Editors note: This post is part of the AI Decoded series, which demystifies AI by making the technology more accessible, and showcases new hardware, software, tools and accelerations for GeForce RTX PC and NVIDIA RTX workstation users.The AI Decoded series over the past year has broken down all things AI from simplifying the complexities of large language models (LLMs) to highlighting the power of RTX AI PCs and workstations.Recapping the latest AI advancements, this roundup highlights how the technology has changed the way people write, game, learn and connect with each other online.NVIDIA GeForce RTX GPUs offer the power to deliver these experiences on PC laptops, desktops and workstations. They feature specialized AI Tensor Cores that can deliver more than 1,300 trillion operations per second (TOPS) of processing power for cutting-edge performance in gaming, creating, everyday productivity and more. For workstations, NVIDIA RTX GPUs deliver over 1,400 TOPS, enabling next-level AI acceleration and efficiency.Unlocking Productivity and Creativity With AI-Powered ChatbotsAI Decoded earlier this year explored what LLMs are, why they matter and how to use them.For many, tools like ChatGPT were their first introduction to AI. LLM-powered chatbots have transformed computing from basic, rule-based interactions to dynamic conversations. They can suggest vacation ideas, write customer service emails, spin up original poetry and even write code for users.Introduced in March, ChatRTX is a demo app that lets users personalize a GPT LLM with their own content, such as documents, notes and images.With features like retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), NVIDIA TensorRT-LLM and RTX acceleration, ChatRTX enables users to quickly search and ask questions about their own data. And since the app runs locally on RTX PCs or workstations, results are both fast and private.NVIDIA offers the broadest selection of foundation models for enthusiasts and developers, including Gemma 2, Mistral and Llama-3. These models can run locally on NVIDIA GeForce and RTX GPUs for fast, secure performance without needing to rely on cloud services.Download ChatRTX today.Introducing RTX-Accelerated Partner ApplicationsAI is being incorporated into more and more apps and use cases, including games, content creation apps, software development and productivity tools.This expansion is fueled by the wide selection of RTX-accelerated developer and community tools, software development kits, models and frameworks have made it easier than ever to run models locally in popular applications.AI Decoded in October spotlighted how Brave Browsers Leo AI, powered by NVIDIA RTX GPUs and the open-source Ollama platform, enables users to run local LLMs like Llama 3 directly on their RTX PCs or workstations.This local setup offers fast, responsive AI performance while keeping user data private without relying on the cloud. NVIDIAs optimizations for tools like Ollama offer accelerated performance for tasks like summarizing articles, answering questions and extracting insights, all directly within the Brave browser. Users can switch between local and cloud models, providing flexibility and control over their AI experience.For simple instructions on how to add local LLM support via Ollama, read Braves blog. Once configured to point to Ollama, Leo AI will use the locally hosted LLM for prompts and queries.Agentic AI Enabling Complex Problem-SolvingAgentic AI is the next frontier of AI, capable of using sophisticated reasoning and iterative planning to autonomously solve complex, multi-step problems.AI Decoded explored how the AI community is experimenting with the technology to create smarter, more capable AI systems.Partner applications like AnythingLLM showcase how AI is going beyond simple question-answering to improving productivity and creativity. Users can harness the application to deploy built-in agents that can tackle tasks like searching the web or scheduling meetings.Example of a user invoking an AI agent in AnythingLLM to complete a web search query.AnythingLLM lets users interact with documents through intuitive interfaces, automate complex tasks with AI agents and run advanced LLMs locally. Harnessing the power of RTX GPUs, it delivers faster, smarter and more responsive AI workflows all within a single local desktop application. The application also works offline and is fast and private, capable of using local data and tools typically inaccessible with cloud-based solutions.AnythingLLMs Community Hub lets anyone easily access system prompts that can help them steer LLM behavior, discover productivity-boosting slash commands and build specialized AI agent skills for unique workflows and custom tools.By enabling users to run agentic AI workflows on their own systems with full privacy, AnythingLLM is fueling innovation and making it easier to experiment with the latest technologies.AI Decoded WrappedOver 600 Windows apps and games today are already running AI locally on more than 100 million GeForce RTX AI PCs and workstations worldwide, delivering fast, reliable and low-latency performance. Learn more about NVIDIA GeForce RTX AI PCs and NVIDIA RTX AI workstations.Tune into the CES keynote delivered by NVIDIA founder and CEO Jensen Huang on Jan. 6. to discover how the latest in AI is supercharging gaming, content creation and development.Generative AI is transforming gaming, videoconferencing and interactive experiences of all kinds. Make sense of whats new and whats next by subscribing to the AI Decoded newsletter.

If youve ever complained about the dominance of digital special effects in modern Hollywood movies, Werewolves was made for you. The new action-horror movie, now available for digital rental or purchase, has a delicious premise a year ago, a supermoon turned a billion people into werewolves for one night. Now, its about to happen again, and its up to the most jacked molecular biologist in the world (Frank Grillo) to stop it. It also relies almost entirely on practical werewolf effects, crafted with great care.Director Steven C. Miller tells Polygon that he knew from the start that he wanted his pulpy thriller to have as many practical werewolves as possible. He painstakingly worked with effects maestro Alec Gillis and an experienced team with a background at The Jim Henson Company to create an army of hulking 8-foot-tall beasts that could lay siege to the world.Miller, who calls the movie a crazy one to make, has relevant experience making action films (Marauders, Escape Plan 2: Hades) and horror films (Automaton Transfusion, Silent Night), and he was able to combine these experiences for a ludicrously fun midnight movie. (Next up for him: an action-comedy called Under Fire with Dylan Sprouse and Mason Gooding, with an eye on a 2025 release.)Polygon spoke with Miller about his philosophy on practical effects, the details on how Werewolves creatures were put together, and the challenges that come with such an ambitious project.This interview has been edited for concision and clarity.Polygon: I wanted to talk specifically about the werewolf design, which is a lot of fun and very different from what were seeing from most modern creature designs in movies. When you first joined the project, what were your immediate priorities on how you wanted the werewolves to look?Steven C. Miller: Look, my immediate priority was practical, right? How many practical werewolves can I put on screen? That was important. And then it became about how I could make them look as menacing as I can. Because I felt like [cinema] kind of went away from that for a while, where they became either humanoid wolves or they became sparkly wolves, or they were just wolves, literal wolves in the wild. So for me, it was about trying to get back to that classic 80s sort of man in a suit vibe, and still give them some bulk and make them as menacing as possible.Were there any smaller decisions you were particularly happy about in evoking that kind of feeling? Im thinking specifically about how the heads are designed.I mean, the heads were a big deal, right? Especially the elongated snout, and making that snout feel like it was even a little bit more raptor than wolf. That gave it a little bit more of a menacing tone, with the teeth and how long it was. And then the head being bigger almost than the body, than the shoulders, made it feel also a little bit more heavy. And it really was more heavy for the guys in the suits.And then all of the animatronics that were built inside the head those guys did such a fantastic job of maneuvering. Every detail of that face was maneuverable, even down to the snout, to the teeth, to the drool, to the tongue. It could do anything I needed it to do on cue. So having all of that freedom really allowed me to play with the wolves and give them emotion and a sort of vibe that I hadnt seen in a while.Whats the breakdown of how the animatronics fit together?You have the basic suit that the performer would put on, which was about 50 pounds, 60 pounds. These guys in these suits are probably 7-foot-ish, and then the head is about another foot. Once it goes on, the head attaches so the performers actually looking out the neck hole. So all of the animatronics inside are maneuvering the head completely. Whatever motion that head is doing is being controlled by animatronics. The performer is really only moving the body.So you can imagine, when he actually puts his head down to get into wolf form, hes almost completely blind. Hes just basically looking at the ground. So everything was choreographed really without their heads on, almost like a dance. And then they had to memorize it and go into all of these fight sequences almost in the dark, trying to do them as memorization. So if you do that on top of having the animatronic guys running all of the gizmos in the head and all of that, having to match synchronicity-wise, it was just a huge undertaking. But the crew was just so great at figuring it out. It was a lot of fun.Who handled the animatronics?Its a specific team that [werewolf designer/effects creator] Alec Gillis brought on. It was his team of puppeteers. I know a lot of them worked really heavily with Muppets and Fraggle Rock. They were really, really gifted individuals who understood how to move, animatronic-wise. And they have to be really good listeners, because theyre hearing me shout out all different kinds of movements, and theyre having to do that instantaneously or try to make that work with whatever the wolf performer is doing inside the body.We had so much fun whenever the wolf performer would come up and talk to me, I asked the performers if they would move the wolf mouth while he was talking.It mustve felt like a blessing to be able to have people whove worked with The Jim Henson Company on a project like this youre bringing in the best.And that, to me, was important when youre doing a werewolf movie. When youre doing a movie called Werewolves, if the werewolves dont work, the movie doesnt work. And so from day one, all of the money we had really went toward Alec Gillis and his team creating the wolves. It went toward the animatronics.We shot all this in Puerto Rico, so you have to bring this whole team to Puerto Rico. A lot of people dont really understand that on a small budget like this, bringing anyone from the States to a location and having to house them, and everything that takes, is a huge expense on a small movie like this. So we really made it a point that we were going to take on that, because we felt like they were really the most important pieces of the movie. We dove in headfirst.Sometimes these kinds of practical effects get augmented in post with VFX; sometimes they dont. What was your approach on Werewolves?My approach was, I didnt want to touch them after I shot em. If there was a werewolf on screen that wasnt digitally created from the beginning, it was not touched. The suit is what the suit is. We didnt clean up anything. We didnt touch it digitally. Obviously theres color correction going, but as far as touching up or cleaning up, I really refuse to do it, because I really wanted the movie to stand on its own and give Alec and them I just trusted them that much. I felt like [the werewolves] looked good enough on screen that I wanted the art to show. I didnt want to touch that.I wanted to let them be what they were. And if it was a tad clunky, I felt like that was the vibe, and that gave it the flavor I was looking for anyway, that 80s material that they had. They didnt have ways to touch [effects] up later back then. So you live with it, and I liked it.You suggested there are other werewolves on screen that werent practical Im guessing some were digital effects in the background for scale?In the background, we had digital guys that were giving us some effects more of the werewolves running through the town square. I think theres like three of em. But the cool thing about that is, even the visual effects supervisor was on from day one. So I had him in there with our practical creators, hands on, scanning everything from the beginning, so the digital effects were matching my practical effects, and not the other way around. It tends to happen sometimes when you get to post-production, youre like, Oh no, we need to create these things, and theyre creating it based on not being there. So with the visual effects and practical [teams] being there together, I was able to make calls of saying, Hey, these guys are going to look a certain way. I need the visual effects to also feel just as, for lack of a better word, clunky as the original, and not have this overly overt smoothness that these guys couldnt do. So yeah, they all were working as one, and it came together really well.This is an ongoing discussion, both in Hollywood and outside of it, about the dichotomy between practical and visual effects. Is that something you felt particularly strongly about just for this movie? Or is that a philosophy you hold in general?I am a fan of artists, and I was pretty adamant in my first posts when the trailer came out that people understood the movie is 90% practical, but the 10% that are visual effects are really fucking strong. And that I was going to stand behind the visual effects artists that did a lot of work on this movie, and made sure they got their due, because they did do some really great work. They created some really great wolves that, in my opinion, its hard to tell if theyre there or not.I mean, theres visual effects in this movie that you wouldnt know [were there]. The roof opening, for instance, is all visual effects. Those guys did a really fantastic job themselves. Im just a big fan of artists I think all of that [digital work] can be done well and can be done together, and people wouldnt have any idea. So its tough for me when people are like, Oh no, it can only be practical. I disagree. I like the idea of having new school and old school married together. Its all about uplifting the work of artists.These kinds of practical suits and animatronic rigs, and the experts to make them work, can be very expensive which may be one reason a lot of movies go for digital effects, which have gotten cheaper. But another reason is that complicated practical effects can create limitations in terms of what you can shoot and how you can shoot. How did that come up for you on this movie? How did you work around your barriers?The biggest limitations are when you want [the werewolves] to get into gigantic fights. We have a whole sequence where wolves are fighting each other at the end in rain, and theyre on wires. So at those points, you start to really feel their limitations, and you have to really start tapping into that creative gene if youre going to stick with the idea of it being practical. My DP was really great at figuring out how to light them and shoot them. And then its just about coming up with really creative, clever solutions. You almost feel like youre like a kid again in the backyard with your friends, trying to find out Whats the best way we could make this character do this without some fancy equipment? We did one where we would set the wolf on the bed of a truck, and we would shoot off the bed of the truck. So it looks like hes running, but hes just sitting on a truck. You know what I mean? So you just start getting really creative. Things start flowing out of this kind of stuff. And to me, thats when the best ideas come out.I also felt like there was some creativity from a storytelling perspective too. One of my favorite elements of this movie is it feels like, Forget even making a first movie, were just going to make a movie that feels like a sequel. Thats so much fun especially because I would imagine trying to make the first movie, where a billion people turn into werewolves, was not going to be a practical possibility.Yeah, exactly. And I also felt like the audience has seen that movie. Creating it in your brain, even though were only giving you little bits and pieces here, you can imagine what that other world could be, even if we couldnt get there yet. I feel like thats a lost art in a lot of movies, where they feel like they have to tell you every single thing, because they think younger audiences wont get it. Well, I disagree. I think younger audiences are really smart, and I think theyre also enjoying the ride, and they want to have some fun thinking about it as they go. So thats what we were trying to do.This movie really harkens back to a certain era of pulpy midnight thriller, with the werewolves designs and the plot. One of my favorite details is ripped-as-hell Frank Grillo being one of the worlds premier molecular biologists. I love that. That feels like such a throwback to 80s action characters. Did you grow up watching and loving those kinds of movies?I grew up watching those for sure. I feel like Im an 80s kid at heart when it comes to movies, and I like cinema as far as where you were able to suspend your disbelief and just watch the movie and have fun. Thats what I did growing up, and thats what those movies were. They didnt care if the character looked the part, as far as being a biologist, but he was the guy that was going to save the day.That harkens back to movies like Terminator, the kind of movies I grew up loving and enjoying Alien, Aliens, those kinds of movies. Your everyday character was going to take control and save the day. Pulp and cheese. You just want to throw it all at the screen and let the audience just have a blast.Werewolves is available for digital rental/purchase on Amazon and Apple TV.

Count Orlok looms over Nosferatu like the Cloverfield monster. While he is among the first voices we hear, and the first faces we see, the full reveal of Orloks form comes much later. When we see him in all his glory with all the sores, sylphlike limbs, and ponderous movements he looks like a reanimated corpse. Bill Skarsgrds mannerisms mark a striking difference from the comparatively youthful (and alive) Ellen, played by Lily-Rose Depp.This was exactly as director Robert Eggers hoped. I enjoy the fact that he is represented like a folk vampire, Eggers told Polygon ahead of the films premiere. These early folk vampires look like corpses, and theyre in this state of putrefaction.Eggers said the goal for Orloks look wasnt really to be a flip of the bird (or the bat, as the case may be) to noted resplendent vamp like Twilights Edward Cullen or True Bloods Bill Compton. Rather, it was yet another expression of Eggers constant aim: historical accuracy and immersion. His directive was What does a dead Transylvanian nobleman look like? which led him to Skarsgrds look, long sleeves, where ample fabric would communicate his wealth and eerie movement.Still theres a distinct sense of evolution as an audience member. If horror really is an expression of the anxieties of the time, Orloks decrepit form signifies something very different than the rash of undead that arrived in the 2010s. To Eggers and certainly in Nosferatu theres something powerful in what a more folkloric vampire represents; not a gleaming beauty or impossible love, but something corrupted, unnatural, and maybe even disturbingly familiar, if you were one of the townsfolk whose loved one emerges from a grave.Like most Nosferatu stories, Orlok is represented in Eggers film as more of a horror than a hunk; he also represents a sort of forbidden desire for Ellen. To have the attraction to this figure I think he was probably a beautiful man at some point, but now hes covered in maggots, the director said. Thats interesting to me.Eggers, for his part, was eager to bring out the sexual subtext of Nosferatu, calling his version a clear demon lover story and likening it to Wuthering Heights (which he reread while trying to crack the script). Depps Ellen is both a catalyst for Orloks awakening and her own pull to something darker, while also being a victim to 19th-century society.As much as she is a victim of the vampire, she can see into another realm, and has a certain kind of understanding that she doesnt have the language for, Eggers said. But people are calling her melancholic and hysteric and all of these things. And tragically, the only person that she can kind of connect with is this demonic force, this vampire, this demon lover. [And] Orlok is also alone.Its notable that in Eggers Nosferatu its her connection with Orlok that awakens him, ensnaring her and those around her into his game. Its the pull between the two that is constantly teased apart in the film, a thing she runs from as much as it sends her into a trance. Nosferatus power lies in not trying to make that repression legible with a drop-dead gorgeous vampire. Instead, Orloks pull is both rejoinder and repulsion, amorous and grotesque in equal measure. That connection between Ellen and Orlok, between 2024s Nosferatu and past iterations of this story, between folk vampires and their more modern kin is what makes it go so hard.Something thats great about the Max Schreck performance [from the 1922 Nosferatu] is how hes so slow, Eggers said. Obviously theres some sped-up camera stuff, but in general: Theres a way in which Nosferatu is like the Terminator. Hes not getting anywhere fast, but hes going to get you, and theres no fucking way hes not.Nosferatu arrives in theaters on Dec. 25.

Cloud of Darkness (Chaotic) is a high-end duty in Final Fantasy 14, added as part of patch 7.15. This 24-man raid is a hard boss fight that will require lots of coordination to clear, but the rewards are worthwhile.Fans of The Crystal Tower raid series, the Cloud of Darkness Eden raid fight, and of Final Fantasy 3 will likely want to get in on it, since theres two mounts you can get from clearing this fight.Below, we explain where to unlock Cloud of Darkness and where to exchange the loot from the raid in FFXIV.Where to unlock Cloud of Darkness (Chaotic)To unlock Cloud of Darkness (Chaotic), youll need to talk to the Wandering Minstrel in Tuliyollal as a level 100 combat class. (This is the same place you unlock Dawntrail extreme trials from.) You will also need to have completed the base Dawntrail main scenario quest.You can find the Wandering Minstrel in the location below:Once you unlock it, you can register for the duty in the high-end duty finder. Youll need an item level of at least 710 to participate. Youll need to make a party via party finder or some other means to take on this fight.Where to trade in Cloud of Darkness (Chaotic) lootFor each clear of Cloud of Darkness, youll get Clouddark Demimateria. You can trade in the demimateria you get to Uahshepya in Solution Nine, at the location below.The loot costs as follows:Dai of Darkness mount: 75 Clouddark Demimateria IIShroud of Darkness mount: 99 Clouddark Demimateria IA Half Times Two hairstyle: 49 Clouddark Demimateria IIClouddark top and leg armor: Three Clouddark Demimateria IClouddark head, gloves, and boots: Two Clouddark Demimateria IThe Dais of Darkness mount and hairstyle can both be sold on the marketboard as well, so if youre hankering for those, you can spend a hefty chunk of gil instead of doing this tough content. The other items (the armor and Shroud of Darkness mount) are market prohibited.

Some of Canadas most darling design vernacular is recorded within the historic walls of urban dwellings that continue to endear audiences. Architect Biran OBrian of WORKS OFFICE, in collaboration with interior designer Gillian Segal, adds to the countrys rich architectural accomplishments with a charming residential renovation project in Vancouvers enviable Annex neighborhood. Here, a distinct heritage is infused with modern ingenuity for a Victorian-era informed domicile contemporized through Art Deco detailing. Bold geometry, striking forms, and inky hues all help to bridge the gap between past and present visual languages while leaving room for dialogue into the future.Rather than resist it, OBrians structural solution capitalizes on the main facades whimsical composition, which comprises a few distinctive pieces original to the houses construction. The angled wall off the front elevation and a previously underutilized bay window on the buildings south side are integral to the restructured relationship of local context with its current expression as well as its physical presence and expansion.Id say that Im far more interested in working with and emphasizing the quirks and idiosyncrasies of buildings than I am in removing or rationalizing them, OBrian says. In plan, the bay window was extrapolated into its implied circle. That circle became the singular rotunda of space that extends from the ceiling of the first floor up to the roof. Tangents and additional curves and circles emerge from that rotunda and move throughout the house.The homes curved partitions celebrate circulation as they anchor the volume vertically while providing cues for lateral movement through curvaceous tendrils that extend into individual rooms features that echo Segals ethos. We often live in such rectilinear spaces, curves always speak to me with the warmth softness, and feminine grace they radiate, she says. They provide a great juxtaposition to some of the harder aspects of any space.The 3,900-square-foot residence is only typical of modern new-builds as it unfurls programmatically: a sprawling open kitchen, dining, and living space on the ground floor; bedrooms and a study on the first floor; guest and principal suites on the second floor; and a lower level housing the lounge and gym. Spatial and aesthetic solutions, as teased by the exterior, are delightfully nuanced.The clients, a family of four, invite excitement and intrigue inside with treatments carefully curated by Segal to create interest from tension between existing elements and contemporary concepts. Stained wainscoting and cement tile applied in a classic checkerboard pattern reference historical traditions whereas unexpected textures, extruded walls, and unique approaches to daylighting appeal to contemporary sensibilities. Daring reds, dark greens, and deep blues exude grandeur from cabinets, countertops, carpets, and upholstery in primarily public areas contrasted by more private spaces awash in dreamier hues or creamy off-whites.Subversive home furnishings also heighten the awareness of duality as it exists in the home. Though dubious looking, the silver chainmail chairs are surprisingly comfortable. And lighting fixtures by Anna Karlin and Josef Hoffman nod to the Art Deco era without being ostentatious resulting in approachable sculptural forms.This project was a very paired down, modern interpretation things were focused. Streamlined forms. Rich, bold, and unique materiality. While something truly authentic to Art Deco would be overwhelming in todays world, Segal explains. Using select components and reinterpreting for this project created something that feels very warm, bold, special, and timeless.To see more works by the collaborators visit gilliansegaldesign.com and worksoffice.com.Photography by Ema Peter and Scott Norsworthy.

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We may earn a commission from links on this page.If youre serious about lifting barbells, sooner or later youre probably going to want a belt. Belts dont prevent injury as people sometimes assume, but they do help you to lift more weight. This helps you to squat and deadlift heavierthus get strongerso theyre standard equipment for a lot of strong people. We have a guide here to understanding what belts are for, how they work, and who needs them. But once you get the basic idea, youll probably still have questions. So lets dig in. By the way, if you want the short answer as to which belt I, your resident expert, wear: I have two that I love. My trusty leather belt is a Pioneer cut with offset holes, 3 inches wide, 10 millimeters thick, in maroon suede. I've had it for five or six years now and it's still going strong. My other belt is a velcro belt from 2Pood, 4 inches wide. I don't wear it much anymore because the velcro is starting to wear out, but I got it signed by Kate Vibert just after she won silver in the 2020 Olympics, so I'm never throwing it out. When should you buy a weightlifting belt?Every coach has their own opinion on when is the right time for a new trainee to buy a belt. Some might want to see you lift a certain weight first, or demonstrate a certain amount of skill at the big lifts. But the truth is, theres no agreed-upon dividing line between people who need a belt and people who dont. A belt is a tool that anybody can use, at any point in their lifting career. It doesnt make up for not knowing how to brace, so it makes sense to learn how to brace first. But a belt can help you learn how to brace, since you can feel your belly pushing against the belt when youre doing it right.In my opinion, if youre wondering whether you should get a belt, its probably time to get a belt. A lot of the good leather ones need to be ordered online, and some have a lead time of several weeks, so you might not actually get the belt until a month or two after you decide youre readyin other words, you may want to order your belt sooner rather than later.Which kind of weightlifting belt should you get?If you search for weightlifting belt online, youll get tons of results, many of them marketed to gym goers who want to look cool but who dont really understand what a belt is for. Let me cut through the marketing to say: There are only a few kinds of belts that strength sport athletes commonly wear. A velcro beltFirst, theres the 4-inch velcro belt. Im starting here because its a good all-purpose belt, cheaper than the leather ones were about to talk about, and its arguably easier to adjust and wear, too. I have one from 2Pood, which is a popular brand among Olympic weightlifters and Crossfitters. These belts are 4 inches wide, they close with a velcro strap, and they have a locking mechanism around the strap so that it wont pop open even if the velcro fails mid-lift. The velcro will wear out over time, although mine put up with more than three years of frequent use before I started to notice any problems.Velcro belts don't have to be limited to Olympic lifts, by the way. They work just fine for heavy squats and deadlifts, too. Velcro belts will generally run you between $30 and $70, depending on the brand and any special features, like custom colors. Weightlifters' favorite, and it comes in sequin options 2POOD 4-inch Weightlifting Belt $64.99 at Amazon Shop Now Shop Now $64.99 at Amazon Budget option ProFitness 4-inch Weightlifting Belt $26.45 at Amazon Shop Now Shop Now $26.45 at Amazon A solid, basic belt Gymreapers 4-inch Weightlifting Belt $34.97 at Amazon Shop Now Shop Now $34.97 at Amazon SEE 0 MORE A leather single-prong beltNext are leather belts that buckle like, well, a traditional belt. These look like a comically large version of a regular belt you'd wear to hold up your pants: they're either 3 or 4 inches wide, and made of a thick leather that is usually either 10 or 13 millimeters. The buckle is enormous to match. (When I got my first belt in the mail, I laughed. I couldnt imagine wearing it out in public. But now I just see it as a normal piece of gym equipment.) There are double-prong belts, which look cool, but they can be really annoying to operate. Remember, youll be taking it off and putting it on (or loosening and tightening it) between sets. The second prong doesnt make the belt any more secure, but it does make it fussier to fasten. In addition to my velcro belt, I have a single-prong leather belt as well, and mine is a Pioneer cut with offset holes. This way, instead of choosing between two holes that are an inch apart, I can adjust the belt in 1/2-inch increments. Adjustable with half-inch hole spacing LiftingLarge Leather Powerlifting Belt $149.80 at Amazon Shop Now Shop Now $149.80 at Amazon The classic Inzer Leather Buckle Belt $139.95 at Amazon Shop Now Shop Now $139.95 at Amazon A solid budget buy Steel Sweat Leather Weightlifting Belt $59.95 at Amazon Shop Now Shop Now $59.95 at Amazon SEE 0 MORE A leather lever beltInstead of a buckle, you may prefer a lever belt. Instead of placing a buckle prong through the hole of your choice when you put it on, you use a screwdriver to install the lever into the appropriate hole in the belt. Then you simply close the lever to lock it closed, and pop it open when youre ready to take the belt off. The pop can be satisfying after a big liftsee this clip of Jessica Buettner for an example. (I do not have a lever belt. I am slightly jealous of people who do.) These belts are available in the same common sizes as the good single-prong belts: 3 or 4 inches wide, 10 mm or 13 mm thick. Pioneer, the same company that makes my adjustable prong belt, also sells an adjustable lever that gives you a little bit of room to fasten the belt tighter or looser without having to take the lever off with a screwdriver. (Pioneer isnt paying me to shill for them, I just happen to like their adjustable designs.) For an example of a non-adjustable, Inzers Forever lever is a popular and durable design. Good quality leather belts, both prong and lever, cost more than velcro. $100 to $150 would be a typical price range, with the thicker belts usually being more expensive. (Again, custom colors and designs will run you a bit more.) Inzer Lever Weightlifting Belt $139.94 at Amazon Shop Now Shop Now $139.94 at Amazon Easy adjusting Pioneer Lever Weightlifting Belt $174.95 at Amazon Shop Now Shop Now $174.95 at Amazon The adjustable lever by itself (attach to your old lever belt) Pioneer Adjustable Lever (PAL) (Silver) $90.00 at Amazon Shop Now Shop Now $90.00 at Amazon SEE 0 MORE How to buy the right sizeYour waist measurement will tell you the length of belt you should order; refer to the sizing chart on the belt companys website to find the right size. If youre between sizes, consider whether youre likely to get bigger or smaller over time. For example, if you know youll be losing weight, you may want a belt that will still fit if you get a bit slimmer. On the other hand, its normal to gain muscle mass as you get stronger, and you may want to have the room to get bigger without having to buy a whole new belt. When it comes to the width, 4 inches is standard. (The maximum width allowable in competition is usually 4 inches for powerlifting and 12 centimeters, or 4.7 inches, in weightlifting.) The advice I got when I was a beginner is that almost everybody likes a 4-inch belt for squatting, but that some people prefer a 3-inch belt for deadlifts. I ended up getting mine in a 3-inch size, and it fits well for both lifts. Some people prefer a 4-inch belt for both lifts, but wear it higher on their waist for deadlifts. If youre not sure, see if you can borrow a belt to try on. The next thing to decide, if youre buying a leather belt, is whether to get your belt in a thickness of 10 millimeters or 13 millimeters. If in doubt, get the 10 mm. Thirteen is very thick, and many people find it makes the belt uncomfortably stiff, especially at the edges. If you are a large person and already very strong, you might need the 13 mm. But in that case, you will probably come to that conclusion through experience over time. If youre reading this, thats probably not you, and you want the 10 millimeter.My top picks for each type of belt: Velcro locking belt: 2Pood straight weightlifting beltLeather single-prong: Pioneer Cut 10 mmLeather lever: Inzer Forever lever 10 mmWhich kind of weightlifting belts to avoidSo are there belts you shouldnt buy? Arguably, yes: Double prong belts are fussier to open and close, and they aren't any stronger than single prong. If you want a buckle, most people will be happier with the single prong kind.Velcro belts without a lock can pop open mid-lift. Look for one that has a locking mechanism that holds the strap in place, like those from 2Pood or Gymreapers.Tapered belts, with a wide back and a narrow front, used to be popular among Olympic weightlifters. They arent used as much anymore, though; velcro belts have largely replaced them. Most tapered belts youll see online are lower quality ones aimed at people just trying to look cool in the gym. Fine as a fashion choice, but they wouldnt be my first pick. That said, if you already have one, might as well use it. It will be fine. Really cheap weightlifting belts (like the $20 ones you might find on Amazon) wont last as long and might not perform as well, but they honestly arent terrible. If you arent sure whether you need a belt at all, I wouldnt blame you for buying the cheap thing first and upgrading later.With that information, you should be well equipped to buy a belt that meets your needs. A locking velcro belt or a 10 millimeter straight leather belt, depending on your preference, will be best for most people. Now, whether you want a plain black belt or a custom sequin design, thats something youll have to figure out for yourself.

There are benefits to training in heart rate zone 2, and youve probably heard all about them. But what happens when your heart rate spikes into zone 3, whether when you're on a run or doing cardio at the gym? Surpriseyou dont lose the benefits of zone 2 training. Zone 3 is arguably just as good for you, or maybe even better.Remember, the reason people are excited about zone 2 training is that it helps you build your aerobic base and burn calories without incurring much fatigue. Guess what zone 3 training also does? Yep, it helps you build your aerobic base, burn even more calories, and usually only incur a tiny bit more fatigue than zone 2. So why arent we all doing more zone 3 cardio?Zone 2 is overratedThere are reasons to run (or do any cardio) at lower intensities, and reasons to use higher intensities. Before heart rate monitors were widespread, you had to judge what was easy by yourself, or by comparing your speed of running to what you knew you could do in a race. Non-athletes had the talk test": If you could hold a conversation while jogging, you knew you were at an easy, steady pace.But when everybody has a watch that tells them their heart rate, suddenly were looking at specific numbers, and our watches color code the numbers so you know when youre in zone 2 versus zone 3. Your heart ticks up a beat? Youre out of your zone. Straight to workout jail!But the reality is, your body isnt getting a drastically different workout at 153 beats per minute than it was at 152. There probably isnt even much difference between, say, 145 and 155, as long as theyre both within that conversational-ish effort level. Workout zones arent realThe most popular heart rate zone systems are made up, with no precise relationship to what's going on in your body. Your body does have some dividing lines when it comes to exercise intensity (like the point at which you can't speak comfortably anymore, or the point at which lactate accumulates faster than you can clear it), but these don't correspond exactly to the typical five-zone system. The five-zone system, as a refresher, is based on where your heart rate falls as a percentage of your maximum heart rate. There will be specific percentages defined as the boundaries of each zone, and the five zones are usually described something like this: zone 1: rest or minimal effortzone 2: easy breezy conversational pacezone 3: ???zone 4: pretty hardzone 5: maximal effortIt's a cute idea, and many people find this system helpful, but these zones are not based on any scientific findings that prove we get such-and-such benefits at 60-70% of max heart rate, and such-and-such different benefits at 71-80%. If you arent convinced, just look at how different gadgets and apps define the zones differently: Your zone 2 might be 60-70% on Apple Watch, but 65%-75% on a Peloton. Research on the benefits of exercise doesnt use heart rate zones, or at least not of this type. They may measure intensity in a few different ways, including whether you are above or below your ventilatory threshold (basically, whether or not you can talk while exercising) or your lactate threshold (measured through blood chemistry, but basically the highest effort you can sustain for a long time). Sometimes theyll measure METs, which relate to how much energy you use to do work, or they'll put everything in terms of oxygen consumption (this is where the term VO2max comes from). Occasionally these studies will send participants home with heart rate-based guidelines, but those tend to be drawn from their personal scientific measurements, rather than the cookie-cutter zones you get from an app or from watching a video on youtube. Conversational pace includes zone 2 and most of zone 3So lets take a closer look at that idea of the talk test or conversational pace. The guideline to keep your easy cardio at a chatty pace does come from a scientific concept: the ventilatory threshold.Imagine you start out at a walk, and every minute or so you increase your speed a bit. As you work harder, youll hit a point where your breath becomes a little ragged, and your sentences choppy. If you were conversing with a friend, you'd be grunting out a few words at a time, rather than casually telling a story. That point is your ventilatory threshold, or VT (sometimes called VT1).When athletes or coaches talk about easy pace or easy efforts, they usually want you below your VT. The way people talk about zone 2, youd think that the VT occurs at the top of zone 2. But nopeconversational pace is closer to 80%, which is the top of zone 3. For example, heres a study on recreational runners that found VT1 to be, on average, at 78% of the runners max heart rate. And they tested the runners max heart rate, rather than using a formula based on age. (Never trust the default formulas.)So if youre trying to train at an easy pace, or if youre using the 80/20 rule to keep 80% of your runs easy, you can do those easy runs or cardio sessions in zones 2 and 3, not just zone 3.Zone 3 is still aerobic and still easyNow that I've explained why the zone 2/zone 3 distinction is arbitrary, you see why it makes more sense to look at zones 2 and 3 (or even zones 1 through 3) as a continuum. At the lower end, youll be running or pedaling slower, burning fewer calories, and feeling like youre barely doing any work. (Hello, cozy cardio!)At the higher end (or the top of zone 3), youre still getting a lot of aerobic work done, still benefiting your mitochondria and your capillaries and everything else, but youre doing it in less time. If youre interested in calorie burn per hour, zone 3 is more efficient.Cyclists sometimes call training in this range the sweet spot. It gives you some of the advantages of harder training without making you too fatigued. For runners, zone 3 may include some of your tempo runs, some of your race-pace runs, and some of your faster easy runs.So whats the point of zone 2, if you can get all of its benefits in zone 3? That depends on your big picture: If youre doing a lot of training, youll probably want some of it to be in zone 2, if only to save some energy while youre getting more miles on your feet. But if you only run, say, three times a week, its unlikely that those couple of runs will wear you down much even if you do them all in zone 3.You shouldnt read too much into your heart rate anywayThis brings me back to my grudge against heart rate monitors. (Its a grudge borne of love; I track my own heart rate when I run and find it useful in many ways.)Your heart rate doesnt only track with your training effort; it also responds to a lot of other factors. For example, it responds to summer heat, showing you higher numbers in hot weather. It can also show higher numbers if youre more fatigued, or at the end of a run compared to the beginning, and it may show higher numbers if youre a bit dehydrated. When you run a race, you may find that your heart rate is higher than expected at the start, just because youre a bit nervous.Some medications can alter your heart rate as wellbeta-blockers, for example, notoriously lower your heart rate. And then theres the question of whether your fitness tracker's zones are set correctly (even knowing that, yes, their boundaries are made up). If youve never run an all-out race or series of hill sprints, your watch may have never seen your maximum heart rate. So if it says that your max must be 184 because you are 36 years old, its just grabbing numbers from a formula. That makes as much sense as buying shoes based on the average shoe size for a 56 woman, rather than actually measuring your feet (or trying on the shoes). If you go out for an easy run and find that your heart rate was in zone 5 the whole time, I guarantee you that isnt your zone 5.So if your heart rate creeps into zone 3 on a zone 2 training run, that may or may not be accurate. But even if it is, if you can still breathe and speak more-or-less normally, youre getting plenty of benefits from your zone 3 cardio.

Smart home controls mean you never have to manually flip a light switch again or get up to adjust the thermometer. In your home, where you know the routines and voice comments and, most importantly, have access to the home hub, theyre ideal. But for house-sitters or visiting family and friends who simply want the lights to come on or go off, theyre problematic. Previously, your choices were to grant full access in Google Home to anyone else you wanted to be able to control your smart home, or let them take their chances getting your voice assistant to respond. The problem is that once they had access, they could also do some damage, accidentally deleting smart devices or messing up settings. Last week, Google made the first moves to resolving this issue by testing user levels for Google Home. At this time, it is only available for some users enrolled in Google Public Preview, Googles beta testing program.For now, there are only two user levels: Admin and Member. User levels are popular in software and services, so they likely arent a new concept to most. Each user level carries a hierarchy of permissions. In this case, Admins continue to have all the permissions that anyone with access previously did. They can add and remove devices, move them from room to room, rename them, etc. Admin is another way of saying full access. While I was unable to find any difference in permissions between Admin and Owner, Id be surprised if there werent some.Usually there are some controls only Owners, being the person who installed the device or software, can affect. Members have limited access. They can mostly operate the devices. While they cant add a new robot vacuum, for example, they can run it. More interestingly, they can also change personal settings like face and voice recognition. You can offer your members two additional kinds of access. Activity grants them the ability to see the history of activity on a device and Settings allows them some rudimentary access to change settings of a device and add automations. screenshot of permissions, courtesy of Google Credit: Google I have a smart home and routinely have dog- or house-sitters, and this solves a huge problem. As practice of basic security, I like that I can grantand then revokeaccess for members, giving them only as much access as they need, for only as long as they need it. I immediately granted my nextdoor neighbor access, since we often go into one anothers homes to water plants, put a package inside or feed a pet.Remember, you must be enrolled in Public Preview. Once you are, you can add a new admin or member by going into Google Home and then opening settings. Tap on the new Household and access menu, and tap the + in the upper right corner and add the email address of the person youd like to invite. Theyll receive the invite via email, and will need to install the Google Home app, but they wont need to be part of Public Preview themselves.

The Russian government has banned crypto mining in ten regions for a period of six years, according to reporting by the state-owned news agency Tass. Russia has cited the industrys high power consumption rates as the primary reason behind the ban. Crypto is particularly power-hungry, as mining operations already account for nearly 2.5 percent of US energy use.This ban takes effect on January 1 and lasts until March 15, 2031. The countrys Council of Ministers has also stated that additional bans may be required in other regions during periods of peak energy demand. It could also go the other way. The ban could be temporarily lifted or altered in certain regions if a government commission examines changes in energy demand and deems it necessary.Cryptocurrency mining has only been fully legal in Russia since November 1, as the country has had a rocky relationship with the practice. Miners must register with the Ministry of Digital Development and energy consumption limits are continually monitored.The country banned the use of cryptocurrencies as legal tender back in 2022, but does allow cross-border payments. The latter is largely seen as an attempt by Russia to avoid sanctions in the wake of the invasion of Ukraine.Russia isnt the only country to put the kibosh on crypto mining due to the industrys obscene energy demands. Kosovo outlawed the practice back in 2022 to conserve electricity during an energy crisis. Angola did the same in April of 2024. That countrys law goes a step further and criminalizes crypto mining. Several European countries, like Iceland and Norway, have started to strictly regulate the industry due to energy shortages.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/russia-bans-crypto-mining-in-multiple-regions-citing-energy-concerns-163102174.html?src=rss