Image: Nintendo LifeOver the holiday season, we're republishing some of the best articles from Nintendo Life writers and contributors as part of our Best of 2024 series. This article was originally published in September. Enjoy!Lena Raine has so much to say, and shes figured out a lot of different ways to say it all.Of course, avid game players have been listening to her musical scores for over a decade now, which includes music for Minecraft, as well as the soundtracks for Chicory: A Colorful Tale and the BAFTA-nominated Celeste score. Shes currently scoring the respective follow-ups to those games: Wishes Unlimited's Beastieball and Extremely OK Games' Earthblade.Subscribe to Nintendo Life on YouTube790kWatch on YouTube But did you know that Raine has also written a book, released her own album, and is also a programmer in her own right? Shes just announced her very first solo video game project titled ANOTHEREAL, which is a genre mashup of the shoot em up genre combined with the storytelling and role-playing mechanics of RPGs, all of which feels right for a creator that cant stop playing outside the lines.Nintendo Life caught up with Lena at PAX West 2024 to discuss her latest project, her past projects, as well as her dream project for the future.Alan Lopez for Nintendo Life: Not to stress you out, but Im going to list some famous video game composers, and then tell you one thing they all have in common: Russell Brower, Nobuo Uematsu, Koji Kondo, Yoko Shimomura, David Wise, Austin Wintorybetween all of them, they have zero games that they've made on their own. So lets start there. What made you want to make your own video game?Lena Raine: I mean, I honestly got my start in the games industry kind of by accidentally landing into game design.I spent maybe six years as a game designer before I ever got a big profile composition jobI graduated from college in 2006 with a music degree, and I really wanted to get into games as a composer. But at the time, there were just no jobs for the kind of music that I was writing. I was not [making] the big epic Hollywood sound, I wasn't what AAA developers were going for, and so I was like, 'Well, I need to find a job so I can move out of my parents' place.' And so I got into game testing. I worked at Nintendo for two-and-a-half years doing certification testing. Then I worked at Warner Brothers Games and I eventually landed at a company called ArenaNet who was developing Guild Wars 2. I was a tester there first for about six months before a design position opened and I was like, 'Well, I've worked with these tools to test the game, it would be kind of fun to see if I can make it as a game designer.'And so I started doing that after hours. I was playing around in the engine and designing my own events and quests and stuff to feel out the design tools. And I took a really large liking to it. I actually got that job as a game designer. I worked on a prototype project for a while, developing systems basically from scratch in the scripting tools. And then once that prototype sort of folded, I got brought on to Guild Wars 2 and became a full-time designer there.And so I spent maybe six years as a game designer before I ever got a big profile composition job. I was still writing music in my free time to keep that passion alive, but at the same time, I started developing this huge affinity for game design because all of a sudden I had spent just as much time doing that as I had writing music.Now, after working as a composer for a while, I started revisiting that passion for game design - '[Now] I have enough resources, I know enough people that I can probably figure it out!' And I can develop another skill, I can learn programming, I can do all these other things to try and make a game project, because that's what I've wanted to do for a long time.So you've always wanted to do this.Yeah!Images: Radical DreamlandYoure suggesting you sort of accidentally became a game composer?No, Ive always been a composer from a very early age, writing music, all of that, but I never had the opportunity. And then once I did become a full-time composer, which was, you know, the goal, then I started feeling like there was something else missing. 'I really want to do game design again.' And making my own game was kind of a way to do both.I want to get deeper into your upcoming first game, ANOTHEREAL. All we know about it is from the short trailer. I am deeply interested in why you chose the shoot-'em-up genre to marry with RPG mechanics.that's what got the ball rolling - 'What if I made [RPG] combat into a little shmup battle?'When I'm looking at game design, I am pulling from a lot of my favourite experiences in games. I love RPGs, but one thing thats dulled my interest over the years are the types of combat systems that are currently prominent in them. I mean, turn-based is great. I love a good turn-based system. But everyone's doing them. It's kind of like everyone is trying to recapture the mystique of the 16-bit era [with] Mario RPG mechanics and timed-button presses and all this stuff, and there's just a huge resurgence of classic RPG style games... and that's really cool, [but] I still want to try and do something different, because I love weird RPGs.One of my favourite RPGs is this game called Resonance of Fate, which is this Playstation 3 RPG that is just absolutely bonkers. It was made by tri-Ace. Have you played it?No, I've not played it. Im curious to know why its bonkers.I'll try to sum it up. It's very bizarre. You have three characters in your party, it's always the same three characters. But the combat system involves two types of guns: pistols and submachine guns. Pistols do direct damage, [but] enemies generally have a high resistance to pistol shots, for some reason. Then submachine guns do scratch damage, which enemies have a lesser resistance to [and] they do more damage faster, but scratch damage cant kill them.So you have to convert the scratch damage into real damage, which as soon as [enemies] get shot with a pistol, it converts into real damage, and only then can you actually finish them off. They are also surrounded by shields, so there's all these things to consider like positioning, and its just bizarre. Its all these kinds of mechanics you never see in many other types of games, I love that kind of stuff.And while games like Undertale and Deltarune kind of have these hybrid systems of shmup-like bullet dodging, it's still command-driven battles. That's really cool, why not do a full-on shmup-style combat system? Shmups are very usually long stages and have these very scripted progressions...it's kind of like the primary game mode. But I could make this bite-sized, I could make this into one dual basically, you versus an enemy.And that's what got the ball rolling - 'What if I made combat into a little shmup battle?' You win it, you move on, you do more RPG stuff like exploration, talk to people, and stuff like that.Subscribe to Nintendo Life on YouTube790kSo is the shmup genre distinct in some key way from 'bullet hell,' or is it synonymous?I mean, there's a whole bunch of nuance in the shmup genre. There's Touhou-style bullet hell, which is about the fireworks and the spectacle of it, its about the beauty of the bullets as youre trying to not die [laughter]. Then you've got CAVE-style shmup, where it's all like fast-action bullets coming at you extremely fast, and you're teasing out the directions because they're honing in on you and [youre] dodging out of the way. You've got all these different styles. And mine's trying to fit in closer to Touhou style, without going as insane as Touhou does. Because I still want it to be playable by an RPG gamer.Sure. But I mean, your trailer looked intense? [laughter][laughter] Intentionally, to show the variety of different types of encounters. I definitely put in a couple of shots where it was like, 'This is the highest difficulty, good luck!' And even since [the trailers release], I've been tweaking a lot and changing the speed at which bullets are going or how the bullets are formed. There's a lot that you can tweak in a real-time system like that. It's a constant playtesting, doing some tweaks, seeing how it plays with my friends that are of different skill levelsBefore I move into the narrative aspect of your game, I just wanted to say that I'm a little bit ignorant of the genre because growing up, when I was a kid, something about these specific kinds of games almost felt like contraband. I don't know why, but they were always published in the most bootlegged ways.Oh yeah, especially Japanese shmups. It's been really difficult to find English-localised versions of them. Theyve become more prevalent in recent years, because there's a lot of fan translations and official translations of these games, and now Steam [gives] access to their Japanese store, [so] you can still get untranslated shmups off Steam, even if you can't understand them. But yeah, having that language barrier puts a buffer between you and the genre.Plus also, the nature of a lot of Japanese shmups is they are distributed on CDs at physical conventions more often than not. It's like that doujin-style game distribution [model]. And it's only recently been kind of more accepted to put things online so people can download them.When I was a kid, it kind of felt like a guy being like, Here kid, take this floppy. [laughter]Exactly, and load [it] into your Commodore 64 and run a program and eventually you'll be able to play it. Maybe. Shoot em up, all of emBut ANOTHEREAL is also a narrative game that seems to have a lot of emotional beats. Maybe, maybe not. Can you just speak a little bit about what you want people to feel when they play it?Im a huge fan of doing metaphor with my gameplay design that ties into how the game feels, as well as the emotional response of the characters.Thats something where, for example, I definitely didn't have any input in the design of Celeste, but it was something I learned from Celeste while working on it. Game design can function on multiple levels, and it can really be a vector for the emotional resonance of the story. And you don't have to have a lot of dialogue. But my game does have a lot of dialogue. [laughter] It's a matter of making sure that all of the emotional beats are matched up to what the gameplay is doing.ANOTHEREAL is definitely an emotional story, one that is intentionally mysterious from the outset. A lot of games do your very typical amnesia, I'm-discovering-the-world thing for the protagonist because it's a very easy jumping-off point for a new player coming into the world. My approach is kind of similar, but kind of different, where the main character, named Astra, has an understanding of the world that is not correct, which she comes to discover as she re-emerges into the world. She's been a bit of a recluse, holed herself up in her room for an undefined number of years, then shes invited out by her sister, who is one of the only people that has been close to her in her life, and she decides, 'Okay, maybe now is the time to actually reemerge.' From there you discover things aren't quite as normal as you might assume them to be.You touched on how sound design informs the game. I don't have any special insight on how Celeste, Chicory, Harmony: The Fall of Reverie, or any of the games that you've worked on were designed in this regard. But you, more so than many, it seems like your scores somewhat inform the game design, or maybe vice versa but now you don't have a client. How is that feeling?It's very much like just taking off and putting on various hats. I am basically my own client in a lot of ways where I have to dig deep into one aspect of the game, and then I go into a different role and interrogate myself as I finish something and [then] I'm doing sound design or whatever, and figuring out what is actually best to do in this situation. How dynamic do I need to make music? What additional cues do I need to make? And so there's a lot of putting on that producer hat of, 'Okay, what is the bare minimum that I need to have for this scene to work?'Relating it back to the top of the interview, I feel like if Koji Kondo came out and said, I'm going to make my own game, there'd be so much pressure for it to sound amazing. Do you feel any pressure on your soundtrack?I mean, always. No matter what I'm doing, I always feel this kind of pressure to one-up myself in some way. Every game is different. Every game has its own needs. Something like Beastieball, which is what I'm currently working on, has a very different aesthetic from the previous game that I did with Wishes, Chicory, which had live instruments and [was] polished and all of that. Whereas Beastieball is super kind of 'rough', you know, it has Super Nintendo samples and stuff.But there's always the pressure to at least sound different, especially doing my own game. Obviously people are going to be coming to it because they know my music more so than [because] they read my writing or [saw] my game design or whatever.Subscribe to Nintendo Life on YouTube790kYou've written a book. Youve made an album, and now a game. In your creative process, are you attracted to other mediums such that you simply say, I want to go play in this medium and play with its form and see what comes out, or do you just make stuff and then wherever it goes is where it goes?I like to play within various medium [constraints] to start. What I've always said about myself is [that] I'm a storyteller at heart, so everything I do is telling a story in some way, whether it is writing music, or writing actual words, or doing game design, or whatever it is. As long as someone can take something out of that and go on a journey, thats what matters to me.Since you just mentioned it, I want to briefly touch on Beastieball and give you my own experience with your work. I listened to whatever is already available from that soundtrack online, and I was a little bit surprised! The song ROWDY!!! was the first thing I listened to.Yeah! Yeah! [laughter]And it was retro-styled, just the way someone might imagine, but with piano? And because of that it came across to me like 90s chamber techno or something. I don't know, maybe Moby or something? It was really interesting to me in a way I wasnt expecting.I mean, Beastieball is a fun experiment where we're coming to it from an approach of essentially designing this weird, long-lost Super Nintendo score, essentially. But it's taking Super Nintendo sounds and infusing them with some more modern sensibilities. A lot of the town themes and exploration themes start with the Super Nintendo samples as kind of the base, and then I start putting more stuff in there and getting some hip-hop beat or some other sound design in there to put it in a different space, so it's not just a Super Nintendo track - this couldn't be playing on a Super Nintendo, but it still has all of those elements that get you nostalgic for that stuff.But, you know, [it's] nostalgic for me, in that these are the sounds that I grew up with. So that could be recording something with an older microphone or using an instrument from an earlier period of music.Combining volleyball with Pokmon-style battles, Beastieball looks like a great fit for Switch - although there's been no announcement as yet Images: Klei PublishingI think the key there is that its nostalgic for you. I think the impulse for many would have been just to do a straight-up 8-bit, 16-bit thing.Yeah, and that's kind of like what I was talking about before looking at RPG design. You can just emulate what's been done, but I think what's more interesting is to bring it into a conversation with the present day so that you're still taking in inspiration, but you're bringing it forward into modern times, because we don't need to just keep on repeating the past.I agree. By the way, Greg [Lobanov of Wishes Unlimited, developer of Chicory and Beastieball] let it slip to me earlier and I don't know if this is privileged information but he told me that you two were on a volleyball team.We are, yeah. We have an amateur volleyball team that we're on.I wish Nintendo Life could do, like, ESPN coverage of one of your matches. [laughter]No, no, no, we're terrible! [laughter]He said that too.We have fun.I have to ask, does actually playing volleyball inform how you would score a volleyball game?I mean, learning more about volleyball definitely has helped me score Beastieball, in terms of the culture around volleyball players and games and professional matches and stuff. There's so many weird quirks that I find fascinating.Beastieball is a fun experiment where we're coming to it from an approach of essentially designing this weird, long-lost Super Nintendo scoreLike, one of the things that has accidentally played into the score a bit, which a lot of people discovered through the Olympics, are some of the traditional volleyball hype songs that happen. The way that a volleyball match happens in a big arena is that everyone's quiet for the plays and stuff, and then they do volleys and they bat it around and then a point's scored. A music cue happens every time a point is scored, and sometimes it's a very specific music cue thats exclusive to volleyball.For example, there's the concept of a 'monster block,' right? So someone is just like, Boom! Just dominating the net. They get a monster block, and then the arena plays 'The monster block song.' And it's like, this f***ing really cheesy song. It might go: [in a deep voice] Monster block, monster block, monster, monster! And its like, what is this? Who wrote this? And Ive been doing this investigation: what are [these] volleyball songs that play during professional matches? There was one that was just, [in a deep voice] Here comes the boom, here comes the boom! And it's just a sample or recording or something. I was like, 'This is so silly. I love this!'And so we started incorporating samples of things into the Beastieball songs. Theres one character called the Sports King, and he's sort of like a bit of an antagonist in the game. But the Sports King Theme has a little sample of Here Comes the Boom! in there, but it's, 'Here Comes the Sports King!'Don't click this. You'll regret it.Its like Jock Jams.Yeah, exactly. And it's just like that weird audio-s**t post-style of sampling [...] if you're familiar with SilvaGunner, its a YouTube channel that does high-quality rips of game music. The guys are uploading songs legally onto YouTube, [and] it's actually a bunch of really clever remixes. But they have a lot of memes and stuff that they bring into their songs and they'll put samples from things in there, and just to goof on whatever.I was introduced to them, not knowing who they were. This is a collective of remixers. They did a rip of Celeste when that came out. And I was getting kind of aggro about people uploading my music onto YouTube, because I uploaded it myself, you don't need to do that! I came across one that I thought was just a normal upload of my music, and then everyone was [in] my mentions on Twitter, being like, You don't know? You don't know? And so then I listened to it, and, 'Oh, they're doing something here.' [laughter]Since then I've become a big fan of just listening to their silly riffs off of various video game songs. And so I've come to embrace that into my own style for Beastieball, to not take things too seriously and just be really silly with it. Especially for some of the more villainous characters, they're kind of part of this absurd commercialism of sport that is happening with Beastieball.I know ANOTHEREAL is not yet technically announced for consoleYeah, I mean, I'm one girl, I can only do so much, so my approach right now is I want to finish the game for PC and make sure its a good game, which will take a while. And in that time, who knows what'll happen with the console landscape. So I'm observing what's going on and I've got connections. Maybe I'll be able to get funding to do more with the game. I'm really hoping to.I love RPGs, but one thing thats dulled my interest over the years are the types of combat systems that are currently prominent in them. I mean, turn-based is great. I love a good turn-based system. But everyone's doing them.I am also self-publishing right now, so if there eventually is, down the line, a publishing partner, they might be able to help me get going with stuff. Things like you expect from console releases, like localisation, all that stuff, that all takes money, that all takes publishing support. I'll keep working on the game and putting stuff out there about it, and then maybe I'll have opportunities come up from getting the game out there.So this has all been quite a journey for you. Lets finish with this thought. 10 years from now, Lena is known as a world-famous game maker - are you still going to be taking on clients [as a musician], or maybe by that point you'll be a poet laureate?[laughter] Oh goodness. I'm always, you know, I love working with my friends and that's where I'm at right now with game composition. I'm working with Greg, I'm working with the folks at EXOK on their next game, Earthblade. I love working with them, they're my friends and as long as they keep making games and I have the time for it, Id love to keep working with them. And then there's opportunities that come up. I did a little bit of help on the game Deltarune. [Ultimately,] Id love to keep working with friends on additional things, even if I'm not the main composer on it. That's kind of where I see myself.But still, I do really want to put a concentrated effort on doing more game design and really having my stories out there, as well as the ones that I'm helping to make.Subscribe to Nintendo Life on YouTube790kSo lets speak it into existence! Whos your dream client?My dream client? Oh, I mean...I don't know.Image: Alan Lopez / Nintendo LifeI mean, you did Minecraft, right? Does it get any bigger?As far as the number of people playing the game, probably not. Minecraft is pretty huge. That's almost beyond the limits of what I consider for myself. But you know, it's one of those things where if I was asked to score a new Zelda game, would I say no? Absolutely not. You know, the sky's the limit for those sorts of things. I'm a huge fan of Nintendo franchises. I'm a huge fan of Square Enix and the Final Fantasy and Xeno games of the world.If there's any opportunity to work with other composers and collaborate on things or emerge into a different franchise that I'm a big fan of, yeah, that sounds amazing. But it's kind of like, do they need that help? Is there the capacity for it?I don't know, the sky's the limit, honestly.Our thanks to Lena for taking the time to speak with us. The release date of Lena's ANOTHEREAL is still to be announced, as is any potential Switch port we'll let you know as soon as we hear any news.Wishes Unlimited is eyeing a 2024 release date for Beastieball on PC and Mac, with no Switch release announced at the time of writing. And Extremely OK Games' Earthblade was recently pushed back into 2025. The cat is called BobbinLena Raine talks Chrono Trigger and wanting to write "a really rowdy anime opening"Related GamesSee AlsoShare:08 Alan is a feature writer who has contributed to Kotaku, Nintendo Life and other prominent gaming sites. He has a background in psychology research, the science of creativity, and over 30 years of Nintendo gaming behind him. Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment...Related ArticlesBest Of 2024: The Company You Can Pay To X-Ray Unopened Pokmon Card Packs Speaks Out"The technology is not going away, and people know what it can do"Feature: How Can Switch 2 'Fix' The eShop? Devs Share Their Storefront Stories"It's feast or famine, really"Best Of 2024: Why Play Final Fantasy VII Remake When You Could Play FFVII 'Demake'?"more than just pirate versions"Best Of 2024: Meet Morphcat Games, The New-Gen NES Devs Pushing The 8-Bit Envelope"No one has come close to exhausting its full capabilities"Feature: 'POCA!' Is A Game Boy Camera Photobook Adventure & A Heartfelt Homage To 'Hip' Tanaka"I feel like I made the book almost for him" Title:EarthbladeSystem:Switch eShopDeveloper:Extremely OK GamesGenre:ActionRelease Date:Switch eShop 2025 2025Official Site:exok.comWhere to buy:Buy on Nintendo eShop Buy eShop Credit:

Take a closer look at the incredible visual effects behind your favorite films! The latest showreel by RISE highlights their really cool work on recent hits like Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Fallout, Megalopolis, and Red One! Vincent Frei The Art of VFX 2024The post RISE Showreel 2025 appeared first on The Art of VFX.

Sidera Headquarters | Courtesy of Tisselli Studio ArchitettiIn Forl, a city in the Italian province of Emilia-Romagna, the newly completed Sidera Headquarters exemplifies neuroarchitectures transformative power. Designed to foster creativity and well-being, the project redefines traditional office spaces by prioritizing the needs of its users and the environment.Sidera Headquarters Technical InformationArchitects1-12: Tisselli Studio ArchitettiLocation: Forl, Northern ItalyArea: 10,000 m2 | 107,600 Sq. Ft.Completion Year: 2023Photographs: Courtesy of Tisselli Studio ArchitettiThe final shape of the building is the result of a creative process that absorbs the rationality and pragmatism of the company, translating its identity characteristics transparency, flexibility, innovation, and comfort into architecture. Tisselli Studio ArchitectsSidera Headquarters PhotographsAerial View | Courtesy of Tisselli Studio ArchitettiNight View | Courtesy of Tisselli Studio ArchitettiFacade | Courtesy of Tisselli Studio ArchitettiRoof Aerial View | Courtesy of Tisselli Studio ArchitettiRooftop | Courtesy of Tisselli Studio ArchitettiStairs | Courtesy of Tisselli Studio ArchitettiMeeting Room | Courtesy of Tisselli Studio ArchitettiAerial View | Courtesy of Tisselli Studio ArchitettiAuditorium | Courtesy of Tisselli Studio ArchitettiArchitectural Language: Translating Identity into DesignLocated at the edge of Forl, in an industrial area bordering the ancient Roman centurion, the Sidera Headquarters emerges in a landscape dominated by monotonous prefab warehouses. CIA Conad, Italys largest mass-market retailer, envisioned this project as an example of innovation, reflecting their values of transparency, flexibility, and comfort while addressing the lack of architectural identity in the area.At its core, Sideras design reflects the rationality and pragmatism that define CIA Conads corporate identity. The buildings clean lines, expansive use of glass, and open layouts serve as physical manifestations of the companys values. The architectural form adapts to a strict programmatic requirement to avoid open-plan offices, ensure exclusive workspaces for one or two individuals, and allocate a single level for each department.The building spans 100 meters in length and rises to 33 meters, supported by a 3-meter elevated base. Its external surfaces are composed of just three materials: natural aluminum, black-pigmented concrete, and glass. The vertical aluminum finsstretching six kilometersplay with natural light, creating shifting perceptions of opacity and transparency throughout the day. This dynamic facade complements the fifth facadethe pitched roofwhose six inclined planes and large skylights establish a dialogue with the Apennine mountain range.Spatial Experience: The Impact of NeuroarchitectureThe interiors of Sidera are a seamless extension of the architectural envelope, integrating neuroarchitectural principles to create an ideal workspace. The focus is on fostering well-being through a controlled interplay of light, air, sound, and views. The extensive use of glass regulates natural light, flooding workspaces while maintaining visual connections to the verdant surroundings. Circadian lighting systems align with the natural 24-hour cycle, and advanced ventilation technologies ensure clean, healthy air in an area known for high pollution levels.Acoustic insulation is meticulously engineered to enhance concentration, and every internal level offers views of the surrounding greenery, creating a biophilic connection that reduces stress. Inside, custom-designed wooden, aluminum, and concrete furnishings maintain the materials natural tones, reflecting the organizations sobriety and pragmatism.The dramatic central staircaseswith hypertrophic, sinuous linesserve as a visual and spatial centerpiece, connecting the buildings levels. These spaces act as hubs of interaction, encouraging social connections and a sense of community among employees. The interplay of compression and release in spacesangled walls, inclined surfaces, and varied ceiling heightsadds a layer of complexity and curiosity, fueling creativity and collaboration.Sidera Headquarters Regional SignificanceSideras commitment to sustainability is evident in its design and operational strategies. Surrounded by 300 trees and 22,000 plants, the headquarters reclaims an uninspiring industrial context by integrating nature into its fabric. This lush green belt serves as both a visual and functional buffer, enhancing the microclimate while reducing the buildings environmental impact.Powered by a photovoltaic system, the headquarters significantly reduces its carbon footprint. The pitched roofs vernacular designuncommon in industrial areasoffers a reinterpretation of regional architectural elements, reinforcing a sense of place. By addressing the lack of architectural identity in its surroundings, Sidera sets a precedent for transforming underwhelming urban zones into dynamic, human-centered environments.Sidera Headquarters PlansSketch | Tisselli Studio ArchitettiSite Plan | Tisselli Studio ArchitettiGround Level | Tisselli Studio ArchitettiFloor Plan | Tisselli Studio ArchitettiOffices Floor Plan | Tisselli Studio ArchitettiSidera Headquarters Image GalleryAbout Tisselli Studio ArchitettiNotes & Additional CreditsArchitectural Planning: Tisselli Studio ArchitettiStructural Planning: AEI Progetti, Gabriele CasadioMechanical Systems: Idrotermica CoopElectrical Systems: SBE S.r.l.Building Automation: Casadei & Pellizzaro S.r.l.Landscape Planning: PaisaAnti-Intrusion System: Elettronica Cortesi S.r.l.Acoustics: Andrea FarnetaniClient: CIA Conad (Italys largest mass-market retailer)Building Height: 33 metersBuilding Length: 100 metersRoof Design: Pitched roof with six inclined planes and three large skylights

This yearAN Interiorpublished two print issues, iterated and shared new graphic designs, won a gold medal in the Trade/Brand/Educational/Institutional category from theSociety of Publication Designers, hosted an issue launch with Studio Loutsis, released its annualTop 50list of architects and designers, and by the end of the year, will publish 181 stories online. Its been a busy and big yearand 2025, the year that will mark the 10th anniversary ofAN Interior,promises to be even better. But before toasting to a new year, lets look back at the projects and principles that inspired 2024 and uphold the standard for 2025. Here areANs favorite interiors covered this year, either online or in-print, that innovated on materials, delivered a unique design vision, and made us consider how spaces are shaped by politics and policyand what architects can do to help aid what falls between the cracks.Delicate proportions engage the sparse spaces by Anya Moryoussef Architect (Doublespace Photography)Anya Moryoussef Architect retools a cottage for independently aging in place on a budgetThe demands of the real estate market can often chafe against the creative goals of architects, especially when it comes to smaller firms. In Toronto, this is keenly felt, where the marketability of designing homes for the nuclear family dominates residential projects, generating more of the same high-rises and single-family homes. Ester Bruzkus Architekten designs a Berlin office space (Courtesy Noshe)Ester Bruzkus Architekten unites acoustical efficiency and a calm interior for Relaxounds officeFor a company that designs for relaxation, the workplace needs to reflect this ethos and feel like a natural extension of the office culture. Relaxound designs small musical boxesinspired by birdhousesthat introduce the relaxing effects of audio therapy. So when the company tapped Ester Bruzkus Architekten (EBA) to design their new Berlin office space, the designers knew they wanted to invoke the same values of calm and collective community.Read more of our favorite interiors projects from 2024 on aninteriormag.com.

close Windows Defender Security Center scam: How to protect your computer from fake pop-ups Tech expert Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson says a tech support scam used a fake Windows Defender pop-up, tricking the victim to call and download software. In an email we received from Janet D., she shared her recent unsettling experience. Heres what she described:"I received a pop-up that froze my computer and read, Access to this system is blocked for security reasons from Windows Defender Security Center. It came with an audio message and siren."Janet did what many might do in such a panic-inducing situation: She called the number displayed on her screen. She was instructed to press Ctrl + Shift + Esc, unfreezing her computer, but the instructions didnt stop there. The scammer directed her to download software from UltraViewer.net, a legitimate remote access tool often exploited by bad actors. Heres what you should know if you ever encounter a similar scam. Windows Defender pop-up scam (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)3 red flags to recognize a tech support scam1) Unsolicited pop-ups claiming to be from Microsoft or other security services:Janets story highlights a common scam tactic, which is fake alerts masquerading as official warnings. Microsoft and other legitimate companies do not issue pop-ups with support numbers or direct you to download remote access software.2) Urgent audio and visual cues: Scammers create a sense of urgency with sirens, flashing messages and warnings of dire consequences to push victims into immediate action without thinking critically.3) Requests to install remote access software: Scammers often use tools like UltraViewer, TeamViewer or AnyDesk to gain access to victims systems. While these tools are legitimate for remote tech support, downloading them at the request of an unknown party is a red flag. Windows Defender pop-up scam (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)Steps to take if you encounter a scam like thisIf you come across a scam, it's important to act quickly and take the following steps to protect yourself and your information.Dont engageIf you receive a suspicious pop-up, do not call the number provided or follow any on-screen instructions. Look up any suspicious phone numbers or messages independently. Use Ctrl + Alt + Del to open the Task Manager and close the browser or application displaying the message.Assess potential damageScammers thrive on urgency. Take a moment to assess the situation calmly. Janet asked if the scammers could have taken any information. Heres what to do.First, look for any unfamiliar software installed after the incident and uninstall it.Visit your email, banking and other important accounts to check for unauthorized sign-ins or transactions.Use strong antivirus software to conduct a comprehensive scan. The best way to safeguard yourself from malicious links that install malware, potentially accessing your private information, is to have antivirus software installed on all your devices. This protection can also alert you to phishing emails and ransomware scams, keeping your personal information and digital assets safe.Get my picks for the best 2024 antivirus protection winners for your Windows, Mac, Android and iOS devices.Secure your systemIf you installed UltraViewer or similar tools, uninstall them immediately.Update passwords for critical accounts, prioritizing your email and banking logins. Consider using apassword manager to generate and store complex passwords. Enable two-factor authentication, as this adds a layer of security even if someone obtains your login credentials.Seek professional helpIf you suspect that your computer is still compromised, it might be best to consult with a professional to ensure your system is secure. You may want to reach out toMicrosoft Support for additional guidance and to report the incident to help prevent others from falling victim. Windows Defender pop-up scam (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)Why Janet didnt receive a warning from her antivirus softwareJanet also mentioned that her antivirus software didnt flag the scam. Unfortunately, many of these scams rely on social engineering rather than malware to bypass antivirus detection. They exploit human psychology, not just technical vulnerabilities. However, running regular scans can still help detect hidden threats.What do I do if I provided personal information to a scammer?First, don't be the slightest bit embarrassed, as it could have happened to genuinely anyone. And the worst thing you can do is stay silent. You can help prevent this from happening to others.Stop all communication: Cease all contact with the scammer immediately. Do not engage further or respond to any messages or calls from them.Report the scam: Report the incident to your local law enforcement agency or the cybercrime unit in your country. Provide them with all the information you have about the scammer and the communication you had with them.Notify your bank and credit card companies: If you shared any financial information, contact your bank and credit card companies right away. Inform them about the potential scam and ask for advice on how to secure your accounts.Monitor your accounts: Keep a close eye on your bank accounts, credit cards and other financial accounts for any suspicious activity. Report any unauthorized transactions immediately.Inform credit bureaus: Consider contacting credit reporting agencies to put a fraud alert on your credit report. This can help prevent the scammer from opening new accounts in your name.Be cautious about future communications: Be vigilant regarding any future communications from unknown sources. Scammers may try to target you again using different tactics.Use identity theft protection: If a scammer gets a hold of your personal information, you may consider a service that will walk you through every step of the reporting and recovery process. One of the best things you can do to protect yourself from this type of fraud is to subscribe to an identity theft service. One of the best parts of using an identity theft protection service is that it can include identity theft insurance of up to$1 million to cover losses and legal fees and a white-glove fraud resolution team where a U.S.-based case managerhelps you recover any losses.Read more of my review of the best identity theft protection services here.Kurt's key takeawaysJanets experience is a reminder that even the most vigilant among us can fall prey to clever scams designed to exploit fear and urgency. By recognizing red flags like unsolicited pop-ups, high-pressure tactics and requests for remote access, you can protect yourself and your personal information. If you ever encounter a situation like Janets, remember to stay calm, verify the legitimacy of any alerts and take the necessary steps to secure your system. Scammers rely on quick reactions, so slow down, stay in control and dont let them manipulate your next move.Have you seen any new scams lately that others should know about? Let us know by writing us atCyberguy.com/Contact.For more of my tech tips and security alerts, subscribe to my free CyberGuy Report Newsletter by heading to Cyberguy.com/Newsletter.Ask Kurt a question or let us know what stories you'd like us to cover.Follow Kurt on his social channels:Answers to the most asked CyberGuy questions:New from Kurt:Copyright 2024 CyberGuy.com.All rights reserved. Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson is an award-winning tech journalist who has a deep love of technology, gear and gadgets that make life better with his contributions for Fox News & FOX Business beginning mornings on "FOX & Friends." Got a tech question? Get Kurts free CyberGuy Newsletter, share your voice, a story idea or comment at CyberGuy.com.

By now, you've probably heard that Google plans to migrate Chromebooks to Android, but I believe there's a much better option that's already proven itself.

ZDNETIncreasingly, we hear about AI agents being the new "digital workers" -- a concept that arose before agentic orgenerative AIhit the mainstream in areas such asrobotic process automation. Digital workers are designed to serve the discipline and obedience, but just like human workers, they, too, have their quirks.Also:15 ways AI saved me time at work in 2024 - and how I plan to use it in 2025The movement toward a digital workforce has been taking big leaps lately, marked recently by Salesforce's unveiling of Agentforce 2.0, a digital labor platform for enterprises. The platform enables "a limitless workforce through AI agents for any department, assembled using a new library of pre-built skills, and that can take action across any system or workflow." The platform also takes steps well beyond RPA, featuring "enhanced reasoning and data retrieval to deliver precise answers and orchestrate actions in response to complex, multi-step questions," according to a statement from Salesforce. The agents even interact in Slack.Augmenting teams with digital laborMajor organizations are leveraging the platform to augment their teams with digital labor, the vendor added.Talent is scarce and expensive to train, so organizations are turning to AI to help with customer interactions and deal with workflow backlogs, but can no longer afford "inadequate solutions that provide generic responses," Salesforce stated. "Existing solutions such as copilots struggle to provide accurate, trusted responses to complex requests -- such as personalized guidance on a job application. They cannot take action on their own -- like nurturing a lead with product recommendations."Autonomous digital workers can now perform such work at many levels, industry leaders agree. "The convergence of skilled innovators, rapidly-deployable cloud tools, customer awareness and executive support has created an ideal environment for agentic AI to thrive in 2025," Chris Bennett, director of AI transparency and education at Motorola Solutions, told ZDNET.For example, Motorola Solutions has begun leveraging agentic AI "to improve public safety and enterprise security, with applications that analyze and surface data in real-time to provide crucial, immediate support to first responders and security personnel," Bennett stated. "AI agents never get bored, tired, or distracted, automating repetitive tasks and freeing responders for critical responsibilities and community engagement. AI agents can accelerate tasks like reviewing historical video footage, helping investigators quickly find missing persons through natural language search."This works via AI agents intuiting processes to "create a series of steps, or a recipe to solve a problem," said Viswesh Ananthakrishnan, co-founder and vice president of Aurascape. They can also "take actions to execute these steps and even collaborate with other agents to do so. When combined together, this data gives the agents a view of how the enterprise functions."The AI agents then "develop and execute complex processes, like viewing demand forecasts and taking proactive action to generate and submit order forms for more inventory before supplies run low," he continued. "This type of automation saves workers significant time and frees them up from repetitive tasks."AI agents need to be thoughtfully managedAt the same time, AI agents need to be thoughtfully managed, just as is the case with human work, and there's work to be done before an agentic AI-driven workforce can truly assume a broad range of tasks. "While the promise of agentic AI is evident, we are several years away from widespread agentic AI adoption at the enterprise level," said Scott Beechuk, partner with Norwest Venture Partners. "Agents must be trustworthy given their potential role in automating mission-critical business processes."The traceability of AI agents' actions is one issue. "Many tools have a hard time explaining how they arrived at their responses from users' sensitive data and models struggle to generalize beyond what they have learned," said Ananthakrishnan.Unpredictability is a related challenge, as LLMs "operate like black boxes," said Beechuk. "It's hard for users and engineers to know if the AI has successfully completed its task and if it did so correctly." In addition, he cautions that there is still unreliability in AI agents. "In systems where AI creates its own steps to complete tasks, made-up details can lead to more errors as the task progresses, ultimately making the outputs unreliable."Also:Why ethics is becoming AI's biggest challengeHuman workers also are capable of collaborating easily and on a regular basis. For AI workers, it's a different story. "Because agents will interact with multiple systems and data stores, achieving comprehensive visibility is no easy task," said Ananthakrishnan. It's important to have visibility to capture each action an agent takes. "This means deep visibility into activity on endpoint devices and the ability to process data in a vast variety of formats." Then, it's important to be able to "quickly combine this context from endpoints with network-level traffic to determine the data informing the agent's actions," as well as "recognize the type of AI agent interfacing with your data, whether it's a trusted entity, or a brand-new agent."The AI systems engineerThis may boost an emerging human-centered role -- the AI systems engineer. "This new quality assurance and oversight role will become essential to enterprises as they manage and continuously optimize AI agents," Beechuk said.In multi-agent environments, "AI agents will be interacting and evolving constantly, consuming a steady diet of new data to perform their individual jobs," he explained. "When one of them gets bad data -- intentionally or unintentionally -- and changes its behavior, it can start performing its job incorrectly or with less precision, even if it was doing it perfectly well just one day before. An error in one agent can then have a cascading effect that degrades the whole system. Enterprises will hire as many AI systems engineers as it takes to keep that from happening."Companies and tech teams may be "well-positioned to support agentic AI, but we still need time and experience to strike the right balance between agentic and human workflows," Bennett advised. "Our advice is to view AI as an augmentation to human experts, not a replacement."Artificial Intelligence

Destiny 2BungieThe state of Destiny 2 at the moment is still in flux, but it has its devotees, and chief among them is one of its biggest content creators, the PvP-focused GernaderJake. Every weekend its available, rain or shine, Jake is playing Trials of Osiris, going flawless himself, or mostly, carrying others to flawless to earn some of the best rewards in the game when they reach the Lighthouse.Its the most competitive mode Destiny 2 has (there was even a spin-off Trials game planned at one point at Bungie), and there is no more determined player than Jake. Now, hes hit 5,000 Flawless runs with 4,000 carries among them, with no one else even really close to those stats.I chatted with Jake about this milestone, how he got here, and where he hopes Destiny goes from here as one of its biggest streamers.GernaderJakeTwitchWhat do you enjoy about carrying people to the Lighthouse? Whats the best part for you?Honestly, I enjoy a lot about the process of carrying people to the Lighthouse. I enjoy the challenge. I enjoy the clear and obvious goal that my chat can follow and that I can feel motivated by. I enjoy the feeling that comes with the success of a flawless run! But more than anything else, I enjoy "the moment." Getting to play with so many different people from the community, some of which saved up channel points for years to get their opportunity, and then to have that "moment" where we reach the Lighthouse together... it's often euphoric for them. Getting to witness it, and be a part of it, is so special and has never gotten old.How much of an issue has stream sniping been during this process? Or cheating?Almost like metas come and go in Destiny 2 PvP, the popularity of stream sniping does the same. It's hard to guess why that's the case. Throughout the last five years, there have been many times where stream sniping doesn't even seem to exist. I'm able to simply queue a game and experience matchmaking like anyone else.MORE FOR YOUHowever, at times, it's been so bad it's practically unplayable. The era of the flawless pool, which spanned a full year and a half, comes to mind. Back then, stream sniping was so horrifically bad I had to run stacked (playing with two other very good players) all of Sunday and Monday (when the flawless pool went live) and hide my screen the entire time I wasn't in a game. If I didn't hide my screen, teams of players with stats so inflated it wouldn't be possible without the assistance of cheats, would intentionally queue against me and my squad to ruin our flawless run and put a huge damper on our moods. The flawless pool was not very populated, and you matched based off of the number of wins you had on your card, so it was really easy for teams to intentionally match us. Even while hiding our screen, it was impossible to avoid these teams. I have never been closer to giving up the flawless grind than those days.What was the best era of Trials, and what was the worst?The best era of Trials was August of 2021 after Bungie brought us a huge Trials revamp. For the first time, players could queue into Trials solo, and could get loot even without winning a game. The playerbase was thriving as a result, and the community seemed to rally around how fun the playlist was. Seeing practically everyone in the Destiny directory playing Trials, having laughs, and not caring about the win or the loss was so fun.The worst era of Trials was just before that. Summer of 2021. Rounds were two minutes long, there were no zones, and three-peaking and chaos reach were in their prime. For those who don't know what three-peaking is, it's where you emote or equip a sword to go into a third person view. In this view, you can stand behind cover while still observing the surroundings behind it. The result was two-minute stand offs, where whichever team that decided to push put themselves at a huge disadvantage. To make matters worse, Chaos Reach super on Warlock plus Geomag exotic boots were at their prime. The meta was putting on Geomags, 100 intellect, and a sword, and then standing against a wall with a sword out trying to get as many supers as you possibly could. Long, boring, and incredibly frustrating games were the result.GernaderJakeMalthaalDo you think Destiny PvP can stay healthy from here and survive these recently record low playercounts?Somehow someway, even with the player count being as low as it is, Trials seems to be doing alright. The narrative is that Trials is awful, unplayable, etc. As someone who has played through every meta and every content drought, I can tell you that this is far from the worst it has felt. So, to answer your question, yes. PvP can survive these low player counts. I believe a Trials revamp in episode 3 and DLCs twice a year can keep it alive. Will it ever be as popular as it once was? No. But it can still survive and be enjoyable for all players.Do you have another goal after this, or are you just going to keep carrying indefinitely?4000 flawless carries, 5000 flawless runs. This has been my goal for a very long time. Now that I've hit those goals, I'm going to enjoy a break from gaming and streaming until Episode 3 in February. Episode 3 brings a Trials revamp, and March brings a new adventure for my wife and I, when we will move for a year or more to France to explore and live our lives a bit. Realistically, my next goal is to put my life ahead of streaming for the first time in a decade. Say yes to more opportunities, be willing to miss more Trials streams. I do see myself wanting to continue Trials carries indefinitely though. Less of them, less ridiculously scheduled dedication to them, but still doing them.Where do you hope Destiny as a franchise goes in the future?Dude, one day I want to see a Destiny 3 so badly. The Destiny community is special. We are a dedicated group of frickin' awesome people. A Destiny 3 done well would bring so many of us back to where we once were. While it may be many years away, I remain hopeful that we will happen eventually.Is there one particular carry story that stands out as being memorable?I have too many memories and moments. 2000+ carries in Destiny 1 and 4000 in Destiny 2 has my mind scrambling to think of the number 1 moment. If I had to choose, it would be the time I carried a disabled viewer to the Lighthouse earlier this year. The journey was difficult. My carry partner and I had to lock in and clutch up time after time after time. After the run, his partner reached out to me explaining their dire living situation, and how meaningful and special that Lighthouse experience was for him. The message hit home, and I asked if I could share it with my community, to which they said yes. After sharing it, a flood of people showed up in the comments begging for an opportunity to donate to this family and help them get some of the gaming resources they so desperately needed. They created a Go Fund Me, and within minutes the community donated over $1500, securing them a new functioning console, headset, and many other resources needed to help this disabled gamer enjoy his gaming sessions more thoroughly. Knowing how much that Lighthouse run meant, and then seeing the community rain support on his setup upgrade, felt very empowering. I will always remember that carry.Thanks to Jake for chatting. Enjoy the break, youve earned it.

By combining cutting-edge AI with physical functionality, they are set to transform productivity and reshape collaboration in diverse sectors.

GTA 6RockstarWell, I wasnt expecting to wake up to GTA 6 news, but this is a rather odd story that fans are eating up voraciously.Whats happened is that a higher quality version of the original GTA 6 trailer has been found on Chinas Bili Bili social media site. The best way to watch it is to actually download an MP4 of it from Google Drive, but I aint linking to that, you can find it pretty easy on Twitter right now.The idea here is that this is a version where you can see more detail than the English version that Rockstar originally uploaded due to less compression and honestly, who knows what other possible boosts, but it is crisp, thats for sure.This has led news-starved GTA fans hunting down for the minor quality details between the versions, and its speculated this is running on a PS5. Rockstar has already confirmed that nothing here is a cutscene, and all running in-engine.Yes, the quality upgrades are minor, but you can see them on closer inspection, and people are in fact sifting through every single little frame of this in order to see the differences.MORE FOR YOUSupposedly fans are looking for new clues that you can now see in the trailer, but I dont think theres actually anything to be found there. All were seeing are things like sharper dollar bills on the ground or Lucia with fine arm hair and some actual acne you can see more clearly now (please, no discourse on this, I beg you). I think theres more than enough detail to prove that bikini girl in the trailer is definitely not Lucia, a theory that never seems to die.Again, this is notanything too crazy. But looking at the original source download yeah, it looks incredible. Not that the YouTube original upload was bad, but this does feel like a bit of an upgrade even if hunting through the finer details does come off a bit silly.As ever, we have literally no idea when we will be getting more official GTA 6 content. Rockstar has relentlessly maintained that it will hit its fall 2025 release window, though that has not exactly been the case with its other enormous games, which usually suffer some sort of delay. Despite what they say, Im still assuming its going to be pushed to 2026. If so, we wont hear about that for a while, and we have absolutely no idea when a new trailer or further info will drop, so this is what we get for now.Follow me on Twitter, YouTube, Bluesky and Instagram.Pick up my sci-fi novels the Herokiller series and The Earthborn Trilogy.