iOS 18.2 is now available to everyone. The update comes with big changes for iPhone users, including new Apple Intelligence features, upgrades to the Find My app, and changes to the Photos app.After you update to iOS 18.2, youll see an entirely new app on your iPhones Home Screen: Image Playground. Heres what it isWhat is Image Playground? Image Playground is one of the new Apple Intelligence features included with iOS 18.2. The app allows you to generate fun, playful images based on text descriptions, people in your Photos library, and more. The photos are generated right on your iPhone or iPad, unlike other platforms where images are generated in the cloud. Apple explains: With Image Playground, users can create fun images in seconds, choosing from three styles: Animation, Illustration, or Sketch. Image Playground is easy to use and built right into apps including Messages. Its also available in a dedicated app, perfect for experimenting with different concepts and styles. All images are created on device, giving users the freedom to experiment with as many images as they want.In the Image Playground app, you can choose an image from your Photos library as a starting point. You can create pictures based on yourself or other people in your library. You can customize that image by using text descriptions, letting you create infinite combinations of custom images. You can choose from various themes, places, costumes, and accessories as you create your image. These suggestions are curated by Apple editors and are meant to inspire your custom images. The pictures generated by Image Playground are not photorealistic. Instead, you can choose from two different styles: animation and illustration. When you generate an image, you can swipe through multiple previews and pick the one you like best. In addition to being available as a standalone app, Image Playground is integrated into multiple other places on your iPhone. For instance, you can find it in the Messages app for easy access. It will also be built into apps like Keynote, Pages, and Freeform. Theres also an API available to let third-party developers integrate Image Playground into their apps. iOS 18.2 devicesiOS 18.2 is supported on all devices capable of running iOS 18. However, Apple Intelligence features, including the new Image Playground app, are only available on the iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max. Wrap up Have you updated to iOS 18.2 yet? Are you planning to use the new Apple Intelligence features when theyre released? Will the Image Playground app remain on your iPhones Home Screen? Let us know in the comments.My favorite iPhone accessories: Add 9to5Mac to your Google News feed. FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.Youre reading 9to5Mac experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Dont know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel

Apple has updated almost the entire iPad lineup this year, except for the entry-level model which hasnt been updated since 2022. However, it seems that the company is finally working on an updated version of the entry-level iPad as a source believes that the iPad 11 will be launched in early 2025.An anonymous profile on X with a good track record revealed on Monday that Apple plans to launch iPad 11 early next year around the same time as iPadOS 18.3 will be released to the public. According to the source, the device will be launched with the new software pre-installed.The first beta of iPadOS 18.3 was released to developers last week and it didnt bring any significant new features, except for preparing support for vacuum cleaner robots in the Home app. Its quite likely that Apple has been working on adding support for the new iPad 11 in iPadOS 18.3 under the hood.iOS and iPadOS .3 updates are typically released in late January. Previously, Bloombergs Mark Gurman suggested that Apple plans to introduce iPad 11 in the spring of 2025, which starts in March. This gives us a more precise time frame for when to expect the launch of the new entry-level iPad.The leaker also corroborated reports about the new iPad 11 being equipped with Apples first wireless modem to handle Wi-Fi and 5G connectivity.Interestingly, he also revealed that Apple had been working on an iPad with the same A14 chip as the current iPad 10 something that 9to5Mac has also heard from independent sources. The leaker now says that this iPad was just a prototype for testing the new modem. The final product is expected to have a faster chip (potentially the same A17 Pro as the iPad mini) so that it works with Apple Intelligence.Apple currently sells the iPad 10 for $349. Although you can find it for as low as $279 on Amazon, we recommend that you wait for the new iPad 11 at this point.The company is also rumored to introduce a new iPhone SE and an updated iPad Air in the spring of 2025, so expect them to be announced all together in a special event or a series of videos.Add 9to5Mac to your Google News feed. FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.Youre reading 9to5Mac experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Dont know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel

Going to the movies is no longer my favorite part of going to the movies.At least not when I go with mytwo daughters, who are now nine and seven years old, respectively.When I started takingthem to press screenings, our conversations were so stimulatingand funny (or they just roasted me so brutally) that Idecided to startrecording and sharing them.The pair quickly became my favorite critics of childrens movies.(I will admit their review ofThe Brutalist was not that great.)Previously,we have reviewed films likePaw Patrol: The Mighty Movie, Despicable Me 4,andWicked. This weekend, my entire family went to the theater to watchSonic the Hedgehog 3as part of my older daughters birthday. What follows is a lightly editedtranscript of our conversation about the film. (The only things I changed or removed were a few mild spoilers.)Dad: So what did you think of the movie?9 Year Old: Good.Dad: Did you like it more than the other Sonics?9 Year Old: I feel like, um, Tails plays a bigger role in the second movie.Dad: Yeah, he definitely wasnt as big a part this time. Was that upsetting?9 Year Old: Yes.7 Year Old: I forget the second movie. What happened again?Dad: The second movie introduced Tails and Knuckles. Tails was Sonics friend and Knuckles was the new enemy. But then they all became friends at the end. And in this one, theyre a team. But Shadow is the new bad guy. You think Shadow will become friends with Sonic in the next one?9 Year Old:[huffs] They already did, Dad.Dad: Oh sorry.Sonic the Hedgehog 3Paramountloading...Dad: What did you think of Shadow?9 Year Old: Hes dark!Dad: [laughs] Heis dark.7 Year Old: I liked when Tails says What did you do? And then Sonic says I dont know, I do a lot of things!Dad: That was a funny line. Does that remind you of anyone?[7 Year Old points at 9 Year Old]9 Year Old: Yo baby! [laughs]Sonic the Hedgehog 3Paramountloading...Mom: Im just confused because Grandpa Eggman ... wouldnt Maria beRobotniks mom?Dad: I wasa little confused about that myself.Mom: Right?Dad: Nobody seems to ask any questions about how this family is related, thats for sure. And Maria was definitely too young to have kids. She was three years older than you.9 Year Old: 12? Thats a little older than me.Mom: Thats a lot older than you.Dad: So much older.Mom: Like, many many years.Dad: You know which part I liked? When Dr. Robotnik and his grandfather started dancing for no reason.7 Year Old: Oh! With the lasers!Dad: Yeah, they had suits that protected them from the lasers so they could just dance through them. Remind me in a few years to tell you about a movie calledOceans 12.7 Year Old: Ocean what?Dad: Dont worry about it.Mom: [deep, exhausted sigh] Jim Carrey.Dad: There was a lot of Jim Carrey. Double the Jim Carrey! Thats why I liked it.Sonic The Hedgehog 3Paramountloading...9 Year Old: I also liked when Eggmansassistant asked Shadow to go back to their ship and he says theyd make guacamole.Dad: Yes, you laughed really hard when Shadow said Revenge guac.9 Year Old: [laughs]Revenge guac.7 Year Old: Whats revenge guac?Dad: Just a silly thing to say.7 Year Old: I thought they were going to make a weapon out of guacamole? I had no idea what they meant.Dad: I would love to be hit by a weapon of guacamole. It sounds delicious.Mom: Why didnt they have that on the menu [at the Alamo Drafthouse]? You could have eaten it.Dad: That would have been a good idea.9 Year Old: Dad, what if its poisonous guacamole and then you eat it?Dad: Then I would die. Because I would definitely eat it. I love guacamole.Sonic the Hedgehog 3Paramountloading...7 Year Old: I thought of another favorite part.Dad: Yes, what was it?7 Year Old: Remember when they were watching TV and Shadow said She should kill both of them!?Dad:Oh thats right, the telenovela. That was funny too.7 Year Old: [imitates Keanu Reeves] She should just kill them both!Dad: Okay, its a little creepy when you say it like that.7 Year Old: [even more dark and scary Keanu Reeves imitation] She should kill them both!Dad: Ahhhh!Sonic The Hedgehog 3Paramountloading...Dad: Who is the best Soniccharacter?7 Year Old: I dont know.9 Year Old: Ido, its Tails.Mom: I liked Knuckles.Dad:I liked Knuckles too.9 Year Old: [imitates Idris Elba] Actually Sonic, I would like to fight.Mom: [imitates Idris Elba] In case of emergency, break glass.Dad: [imitates Idris Elba] Hes much more impressive than the last hedgehog I fought!7 Year Old: [imitates Ben Schwartz] Dude, Im standing right here!Dad: Exactly.7 Year Old:Okay, the funniest character is Sonic.Dad: That was a good impression of him. There are a lot of fun characters to imitate in this movie. Maybe thats the secret to a good kids movie.7 Year Old: [imitates Jim Carrey] In the saggy flesh!Sonic the Hedgehog 3Paramountloading...Dad:What do you think the message of the movie was?9 Year Old: You cant let anger control you.Dad:I like that. Were there any other good lessons in there?7 Year Old: No matter how many sad things happen, dont let the madness take over.Dad: Thats a good lesson too.9 Year Old: Also, you cant do everything yourself. Sonic tries to save everyone by himself, but it only made things worse.7 Year Old: No matter how angry you get, its not going to solve your problem.Dad: I mean,thats true right? Would Mariawant Grandpa Eggman to blow up the earth?7 Year Old: No! Youshouldtry to make the world better. You dont just destroy the earth, including yourself!Sonic The Hedgehog 3Paramountloading...Dad: One question I had, maybe you guys can explain this to me. Doctor Robotnik loves to lick one of Sonics electric, uh, what are those things called? Quills? Why does he like to do that?7 Year Old: I think he likes the power.Dad: Okay. So hes doing that to juice himself up?7 Year Old:Maybe he thinks it might give him Sonics powers?9 Year Old:[sighs] Hes just weird, Dad.Dad: Hes just a weirdo, okay, got it.7 Year Old: Oh! Another funny part! Well, funny but also kind of weird. Eggman took the spike from Sonic and he poked Grandpa Eggman in the butt with it.Dad: Oh, right. He electrocuted his grandfathers tushy.7 Year Old: [laughs hysterically]Sonic the Hedgehog 3Paramountloading...Dad: I have to say: I always expect your sister to laugh at stuff like that. But I would look over at you guys during this movie, and you know who was laughing the most at people getting poked in the tushy? [points at 7 Year Old] You! You were into the tushy jokes.9 Year Old: Imgetting too old for that.Dad: [laughs] Youre too old for tushy jokes?9 Year Old: Do not say those words in front of me.Dad: Oh okay. What about fart jokes? Are you too old for fart jokes?9 Year Old: Well ... I might have laughed a little if Eggman farted and blew Grandpa Eggman away.Dad: That would have been funny?9 Year Old: Actually, Eggman poking Grandpa Eggman in the tushy, and then Grandpa Eggman farting would have been funny.Dad: So you have script notes now. You think thats what they should have done?9 Year Old: I mean, this is a childrens movie.Dad: So that would be inappropriate? But youre the one suggesting it and youre a child!9 Year Old: I am not child! Do not call me that!Dad: What are you?9 Year Old: Im a tween!Dad: Oh, youre a tween. Im sorry.7 Year Old: I like poop jokes.Sonic The Hedgehog 3Paramountloading...Dad: So would you want to seeSonic 4?9 Year Old: Yeah ... wait, when doesSonic 4come out?Dad: I dont know. But it sure looks like they are going to make one based on that ending.9 Year Old: They cant leave it hanging like that.Dad: Thats right.9 Year Old: [long pause]So when will it come out?Dad: I really dont know! Maybe in two or three years?9 Year Old:[exasperated sigh]Get our free mobile appThe Most Underrated Movies of 2024Lets give some love to the 2024 films that deserved more attention.Categories: Longform, Movie News, Movie Reviews

On a gloomy November day, I drove from Boston to a large corporate development in Beverly, Massachusetts. I walked down a long, narrow hallway and entered a clinical-feeling, medium-sized white room full of robot kiosks. I was there to visit SmartSKN Labs, and these robots were going to make me a hyper-personalized, fully AI-created line of skin care called K-AI.I'm always on a quest for the best, most effective products. I want powerful ingredients and effective delivery systems. I want science, and so does everyone else, per the oversaturated amount of innovation-based skin care in a $182 billion global market. Demand is off the charts. Unsurprisingly, this is where AI enters the chat.The role of AI in personalized beauty is not new. Skin care brands like Proven and hair care brands such as Prose are already using AI algorithms to help consumers optimize their routines. SmartSKN is doing something I have yet to see -- leveraging AI for production itself, on-demand -- and if it gains traction, it could revolutionize the beauty industry, while also improving our skin health and reducing our carbon footprint.At the lab in Beverly, Val Neicu, co-founder of SmartSKN Labs, shared big dreams for the robots' future. First, I wanted to see what they could do. Voices Meet industry creators, contributors and emerging thought leaders that have paired with CNETs award-winning editorial team to provide you with unique content from different perspectives. How it works Upgrade your inbox Get cnet insider From talking fridges to iPhones, our experts are here to help make the world a little less complicated. Everything starts with the Muilli AI Dermascope. This intelligent device examines skin at a microscopic level using 60X magnification and captures high-resolution images of its surface to later analyze using artificial intelligence. Honestly, no one should suffer the ego death that is seeing their flaws so magnified, but alas, beauty is pain. With dermoscopic photography comes something called a bioimpedance measurement, which measures moisture and oil levels in the skin and plays a critical role in the overall analysis. The dermascope at SmartSKN labs that will develop my skin care products with the help of AI. Deenie Hartzog-MislockThen, in the SmartSKN app, I completed a short questionnaire about my skin type, concerns and lifestyle. This helped the Smart SKN AI better understand my habits so it could effectively create my personalized skin care line. It's wide-ranging too; this system has been trained on 150,000+ diverse skin profiles worldwide -- all skin types, tones and genders -- and is growing every day.Finally, thanks to the trifecta of dermoscopic photography, bioimpedance measurement and skin health questionnaire, I had the results of my skin analysis. It measured sensitivity, pigmentation, wrinkles, redness, pore size, oil levels and dryness.The line is composed of an essence/serum, an ampoule and a lotion. When finalizing each product at the robot kiosk, I had the choice of adding additional ingredients that might amplify benefits such as brightening or firming. Then the robot, which sort of looks like a bionic arm, got to work.It chose the bottle, mixed and poured my unique formula into the bottle and then screwed on the top. All this takes about five minutes. Then the robot dropped my unique product into a receptacle for me to pick up, as if I'd just won a toy from a claw machine. The robot also printed my labels, which feature a QR code with my unique profile, as well as instructions to go inside the packaging. Skin assessment results in the SmartSKN app. Deenie Hartzog-MislockWhere the robots come from and where they're goingThe AI robots, of which SmartSKN has exclusive rights, are Korean-made and use potent ingredients popular in Korean skin care brands for each personalized formula. For those unaware, the K-Beauty industry was valued at 91.9 billion in 2022, with an anticipated compound annual growth rate of 9.3% between 20232030. Korean skin care's reputation for using effective, high-quality ingredients is legendary. You can explore SmartSKN's Rolodex of ingredients here.The SmartSKN team is extremely mindful of its formulas, Neicu is clear about its place in the industry. "We're not a skin care company, we're a technology company," she said. The robots can make other products, too. While they haven't yet dipped a toe into hair care, it's not off the table. Neicu explained to me that SmartSKN's current offering is to "show people what we can do." In the next phase, they want to license the technology so that companies can use the Muilli analysis feature and AI component for their own ingredients."Just like we've developed a catalog of 150 ingredients sitting in this machine to create our skin care lines, [other brands] could use their own proprietary ingredients," she said. "They could take their line to the next level if they had their own adaptive bases, and would be able to formulate based on specific skin types."Neicu believes that skin care brands would have less drop-off and improved loyalty if they could better customize each formula. "A product might be great, but not great for me. The actives might work, but the base might be too oily or too drying. The base is 90% of the experience of a product." She spoke passionately, and as I listened I couldn't help but see potential not only for smarter skin care, but also solutions for a more sustainable future."We don't need more products. We need better products"Don't get me wrong: I love buying skin care. I collect serums like kids collect Funko Pop Toys. But I also recognize that superfluous collecting of products -- the culture of the product junkie, as it were -- isn't great for our skin or the planet.Think of the last time you walked into a beauty retailer, surrounded by walls and walls of products. What happens to the product that doesn't get purchased? Next, consider what a brand needs to do to keep up with the market: Make more products, not necessarily because there's a hole in the market, but to survive. Newness is one hell of a drug.Neicu sees a more sustainable future. "Imagine you walk into a [beauty retailer] and there are no more shelves. Each company has a robot. There's no waste, they streamline their inventory, there's better management of the manufacturing process and they'd be able to service people better."This also got me thinking about my own time and money. With each new product, I have a wait-and-see period. Will this work for me? Sometimes I break out, sometimes I don't. If it doesn't work, have I wasted my money (again)? What do I do if I can't return it? When I say the quiet part out loud, it sounds borderline silly to me that in 2024, we're just assuming a product might work for our incredibly unique skin type. We can customize our coffee and our cars, but when it comes to our skin health, we'll just keep guessing. Products are formulated on-demand from your skin assessment in an effort to reduce waste. Deenie Hartzog-Mislock"We're throwing money at a product because, what? The bottles look pretty?" Neicu said. "Because an influencer told me to buy it? Because this company dropped a new product? It needs to be better."She also points out the possibility of a sensitive skin epidemic. "Obviously we know there are way more products on the market than 20 years ago. What's directly proportional to the rise in products is people's skin health. Seventy percent of Americans report they have skin sensitivity." Neicu believes she gave herself acne and sensitive issues by using too many different products over the years."People are chasing products, especially with the madness of social media influencers. There is a gross lack of education, especially for the younger generation. Plus, it seems every celebrity has a skin care line. We don't need more products. We need better products."SmartSKN wants to simplify skin care for everyone. Personally, I want a routine that takes, at minimum, 5-10 minutes to complete. (That's "me time," OK?) Smart SKN streamlines the skin care experience for those who don't want a 6-12-step nighttime routine. Neicu said their consumer runs the gamut, but highlighted that men, in particular, are drawn to both the innovation of the AI-produced regimen and its simplicity. A guided interface lets you have say in product weight and other qualities. Deenie Hartzog-MislockVisit the lab or try it at homeSmartSKN is pretty new, which means they're still figuring out how to get their technology in front of people. Currently, the only way to experience the robots in person is to make the drive to Beverly. The company is working on setting up pop-ups in major cities. "People need to see how this is done," Neicu said.Your other option is to purchase the Muilli AI dermascope and download the SmartSKN app. It's not cheap, but a perk of owning a Muilli is that it tracks changes in your skin over time, accommodating things like seasonal shifts and lifestyle changes. With each scan, your personalized skin care line adapts to your current skin status.Robots know bestSince using my personalized skin care, what I've noticed most is that my skin feels perfectly balanced, whereas before it felt a bit oily on some days and dry on others. It's worth noting that I use gentle, hydrating cleansers; exfoliate regularly with chemical and physical exfoliators; use Vitamin C daily and often finish my nighttime routine with a lightweight oil to lock in moisture. I was doing all that before my trip to SmartSKN labs.Today, my skin looks and feels healthy, clear and hydrated, and I think I have some robots to thank for that.Opinions expressed by CNET Voices contributors are their own.

The latest development aligns with Apple's rumored strategy to go all in on smart home technology.

See at Sling TV Carries ESPN for $40 or $45 per month Sling TV See at Sling TV See more details See at Fubo Carries ESPN for $80 per month Fubo See at Fubo See more details See at YouTube TV Carries ESPN for $83 per month YouTube TV See at YouTube TV See more details See at Hulu Carries ABC, ESPN and TNT for $83 per month Hulu Plus Live TV See at Hulu See more details See at DirecTV Stream Carries ESPN for $87 per month DirecTV Stream See at DirecTV Stream See more details Table of Contents The 12-team College Football Playoff is now an eight-team playoff. The first round concluded without any upsets, which set up some big quarterfinal matchups, starting with No. 3 Boise State and No. 6 Penn State in the Fiesta Bowl on New Year's Eve. The other three quarterfinal games will be played on New Year's Day, with No. 4 Arizona State facing No. 5 Texas in the Peach Bowl, a rematch between No. 1 Oregon and No. 8 Ohio in the Rose Bowl and No. 2 Georgia taking on No. 7 Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl.Every game for the rest of the CFP will be on ESPN. If you don't have a cable or satellite TV subscription, you can watch with a live TV streaming service. Keep reading to see the full playoff schedule and the cheapest way to watch the games over the next month. The Oregon Ducks are the top seed in the 12-team College Football Playoff. Justin Casterline/Getty ImagesCollege Football Playoff TV scheduleThe CFP will resume on New Year's Eve with the first quarterfinal game and end with the national championship game on Monday, Jan. 20. Every game will be shown on ESPN. Here's the remaining schedule (all times ET):Quarterfinals:Tuesday, Dec. 31Fiesta Bowl: No. 3 Boise State vs. No. 6 Penn State at 7:30 p.m.Wednesday, Jan. 1Peach Bowl: No. 4 Arizona State vs. No. 5 Texas at 1 p.m.Rose Bowl: No. 1 Oregon vs. No. 8 Ohio State at 5 p.m.Sugar Bowl: No. 2 Georgia vs. No. 7 Notre Dame at 8:45 p.m.Semifinals:Thursday, Jan. 9Orange Bowl: 7:30 p.m.Friday, Jan. 10Cotton Bowl: 7:30 p.m.CFP National Championship:Monday, Jan. 20, at 7:30 p.m.How to watch the CFP without cableAll five of the major live TV streaming services carry ESPN, with Sling TV being the cheapest option at $40 or $45 per month. Sling TV/CNET Sling TV's Sling Orange plan includes ESPN and costs $45 a month in the areas with local networks and $40 elsewhere. Read our Sling TV review. See at Sling TV Fubo Fubo's Essential plan costs $80 a month and includes ESPN. Fubo is currently offering the first month for $45. Read our Fubo review. See at Fubo Sarah Tew/CNET YouTube TV costs $83 a month after a recent price hike and includes ESPN. Right now, the first three months are discounted to $60 a month. Read our YouTube TV review. See at YouTube TV Hulu Plus Live TV costs $83 a month and includes ESPN. Read our Hulu with Live TV review. See at Hulu Directv stream DirecTV Stream's basic $87-a-month plan includes ESPN. Read our DirecTV Stream review. See at DirecTV Stream All of the live TV streaming services above allow you to cancel anytime and require a solid internet connection. Looking for more information? Check out ourlive TV streaming services guide.

December 23, 20243 min readWhy People Get More Colds in WinterA mixture of colder temperatures, lower humidity and more time spent indoors could explain the uptick in cold viruses during the winter holidaysBy Libby Richards & The Conversation US Respiratory viruses rise in the wintertime, but not because people are outside in the cold. Jaromr Chalabala/Alamy Stock PhotoThe following essay is reprinted with permission from The Conversation, an online publication covering the latest research.Youve probably heard Dont go outside in the winter with your hair wet or without a coat; youll catch a cold.Thats not exactly true. As with many things, the reality is more complicated. Heres the distinction: Being cold isnt why you get a cold. But it is true that cold weather makes it easier to catch respiratory viruses such as the cold and flu.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.Research also shows that lower temperatures are associated with higher COVID-19 rates.As a professor of nursing with a background in public health, Im often asked about infectious disease spread, including the relationship between cold and catching a cold. So heres a look at what actually happens.Many viruses, including rhinovirus the usual culprit for the common cold influenza, and SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, remain infectious longer and replicate faster in colder temperatures and at lower humidity levels. This, coupled with the fact that people spend more time indoors and in close contact with others during cold weather, are common reasons that germs are more likely to spread.The flu and respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, tend to have a defined fall and winter seasonality. However, because of the emergence of new COVID-19 variants and immunity from previous infections and vaccinations decreasing over time, COVID-19 is not the typical cold-weather respiratory virus. As a case in point, COVID-19 infection rates have surged every summer since 2020.Virus transmission is easier when its coldMore specifically, cold weather can change the outer membrane of the influenza virus, making it more solid and rubbery. Scientists believe that the rubbery coating makes person-to-person transmission of the virus easier.Its not just cold winter air that causes a problem. Air that is dry in addition to cold has been linked to flu outbreaks. Thats because dry winter air further helps the influenza virus to remain infectious longer. Dry air, which is common in the winter, causes the water found in respiratory droplets to evaporate more quickly. This results in smaller particles, which are capable of lasting longer and traveling farther after you cough or sneeze.How your immune system responds during cold weather also matters a great deal. Inhaling cold air may adversely affect the immune response in your respiratory tract, which makes it easier for viruses to take hold. Thats why wearing a scarf over your nose and mouth may help prevent a cold because it warms the air that you inhale.Also, most people get less sunlight in the winter. That is a problem because the sun is a major source of vitamin D, which is essential for immune system health. Physical activity, another factor, also tends to drop during the winter. People are three times more likely to delay exercise in snowy or icy conditions.Instead, people spend more time indoors. That usually means more close contact with others, which leads to disease spread. Respiratory viruses generally spread within a 6-foot radius of an infected person.In addition, cold temperatures and low humidity dry out your eyes and the mucous membranes in your nose and throat. Because viruses that cause colds, flu and COVID-19 are typically inhaled, the virus can attach more easily to these impaired, dried-out passages.What you can doThe bottom line is that being wet and cold doesnt make you sick. That being said, there are strategies to help prevent illness all year long:Wash your hands often.Avoid touching your face, something people do between nine and 23 times an hour.Stay hydrated. Eight glasses a dayof water is a good goal, but that could be more or less depending on lifestyle and the size of the person.Eat a well-balanced diet. Dark green, leafy vegetables are rich in immune system-supporting vitamins, while eggs, fortified milk, salmon and tuna have vitamin D.Stay physically active, even during the winter.Get adequate sleep.Clean hard, high-touch surfacesin your home often.If your nose or throat gets dry in the winter, consider using a humidifier.Get your annual flu and COVID-19 vaccine.Following these tips can ensure you have a healthy winter season.This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

OpinionDecember 23, 20245 min readA Little Math Can Streamline Holiday Cookie MakingMaking cookies is time- and labor-intensive. Heres how a little math can make it easier and less wasteful this holiday seasonBy Clara Eugenia Garza-Hume A cookie cutter that creates a tessellation can save time and use up more dough. Megha SatyanarayanaWhen our children were little, we spent a lot of time in the kitchen together. We used the occasions to surreptitiously teach them about science: heat and temperature, fluid flow, density, viscosity, physical changes, chemical reactions, acids and bases. We told them how these properties combined to magically make cakes rise with carbon dioxide; we told them about yeasts and other interesting microorganisms.We also talked about math: weights and measures, areas and volumes. Pizza is a great way to introduce fractions. We enjoyed baking cookies together and used many different cookie cutters. Our son loved dinosaurs so we had dinosaur cookie cutters, but also flowers, hearts, stars and animals. An interesting conundrum came up when we used the cookie cutters: they left gaps between each shape we cut out. To use up all the dough, it had to be rerolled. But then it warmed up and had to be chilled before we could cut it again. This took time.There had to be a more efficient way to divide the dough.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.Making cookies using more traditional cookie cutters often leaves a lot of leftover dough.Megha SatyanarayanaBeing a mathematician, I had heard about tilings and tessellations, which refer to the covering of a surface, using one or more geometric shapes, with no overlaps and no gaps. That was the answer to the cookie cutter problem!So I looked for tessellating cookie cutters but found only squares and hexagons. They work but are not particularly interesting, as far as shapes go. And then, about 15 years ago, the first 3D printers arrived. It was possible to make custom cookie cutters, and then it became a matter of choosing the shape. Many figures can be used to tessellate, such as regular or irregular triangles, rectangles or some irregular pentagons. Some of the irregular pentagons were discovered by the late amateur mathematician Marjorie Rice and can be seen in Mathemalchemy, an artistic and mathematical exhibit with collaborators including Duke University mathematician Ingrid Daubechies and textile artist Dominique Ehrmann. The exhibit also shows a tessellating cookie cutter using the symbol for pi, suitably tweaked by Daubechies.There are other examples; Islamic art includes beautiful and creative designs using pentagonal symmetry.If we join two or more figures then there are many more options. For example, octagons and squares, or pentagons and rhombuses, or all the amazing work by M.C. Escher. But not all make for good cookies; we made a cookie cutter in the shape of one of Eschers lizards but the legs broke when we separated the figures.All these tessellations are periodic, which means they have a repeating pattern. In the 1970s Roger Penrose found two figures called kites and darts that tile a plane only aperiodically (meaning that all possible configurations are nonperiodic) if some local rules, specifying which sides of the dart can touch each other, are obeyed. But if the rules are not obeyed then they tile periodically. And this is perfect for a cookie cutter because the raw dough is tiled periodically, and then the cookies can be placed periodically or nonperiodically. There is more information about Penrose tiles in the video channel Veritasium and at a Web page titled A Penrose-type Islamic Interlacing Pattern.A tessellating cookie cutter, such as this one in the shape of a kite and dart, creates a nice pattern and uses up more dough than other shapes.Megha SatyanarayanaA couple of years ago, using a 3D printer, with a lot of help from my friends, I made a cookie cutter in the shape of a kite and dart together in a way that tiles periodically. After baking, the pieces can be placed periodically or nonperiodically. This worked beautifully.And then the Hat arrived.For about 50 years mathematicians wondered if there could be one single figure that tiled a plane aperiodically. And in 2023 David Smith, Craig Kaplan, Chaim Goodman-Strauss and Samuel Myers managed to find the elusive aperiodic monotile, which they called the Hat or einstein.My first impulse was to make a cookie cutter in the shape of the Hat. It turned out to be extremely difficult to place the pieces without gaps or overlaps. But the people who found the Hat actually also realized it could be transformed into an infinite number of aperiodic monotiles, as reported by Craig Kaplan. Three of the monotiles can tile both periodically and nonperiodically, and they are perfect as cookie cutters.A chevron that Smith and crew called Tile (0,1) is easy to make, easy to use on the dough, and the baked cookies are easy to place in beautiful patterns, especially if they are decorated with different colors. Another perfect candidate is what the authors called Tile (1,1). This figure tiles periodically when combined with its mirror image but only aperiodically if the mirror image is not allowed. Therefore, the perfect cookie cutter has two of these figures, one normal and one reflected.A cookie cutter based on the Hat, discovered by David Smith, makes a tessellating pattern that wastes little dough.Megha SatyanarayanaSmith and collaborators also invented a category of curved aperiodic monotiles, which they called Spectres, which could also be turned into cookie cutters, as could the recently discovered soft cells. In each of these instances, if you are careful, you can cut your cookie dough with minimal rerolling and waste.As you cook and bake over the holidays, if you can find a tessellating cookie cutter and if you involve your children, you can take the time you would have spent rerolling dough to tell them about science and math. In our case, our children are grown, but my collection of tessellating cookie cutters and I are excited to share the wonders of math and science when our grandchildren arrive.This is an opinion and analysis article, and the views expressed by the author or authors are not necessarily those of Scientific American.

Please note that all prices are for queen-size bed-in-a-box mattresses. Check retailers for additional price and size information.Best Overall Mattress: Dreamcloud Premier Hybrid MattressDreamCloud Premier Hybrid MattressUpsidesBreathable, minimal motion transfer, several body-contouring foam layersDownsidesNot made of as many earth-friendly materials as other options in our listWho It's Best ForCouplesAll types of sleepers looking for a balance between a plush, yet supportive mattressSpecsMattress type: HybridLayers: Six layers - Four various types of memory foam for contouring cushion, one of foam-encased pocketed micro coils for support, and a hand-tufted cashmere blend coverWarranty365-night sleep trial, lifetime warranty, free shipping and returnsMattress tester: Michael Shome, global visuals directorHow did the delivery go? The delivery was incredibly fast and efficient. Customer service was easy and pleasant. To get the mattress in place, one needs some support. If you live alone, youll definitely need to recruit a friend to help move the mattress in place.What was the setup like? The mattress arrived neatly compressed in a compact box but as expected, it is quite heavy. Two people are required to maneuver the mattress.How firm is the mattress? The mattress is moderately firm, but the plush Euro Top adds an extra layer of coziness and comfort. The DreamCloud Premier King has a super cozy cashmere top and seven decadent layers of adaptive support. There is also a one year trial period for mattress buyers looking for longer term flexibility and assessment. Too often mattresses lose their support after consecutive nights of sleep, which makes the trial period quite valuable.How comfortable was the mattress on a scale of 1 to 10? 8Would you recommend this mattress to a friend? I would certainly recommend this to a friend and have already suggested it to my parents. They often complain about the annoyance of disturbed sleep from transfer movement. The DreamCloud truly minimizes sleep disturbance from your neighbor.Best Cooling Mattress: Cocoon Chill Memory Foam MattressCocoon ChillUpsidesOn the affordable side and often on sale, cooling cover, memory foam layers adjust to sleep positionDownsidesLeans more firm than medium, according to our testerWho Its Best ForHot sleepersStomach sleepersSpecsMattress type: Hybrid or memory foamLayers: Four layers of body-hugging memory foam and a cooling coverFirmness: MediumHeight: 10 inchesWeight: Between 40 - 83 poundsWarrantyFree shipping and returns, 10-year warranty, and a 100-night sleep trialMattress tester: Cade Hiser, contributorHow did the delivery and setup go? The delivery was super simple and fast. The overall setup was even faster! From right out of the box, it rolled out nicely onto the box spring on top of my bed frame. There were no complicated instructions or anything like that. The mattress was ready for sleep that evening.How firm is the mattress? The mattress was honestly a bit firmer than I expected. The Sealy website rates it about a 6/10 on their firm scale, but Id put it closer to an 8. The two foam layers make a difference.How comfortable was the mattress on a scale of 1 to 10? I would give this mattress an 8 out of 10 in terms of overall comfort. It may take some getting used to at first if you are new to firmer mattresses like myself. The memory foam layers adjust to your sleep position, which makes falling asleep easy.How well did you sleep? Ive never slept better. While my previous mattress was on the firmer side, it was not a memory foam or very cool mattress. With the Cocoon Chill Memory Foam mattress, I do not wake up in the middle of the night like I used to, tossing and turning. I also stay sleeping at a comfortable temperature throughout the night.If you could change anything about the mattress what would it be? Im not sure that I would change anything about this mattress. It is exactly what I was looking for.How does this mattress compare to other mattresses youve slept on? I can really tell the difference in my sleep and I wake up feeling refreshed and energized. I used to wake up in the middle of the night and would have so much trouble falling back asleep. With this mattress I wake up significantly less in the middle of the night, and if I do I never have trouble falling back asleep. It really has made sleeping easy!Best Soft Mattress: The Nectar Memory Foam MattressNectar Memory Foam MattressUpsidesSoft to the touch, good motion control, cooling coverDownsidesNot made of organic materials like other mattresses in our listWho Its Best ForSide sleepersBack sleepersSpecsMattress type: Memory foamLayers: Four layers: CertiPUR-US certified quilted gel memory foam, gel memory foam, and adaptive hi core memory foam, with a foam base and a cooling Tencel cover to prevent overheatingFirmness: Medium-firmHeight: 12 inchesWeight: 83 poundsWarranty365-night sleeptrial, lifetime warranty, and free shipping and full refundsMattress tester: Nick Mafi, senior digital features editorHow did the delivery go? The delivery process was very easy. The Nectar mattress appeared in my apartment lobby in a box that seemed far too small to hold a queen-size mattress.What was the setup like? After bringing it up to my apartment and opening the package, I moved the deflated mattress to my bed frame. From there, the mattress (which was packaged in plastic wrapping) quickly expanded to fit my queen-size bed frame. I allowed the mattress 72 hours to fully inflate, per the directions, before sleeping on it.How firm is the mattress? My body sinks into the all-foam mattress a bit more than I had anticipated, but thats likely due to the fact that its been over a decade since Ive had any sort of memory foam mattress.How comfortable was the mattress on a scale of 1 to 10? I would say an 8. The mattress is comfortable, but I wasnt used to the give of a memory foam bed at first.How well did you sleep? To my surprise, I am actually sleeping better on this mattress than I was on my old one.Would you recommend this mattress to a friend? Yes, absolutely. My biggest concern was that I would take the time and energy to get a new mattress and regret my decision, which would mean I would have to go through the whole process again. Luckily, that didnt happen, and Ive been very happy with the mattress.Best Hybrid Mattress: The Burrow Lyric Hybrid MattressLyric Hybrid MattressUpsidesFirm support, soft cover, durable buildDownsidesLeans on the firmer side, according to our testerWho Its Best ForBack sleepersSleepers who like a balance between a soft and firm mattressSpecsMattress type: HybridLayers: 5 layers: Nylon cover and gel-infused, memory foam, pocketed coils, and base foam layersFirmness: Medium-firmHeight: 11.5 inchesWeight: N/AWarranty100-night sleep trial, one-year warranty, $49 shipping fee, return fee is equal to 10% of purchase valueMattress tester: Rachel Davies, contributorHow did the delivery go? The mattress arrived rolled in a box that was about five feet long. Delivery was very straightforward, but the box was heavy to move around so the process was not without strain. Overall, it was manageable to lift with two people and a lot easier than if it was a flat mattress.What was the setup like? I had a friend with me but I think it also would have been fine to set up alone. Getting it out of the box was super simpleonce I had the box in the right spot. It arrived vacuum sealed, so after taking it out of the box and wrapping, I let it rest for a few hours before putting it on the bed frame (I was able to sleep on it that night, and it definitely firmed up more overtime).How firm is the mattress? Its pretty firm, but has a softness to it. I prefer something super plush, so its not perfect for me but its still cozy.How comfortable was the mattress on a scale of 1 to 10? I would say it is an 8. Not the comfiest mattress Ive ever laid on but still quite comfortable! This is definitely a true hybridsoft and cozy on top, but still supportive through the night.How well did you sleep? This mattress has gotten more comfortable as Ive slept on it, but even at peak stiffness it was never really uncomfortable and I could always fall asleep (I think it took about a week or two to fully adjust). Id previously owned an IKEA hybrid mattress for years and the Burrow mattress feels well-made and more comfortable too.

Nvidia will no doubt have the biggest CES 2025. After all, the company has pretty much the biggest everything nowadays. The chip giant is sporting a $3.4+ trillion market cap, due largely to its foundational position in the ongoing AI boom. Companies like OpenAI and Meta have purchased Nvidia processors by the boatload, and thats unlikely to change in the new year.Founder and CEO Jensen Huang will help kick off CES 2025 on January 6 at 6:30 p.m. PT/9:30 p.m. ET, with his trademark leather jacket and an unwavering vision, per Nvidia. The keynote will be livestreamed both on YouTube and via the chipmakers site.Nvidia is expected to make a slew of big announcements at the event, with its RTX 5000series GPU making the biggest waves of the keynote and, likely, the whole show. Huang will no doubt also be using the platform to discuss a wide range of topics touched by Nvidias silicon, from AI and robots to automative and more.