Ditch the paint bucket and screw in these wood veneer panels to give your home office a makeover.

The festive period can be stressful, particularly for those who struggle with food anxiety, weight concerns, or an eating disorder. Here are some tips for navigating an intense time of year.

Expect more fires like the fast-moving one in Malibu, scientists say.

If there is a lesson to be taken from this year, it is that small evils lead to ever-bigger ones. The wrong behaviors and motivations get rewarded until the process capitalizes into a singular upending spectacle. That reality is just as resurgent in professional spheres and does appear likely to retain its dominance over other civic ones. Unethical practices, the influence (good or bad) of politics and public opinion, removal of history, and a culture of dishonesty coursed, as ever, through the domain of architecture in 2024. Inside its ranks, questions as to why the cycle itself is so prevalent continue to go unsettled.Here, instead, is an impartial breakdown of the years most controversial news headlines in architecture. What can be taken from it is a testimony to the ways moral disintegration is both reflected and can be defeated in our built environment. Well start with the biggest stories and slowly narrow into a spotlight on the global salients within more limited constrain...

Despite Maxs pivot to purging films and TV shows from its programming library, the platform still has plenty of excellent new releases to check out during this years holiday season. Whether youre into live-action dramas, sci-fi spectacles, or animated epics, the streamer has a little bit of everything to offer. Naturally, weve put together a handy list of some of our favorites we think you might get a kick out of.The PenguinIt sounded like Warner Bros. and DC were having a laugh when they started referring to The Penguins central mobster as Oz Cobb, as if that has ever been that characters name. It also seemed odd that the studios were bullish about airing a series spun off from Matt Reeves The Batman when all signs have suggested that those characters wont make it into James Gunns new universe of DC films. Somehow, though, The Penguin proved to be a surprisingly compelling return to Gotham as it explored the inner workings of Oz Cobbs (Colin Farrell) mind and reframed him as a twisted underdog fighting to keep up with fellow crimelord Sofia Gigante (Cristin Milioti).By largely removing Batman from the equation, The Penguin was able to present its murderous gangsters as people (rather than costumed weirdos) who were really just trying to get by in a city that was all too ready to throw them away. And by the shows season 1 finale, The Penguin establishes itself as one of the better Batman stories that DC has produced in recent years one that definitely deserves a second chapter.Invincible Fight GirlTheres nothing fun about getting punched in the face, but in Invincible Fight Girls world, where everyone is a superpowered professional wrestler, its the kind of thing that lights a fire within young brawler Andy (Sydney Mikayla). Even though her parents would rather she live a quiet life of accounting, Andy knows in her heart that shes a born wrestler who just needs a trainer who can bring out her inner greatness. And while Quesa Poblana (Rolonda Watts) is none too pleased about the idea of taking on a newbie mentee, she, too, can see that Andy has what it takes to become a legend.The way Invincible Fight Girl borrows elements of classic shonen shows like Dragon Ball Z, Naruto, Pokmon, and Hajime no Ippo feels like it could almost be too much at first. But the show blends its influences together brilliantly to tell its own unique story and create fight sequences that are cool as hell.Like Water for ChocolateBy easing up on the magical realism of Laura Esquivels novel, Francisco Javier Royo Fernndezs new adaptation of Like Water for Chocolate makes it somewhat easier to appreciate the depth of its central love story set during the Mexican Revolution.There is still something otherworldly about Tita de la Garzas (Azul Guaita) ability to channel her emotions into the food she cooks. Titas sisters Rosaura (Ana Valeria Becerril) and Gertrudis (Andrea Chaparro) and her forbidden love Pedro Muzquiz (Andrs Baida) can attest to the way her culinary creations leave people overwhelmed as they experience whatever feelings were roiling inside of her. But that detail is really just one small ingredient the new Like Water for Chocolate adaptation uses to enhance its rumination on the ways that class conflict and war have shaped the arc of Titas life.Dune: ProphecyIn Denis Villeneuves Dune films, the Bene Gesserit order is so shrouded in mystery that its hard to tell whether their strange abilities are rooted in the supernatural. But Dune: Prophecy dives into the Sisterhoods ancient history to unpack the many ways in which secret science rather than sorcery is what turned them into one of the most influential forces in the entire spice-addicted Imperium.The shows exploration of how Valya (Emily Watson / Jessica Barden) and Tula (Olivia Williams / Emma Canning) Harkonnen reestablished their family as one of the galaxys Great Houses adds new depth to the Dune franchises larger story about the rise of a long-awaited messiah. Through the Harkonnen sisters, Prophecy demystifies some of the legend of the Kwisatz Haderach and reveals how ruthless the fight to control spice has always been. And it makes for an excellent way to get your sandworm fix while we wait for the next Dune feature to premiere.Creature CommandosThough James Gunn and Peter Safran are mostly starting over fresh for Warner Bros. new cinematic universe of DC films, a tiny portion of the old DCEU is being reborn through the animated Creature Commandos series. After the events of The Suicide Squad and season 1 of Peacemaker, Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) can no longer force teams of superhumansPart of whats intriguing about the show is the way characters like Waller, Weasel (Sean Gunn, who will also voice G.I. Robot), and Rick Flag Sr. (Frank Grillo) will establish a narrative continuity between DCs old films and many of its upcoming live-action projects. And with Gunn going all in on actors reprising their roles across different mediums, Creature Commandos seems like it might be the start of an era worth tuning in to.Civil WarThough theres a certain degree of absurdity to the political details of Alex Garlands Civil War, its depiction of the United States descending into chaos after a tyrannical president refuses to leave office feels like a haunting vision of a future that isnt as improbable as wed hope. As a respected war reporter, Lee Smith (Kirsten Dunst) feels she has a duty to document the reality of what has become of her country in the time since the president (Nick Offerman) came into power.Lees years of reporting from the front lines of conflicts all over the world have taught her how important it is for people to be able to see how war ruins lives and pushes societies to (if not over) the brink of collapse. But as Lee sets out to secure the interview of a lifetime, she quickly realizes that no amount of reporting has prepared her to see war unfolding in the place she calls home. And with rookie journalist Jessie (Cailee Spaeny) by her side, the only thing that keeps Lee grounded is her hope that she can pass her skills on to the next generation.I Saw the TV GlowOne doesnt need to be queer or a Buffy fan to appreciate the neon-drenched strangeness of Jane Schoenbruns I Saw the TV Glow. But the movies story about two lonely teens bonding over a cheesy sci-fi show might hit differently for anyone who grew up in the 90s feeling like they would be more at home in Sunnydale than living their own humdrum lives.Even though young outcasts Owen (Justice Smith / Ian Foreman) and Maddy (Brigette Lundy-Paine) dont initially have the words to articulate what it is that makes them different from other kids, theres something about The Pink Opaque that speaks to them both. The teens dont understand why they feel such a powerful, instinctive kinship to the TV shows monster-fighting heroines or how the program is influencing the way they see the world. But by the time theyve both grown up a bit, they cant shake the feeling that The Pink Opaque has changed something within them something that might mean everything theyve been raised to believe is a lie.TrapIn any other M. Night Shyamalan movie, you would expect the big twist to come closer toward the end in order to leave audiences reeling, but TrapCooper seems like exactly the sort of Good Guy who would surprise his daughter with a trip to see her favorite singer Lady Raven (Saleka Shyamalan) in concert because thats what he wants people to see. But what Cooper doesnt realize is that the concert is an elaborate trap and the centerpiece of one of Shyamalans most fun thrillers yet.Beetlejuice BeetlejuiceThere are only a few choice scenes in Beetlejuice Beetlejuicejust manage to make the sequel feel like a film that has something to offer fans beyond nostalgia for the Deetz family and their favorite incorporeal dirtbag.Years after Lydia Deetzs (Winona Ryder) first encounter with Beetlejuice (Keaton), she has become the host of a paranormal television show and mother to a sullen teenager of her own. Though Astrid (Jenna Ortega) is certain her mom cant actually see ghosts, Lydia knows that her eyes arent playing tricks on her when she spots Beetlejuice during one of her tapings. And when Lydias overbearing boyfriend Rory (Justin Theroux) tries to prove that shes just imagining things, his thrice-over utterance of Beetlejuices name sends them all straight to the afterlife for an unhinged reunion of sorts that none of them are prepared for.Joker: Folie DeuxIn the grand scheme of Warner Bros. decision to greenlight a gritty, Batman-free Joker film that had nothing to do with its core cinematic universe of DC films, theres a certain kind of poetry to the way things played out with Todd Phillips Folie Deux. At first blush, the idea of a jukebox musical about the Joker (Joaquin Phoenix) falling in love with Harley Quinn (Lady Gaga) while theyre both doing time in Arkham Asylum sounded inspired. And you could see how, with the right story, a song-filled take on the iconic criminals might make for an enjoyable change of pace from WBs previous forays into Gotham.Between its lackluster songs and middling story, Folie Deux dropped the ball in terms of doing anything truly inspired or making clear what Phillips has to say about these characters. But the film is so messy and bafflingly inert that it ends up being the kind of train wreck that feels worth seeing for yourself at home if only out of morbid curiosity.

I recently stumbled across an Instagram post written in response to some 2024 design trend report. Oh, goody, the post said, its the time of year when magazines make us feel bad about our homes for doing the exact things they told us to do a year ago. Shared by Ingrid Fetell Lee, the observation made me laugh because it rang so true. This time of year is filled with people (and, yes, magazines) preaching and prognosticating what will be in or out during the year ahead.While were not here to declare anything outif anything, whats considered out can also be thought of as early because trends always come back aroundas the editor-in-chief of Country Living, I am always eager to put things on your radar that are, in fact, having a moment, especially when theyre things that would feel right at home in a country house.And theres good news for country style enthusiasts! Based on what our editors and design friends (Leanne Ford, Grace Mitchell, and Emily Henderson, to name just a few) are doing and seeing everywhere from fashion shows to furniture markets, Im happy to report that the laid-back country aesthetic will continue to dominate the conversation in 2025. From warm wood walls to copper kitchen accents to country house-worthy paint colors, theres no shortage of ways to give your home a more pastoral point of view. Below, here are the 12 vintage decor trends that well be seeing a lot of again in 2025:Jump to:For More on Your Favorite Decorating Styles:Vintage Decor Comeback No. 1Dark Wood Cabinetry RETT PEEKThis Arkansas kitchen by Whitney Romanoff feels equally fresh and timelessIf you havent yet gotten around to painting over those walnut cabinets, go ahead and pat yourself on the back for your laziness. After years of all-white kitchens, unpainted wood cabinetry is warming up cook spaces all over the countryside. The trick to keeping the look from feeling dated is avoiding a top-to-bottom install of the same material (in other words, avoid the kitchen equivalent of a matching bedroom set). Instead, embrace wood lower cabinets and opt for airier open shelving up top, or try painted uppers and wooden lowers, or outfit your island with stained wood cabinetry. There are also plenty of options if you love the look of wood grain but prefer to go a little lighter, such as light oak, pecky cypress, or bleached wood finishes. Vintage Decor Comeback No. 2Folk Art-Inspired Stencils and Motifs Reed McKendreeStenciled floors charm up an entry designed by Lilse McKennaMuch of the decorative folk art we think of today came via the Pennsylvania Dutch and was largely inspired by centuries-old German design traditions. Their practice of Frakturwhich involved embellishing important documents with fanciful painted motifsbled off the page and onto anything they could get a paintbrush on, bringing beauty to the mundane and effectively birthing the American decorative folk art style.While folk art-embellished antiques are in high demandmany feature flora (think stylized tulips intertwined with decorative leaf borders), fauna (roosters, deer, songbirds), or figural (pastoral hunting scenes, soldiers on guard, romantic sweetheart couples)theres also a new generation of young decorative painters such as Tess Newall and Amy Balfour and designers like Lilse McKenna who are finding fun and fresh ways to incorporate folk art embellishments on everything from lamps to walls to floors.To take a similar DIY approach, chalk paint purveyor Annie Sloan offers tutorials and stencil books with modern patterns, while The Stencil Librarys compendium provides a breadth of historic designs.RELATED: 25+ Brilliant Painted Floors Ideas Thatll Add Instant CharmVintage Decor Comeback No. 3Quilted Upholstery Kaitlin Green, Design by Emily HendersonQuilted upholstery lends a colorful and playful spirit to this craft corner by designer Emily Henderson.What a few years it has been for the humble quilt, with assorted pieced and patchwork motifs dominating fashion runways, outfitting Brooklyn boutiques, and inspiring country homes of the future on Instagram. In addition to using them as classic coverlets, designers are now embracing heirloom pieces to creatively recover everything from wing chairs to headboards. We love upholstering in quilts, says designer Erick Espinoza, Creative Director of Anthony Baratta, a design firm known for its timeless American decor. Erick does note that older quilts wont wear as well as current day fabrics, so consider using them on pieces that arent subject to constant wear or heavy traffic (think a lesser-used window bench or accent piece as opposed to the family sofa). Quilt tops are also a great option because they tend to be more economical and upholster-y friendly, he says.RELATED: 100+ Best Places to Shop for Antiques and Vintage OnlineVintage Decor Comeback No. 4Wood-Paneled Walls Nick JohnsonA Michigan living room enveloped in warm wood paneling, designed by Erica HarrisonTrue story: When I started at Country Living way back when, we published a mountain property where the homeowner had painted over the knotty pine walls of his Georgia cabin and a very vocal handful of people were not happy about that transformation. Those people *will* be happy to know that warm wood walls are enjoying a resurgence. Most recently, designers including Erica Harrison, Emily Ward, and Max Humphrey have all put down the paint brush.RELATED: Everything You Need to Know About Knotty Pine and How to Use ItVintage Decor Comeback No. 5Copper AccentsBecky Luigart-StaynerA cooper hood with sweet scalloped detailing provides a pretty focal point in a Texas kitchen by Claire ZinneckerGiven the amount of copper cookware were seeing on display in kitchens and assorted period dramas (this shop is a great resource for patina-rich pots and pans, by the way), its no surprise that Julia Childs favorite finish now extends to more permanent kitchen fixtures, including backsplashes, worktops, hoods, and hardware (think bin pulls or hammered knobs). The metal brings a similar brand of warmth and patina as unlacquered brass, but its not quite as ubiquitous. (For the record, we still very much love unlacquered brass.) For a low-commitment look, try a display of antique copper molds.RELATED: 50+ Farmhouse Kitchen Ideas To Give Your Kitchen a Charming, Timeless Style Vintage Decor Comeback No. 6Barbour Coat Colors Becky Luigart-StaynerPutty-colored walls evoke the feel of canvas in a high-style hunting lodge by Richard Keith Langhambarn coat and chore coat obsessions of Fall 2024, but the outdoorsy hues seen in English and American workwearrich olives, earthy ochres, and ruddy claysare making their way into the interior design mainstream when it comes to both paint and fabric, officially joining their aesthetic buddy brown who was already basking in the spotlight. (Pantones recent unveiling of its 2025 Color of the Year is in keeping with this cozy color trend.)Fortunately, these muddy, rooted-in-nature tones play particularly well in pastorally set spaces. Your homes surroundingswhat your land looks like, whether youre by the water versus surrounded by a lot of greeneryalways provide good directional cues to inspire your color palette, says Nicole Gibbons, founder of paint company Clare. If you dont want the look to feel too heavy, consider colors in the lighter khaki and putty categories, or even a soft pinkish-brown.For a textile-driven take, look to Schumacher. The textile company recently released a Country Life collection of fabrics in keeping with this of-the-moment color palette. (A few of our favorite patterns include Pointers, Covey Hedge, and Montana Wool Plaid.)RELATED: The Top 100 Paint Colors For Every Room in Your HouseVintage Decor Comeback No. 7Patterned Sofas Par BengtssonA skirted brown sofa in a chocolate brown fabric is a practical pick for a Texas lake house designed by Shannon Bowers.Although patterned sofas have really never fallen out of favor, were suddenly seeing them everywhere, which intersects with the pattern-drenching trend and the rise of more-is-more decor. A sofa is often the largest, bulkiest item in a room, so a big block of color can hijack the rest of the space, says Country Living Style & Homes Editor Anna Logan. A pattern allows your eye to travel across the piece, and can make for a more cohesive-feeling room. Theres also the practicality of it all: An allover pattern can also be much more forgiving than a solid, says Country Living Executive Editor Jennifer Kopf.RELATED: 20 Types of Sofas and How to Choose the Right One for Your RoomVintage Decor Comeback No. 8Colorful Bath Fixtures During the 1950s, pastels like bubblegum pinks, powderpuff blues, and buttery yellows dominated the world of bathroom design. Historians attribute this aesthetic sweetness to a sense of post-war optimism, and the happy look is enjoying a revival with modern designers and manufacturers who recognize the demand for dopamine-boosting decor. Theres research on how colorful spaces influence well-being for the better, says Ingrid Fetell Lee, founder of The Aesthetics of Joy. Whether you embrace an existing basin or seek out a new one, pastel porcelain is a time-tested way to make your bathroom feel awash with character. Similarly, pastel tile is also making its way back into bathrooms, so think nice before that demo.RELATED: Six Reasons to Keep Dated Bathroom Tile, According to DesignersVintage Decor Comeback No. 9Tables in Lieu of Islands Nick JohnsonA kitchen table in lieu of a traditional island can be a smart choice for a small spaceIn keeping with a broader trend of unfitted kitchens (think more freestanding furniture pieces as opposed to top-to-bottom built-in cabinetry), a centralized kitchen table can be a great way to get more use out of a space. I think we are going to see a lot more people opt for a kitchen table in the center of their kitchen instead of a massive island, says Leanne Ford, who embraced this approach in her own home, as seen on the cover of her latest book, The Slow Down. I, of course, love the way it looks, but even more I love the way it feels and the way it brings my family together. Its just a more casual approach that feels perfectly laid back in any home. Without saying a word it tells people to sit down and stay a while. RELATED: Dozens More Stylish Kitchen Island Ideas for Kitchens Large and SmallVintage Decor Comeback No. 10Stained Glass Windows Sara Ligorria-TrampStained glass windows filter in light in a wood-paneled bunk room in the home of Anne and Richard De WolfNot just for cathedrals, stained glass windows have enjoyed more comebacks than TK. (For a very thorough recap, look no further than the Stained Glass Association of America). Fast forward to more recent history, and the artful panels have enjoyed a resurgence with almost every design style, from Arts and Crafts to Art Deco to Cottage. As the homogenization of social media has created renewed interest in handcrafted wares and storied goods, stained glass is once again on the radar. California stained glass artist Debbie Bean acknowledges the uptick. Ive seen a notable rise in demand for stained glass in interiorsespecially with adventurous residential clients who are embracing this timeless craft in modern, innovative ways. Designers and architects are increasingly incorporating bespoke stained glass to bring unique character and artistry to their spaces. Author and color consultant Jessica Sowerby (@thehousethatcolourbuilt) incorporated a stained glass transom between her kitchen and utility room, a look that brings the space soft color and character. Theres also the fact that it can feel at home in a century-old farmhouse, midcentury rancher, or craftsman-style cottage.RELATED: The 26 Most Common House Styles, Explained. Do you know your craftsman from your Cape Cod?Vintage Decor Comeback No. 11Welsh Blankets Hector M. Sanchez for Country LivingAn assortment of Welsh blanketsFeaturing rich colors and bold patterns, these woven wool throws are as cozy as a hot cup of tea shared with a doting grandmother. Thanks to the long tradition of sheep farming, wool sits at the heart of textile crafts in Wales. Welsh tapestry blankets have been woven in country mills since the 19th century, created on large looms using a signature double-cloth construction. Because the wool is hand-dyed in rich colors designed to stand the test of time, these blankets have brightened up homes for centuries of gray winter days. The blankets also make for popular wedding presents. Family companies like Trefriw and Melin Tregwynt have been producing blankets at local mills for more than a century. Welsh-textiles expert Jen Jones is a go-to source for antique blankets, which she sells from her Llanybydder-based shop in west Wales. For more modern designs, look to younger companies like Loom & Bobbin, an English maker inspired by traditional Welsh design or Welsh Otter.Vintage Decor Comeback No. 12Tyrolean Chairs Courtesy of Levity InteriorsA pair of Tyrolean chairs add charm and quirk to a corner cafe table in a space by Florida-based Levity Interiors.Named after Tyrol, a region in the Austrian, Swiss, and Italian Alps known for its ski resorts and folk traditions, these whimsical chairsalso known as Swiss mountain chairswere constructed by hand centuries ago using primitive tools. Recently, antique examples have been been popping up in projects all of the country, while newer versions are being sold at far-from-folksy spots like Bergdorf Goodman. Given their quirky, curvy silhouette, they make for striking and versatile accent chairs. Designer Levity Tomkinson, owner of Florida-based retail shop and design consultancy Levity Interiors, is one of many designers with a soft spot for the quirky silhouette. The whimsical nature yet timeless appeal of Tyrolean chairs makes them an easy yes for creating interiors with character. Theyre the perfect addition to a cozy corner, a welcome presence next to a tub holding fluffy, fresh towels orand perhaps my favorite usewith multiples sweetly gathered around a dining table. For More Decorating and Renovation Inspo for Your 2025 Projects: Rachel BarrettRachel Barrett is the Editor-in-Chief of Country Living. She can't pass up a vintage seascape, drives an '89 Woody Wagoneer (that is, when it'll start), and hopes to buy you a lemonade at a future Country Living Fair.

When Livia Trink and her husband, Antonio Cueto, found out that their next door neighbors were selling their apartment in early 2021, they jumped at the chance to snap it up. The couple had been renting in the building, a former factory that was converted into lofts in the early 2000s, for years, and were eager to combine two units into a family-friendly home that would have space enough for their two children and guests.Max ZambelliThe Molteni&C Intersection kitchen in oak with a natural quartzite stone backsplash and matte lacquered white-gray panels and shelves.Trink and Cueto brought on FORRM Architects to combine the loft spaces into one, with a Molteni&C kitchen at its heart and a central corridor to connect the common areas with the private ones. Kept distinct from the living room by a custom 12-foot-wide, 8-foot-tall steel and glass partition that references the geometry of the adjacent 1909 police building, the kitchen functions as a gathering spot that can be opened up to the rest of the home or closed off for more privacy without compromising on light and the views.Max ZambelliChanneled edges allow doors and drawers to open without handles.I wanted [the kitchen] to feel like a special room, a place of conviviality. We are a very food-centric family and therefore always spend a lot of time in the kitchen, says Trink, who, hailing from Europe, was already familiar with Molteni&Cs timeless designs and craftsmanship. I wanted it to feel like a special room, a place of conviviality. [But] after living in New York City for so long, I realized that I wanted it to be separate from the living roommore common in Europe than it is here. We fell in love with Intersection in the Molteni&C showroom and knew right away that it would make the kitchen the centerpiece of our space.Max ZambelliThe homes restructured layout preserves essential elements of the original architecture while introducing contemporary flourishes of color and pattern.Designed by Vincent Van Duysen, Intersection plays with proportions, thicknesses, and a mix of refined materials. The couple was only too happy to find a kitchen that was as eye-catching as it was hard-wearing. The biggest challenge was finding exactly the right stone to use for the expansive countertops and backsplash, says Jeremy Reed, founding partner at FORRM. Our goal was to accentuate the cabinets and visually connect the kitchen to the copper, limestone, and red brick material palette of the neighboring buildings that sit just beyond the massive windows.Max ZambelliThe living room features ample wall space for the familys art collection. The steel beams are original.Now, the family can enjoy the view into their cook space as much as they enjoy the sights and sounds of the cityscape below.Sean SantiagoDeputy EditorSean Santiago is ELLE Decor's Deputy Editor, covering news, trends and talents in interior design, hospitality and travel, culture, and luxury shopping. Since starting his career at an interior design firm in 2011, he has gone on to cover the industry for Vogue, Architectural Digest, Sight Unseen, PIN-UP and Domino. He is the author of The Lonny Home (Weldon Owens, 2018), has produced scripted social content for brands including West Elm and Streeteasy, and is sometimes recognized on the street for his Instagram Reels series, #DanceToDecor

Earlier this week, T-Mobile announced that you can now register to beta test Starlink connectivity on your mobile phone, with actual testing expected to begin early next year roughly two years after the initial announcement.Back in 2022, T-Mobile and SpaceX announced a partnership to allow T-Mobile customers to utilize Starlink satellites in an effort to eliminate deadzones for customers. This required SpaceX to design new direct-to-cell satellites, but according to T-Mobile, there are now more than 300 of them in orbit.In the press release, T-Mobile announced that these new Starlink satellites will cover more than 500,000 square miles of land that arent currently served by cell towers. SpaceX will also continue to launch more of these direct-to-cell satellites over time, though a timeline wasnt provided for when therell be a non-beta rollout.During the beta, youll be able to send text messages with voice and data support coming later.Any postpaid T-Mobile customer can sign up, as well as businesses and first responders. Luckily, the beta test does not require any higher-end plan.If youre on a consumer plan, you can sign up for the beta here, and businesses/first responders can sign up for the beta at this link.My favorite iPhone accessories on Amazon:Follow Michael:X/Twitter,Bluesky,InstagramAdd 9to5Mac to your Google News feed. FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.Youre reading 9to5Mac experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Dont know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel

Godspeed.Time for a TanForget the cautionary tale of Icarus. NASA's Parker Solar Probe is just days away from flying into the Sun or through its outer layers, depending on how you look at the maneuver in a daring bid to glean the secrets of our star's megahot winds, Ars Technica reports.Ever since it launched in 2018, the diminutive spacecraft, which weighs less than a ton, has been performing flybys of our star at record-breaking speeds.But on Christmas eve, the orbiter will make its closest approach yet, coming within 3.8 million miles of the solar surface. At that toasty proximity, the Parker will be plunging straight into the Sun's upper atmosphere and with any luck, it'll make it out in one piece to send back valuable data about what's going on down there."Quite simply, we want to find the birthplace of the solar wind," NASA chief of Science Nicky Fox told Ars.Crowning AchievementThis outermost region that the Parker will be entering is known as the corona, which swirls with charged particles of plasma amidst the Sun's powerful magnetic fields. During solar eclipses, the corona is visible as an aureole of light emanating around the blacked-out star.Despite its huge size and quite literally being the center of our existence, many facets of the Sun remain shrouded in mystery that shroud, in this metaphor, being the corona.Paradoxically, the corona is hundreds of times hotter than the surface of the Sun, reaching temperatures up to 3.6 million degrees Fahrenheit, compared to a comparatively mild 10,000 degrees down below. Scientists still don't agree on why this is the case; shouldn't the region closer to the core be hotter?The corona is also thought to be the originator of solar wind, a constant flow of charged particles that suffuse the solar system, protecting it against more powerful emissions from deep space. (Its existence was predicted nearly 70 years by the NASA probe's namesake, American astrophysicist Eugune Parker.)Close observations of the Sun have long vindicated Parker's theory, but the mechanisms behind solar winds remain unclear. Along with their extreme temperatures, the winds also travel at ludicrous speeds of around one million miles per hour, giving it its immense reach.Feeling the HeatSo, to shine a light on all this, the Parker Solar Probe will have to get up close and personal. It's actually "touched" the Sun before, in a milestone setting flyby within the corona in 2021 but never penetrated this deeply.Repeating the feat will take a deft touch. As Ars explains, a solar probe must orbit at exactly the right distance where it can travel slowly enough to gather data, but also be able to dip out quickly enough so that it doesn't melt.And of course, there's the formidable engineering challenge of designing a probe that's nimble but robust enough to survive the extreme temperatures and temperature changes it will be facing."If you think about just heating and cooling any kind of material, they either go brittle and crumble, or they may go like elastic with a continual change of property," Fox told Ars. "Obviously, with a spacecraft like this, you can't have it making a major property change. You also need something that's lightweight, and you need something that's durable."More on the Sun: A Colossal Solar Flare Just Triggered a Radio Blackout on EarthShare This Article

Image by Getty / FuturismExperts are mighty puzzled after finding that teens are abstaining from drugs more than ever before.In the latest update from the University of Michigan's half-century-long Monitoring the Future study, the school announced that its researchers found a trend of "historically large decreases" in adolescent drug use has only broadened in 2024.Richard Miech, the study's team lead, said he was surprised by the findings."I expected adolescent drug use would rebound at least partially after the large declines that took place during the pandemic onset in 2020," Miech said.In 2024, the study's investigators looked at data from more than 24,000 high school students in 8th, 10th, and 12th grades at more than 270 schools, both public and private.As Miech noted in the press release, the peri-pandemic wave of drug abstention was the largest ever to be recorded but experts expected "that drug use would resurge as the pandemic receded and social distancing restrictions were lifted.""As it turns out," he said, "the declines have not only lasted but have dropped further."In 2024, the researchers found that a whopping 67 percent of high school seniors abstained from drugs (including marijuana), alcohol, and smoking or vaping nicotine within 30 months of being surveyed. In 2017, when the Monitoring the Future study first began looking into drug and alcohol use among teens, that cohort was a far lower 53 percent.Among high school sophomores, 80 percent said they hadn't had any drugs, alcohol, or nicotine in 30 days, and 90 percent of eighth graders said the same. In 2017, those proportions were 69 percent and 80 percent, respectively.As Miech said in an NIH press release, kids who were in eighth grade at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic are now high school seniors and their "unique cohort has ushered in the lowest rates of substance use weve seen in decades."Though drug use rates have, as the UM press release notes, been falling since the 1990s, this post-pandemic plummet is nevertheless significant."This trend in the reduction of substance use among teenagers is unprecedented," explained Nora Volkow, the director of the NIHs National Institute on Drug Abuse, in the agency's statement. "We must continue to investigate factors that have contributed to this lowered risk of substance use to tailor interventions to support the continuation of this trend."More on drugs: Elon Musk's Drug Use Becoming a Problem for Government Security ClearanceShare This Article