre and Grade II-listed IBM Building, and questioned whether the Make scheme would provide a positive contribution to the townscape of the South Bank.But he concluded that the public benefits, such as employment opportunities, improved public realm and the creation of affordable creative workspace, outweighed the harm to the surroundings.However, the Save Our South Bank Action Group (SOS), a coalition of local opponents of the 72 Upper Ground project for Mitsubishi Estate, had argued that former communities secretary was wrong to approve the 25-storey scheme.Michael Ball from Save Our South Bank told the AJ that campaigners were now considering their options following the ruling against them, adding: This judgement is a huge disappointment for anyone who loves the river and South Bank.It supports Michael Goves wayward approval of a building about which he had great misgivings and acknowledged would harm a string of buildings of national prominence. The decision reveals planning protections are flawed and have failed.AdvertisementCampaigners had earlier argued that Goves decision was legally flawed and contradicted his recent announcements regarding housing priorities and reducing carbon, given the demolition associated with the Make scheme and the Local Plans emphasis on housing and mixed-use development at the former ITV Studios, instead of the proposed office-led development.High Court justice Beverly Lang, in granting the judicial review in May, said SOSB had raised arguable grounds that warranted 'consideration at a full hearing. A final decision had been expected in November ahead of todays decision.The High Court ruling comes after Gove set up the possible call-in in April 2022, during his first stint as head of the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities. Greg Clark, who served in the post between July and September 2022, officially called in the scheme over heritage concerns before Goves return to the department.Lambeth Council approved the scheme in March 2022, despite receiving more than 260 objections and opposition from figures including Kate Hoey, the former MP for Vauxhall, and the areas current MP, Florence Eshalomi. Source:Cityscape Digital View along Queen's Walk at National TheatreGroups such as The Twentieth Century Society and statutory consultee Historic England had concluded that the project would harm nearby listed buildings while dominating the riverfront.London mayor Sadiq Khan declined to intervene in the project, delegating the planning decision to deputy mayor Jules Pipe. Greater London Authority officers had praised the design quality of the Make scheme and said it had been designed to be sympathetic to its historic neighbours.The inquiry was held between 6 December 2022 and 25 January 2023, with Goves decision originally due in August 2023 but repeatedly delayed, eventually until February this year.Make previously told the AJ that its transformational plans for 72 Upper Ground would be a fantastic addition to the character of the South Bank' which was sensitive to the surrounding Modernist architecture.The practice has not yet commented on the High Court decision.Shinichi Kagitomi, chief executive of project backer Mitsubishi Estate London and Stephen Black, director at CORE, said in a joint statement: We welcome Justice Moulds judgement. At every stage of the planning process, our transformational plans for 72 Upper Ground have had the backing of senior politicians and independent experts including Lambeth Council and its planning officers, the GLA, DLUHC and the planning inspector.They added: We are looking forward to delivering an outstanding building that makes a significant positive contribution to the South Bank.The Department for Housing, Communities and Local Government said: We acknowledge the judgment and the planning permission for this application has been upheld. It would be inappropriate to comment further at this stage.
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  • I Talked With a Disney Imagineer About Those New Haunted Mansion Illusions
    www.cnet.com
    In the 1960s, a legendary Disney Imagineer dreamed of a ghost fish aquarium, where spooky skeletal fish would swim alongside living sea creatures. In 2024, Disney finally had the technology to bring this vision to life.Entertainment companies like Disney are constantly looking for ways to make their experiences so immersive that it impacts our spending/vacation decisions. One of these opportunities came onboard Disney's latest cruise ship, the Disney Treasure, where Imagineers designed the new Haunted Mansion Parlor, a setting that fully envelopes guests in another realm that of an eerie haunted ship, now part of the lore of beloved Disney attraction the Haunted Mansion.Disney didn't skimp on details even though it's not a full-blown ride: an eight-chapter saga plays out while you sip on themed cocktails like the shimmering purple Ghoulish Delight and watch specters dance around you. It mimics the Haunted Mansion ride at Disney's resort parks with scenes like Madame Leota's tarot reading, the ballroom filled with dancing ghosts and the graveyard performance by the Phantom Five minstrels.But setting it apart from the traditional Haunted Mansion is that guests will be right up close and personal with the apparitions, able to sit next to them, see some of them from 360-degree angles and even touch them.My colleague Bridget Carey experienced the Haunted Mansion Parlor onboard the cruise ship while it was docked in New York last month. "You have to pay attention to everything on the walls the whole room transforms and tells a story," Carey says of the space. "And you can get up close to study it all, which is so different from being on a ride. The best is trying to figure out the giant fish tank with ghost fish." Watch this: Inside the Disney Treasure's Haunted Mansion Parlor 01:28 A few weeks afterward, I spoke with Imagineer Daniel Joseph about its inception. While he kept close to the "magician never reveals his secrets" mantra, he did offer insights into the technology, science and engineering goes into creating Disney's greatest illusions."My team will basically figure out and sometimes invent new techniques and new technologies to do illusions for our theme parks throughout the world," Joseph tells me. "This was like the ultimate call to action, like, 'you guys get to figure out a way to do something that couldn't be done in the 1960s at a whole new Haunted Mansion venue.'"The Haunted Mansion was one of the last rides Walt Disney himself had a hand in designing, debuting in 1969 at Disneyland, after his death in 1966. It can also be found at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, and at Tokyo Disneyland, and similar rides are at Disneyland Paris (Phantom Manor) and Hong Kong Disneyland (Mystic Manor). The ride is so popular that it spawned two movies in 2003 and 2023, as well as a Muppets Halloween special in 2021.The Disney Treasure's Haunted Mansion Parlor is "the next chapter of the Haunted Mansion saga," according to Disney.Imagineers worked on the Haunted Mansion Parlor for five years, and the ghost fish tank, envisioned by original Imagineer Rolly Crump, has already made a big impression. It houses actual fish as well as "ghost" fish swimming back and forth, with the spectral sea creatures standing up to the scrutiny of noses pressed against the glass of the aquarium.For this, a knowledge of both science and new technology were needed."We played with some different materials it's real liquid that's in there and played with some things that work with the index of refraction and liquids and water, and how light bends and goes through liquids," Joseph says. A skeleton fish swims alongside real fish in the ghost aquarium. Kent Phillips/Disney Cruise LineRead More: Every Disneyland and Disney World Ride and Land Planned for 2025 and BeyondAnother notable scene in the parlor is the portrait gallery, featuring paintings in the art style of another original Imagineer, Marc Davis. The portraits look like they're melting, or dripping away to reveal eerie new images. The first "change portraits" debuted with the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland, and were invented by yet another original Disney Imagineer, Yale Gracey, who had a Haunted Mansion character named after him.I asked Joseph whether the melting "paintings" use technology similar to Samsung's Frame TV, which has a matte, anti-reflective screen that you can use to display digital copies of paintings and photography. The framed TV looks like you have genuine artwork hanging on your wall when you're not using it as a regular TV. Joseph laughingly denied that it's the same concept, but wouldn't be drawn on what new advances in tech allowed the portraits to come to life, saying that for all intents and purposes, they are real paintings."We wanted to do something that, because you can get so close up to it, had the actual feel and texture of an oil painting," he said. "You can see actual brush strokes in this thing, you can see different material changes, there's areas that are just canvas, and there's other areas that still have the matte medium, gesso and the oil paint texture and actual paint on top of it. And as you move left and right, you'll see them change, just like you would in a museum where there's overhead lights." Melting busts and changing portraits are part of the Haunted Mansion Parlor's decor. Kent Phillips/Disney Cruise LineTech and science create magicWhile technology is probably the last thing you think about when experiencing that Disney magic, it's front of mind for the Imagineers. Joseph said he attends tech expos like CES to get ideas on what's being developed and how it might be "misused" by Disney."As an inventor and an illusion developer here at Imagineering, I absolutely have my hand on the pulse of consumer technology, as well as pro technology that's out there in the world, because it changes so fast," Joseph said.But while most companies use CES to demonstrate the latest advances in technology and electronics for their own sake, Joseph said he sees it all "through the lens of 'how can I misuse this and make it do something that, A, the original inventors of that technology maybe didn't think of which would give Disney kind of a new edge on this technology, but B, how can I do something with this technology that maybe wouldn't have been done normally had had other folks looked at it?'" High-ISO, high-res footage of the actual audio-animatronics from the original Haunted Mansion attraction at Disneyland feature on the mirror behind the bar. Kent Phillips/Disney Cruise LineBut it's not always about using the latest and greatest tech. Joseph said that for the scenes playing out in the mirror behind the bar in the parlor, Imagineers chose not to have "some super game engine, high-tech thing with characters back there that are CGI that are made to look analog and original animatronic style."Instead, they shot high-resolution, high-ISO footage of the original audio animatronics used in Haunted Mansion rides throughout Disney's parks."There's a 1969 aesthetic there that we wanted to really keep rich in the parlor ... [so] why not just shoot the actual figures that we have in our mansions? And having them back there, I think, is really cool to see them and have that high quality but also keeps us kind of grounded in that original mansion lore."And while Imagineers keep on the pulse of technology, one thing they're not touching is AI."We haven't used any artificial intelligence at all, really, in any of the stuff that we're doing," he said. "I don't know what the future holds for artificial intelligence, but not as of yet."
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  • Bundesliga Soccer Livestream: How to Watch Bayern Munich vs. RB Leipzig From Anywhere
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    See at ESPN Watch the Bundesliga in the US from $11 per month ESPN Plus See at ESPN See more details See at ExpressVPN Best VPN for streaming ExpressVPN See at ExpressVPN See more details See at Now Watch the Bundesliga in the UK from 15 with Now Now See at Now See more details See at DAZN Watch the Bundesliga in Canada from CA$30 a month DAZN See at DAZN See more details See at beIN Sports Watch the Bundesliga from AU$15 per month BeIN Sports See at beIN Sports See more details Table of Contents Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich close out the year with a tricky final fixture for 2024, as they host fourth-placed RB Leipzig on Friday.Having seen his side slip to a 2-1 defeat at Mainz 05 last weekend, Bayern boss Vincent Kompany will be determined to head into the winter break with a win here at home.Leipzig's recent record against Bayern is solid, having lost just two of their last six meetings with the Bavarians, and come into this match off the back of a confidence-boosting 2-1 win over Eintracht Frankfurt last time out in the Bundesliga.Bayern Munich host RB Leipzig on Friday, Dec. 20. Kickoff is set for 8:30 p.m. CETlocal time in Germany, making it a 2:30 p.m. ET or 11:30 a.m. PTstart in the US, a7:30 p.m. GMTstart in the UK and a 6:30 a.m. AEDTkickoff in Australia in the early hours of Saturday morning.Below, we'll outline the best live TV streaming services to use to watch Bundesliga soccer live, wherever you are in the world. Lois Openda scored a second half winner for RB Leipzig in their 2-1 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt last time out. Cathrin Mueller/Getty Images Livestream Bayern Munich vs. RB Leipzig in the USESPN once again holds the broadcast rights for Bundesliga matches in the US, with its streaming serviceESPN Plusshowing every match of the 2024-25 season live. ESPN's standalone streaming service costs $11 a month or $110 for an annual subscription (which works out to just over $9 a month). The service will be broadcasting more than 300 Bundesliga fixtures live this season.Read our ESPN Plus review. See at ESPN How to watch the Bundesliga from anywhere with a VPNIf you find yourself unable to view Bundesliga matches locally, you may need a different way to watch the games -- that's where using a VPN can come in handy. A VPN is also the best way to stop your ISP from throttling your speeds on game day by encrypting your traffic, and it's also a great idea if you're traveling and find yourself connected to a Wi-Fi network and you want to add an extra layer of privacy for your devices and logins. With a VPN, you're able to virtually change your location on your phone, tablet or laptop to get access to the game. Most VPNs, like our Editors' Choice, ExpressVPN, make it really easy to do this. Using a VPN to watch or stream sports is legal in any country where VPNs are legal, including the US, UK and Canada, as long as you have a legitimate subscription to the service you're streaming. You should be sure your VPN is set up correctly to prevent leaks: Even where VPNs are legal, the streaming service may terminate the account of anyone it deems to be circumventing correctly applied blackout restrictions. James Martin/CNET 2024 Latest Tests DNS leaks detected, 25% speed loss in 2024 testsNetwork 3,000 plus servers in 105 countriesJurisdiction British Virgin Islands ExpressVPN isour current best VPN pickfor people who want a reliable and safe VPN, and it works on a variety of devices. It's normally $13 a month, but if you sign up for an annual subscription for $100 you'll get three months free and save 49%. That's the equivalent of $6.67 a month with codeSPECIALDEAL, which should be automatically applied.Note that ExpressVPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee. 82% off with 24mo plan (+6 free months) See at ExpressVPN Can I livestream Bayern Munich vs. RB Leipzig in the UK?Broadcast rights to show Bundesliga games live in the UK are with Sky Sports, with this match set to be shown on its new Sky Sports Plus service. If you already have Sky Sports as part of your TV package, you can stream the game via its Sky Go app, but cord-cutters will want to get set up with a Now account and a Now Sports membership to stream the match. Now TV Sky subsidiary Now (formerly Now TV) offers streaming access to Sky Sports channels with a Now Sports membership. You can get a day of access for 15, or sign up to a monthly plan from 35 a month right now. See at Now Livestream Bayern Munich vs. RB Leipzig in Canada Canadian soccer fans looking to watch the German top flight this season can watch every game live via DAZN, including this one. A DAZN subscription costs CA$30 a month or CA$200 a year. It'll also give you access to Champions League, Europa League and EFL Championship soccer, plus Six Nations rugby and WTA tennis.As well as dedicated apps for iOS and Android, there's a wide range of support for set-top boxes and smart TVs. See at DAZN Livestream the Bayern Munich vs. RB Leipzig game in Australia Football fans Down Under can watch Bundesliga fixtures live on BeIN Sports. The network will be showing all Bundesliga matches this term, plus relegation play-offs, DFL Super Cup games and select Bundesliga 2 fixtures. This match will be broadcast on the BeIN Sports 2 channel. BeIN Sports is available in Australia for AU$15 a month or a yearly commitment of $150. See at beIN Sports Quick tips for streaming the Bundesliga using a VPNWith four variables at play -- your ISP, browser, video streaming provider and VPN -- your experience and success when streaming Bundesliga matches may vary.If you don't see your desired location as a default option for ExpressVPN, try using the "search for city or country" option.If you're having trouble getting the game after you've turned on your VPN and set it to the correct viewing area, there are two things you can try for a quick fix. First, log into your streaming service subscription account and make sure the address registered for the account is an address in the correct viewing area. If not, you may need to change the physical address on file with your account. Second, some smart TVs -- like Roku -- don't have VPN apps you can install directly on the device itself. Instead, you'll have to install the VPN on your router or the mobile hotspot you're using (like your phone) so that any device on its Wi-Fi network now appears in the correct viewing location.All of the VPN providers we recommend have helpful instructions on their main site for quickly installing the VPN on your router. In some cases with smart TV services, after you install a cable network's sports app, you'll be asked to verify a numeric code or click a link sent to your email address on file for your smart TV. This is where having a VPN on your router will also help, since both devices will appear to be in the correct location.And remember, browsers can often give away a location despite using a VPN, so be sure you're using a privacy-first browser to log into your services. We normally recommendBrave.
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  • These Powered Exoskeleton Pants Gave Me a MASSIVE Boost! video
    www.cnet.com
    Ever wanted to try a pair of power pants? Now you can. Mo/Go is part of a new category of wearable technology designed to give you a boost on hikes and climbing stairs. Skip has partnered with Arcteryx to integrate its powered exoskeleton into a pair of hiking pants.
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  • Tech Stereotypes Discourage Girls from Computing and Engineering as Early as Age 6
    www.scientificamerican.com
    OpinionDecember 20, 20245 min readWhy Six-Year-Olds Think Computing and Engineering Are For BoysEarly cultural exposure can influence kids ideas about gender and STEM in significant waysBy David Miller edited by Daisy Yuhas Skynesher/Getty ImagesSteve Jobs, Bill Gates, Elon Musk, Jeff Bezosmen dominate the tech industry. In 2021 men made up 75 percent of employed computer scientists and 84 percent of employed engineers in the U.S.And thats cause for concern. Consider the misuse of generative artificial intelligence tools for videos: deepfake pornography overwhelmingly targets women andalarminglysome teenage girls. Would you trust an all-male team of software engineers to make responsible and informed decisions about such tools? Though software engineers are a tiny sliver of the worlds population, the products they make can have enormous impact on the rest of society.Compared with men, women generally express more ethical and privacy-related concerns about AI and place a higher priority on safety and accountability. The tech industry needs more diverse perspectives to guard against the very real harms that AI technologies can bring into our world.On supporting science journalismIf you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.My latest research as a psychologist and educational researcher unveils a major roadblock to achieving a more representative workforce, however: tech stereotypes that emerge remarkably early in childrens development. In research published this month, my colleagues and I found that by age six, kids already see girls as worse than boys at computer science and engineering.We also discovered that gender stereotypes are not the same for all STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering and math). In fact, math stereotypes are far less gendered than many researchers have often assumed. This nuance helps point to new ways to broaden participation in STEM fields. Most prior research to date has focused on stereotypes that girls are bad at math. But my colleagues at the American Institutes for Research and Cambridge University and I noticed mixed evidence as to whether children really hold that belief. Some studies do indeed show that kids have absorbed the stereotype that girls are worse than boys at math, but other studies find the exact opposite.We set out on a five-year-long expedition to synthesize more than four decades of past research on childrens gender stereotypes about abilities in STEM. We compiled a massive dataset of more than 145,000 children across 33 nations whose stereotypes had been measured in various ways. For instance, a study might ask kids, Are girls or boys better at computer coding?A clear pattern emerged: tech stereotypes are far more male-biased than math stereotypes. In other words, kids are more likely to see computer and engineering ability as for boys than they are to do the same for math ability.And this divergence across STEM fields begins early. For example, 52 percent of six-year-olds think boys are better at engineering, whereas 10 percent think girls are betteran early male bias of 42 percentage points. Computing also shows male bias at age six, though to a lesser extent. But for math, the fraction of six-year-olds who say boys are better (28 percent) is about the same as those who say girls are better (32 percent), showing no clear winner among young kids. (The remainder of kids did not see one group as better than the other.) These differences mirror related patterns among adults. For example, 40 percent of employed mathematicians but only 16 percent of employed engineers in the U.S. are women. Still, its surprising that kids as young as age six can have such nuanced beliefs about different STEM fields. Do six-year-olds even know what engineers are?In a broader context, the findings for math are less surprising. Girls earn better math grades than boys, for instance. Further, studies find that kids view success in school as being for girls, generally. These contextual features could reduce male bias in math, especially when it is perceived as a school subject.Kids tech stereotypes, meanwhile, likely come from cues outside the classroom, such as depictions of male computer nerds in films, news media and TV shows. Of course, young kids may also misperceive what computer scientists and engineers do. For instance, many English-speaking children assume that engineers fix car engines because engineer contains the word engine. Kids could then transfer masculine stereotypes about auto mechanics to engineers.At early ages, girls are somewhat insulated from these masculine stereotypes. Thats because of a phenomenon that developmental psychologists call in-group bias. Ever heard girls chant Girls rule, boys drool? Children aged five to seven tend to strongly favor their own gender. Math is one example: in general, boys favor boys and girls favor girls in early childhood when asked about who does well in that subject.This in-group bias even protects the youngest girls against tech stereotypes, to an extent. For instance, among six-year-old girls, 34 percent say girls are better at computing, whereas only 20 percent say boys areexhibiting a female bias.But this pattern rapidly changes with age, as cultural stereotypes replace in-group bias. At ages eight to 10, the number of girls who say boys are better at computing starts to outnumber those who say the reverse. This male bias further increases in middle school and high school. These sharp shifts could limit girls future aspirations for high-demand tech fields, such as AI.In contrast, boys of all ages consistently favor boys in all STEM areas, on average. Despite this relatively stable bias in STEM, boys rapidly learn stereotypes that can hold them back when reading and writing. By their senior year of high school, a clear majority of boys (72 percent) think girls have better verbal abilities, and only a small minority (10 percent) think boys have better verbal abilities.Our findings collectively indicate the need for targeted action. Initiatives for girls in math or girls in STEM may fall short of addressing the most entrenched stereotypes. Instead these efforts need a strategic focus on the most male-biased fields, such as tech.The tech gender gap isnt set in stone. In 1984 women were 37 percent of computer science college graduatesthe highest fraction compared to any other point in time. Yet today this figure hovers around 20 percent. Cultural changes, such as marketing computers to boys, may have driven girls and women out of the field. If the change was cultural, why cant we dial back the clock on that particular aspect?To address tech stereotypes, we need a national commitment to expand quality engagement with these fields in early childhood and elementary education. Research shows that early positive experiences with programming and robotics can ignite girls curiosity and interests before stereotypes set in and drive girls away. Free apps such as ScratchJr allow children aged five to seven to learn coding basics by programing interactive stories and games, for instance. But a lot more research is needed to be sure what early approaches will actually narrow gender gaps.With early positive exposure, girls might lean less strongly on stereotypes to guide their future decisions, such as when choosing high school course electives. That is, early engagement in tech sets a foundation for success in later grades and career stages.Rebecca Portnoff, head of data science at the nonprofit Thorn, who uses her computer science expertise to develop AI tools and safety-by-design guidelines that aim to stop the creation and spread of child sexual abuse images. AI technologies have tremendous potential to transform society. Having diverse voices in tech will help harness that power for social good.Are you a scientist who specializes in neuroscience, cognitive science or psychology? And have you read a recent peer-reviewed paper that you would like to write about for Mind Matters? Please send suggestions to Scientific Americans Mind Matters editor Daisy Yuhas at dyuhas@sciam.com.This is an opinion and analysis article, and the views expressed by the author or authors are not necessarily those of Scientific American.
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  • How Do We Name the Stars?
    www.scientificamerican.com
    December 19, 20246 min readWhats in a (Stars) Name?With billions of stars in the Milky Way, some nomenclature standardization is necessaryBy Phil Plait edited by Lee BillingsA close-up photograph of the star Betelgeuse as it appears in an antique German sky atlas. Ilbusca/Getty ImagesBetelgeuse! Betelgeuse! Betelgeuse!Did it explode? No? Okay, then.But it seems fair to ask: Why Betelgeuse? Its an odd-seeming name for a star. Thats because its a corrupted translation of the Arabic phrase yad al-jawzā, which roughly translates to the hand of Oriona decent moniker for the star that does represent the constellations upraised arm.On supporting science journalismIf you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.A lot of star names we use today are in fact Arabic in origin; the Alexandrian astronomer Claudius Ptolemy created a star map of the sky for his wildly popular book Mathematical Treatise, written in Greek around C.E. 150. It was translated into Arabic more than 1,000 years ago and acquired a nickname, Almagestitself a corruption of the Arabized version of the Greek word for the greatestand many of those Arabic versions of star names were kept even when the map was translated into different languages. Rigel, Deneb Aldebaran, and many more of the brightest stars in the sky trace their names back to such quirks of ancient publishing.Others started more as nicknames, such as Polaris being named for its position in the sky near the north celestial pole, and ruddy Antares, which literally means rival of Mars. Still others are named after astronomers who studied them, such as Barnards Star and van Maanens star. This is obviously a less-than-ideal naming methodology, sometimes leading to confusion over what a star should actually be called.You might think wed run out of names quickly, too, because there are many thousands of stars visible to the unaided eye at night. Fewer than 1,000 stars have proper names, however, so that doesnt seem like a crisiswhich is a good thing because there are hundreds of billions of stars in the Milky Way! So the problem isnt naming them so much as naming them consistently.Different ancient cultures had their own names for stars, but as the world became more interconnected astronomers tried many systems to standardize names and naming, with varying degrees of success.One of the first in the modern era, published in 1603, was dreamed up by the German astronomer Johann Bayer. He named each star according to its apparent brightness ranking in a given constellation, using a Greek letter and the genitive (possessive) case of its constellation name. So for example, the brightest star in Orion would be called Alpha Orionis, the next brightest Beta Orionis, and so on. There are two problems with this system, however. First, the Greek alphabet is only 24 letters, so that limits the names you can use this way. Second, stars can change brightness over time, wreaking havoc on the ordering of a constellations star names.About a century later the English astronomer John Flamsteed came up with the idea of using numbers instead of letters, which obviates one of Bayers problems. Also, instead of using stars sometimes-varying brightness, he designated them by their position in a constellation, starting with the western edge of the constellation and moving east. So for example, 1 Orionis is not the brightest star in Orion but the one closest to its western edge.This has problems, too. Constellation borders werent officially defined until the International Astronomical Union approved them in 1928, so Flamsteeds catalog occasionally listed stars as being in one constellation when they were actually in another. Also, Flamsteed only catalogued stars he could see from England, which excludes a large part of the southern sky thats invisible from that latitude.Then theres the Bonner Durchmusterung catalog and its updates, created by astronomers at the Bonn Observatory in Germany in the mid- to late 1800s. This was the last great catalog assembled before photography revolutionized astronomical observing. It covers stars down as faint as ninth magnitude, sorting them by their declination (like latitude, but on the sky). After that came the Henry Draper catalog of the early 20th century, named for the eponymous American amateur astronomer and astrophotographer. The Draper catalog included spectroscopic information on stars and thus gives more details on associated stellar characteristics (such as temperature, size and composition).As telescopes and photographic equipment got better, fainter stars could be seen, meaning catalogs got a lot bigger. There were also more attributes of stars to note, including their physical motions in the sky relative to one another, which are usually apparent only after many years of careful observing. All-sky surveys became possible, too, as bigger telescopes were built in the Southern Hemisphere, creating a need for even bigger and better catalogs. By the 1990s, the numbers had become, well, astronomical. One project, the United States Naval Observatory catalog, used observations made on thousands of wide-field glass plates to organize a staggering one billion objects made from more than three billion observations, listing stars as faint as magnitude 21 (about a million times fainter than the dimmest star you can see by eye).When the Hubble Space Telescope was being built, astronomers realized that to properly point it they needed a very accurate list of star positions and brightnesses, so the Guide Star Catalog was created, which currently includes nearly a billion stars. These are observed by special sensors on Hubble that then use the known positions of the stars to navigate where the telescope needs to be aimed.There are still more catalogs, but the newest and most complete is from Gaia, a European Space Agency mission whose purpose is to measure the brightness, positions, motions and colors of stars and other cosmic objects with phenomenal accuracy. The Gaia team releases a new dataset every few years as updated measurements hone in on stellar characteristics. The most recent release contains new information about nearly two billion stars in the Milky Way.These more modern datasets (and there are far too many to mention individually) have so many stars that using any kind of naming is hopeless. Instead, they generally identify an object using an alphanumeric designation combining the catalog name with the stars position in the sky; so for example you might see a star listed as 2MASS J05551028+0724255 in the Two-Micron All-Sky Survey, representing the coordinates 05 hours, 55 minutes and 10.28 seconds of right ascension and 07 degrees, 24 minutes and 25.5 seconds of declination. Another name for that star? Betelgeuse.Given that the holidays and their traditional gift-giving are fast approaching, I cant help but note the presence of multiple ad campaigns on social media and elsewhere from various disreputable star naming companies. These promise you the ability to name a star (sometimes of your choosing, sometimes not) that will go in a catalog somewhere or be used by astronomers orget thissaved in a vault. So fancy! To be very clear: this is nonsense. These are vanity sales, and no astronomer anywhere will ever know the star names purchased from one of these companies or use them. Many of these companies target grieving people to name a star after a loved one who has died, and I personally find such messaging disgusting. Dont fall for this egregious scam.Anyway, an unavoidable problem here is that any given star can have a lot of names, even sticking to the legitimate ones. A lot. Our old friend Betelgeuse, for example, has no fewer than 46 designations listed at SIMBAD, a database of astronomical objects beyond the solar system. Sure, in that case everyone just calls it Betelgeuse, because thats its recognized name (and its fun to say), but for other stars the name used can depend on which astronomer is observing it, and how its being observed. A star might have been discovered in an infrared astronomical survey, but also independently in a radio-wave observation, so different astronomers will call it different names depending on what part of the spectrum theyre most familiar with.But Im okay with this; it gives us a certain flexibility with naming, and its not hard to look up which names go with what star.And of course, in the end, a star by any other name would shine as sweet.
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  • XDefiant's final patch includes content that would have released in future seasons if it hadn't been cancelled
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    XDefiant's final content patch is now available.Executive producer Mark Rubin said the update marked a "bittersweet moment", but he was proud of the team "that did everything they could to make this game and all of its amazing content"."Ubisoft has not only allowed a small team to stay on and continue working to get our Season 3 content out the door, but we've also been able to add some extra content to this release from future seasons," Rubin explained. "So, we have our Season 3 content plus some of the content from Season 4, 5, 6, 7 and even Season 8."13 Ways XDefiant Gameplay Aims To XDefeat Call Of Duty - XDEFIANT BETA PREVIEW & BEGINNERS TIPS.Watch on YouTubeThe content itself includes three new factions, including the Assassin Creed's crossover promised a little while back. The Wolves and Omega Force factions are also available, even though they were supposed to release in seasons four and five, respectively."We are also adding six new Arena Maps and three new Linear Maps from future seasons. So along with the four new maps from Season three thats a total of 13 new maps," Rubin added. "And I have to say the team really went all out on these amazing new maps. If you do anything at all, you need to check out the new Rayman map that was going to be part of an epic event takeover in Season 4. It even has its own mode with Lum Hunt." To see this content please enable targeting cookies.Players can also expect a brand-new experience called Tactical that uses corridor-style maps with new mode Defuse, a "1-life classic bomb mode", plus a slew of weapons and cosmetics that were supposed to come in future seasons, too."All of this and more are our last tribute to all of the hard-working people that made this game and to all of the fans who have been with us through this journey," Rubin added. "Not all journeys end well but we can all be proud of what we accomplished."I wish everyone who worked on this game directly or indirectly the best for their future endeavors. And the same goes for all of the fans who played our game, who streamed it, or who worked to build the XDefiant community."A month and a half after denying reports it was poised to pull the plug on its free-to-play live-service shooter XDefiant which launched back in May, Ubisoft confirmed earlier this month that it's doing just that, resulting in the closure of three production studios and 277 employees losing their jobs.
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  • Diablo 4 gets free trial over Christmas as it competes with Path of Exile 2
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    A free trial of Diablo 4 is now available, as Blizzard competes with the early access release of Path of Exile 2.The free trial is available across Xbox, PlayStation, and Battle net until 3rd January, and includes the new Spiritborn class from the Vessel of Hatred expansion.What's more, the game is available with a 40 percent discount on Xbox and PlayStation, and 35 percent discount on Battle net and Steam, should you wish to turn the free trial into a full purchase.Diablo IV | Vessel of Hatred | Official Release Date TrailerWatch on YouTubeVessel of Hatred was released in October, adding the Spiritborn class and a new jungle region."A polished, bewitching upgrade that sinks its claws into you - featuring perhaps the best character class in Diablo's history," reads our Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred review. To see this content please enable targeting cookies.However, Diablo now has strong competition from Path of Exile 2, another ARPG that released into early access this month.Ahead of its launch it reached one million early access redemptions, and on Steam it quickly reached a peak concurrent player count of 578,569."Soulslike thrills combine with sky-high production values to make Path of Exile 2 a hugely impressive package, even in early access," reads our Path of Exile 2 early access review.Still, its developer admitted the game was "not rewarding enough" as it addressed early feedback and laid out plans to alter its rewards.Diablo 4 is also available on Xbox Game Pass.
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