The Architects JournalThe AJ Christmas Quiz 2024Test your knowledge of another busy/soul-destroying/meh [delete as applicable] year in architectureThe post The AJ Christmas Quiz 2024 appeared first on The Architects JournalSimon Aldous

A ticking time-bombSource: ShutterstockIf we do not value the work of architects today, there will be no one left to design tomorrows buildings, wrote Aga Szedzianis in this years most popular Opinion piece after a RIBA study revealed a rapid salary decrease of almost 40 per cent since 1999.The tales of falling salaries came during the same year that an unusually high talent exodus was revealed by a survey by The Pay 100, an activist-led initiative aiming to drive fairer pay for those in the earlier stages of an architecture career. The organisers stated that economic opportunity [is] playing an undeniable role in the exodus.But never fear not every job was miserably low-paid. In June, readers were astonished to see the RIBA promoting a job ad offering a 288,000 salary to a private tutor for an ambitious architecture student. In case youre not shocked enough, the advertisement asked for a candidate who must have been raised in a socially appropriate background and has a stable home life. Huge step forward for equality in the industry, right?AdvertisementLow salaries werent the only downfall the AJ reported on. In November, Richard Waites write-up of the grim findings of ARBs survey into workplace culture echoed what we have highlighted over the years that the industry is often an abusive environment, especially for women and those from ethnic minority backgrounds.More redundanciesProjects by practices who announced redundancies in NovemberAs economic turbulence continued to bite, the AJs most read story of the year revealed that more top UK practices were set to make redundancies, including Woods Bagot and Morris+Company. The news followed the AJs April report of job losses at AJ100 practices Buckley Gray Yeoman, Piercy&Company, Hawkins\Brown and HTA Design.Simon Bayliss, managing partner at HTA Design, told the AJ: Many housing practices have been facing more difficult times over the past couple of years, with the economic conditions presenting significant barriers to development, while government prevarication and regulatory uncertainty have almost certainly done even more damage.November saw this years second most read story telling a similarly dismal tale, revealing new waves of redundancies at Make Architects, Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios (FCBS) and Fletcher Priest Architects.At the start of the year, stories of firms shutting their doors were widely read, with Sarah Wigglesworth deciding to step away from her award-winning practice after 30 years in February, and Stirling-shortlisted Tony Fretton Architects closing in April after 42 years in business. AJ 40 under 40 practice TDO also went into liquidation, its founders ditching their the financially precarious nature of their current model to start afresh.AdvertisementFollowing stories of closures, redundancies, and economic uncertainty in practice, it came as no surprise that readers were eager to read Aprils piece profiling architects who jumped the fence to client-side careers. Thinking of swapping sides?Shortlists and winners revealedStirling Prize 2024 shortlisted projectsUnsurprisingly, readers flocked in to enjoy reveals of shortlists and competition winners, with the announcements that gained the most traction including the RIBA National Award winners, the architects chosen for infill council housing jobs in Hackney, and the finalists in British Museums contentious revamp contest.Subscribers were quick to click when this years RIBA Stirling Prize finalists were revealed. But, made up of schemes by previous winners Mikhail Riches Architects as well as shortlist debutants Al-Jawad Pike and Clementine Blakemore Architects, the list was deemed by some to be not quite as impressive as last years, including AJ Deputy Architecture Editor Fran Williams, who labelled the list more forgettable and uninspiring than ever in a top-performing Opinion piece.A month after The Elizabeth Line was announced as this years winner, the Stirling Prize entered the news again with the AJs exclusive announcement that the RIBA prizes first ever winner Hodder Associates Centenary Building for the University of Salford was due to be demolished just 29 years after it was built.Buildings and RetroFirstHillside House by Mike Tuck Studio (photography by Luca Piffaretti)It wasnt all doom, gloom and demolition among this years top stories. In line with the AJs RetroFirst campaign, a number of our most widely read built projects prioritised retrofit over demolition and rebuild. Knox Bhavans retrofit of an early Victorian villa in Camberwell was among the most-read Buildings stories, along with Mike Tuck Studios remodelling of a 1930s semi in Walthamstow, which features reused materials such as reclaimed school parquet and recycled plastic.Other top Buildings stories included Tim Grooms 24 million mill-inspired housing in Manchester and a building study of Caruso St Johns St Pancras Campus, which featured in Novembers Planning issue.Thanks for reading the AJ this yearWishing you a merry Christmas and a very happy and prosperous New Year!2024-12-23Katie Lastcomment and share

The average person in the US spends 4 hours, 37 minutes per day looking at their phone, according to a December 2023 study. Globally, a January 2024 report stated that users aged 16 to 64 spend an average of 6 hours, 40 minutes on the internet per day. That is way more than the less than two hours per day (outside of work) that experts recommend.All that screen time can come with side effects such as headaches, eye strain, insomnia and more, which is why many turn to blue light glasses to try to protect their vision while on devices. Nowadays, their are many different blue light glasses brands to shop from, includingFelix Gray and Peepers. You can get blue light lenses for your prescription glasses, too.However, do blue light glasses actually work and make a difference for those of us who stare at screens for several hours? The answer isn't as straightforward as yes or no.What is blue light? Upgrade your inbox Get cnet insider From talking fridges to iPhones, our experts are here to help make the world a little less complicated. Allvisible lightwe humans see contains the entire spectrum of the rainbow, from red to violet. Within that spectrum are blue light waves, which are said to help us stay alert and upbeat.Read more:Tired of Eye Strain? Here's How Optometrists Say to Beat It Blue light glasses from the brand Felix Gray. Angela Lang/CNETBlue light and sleepLight affects your circadian rhythm. In the morning, light signals to your body that it's time to wake up, which is why you tend to be more alert during the day. Blue light affects your circadian rhythm since it blocks the production of melatonin (the sleepy hormone). At first glance, the screens on our electronic devices may not seem blue, but they do actually emit short blue wavelengths. If you're an avid nighttime social media scroller or an evening gamer, you're essentially telling your brain that it's time to stay awake instead of winding down for sleep.Blue light does have itspositive attributes.Since it makes you feel more alert, blue light therapy is used for those suffering from unexplained fatigue or seasonal affective disorder, a type of depression. It may help those with memory loss and is believed to improve cognitive function. When the sun goes down, the lack of light signals our bodies to start producing melatonin, the hormone responsible for making us fall asleep.Read more: Best Melatonin Supplements of 2024Before the advent of artificial light, the sun regulated our sleep schedules. Today, we're exposed to light all day and into the night. While exposure to any light waves after dark delays our body's production of melatonin, blue light waves can be especially problematic because they keep us alert. On the other hand, blue light can help us overcome sleep issues by resetting our off-sync circadian rhythm.Is too much screen time bad?The short answer? Probably.Doctors and researchers are largely focused on two issues that arise from our ever-growingscreen time: digital eye strain and blue light exposure.According to theAmerican Optometric Association, digital eye strain is "a group of eye- and vision-related problems that result from prolonged computer, tablet, e-reader and cell phone use." Those issues range from blurry vision and dry eyes to headaches andneck pain.By staring at screens all day, we're also exposed to blue light waves, which are said to cause a myriad of issues. There is conflicting evidence about how blue light exposureaffects your eyes, but doctors and researchers agree that it does affectyour circadian rhythm.What does my screen have to do with this? Compared to fluorescent and incandescent bulbs, LEDs can give off a significant amount of blue light. Unfortunately for those of us who cozy up to our tech after sunset, LEDs are used in countless smartphones, tablets and TV screens. Tech products that have an LCD screen, like laptops, iPads and older iPhones, still use LEDs to backlight their displays.Tips to manage blue light before bedThese are some practical ways to reduce exposure to blue light before bed:Wrap up work at least three hours before bed.Turn off any overhead lights right after dinner to keep your room dim.Put your phone on do not disturb mode to minimize blue light disruptions.Put away any electronic devices like your phone or television 30 minutes before you go to bed.Is blue light bad for your eyes?Blue light has been linked to all sorts of issues, from causing digital eye strain to making us blind. There's a lot of conflicting evidence about exactly how harmful it really is.The American Academy of Ophthalmology says that there's no evidence that the blue light specifically given off by screens will cause eye damage, as we are exposed to blue light all day from the sun. Peepers offers colorful blue light glasses. Angela Lang/CNETTalking to CNET, Dr. Raj Maturi, a clinical spokesperson for the American Academy of Ophthalmology, explained, "During the day, you get 10 times as much blue light from the sun as you do from your computer screen. Our bodies have evolved to deal with this light."Research compiled by the AOA indicates that prolonged exposure to blue light (such as sitting in front of a computer all day) might cause damage to your retina the innermost layer of your eye that sends signals to your brain to process what you are seeing.Prevent Blindness, a nonprofit dedicated to mitigating vision loss, also says that early research suggests that blue light can contribute to eye strain.What are blue light glasses? Blue light blocking glasses have filters in their lenses that block or absorb blue light, and in some cases UV light, from getting through. That means if you use these glasses when looking at a screen, especially after dark, they can help reduce exposure to blue light waves that can keep you awake.Many blue light glasses you can buy also claim to help reduce eye strain. Most are meant to be worn during the day while working in front of a computer, and at night to prevent the blue light from screens from keeping us awake.Should I get blue light glasses?It depends. Do you want or need to look at your phone after dark, and then have trouble falling asleep?There is ample evidence that blue light affects when our bodies create melatonin, so if you use screens long after sundown, these glasses might help stop you from staying up later than you want.If you deal with digital eye strain, there is an easy exercise you should try before you invest in new glasses. Use the 20-20-20 rule: every 20 minutes, look at something at least 20 feet away for 20 seconds. The idea is that this helps break your focus from your screen, allowing your eye muscles to relax and stave off eye strain. As for me, I'm writing this article wearing a pair of blue light glasses that I've used off and on for the last few months. While I'm not 100% certain that they are helping my eyes, I do notice my eyes feel less tired at the end of the day. Could it be a placebo? Sure, but I'll keep wearing them to find out.

I'm always anticipating my next trip. I'm one of those people that almost always has a trip scheduled, so I have something to look forward to. I'm eager to visit my friend in Philadelphia in January and my friend in Paris in the spring. Whether it's a 2-hour roadtrip or a 10-hour global flight, I'm excited for the voyage.While traveling is exhilarating and eye-opening, I dread the packing and preparation stages, especially when I need to take into consideration the ever-changing weather, temperature and climate. Even though I'm a notorious over-packer and planner, there have been a few times when I've totally botched my packing process. (Don't get me started about the time I forgot to pack socks and pajamas.) While you can usually find what you need at your destination, you can save money and time by simply packing properly beforehand.You might not be likely to forget things like clothes or shoes, but what about less obvious items that will make your trip smoother and more comfortable? Whether you already have your trip booked or you're planning in advance, these are the 12 things you should never forget to pack.For more travel tips, learn about the best way to pack a carry-on and the best time to book flights this holiday season. 1. Hygiene items and prescriptionsOn your travels, the last thing you want to forget is any essential hygiene or medical item. While you can easily get more deodorant to stay fresh on your trip, it's much more important to remember medications that will be incredibly difficult to replace once you arrive at your destination. This includes contact lenses, birth control, prescription glasses and any other medications.For women, most times we can plan a trip around our cycle, but sometimes life happens. It can be very costly and uncomfortable to be on a trip without sanitary items, especially when you need them. So, just make it a habit to pack a few. It's better to have them and not need them than to not have them and need them.Also, don't forget to pack sunscreen when you're traveling in the summer or if you're visiting a particularly sunny or tropical destination.2. A reusable water bottle Bringing a reusable bottle saves money and keeps you hydrated. Mario Marco/Getty ImagesIf you're spending hours walking through city streets or going on a full-day hike in a national park, you're going to need to hydrate frequently. It's not always easy to access water in certain destinations -- not to mention how brutally hot or humid it can be in certain climates -- so taking a refillable bottle with you is always helpful.Sure, you could rely on purchasing water bottles at your destination, but water is often expensive in popular tourist hubs or hotels, and grocery or convenience stores aren't always nearby, especially in rural or woodland areas.Here's a list ofsome great water bottles. If your destination's tap water isn't drinkable, think about awater bottle with a built-in filter.3. Portable power banksWhen traveling, you're likely going to be using your phone more -- pulling up boarding passes, looking up places to go and directions to those places, keeping in touch with friends and family back home and taking hundreds of pictures. All of this drains your battery, and it can be frustrating to interrupt your busy itinerary of sightseeing to charge your phone. Plus, access to power outlets is never guaranteed.That's why it's always good to bring a portable power bank with you. Power banks put the power in your pocket for easy access and usually aren't too expensive. I recommend investing in one that's not only reliable, but can also charge your phone multiple times before needing to be charged itself.4. Towelettes Wipes let you sanitize your hands and certain "high-touch" objects. Kilito Chan/Getty ImagesWhile bus tours or subway rides can be super fun, they're not always the most tidy of places. During your travels, you're likely going to have to grab "high-touch" objects like remote controls, light switches, telephones, doorknobs, faucet handles, etc. so it's important to keep hygiene in mind to prevent illness.Washing your hands might not always be an immediate option so make sure to pack a few towelettes with you. Plus, small wipes should make it through security checkpoints without issue.5. A quick-dry towelTowels come in handy more often than not and you never know when one might save the day. Maybe you spilled on your outfit or got caught in a rainstorm and need to dry off quickly. Or maybe you arrived at your hotel or Airbnb only to find they didn't provide towels.Quick-drying towels are not the most luxurious option, but they're lightweight and easy to stow away while traveling. Most importantly, they dry super fast so you can clean up and pack it up in your bag without too much of a wait.6. Plastic bagsIf there's one travel necessity I swear by, it's a plastic bag. Need to pack up your muddy shoes? Plastic bag. Want to separate worn dirty clothing from your clean items? Plastic bag.While plastic or trash bags are not the most glamorous travel item, they have a multitude of uses and won't take up much space in your luggage.7. A packable backpackI consistently pack too much in my carry-on luggage. I want to bring my cameras, hat, sunglasses, a change of clothes and some toiletries just in case my checked back is lost. But all of these items quickly add up to leave very little room in my backpack. And usually, I don't want to take them all with me as I tool around the destination I'm visiting.I suggest taking another smaller, preferably foldable backpack that you can use as you tour. This will keep you from having to pack and repack your carry-on bag. Plus, you can use it to carry the souvenirs you pick up along the way.8. Bottle protectorsI come back from almost every trip I take with a bottle of wine or specialty beer as a souvenir. I love bringing a special bottle of beer, liquor or wine home to share with friends and family as I tell them about my adventures.But before that can happen, the bottle has to actually make it through the trip home. And that means you'll need to bring a form of protection. Many people swear by the wine-bottle-in-the-sock method or will swaddle the glass bottles with their clothes, but I prefer to pack an actual protective bottle bag. I recommend aprotective bottle bagwith padding and a zipper top that will help protect your clothing.9. Dryer sheets Stinky shoes? Just use a dryer sheet. Alina Bradford/CNETFor me, this is a no-brainer. When you're walking miles and miles through various train or bus stations, airports and cities, you're going to work up quite the sweat. And your shoes will likely pay the price.Bring several dryer sheets with you to help mask the smell of your shoes. Upon returning to the hotel or Airbnb at the end of your day, simply place a dryer sheet in each shoe to help aerate them.10. A universal plug adapter A travel adapter is a must-have. Ceptics/AmazonYou probably already know this. I'm going to remind you anyway: If you're traveling abroad, you need a plug adapter. Outlets in the US are a different size from outlets overseas, which means if you intend to use electronic devices in a different country, you'll need an adapter.You could try to buy one at your destination, but they can be expensive and hard to find. It's best to pack one with you before you go to save time and money.11. A travel routerOK, this might seem like overkill, but a travel router has saved me on more than one occasion. Internet connection is not always reliable when traveling or in certain rural areas, and establishing a wired connection is almost always going to be more dependable than wireless (especially in hotels). I feel much safer traveling knowing I have a stable connection to call in case of an emergency, keep up with the group I'm traveling with or connect with loved ones back home.Here's some more good news: Travel routers are usually small, affordable and easy to pack. You can buy one for anywhere between $20 and $100, and they're usually not much larger than a wall adapter.12. A packable down or rain jacketNo matter if you're heading to a tropical destination or hitting the streets of a European city, it's always wise to bring an extra down or rain jacket (or umbrella if you have the space). Even if you check the forecast religiously, you could still get caught in a freak rainstorm or have a chillier night than expected.One of the best options that won't weigh down your suitcase is bringing a packable down or rain jacket that can easily fold up. Trust me, it's better to be safe than sorry.Final thoughtsTraveling can be a life-altering experience that creates memories that last a lifetime. But before you can experience all the magic of the cities around the world, you have to pack. And packing the right way can make all the difference by reducing stress and saving you money in the long run. While everyone might have a different idea of what items are essential for traveling, the 12 recommendations above are what I have found to be the most useful during my own trips.If you're planning a vacation soon and are stressed about preparing, we have plenty of resources to help. Get ready for your next trip with these hacks and tips:

Residents of Naperville have quite a few internet service providers to choose from, but Xfinity stands out as the top option.

December 22, 2024The Climate, Health and Tech Stories Were Following in 2025Were closing out the year with a roundup of the science stories that stood out to our editors in 2024. Anaissa Ruiz Tejada/Scientific AmericanSUBSCRIBE TO Science QuicklyApple | Spotify | RSSRachel Feltman: Happy Monday, listeners! For Scientific Americans Science Quickly, Im Rachel Feltman.Weve had a busy and exciting year here at Science Quickly. After a few months of working behind the scenes, I officially started hosting the show back in May. Ive had so much fun chatting with you all three times a week since then, and I cant wait for all the conversations well get to have in 2025.Before we here at SQ take a short break for the holidays, I thought it would be fun to ask a few Scientific American editors about the biggest science stories of the year. Lets get into it.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.Andrea Thompson: Im Andrea Thompson. Im the Earth and environment news editor at Scientific American.So the biggest weather and climate stories this year are a lot of what weve seen in recent years: hurricanes, floods, record heat.Hurricanes were a big story, especially in the U.S. this year. We had several really devastating ones and really surprising ones, kicking off with Hurricane Beryl, which was the earliest Category 5 on record for the Atlantic Ocean, and it really rapidly intensified, and meteorologists were just sort of left with their mouths hanging open watching this storm develop.We had two really devastating hurricanes.[CLIP: NBC 6 meteorologist John Morales speaks about Hurricane Milton in October:  Incredible hurricane. It has dropped [chokes up]it has dropped 50 millibars in 10 hours. I apologize. This is just horrific.]Thompson: Hurricane Milton and then particularly Hurricane Helene, which dropped tons of rain on western North Carolina and wreaked absolute devastation there.But it wasnt just the U.S. that was hit by these storms. The Philippines actually had five typhoons, which are the same type of storm as a hurricane; its just called a different name in the Pacific than it is in the Atlantic. So they had five typhoons and a tropical storm, all within a month, which is a lot of storms. And that wreaked a lot of devastation and killed a lot of people there.Besides those sort of big storms we had a number of heat waves, which is just something that is incredibly connected to climate change and is one of the easiest weather events to see the imprint of climate change in and is something we just see more of every year. They last longer, they are hotter, and they happen more frequently than they have in the past. And one of the notable ones this year was in the Southwest U.S. ...[CLIP: CBS Morning News anchor Anne-Marie Green discusses the heat wave in June:  A dangerous heat wave is threatening more than 30 million people across the Southwest this morning.]Thompson: Which has sort of been a focal point for these year after year. But Phoenix in particular had 113 consecutive days with high temperatures of 100 degrees Fahrenheit [nearly 38 degrees Celsius] or higher. The previous record was 76 days in 1993. So that is a substantial increase on that. And so that heat caused hundreds of deaths just in Phoenix alone. So when you consider that those heat waves were over a broader area, you know, youre looking at much higher numbers.Of course, that wasnt the only place that saw heat. There were also really terrible spring heat waves across a large swath of Asia, from the Palestinian territories to India, Thailand and the Philippines.There were also huge floods.[CLIP: PBS News Hour co-anchor Amna Nawaz speaks about flooding in October:  In Spain, where crews are searching for bodies in abandoned cars and swamped buildings after devastating flash floods.Thompson: Spain was one of the sort of hallmark events this year because it was, I think, very surprising to people there; they werent expecting it. That caused a huge amount of devastation and death. There are also really major floods in parts of AfricaSudan, Nigeria, Cameroon, Chadand all of these also have some fingerprints of climate change on them.So probably the biggest climate story this year is that its going to be the hottest year on record, which we know before its even technically over. We really knew this, honestly, at the end of October, just based on how hot all of the months of the year so far had been. And its going to surpass the record just set last year, which itself was record hot by a record margin.So 2024 is even hotter than 2023, and that is also one of the hallmarks of climate change: that we see record-hot years increasingly happen. In fact, all of the hottest 10 years on record have been in the 21st century, and its probably not going to be long before the 2024 record falls.You know, if I could pick just a couple words or phrases to describe 2024, it would be record-hot and extreme. And I feel like those are probably [laughs] the words I would have picked in a lot of other years, too, but its justthat fact is a sign that climate change is here and its happening now. Its not a future problem, as I think we thought about it as, you know, a couple decades ago; were living it right now, and every year really bears that out.And, you know, looking ahead to 2025, we obviously cant know if 2025 might be the year that breaks 2024s record. I think right now climate scientists would probably say its not as likely, in part because were expecting a weak La Nia.So most people have heard of El Nio. La Nia is the opposite; its sort of the flip side of an El Nio. An El Nio happens when water temperatures in the tropical Pacific Ocean are higher than normal, and that releases heat into the atmosphere that causes this cascade of changes in weather around the globe. So La Nia is the opposite; its when those temperatures are colder than normal. That alsoit changes weather patterns. It also tends to slightly cool global temperatures, whereas El Nio slightly raises them. And part of why 2023 and 2024 were record-hot is a little bit due to El Nio, although [the] vast majority of that heat is from long-term climate change.But with a weak La Nia likely developing in 2025, global temperatures might be a little bit lower, so its possible 2025 will come in under 2024 and 2023. But its still, even with a La Nia, going to be among the hottest years on record, almost certainly. The years where we see La Nias now are actually hotter than some El Nio years from 30 or 40 years ago. And that is really a mark of how much climate change has impacted global temperatures.You know, in terms of weather that we might see, sort of in broad seasonal trends, we are going to see heat waves somewhere. They are going to break records. There are going to be hurricanes and typhoons around the world. Where theyll hit, how strong theyll be, we cant know. There are going to be floods in places. These things are going to keep happening every year, and climate change is having an impact on all of them: to increase their likelihood, to make them worse and to make them happen more often.Feltman: Climate was obviously a major theme in the news this year, but we also had a lot of health stories to tackleincluding a few that arent existentially distressing. Lets look back on some awesome health advances from 2024.Tanya Lewis: Im Tanya Lewis, senior editor for health and medicine at Scientific American.So we actually learned a lot of really cool things about the human body this year. One thing we learned, which you might remember from an earlier podcast episode, is that scientists discovered a new pain medication that works by blocking nerve channels before the pain reaches the brain, and its not addictive like opioids.Another thing we learned is that vitamin D deficiency is not as big of a problem as we thought. Early in the 2000s studies suggested that vitamin D deficiency was a contributor to cancer, heart disease and many other illnesses and that taking vitamin D supplements might help. But more recent studies have failed to show as much of a benefit as we thought, and most people actually have adequate levels of vitamin D.Researchers have also discovered ancient brains that are miraculously well-preserved for thousands of years after death. And they think that these brains might be undergoing a process of protein misfolding, which resembles what happens in neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimers or even mad cow disease.Finally, theres a new advancement that can help people who are born without a uterus. Scientists have found a way to actually transplant uteruses from a healthy donor into these individuals, who can then get pregnant and give birth to a live baby.If I could describe 2024 in three words, I think I would choose unexpected because we are constantly seeing and learning new things about the body and about new diseases that we didnt expect. I would say political because unfortunately, health, like all aspects of science, have become politicized. And then finally, not to leave on a downer, but I would say ominous because there are, unfortunately, some major public health threats looming, like the potential of a bird flu pandemic.In 2025 I will be keeping a close eye on bird flu, or H5N1, the virus thats been transmitting among wild birds and dairy cows and poultry in the U.S. Ill be following whats happening with the politicization of science under the new administrationa new presidential administrationand hope to see, you know, areas of consensus, hopefully, between the different parties so that we can keep Americans healthy.While there are many public health threats that loom on the horizon, theres still a lot to look forward to, and were just beginning to see some of the fruits of decades of research in things like mRNA vaccines and weight-loss drugs and many other developments. I think were in a pretty good position to tackle some of these major public health threats that we might be facing in the coming year.Feltman: I dont know about you, but Im grateful for that spot of optimism. Also, let me take this opportunity to sneak in my favorite reminder one last time this year: now is not the time to start exploring the world of raw dairy, no matter what people on TikTok might tell you. Just hit pause on that one at the very least.Speaking of the Internet: Heres associate technology editor Ben Guarino to tell us how the artificial intelligence conversation evolved in 2024.Guarino: The focus of 2024 in AI has definitely been on generative AI because the biggest developments this year were often in the new forms of what it could make. When ChatGPT was unveiled in 2022 we saw it make text, but now generative AI is making really convincing audio. I watched a demo of a ChatGPT-based voice where the user asked it to count to 30 really fast and then it paused to catch its breath in the middle of counting. So the folks who are developing these generative systems are really looking to: How do they sound human, and, and how do they feel authentic? So thereve definitely been improvements to audio.Generative AI has now been moving into things like video with OpenAIs really impressive video maker, Sora, which it showcased as a demo earlier this year and then, at the start of December, released to its paying customers. I tried to log in right away to use it, but the traffic was so heavy, I, I couldnt get in, so theres definitely an interest in using generative AI to make video.And with that also started to come some backlash. So Im thinking of, in November, Coca-Cola turned some of its iconic ads into movieinto video using generative AI and people piled on online, so theres definitely been, on the one hand, if were looking at the big trends in generative AI, an improvement in what it can do, but also, I would think, an awareness and maybe a more pronounced backlash this year than weve seen in previous years: understanding how generative AI was trained on data, on what artists made, on what writers have written. And also maybe some concerns about it taking work away from people.Pew Research has done surveys each year, going back for the past few years, looking at how people are excited about AI or concerned about AI, and over the past three years an increasing proportion have said that theyre more concerned than excited about AI, and, and I think that might be a trend we will see continue into next year.One major area that AI had an impact in 2024 is definitely search. So at the start of this year Google didnt have AI answers in its search results, but to me thats almost wild to think about; Ive gotten so used to seeing them already, you know? If anybody is a regular user of Google Search, I have to imagine that youve seen the generative AI results at the top, and these are gonna stick aroundGoogles latest numbers, I think, were that one billion people have used Googles large language model, which is called Gemini, in Search, and talking to the New York Times recently, Google CEO Sundar Pichai said that, you know, to expect Google Search to continue to evolve in 2025, and I have to imagine thats gonna be more layering of artificial intelligence into search results.And theres also been an awareness, too, of the energy demands of generative AI. And there are some estimates, although the figures arent exact, that adding generative AI to search results is increasing, not insubstantially, the energy demands on every time that you search something on Google.If I could describe 2024 in three words, I would say boom. Were definitely in an AI boom. I think this really was the year that AI started showing up on our phones, started showing up on our computers, started showing up in our workplaces in more obvious ways than maybe we had been familiar with before. There have been huge investments in AI and continued investments in generative AI. We saw OpenAI make plans to move from a nonprofit to a profit. We saw Elon Musk break up with OpenAI and roll out his competitor, Grok, on X, formerly Twitter.The next word I would pick, I think, as a consequence of that boom is slop. Slop was a contender for Oxfords word of the year; it lost out to brain rot. But slop means this AI equivalent of spam. So if you were on Facebook at all earlier this year, maybe you encountered something like Shrimp Jesus, which was this phenomenon where people were using chatbots to make these bizarre chimeras of religious figures and crustaceans, or these clearly AI-made images of structures built out of Coca-Cola bottles, and its reallywas just engagement bait.Ill take a slightly more optimistic note with the third word and Ill say promise. I mean, we saw some clever and what I would consider good uses of AI in terms of pattern recognition, of using AI to help decipher a scroll that was burned by the Pompeii volcano from hundreds and hundreds of years ago, to AI helping in drug development for looking for novel forms of antibiotics. So there definitely is something here to AI. I dont want to be too cynical here; I think its good to be critical, but this definitely is a technology that has promise.In 2025 I think were going to see more about the hunger for water and energy and resources that generative AI needs, especially for the large data centers required to operate it. We know that Microsoft is looking at reviving, for instance, one of the mothballed reactors at Three Mile Island, the nuclear power plant, to power its data centers. Theres been more attention paid to whats called Data Center Alley in the mid-Atlantic. In terms of keeping these data centers active, that requires fossil-fuel plants.I also think were gonna start to see more forms of generative AIso thats AI based on LLM-type style modelsthat arent quite like the chatbots were familiar with. Im thinking specifically, as an example, what are called AI agents. So these are systems that you would access on your phone or computer like you would a chatbot, but its got more autonomy to do things.So one common example of what an AI agent might do is help book you a plane ticket. And you might tell itor it might know because its been analyzing your personal datathat, you know, you prefer aisle seats, so it will look for aisle seats for you and, and book an aisle seat. And these agents, in theory, have more autonomy to interact with other apps, and they dont require the hand-holding or the prompting that something like ChatGPT needs now. So if youve used ChatGPT with any regularity, you might know that it might take multiple prompts to get it to produce the thing that youre looking for. Withthe idea behind an AI agent is that you tell it what to do and, and it goes off and it interfaces with other apps, and you dont need to keep nudging it along.Feltman: Im glad we ended on AI because it gives me an excuse to plug some more Science Quickly before we sign off. One of my favorite SQ episodes is also one of our most recent: our deep dive on Googles AI podcast tool. If you havent listened yet, you should definitely go check it out while were off for the holidays.I also really loved our episode on folk music and the evolution of song. Im not going to say itll definitely be the only time youll ever hear me sing on Science Quickly, but thats not exactly going to be a regular thing.And I cant forget the episode where I got to interview an astronaut from actual space. In fact, we made history by conducting the first-ever live video interview from the cupola observatory! Thats definitely the best background Ive ever gotten to enjoy on a video call.We covered the science of fear, the fight to end implicit bias in health care and the dangers of weight stigma at the doctors office. We did deep dives on extreme archaeology, Antarctic exploration and the beauty and mystery of math. From learning about animal conservation to tackling zombie-apocalypse prep, weve done our best to help you stay curious. Heres to a whole lot more of that in 2025. Were taking a few weeks off from new episodes so our team has time to enjoy the holidays, but well be back bright and early in the new year.Science Quickly is produced by me, Rachel Feltman, along with Fonda Mwangi, Kelso Harper, Madison Goldberg and Jeff DelViscio. Todays episode was reported and co-hosted by Andrea Thompson, Tanya Lewis, and Ben Guarino. Shayna Posses and Aaron Shattuck fact-check our show. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith. Subscribe to Scientific American for more up-to-date and in-depth science news.For Scientific American, this is Rachel Feltman. Have a wonderful holiday season. See you next year!

Now Black Myth: Wukong copycat games are popping up on Nintendo eShop"Malicious developers exploit the names of well-known games, deceiving consumers."Image credit: Game Science News by Vikki Blake Contributor Published on Dec. 23, 2024 Another copycat video game has popped up on Nintendo's eShop in China, this time a Black Myth: Wukong imitation.Just days after the creative director of indie hit Unpacking, Wren Brier, called out Nintendo due to the prominence of copycat games on its Switch eShop, Chinese fans have spotted a game called Wukong Sun: Black Legend has popped up, too.Set to release on Boxing Day, 26th December, the 2D platformer's gameplay and presentation are markedly different, but its promotional art and title could easily be confused with that of Game Science's blockbuster.Black Myth: Wukong - Confront Destiny.Watch on YouTubeAs Black Myth: Wukong is one of China's most notable video game releases in recent years, many Chinese fans have taken to social media to share their frustration at "malicious developers exploit[ing] the names of well-known games"."Well-known games have been plagued by imitations for a long time," wrote Pear Video (via BusinessInsider)."Malicious developers exploit the names of well-known games, reskin various small games, and put them on the shelves of big game stores with similar titles, deceiving uninformed consumers to buy and download." Promotional art for Wukong Sun: Black Legend | Image credit: Global Game StudioHere in the UK, a September 2024 release called Wukong's Child: Monkey King Myth could similarly be confused with Game Science's game, which released in August.As yet, neither Nintendo nor Wukong Sun: Black Legend publisher Global Game Studio have commented publicly on the issue.Black Myth: Wukong producer and Game Science CEO Feng Ji recently posted a lengthy statement following the action game's apparent snub for the top prize at this year's The Game Awards."The games nominated this year were all exceptional, but honestly, I still can't figure out what the criteria were for Game of the Year. I feel like I came all the way here for nothing!" he wrote in a post on Weibo, even though Black Myth: Wukong did come away with the Best Action Game and Players' Voice awards.

Mention the words "water in games" and nine times out of ten the conversation will immediately turn to how good that water looks in said game, and whether it ripples and sploshes nicely as you attempt to wade through it or not. It rarely gets people talking about how clever that water might be, or how it completely shakes up your approach to moving and travelling through a game's landscape. But that's precisely what the water block echo did for me in The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom this year, and I've rarely felt so bowled over by such an innocuous and unassuming puzzle item. After all, it's just water, right? The kind of liquid that Link (and Zelda) have been able to swim through for years at this point, and whose uses have been rarely more revelatory than pushing down the odd pressure pad in various Water Temples.Watch on YouTubeBut the brilliance of Echoes of Wisdom's water block goes far beyond anything we've seen in a Zelda game before - and the best thing about it is how immediately obvious that is the first time you acquire it. You'll likely come across the water block early on in your adventure when you start investigating the rifts around the two Zora territories, and straight away you're asked to build tunnels of cube-shaped water to make simple bridges across the void below. Suspended in mid-air, the water holding its shape fast and firm and defying all laws of gravity, its elegant simplicity washes away all those hours spent constructing awkward bed concoctions to get across similar-sized gaps.But then, as with almost every other echo you've accrued thus far, you start messing about with it. In no time at all, you realise with eye-widening, no, surely not possibility that if you create two water blocks on the same spot, they'll spool skywards into a tall, liquid column. Surely yes! Nintendo did just give me the keys to making magic, physics-defying liquid steps, and this changes absolutely everything. Goodbye, messy bed bridges... | Image credit: Eurogamer/NintendoIt's these kinds of quiet revelations that always feel the most magical to me in games. The water block doesn't just make Zelda's movement feel more intentional in the game, providing purpose where Crawltula spider echoes were previously erratic and sometimes unpredictable. It also expands her reach into her own kingdom, carrying her further and higher than the trampolines, beds and boxes that regularly fell short of getting her where you wanted to go. It makes the world feel more alive with secrets and hitherto unseen nooks and crannies to explore that are now ripe for cracking open and pushing your nose into, letting you inhale everything this toylike playbox has to offer and then some.That it comes in such an unusual and delightful form, too, is precisely what makes the water block feel so special - more so than the myriad abilities you gain in some of this year's other exploratory highlights, such as the Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, or harnessing the power of the seeds you plant in Ultros' strange, organic spaceship. Those - the double jump, the swing vine, the grapple hook - all feel much more deliberately gamey in their design. They're exactly what you expect from those sorts of games, which doesn't make them any less delightful or pleasing under the thumbs when you encounter them, but the fact you're anticipating them from the off can't help but rob them of some of their mystery. Hello, sweet, sweet water towers... | Image credit: Eurogamer/NintendoBut Zelda's water block is just a humble water block - a single, ordinary(ish) object that can be used and combined in such creative and inventive ways that it catapults right to the top of my favourite puzzle items - both from this year and in recent memory. It's a wondrous and so very Nintendo way of recalibrating how you view the world in front of you, and I only hope Zelda and her Echoes get another outing to dazzle us with in the future.

Cyberpunk 2077's coming to FortniteV-ictory Royale.Image credit: Epic Games News by Tom Phillips Editor-in-Chief Published on Dec. 23, 2024 Keanu Reeves' Johnny Silverhand and Cyberpunk 2077's female V are both set to join Fortnite.The crossover is expected to go live tonight, with the characters and various accessories available to buy in the game's shop.Epic Games confirmed the crossover and showed off the appearance of the characters within Fortnite yesterday, in a post on social media that teased: "We're expecting some guests from Night City." To see this content please enable targeting cookies.It's perhaps not surprising to see Cyberpunk 2077 turn up in Fortnite - its developer CD Projekt Red has forged close ties with Epic Games through its switch to Unreal Engine for future development (the first trailer for The Witcher 4, and our first look at The Witcher's world in Unreal, debuted this month at The Game Awards). And the series' Geralt, Yennefer and Ciri all joined Fortnite previously.Fun fact: this will be Keanu Reeves' second character in Fortnite, after his previous addition as John Wick. But he's not the first actor to get into the game twice. Zendaya (in her Spider-Man and Dune guises) and Harrison Ford (as both Han Solo and Indiana Jones) have also previously found their way into Fortnite more than once.Fortnite's latest additions come amidst a typically-busy end of year season for the game. Its Winterfest event is now on offering daily free cosmetic rewards (leading up to a Santa Snoop Dogg skin on Christmas day), heralded by the in-game arrival of Mariah Carey from a giant block of ice. Oh, and Skibidi Toilet is now in the game too.

You can trust VideoGamer. Our team of gaming experts spend hours testing and reviewing the latest games, to ensure you're reading the most comprehensive guide possible. Rest assured, all imagery and advice is unique and original. Check out how we test and review games here Contents hide The launch of Marvel Rivals has proven a hit among players looking for another hero shooter to get their teeth stuck into. Developed by NetEase Games, the free-to-play game features a wealth of characters some loved and some hated from the world of Marvel competing in fast-paced, team-based matches in a bid to secure victory.Marvel Rivals anti-cheat also features strict anti-cheat measures that ensure competitive integrity is maintained across casual and competitive matches. To prevent any kind of repeat offenders from reappearing in lobbies, the anti-cheat is dishing out huge bans that Call of Duty could learn from to curb its own infestation of cheaters ruining Black Ops 6 and Warzone.The 100-year Marvel Rivals banTo highlight the effectiveness of Marvel Rivals anti-cheat, X user UnproblematicMr shared a post from the games customer service team revealing that a recent report had resulted in the cheater in question receiving a ban lasting the next 100 years.As expected, the huge length of the ban has caught players attention wondering if Marvel Rivals reporting system will yield results. Yes! I will be reporting every time now! says one player.Issuing such lengthy bans in Marvel Rivals may seem excessive but the measures are an excellent deterrent for those considering gaining an unfair advantage over the opposition. A ban lasting an entire century is an unorthodox method to combat cheating, but its one that Call of Duty could utilise to its advantage.While other games such as Delta Force aim to curb the cancer that is cheating, CoDs Ricochet system has proven ineffective compared to its contemporaries. Marvel Rivals can issue a ban to a cheater in mere minutes, but CoD is constantly banning the wrong people and letting cheaters roam free. Since the launch of Black Ops 6 and the integration of Treyarchs release into Warzone, hackers have infested standard game modes and Ranked Play resulting in Activision admitting its own anti-cheat has missed the mark. Banning Call of Duty hackers with a hundred-year ban could be the answer to the publishers ongoing problems.The best solution?Marvel Rivals continues to be the talk of the town as millions of players load into the action. NetEase Games has implemented measures that are strong enough to deter and prevent hackers from rejoining matches resulting in an environment where cheaters are unable to prosper.Well have to wait and see if other developers follow a similar process to combat their own hacking issues but for the time being, Marvel Rivals anti-cheat is ensuring nothing is slowing down its momentum.For more Marvel Rivals, take a look at the best Duelists and DPS characters to pick along with a closer look at how to master Venom.Marvel RivalsPlatform(s):macOS, PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series XGenre(s):Fighting, ShooterSubscribe to our newsletters!By subscribing, you agree to our Privacy Policy and may receive occasional deal communications; you can unsubscribe anytime.Share