The iPhone and iPad could have different default search engines, argues a Google court filing, as the company attempts to protect its $20B a year deal with Apple.Googles annual payment to Apple to be the default search engine in Safari looks certain to be banned in an antitrust case, but the search giant is hitting back with a number of counterproposals Googles $20B+ annual payment to AppleIf you carry out a web search by typing your query into the integrated Safari bar, that search will (unless you manually changed the default) be carried out on Google. Thats because Google pays Apple a multi-billion dollar sum each year for the privilege.Thats a great deal for Google, because it gets a huge amount of its search traffic from Apple users, and thus the ability to place ads in front of them. Apple customers are also a particularly valuable demographic for advertisers, thanks to the fact that they have higher than average incomes.Its also a great deal for Apple because its free money. It has to set a default, and Google is the best-known search engine, so the company would probably do it anyway.The exact amount has never been revealed, and Apple hides it inside its Services revenue, but an antitrust case against Google resulted in the accidental disclosure of the 2022 figure, which was $20B.The Department of Justice argued that this payment was illegal, as it gave Google an unfair advantage over smaller search engines, and a court agreed back in the summer. The DOJ has asked the judge to ban this payment for a period of 10 years.Google makes counterproposal on default search enginesAs part of the legal process, Google is entitled to make a counterproposal to the DOJ one, and it has now done so.Google accepts that its deal with Apple will be banned, but argues that this should be for three years rather than ten. It says the tech industry is a fast-moving one, especially with the rise of generative AI as a new form of search, so the fact that the company dominates the industry today doesnt mean it will continue to do so.The company also suggests that more flexibility could better enable other search services to compete with Google for Apples business. In one particularly bizarre suggestion, it argues that iPhone and iPad could have different default search engines, implying that Google would bid for one while competitors bid for the other.Our proposal allows browsers to continue to offer Google Search to their users and earn revenue from that partnership. But it also provides them with additional flexibility: It would allow for multiple default agreements across different platforms (e.g., a different default search engine for iPhones and iPads) and browsing modes, plus the ability to change their default search provider at least every 12 months9to5Macs TakeAs much as Google owns the search industry for now, the company does have a tenable argument that its dominance may not last forever. Weve already seen people using AI services like ChatGPT as a replacement for a conventional search engine, and it is indeed hard to predict what the future holds.Prior to the launch of the iPhone, for example, Nokia basically owned the smartphone industry. It would have seemed unimaginable that it could ever exit the business, yet just seven years later the company was indeed out of the smartphone market. So as secure as Google looks today, its future dominance certainly isnt assured.In theory, by making default search deals more granular, that would make it more realistic for competing search engines to bid for a slice of the pie. But Apple is all about delivering a consistent experience across devices, so the idea that it would sign deals to deliver different search engines on iPhone and iPad is, frankly, silly. There may be room for compromise in the courts ruling, and Google may well succeed in reducing the proposed ten year ban, but certainly for the next few years, Apple is going to be down $20B a year.Photo byBrandon RomanchukonUnsplashAdd 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

Skip to main contentApple @ Work Podcast: Keeping your fleet healthy Bradley C|Dec 24 2024 - 3:00 am PTApple @ Work is exclusively brought to you by Mosyle,the only Apple Unified Platform. Mosyle is the only solution that integrates in a single professional-grade platform all the solutions necessary to seamlessly and automatically deploy, manage & protect Apple devices at work. Over 45,000 organizations trust Mosyle to make millions of Apple devices work-ready with no effort and at an affordable cost.Request your EXTENDED TRIALtoday and understand why Mosyle is everything you need to work with Apple.In this episode of Apple @ Work, I talk with the team from CleanMyMac X about keeping your fleet healthy with a sneak peek at a 2025 business tool from MacPawConnect with BradleyListen and subscribeListen to Past EpisodesAdd 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 Featuredfrom 9to5Mac9to5Mac Logo Manage push notificationsAllPost

Dec 24, 2024Ravie LakshmananCybercrime / MalwareJapanese and U.S. authorities have formerly attributed the theft of cryptocurrency worth $308 million from cryptocurrency company DMM Bitcoin in May 2024 to North Korean cyber actors."The theft is affiliated with TraderTraitor threat activity, which is also tracked as Jade Sleet, UNC4899, and Slow Pisces," the agencies said. "TraderTraitor activity is often characterized by targeted social engineering directed at multiple employees of the same company simultaneously."The alert comes courtesy of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Defense Cyber Crime Center, and the National Police Agency of Japan. It's worth noting that DMM Bitcoin shut down its operations earlier this month.TraderTraitor refers to a North Korea-linked persistent threat activity cluster that has a history of targeting companies in the Web3 sector, luring victims into downloading malware-laced cryptocurrency apps and ultimately facilitating theft. It's known to be active since at least 2020.In recent years, the hacking crew has orchestrated a series of attacks that leverage job-themed social engineering campaigns or reaching out to prospective targets under the pretext of collaborating on a GitHub project, which then leads to the deployment of malicious npm packages.The group, however, is perhaps best known for infiltrating and gaining unauthorized access to JumpCloud's systems to target a small set of downstream customers last year.The attack chain documented by the FBI is no different in that the threat actors contacted an employee at a Japan-based cryptocurrency wallet software company named Ginco in March 2024, posing as a recruiter and sending them a URL to a malicious Python script hosted on GitHub as part of a supposed pre-employment test.The victim, who had access to Ginco's wallet management system, was subsequently compromised after they copied the Python code to their personal GitHub page.The adversary moved to the next-phase of the attack in mid-May 2024 when it exploited session cookie information to impersonate the compromised employee and successfully gained access to Ginco's unencrypted communications system."In late-May 2024, the actors likely used this access to manipulate a legitimate transaction request by a DMM employee, resulting in the loss of 4,502.9 BTC, worth $308 million at the time of the attack," the agencies said. "The stolen funds ultimately moved to TraderTraitor-controlled wallets."The disclosure comes shortly after Chainalysis attributed the hack of DMM Bitcoin to North Korean threat actors, stating the attackers targeted vulnerabilities in infrastructure to make unauthorized withdrawals."The attacker moved millions of dollars' worth of crypto from DMM Bitcoin to several intermediary addresses before eventually reaching a Bitcoin CoinJoin Mixing Service," the blockchain intelligence firm said."After successfully mixing the stolen funds using the Bitcoin CoinJoin Mixing Service, the attackers moved a portion of the funds through a number of bridging services, and finally to HuiOne Guarantee, an online marketplace tied to the Cambodian conglomerate, HuiOne Group, which was previously exposed as a significant player in facilitating cybercrimes."The development also comes as the AhnLab Security Intelligence Center (ASEC) revealed that the North Korean threat actor codenamed Andariel, a sub-cluster within the Lazarus Group, is deploying the SmallTiger backdoor as part of attacks targeting South Korean asset management and document centralization solutions.Found this article interesting? Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn to read more exclusive content we post.SHARE

Dec 24, 2024Ravie LakshmananVulnerability / Software SecurityThe U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) on Monday added a now-patched high-severity security flaw impacting Acclaim Systems USAHERDS to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, based on evidence of active exploitation in the wild.The vulnerability in question is CVE-2021-44207 (CVSS score: 8.1), a case of hard-coded, static credentials in Acclaim USAHERDS that could allow an attacker to ultimately execute arbitrary code on susceptible servers.Specifically, it concerns the use of static ValidationKey and DecryptionKey values in version 7.4.0.1 and prior that could be weaponized to achieve remote code execution on the server that runs the application. That said, an attacker would have to leverage some other means to obtain the keys in the first place."These keys are used to provide security for the application ViewState," Google-owned Mandiant said in advisory for the flaw back in December 2021. "A threat actor with knowledge of these keys can trick the application server into deserializing maliciously crafted ViewState data.""A threat actor with knowledge of the validationKey and decryptionKey for a web application can construct a malicious ViewState that passes the MAC check and will be deserialized by the server. This deserialization can result in the execution of code on the server."While there are no new reports of CVE-2021-44207 being weaponized in real-world attacks, the vulnerability was identified as being abused by the China-linked APT41 threat actor back in 2021 as a zero-day as part of attacks targeting six U.S. state government networks.Federal Civilian Executive Branch (FCEB) agencies are recommended to apply vendor-provided mitigations by January 13, 2025, to safeguard their networks against active threats.The development comes as Adobe warned of a critical security flaw in ColdFusion (CVE-2024-53961, CVSS score: 7.8), which it said already has a known proof-of-concept (PoC) exploit that could cause an arbitrary file system read.The vulnerability has been addressed in ColdFusion 2021 Update 18 and ColdFusion 2023 Update 12. Users are advised to apply the patches as soon as possible to mitigate potential risks.Found this article interesting? Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn to read more exclusive content we post.SHARE

The battle for federal privacy regulation may have been lost, but the war is far from over.While political maneuvering derailed the latest push for nationwide legislation, the momentum for change is undeniable in the United States. Businesses and individuals want clear, unified standards with more than 80% of Americans supporting stricter federal data privacy and 20 states already passing data privacy laws.This growing patchwork of state regulations creates compliance challenges for businesses across borders while leaving millions of Americans with inconsistent protections. Eventually, federal lawmakers will have to step in and bridge the privacy divide.This interim period -- between todays fragmented landscape and tomorrows national framework -- presents a crucial window. Organizations should get ahead of regulations by enhancing data protection strategies, backing employee training, and deploying centralized management tools.The Long March Toward Data PrivacyThe year 2024 promised a breakthrough for federal privacy legislation. In April, bipartisan lawmakers introduced the American Privacy Rights Act (APRA), proposing robust limitations on corporate data collection. The bill offered users unprecedented control, providing rights to access and delete data, plus the ability to opt out of data broker sales. By June, however, momentum collapsed. Under pressure from conservative legislators, APRA was stripped of its civil rights protections and data minimization principles and ultimately failed to advance beyond committee.The bill is dead, but dont be mistaken. The push for privacy is just beginning. Were now the only G20 member without a comprehensive framework governing the collection and use of personal data. Americans from across the political spectrum, including record numbers of Republicans and Democrats -- are in support of federal rules, especially as artificial intelligence ingests our data in new ways. Heading into the new year, we need privacy guarantees more than ever.Expect more states to press forward and force the federal hand. For enterprises, this is a pivotal moment to start updating data handling for inevitable privacy changes on the horizon. The time for preparation isnt coming -- its here.Building Privacy-Ready OperationsEnterprises can predict core privacy requirements for personal data management, storage and sharing. And, using something like Europes General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) as a yardstick, consider the best way to anticipate compliance.For example, data management is crucial. Smart enterprises are moving now to establish clear data governance structures and appoint dedicated privacy leadership. A privacy champion or data protection officer becomes crucial in these internal overhauls. That is someone who can map your data ecosystem, build an incident response procedure, and connect technical requirements with business objectives. Most importantly, this leader must have both the authority to implement changes and direct access to executive decision makers.Further, employee training must be front and center. This means developing role-specific privacy protocols and ensuring teams understand not just the how but the why of data protection. Regular training sessions, practical scenarios and clear escalation paths are therefore vital.Finally, modern privacy demands intelligent solutions that can scale with requirements. Think automated compliance monitoring, unified endpoint management, and centralized platforms that streamline everything from access controls to incident response. These tools enhance privacy protection but also reduce operational overhead and minimize human error in data handling procedures.Its worth noting that privacy isnt a switch thats easily turned on and off. The GDPR rollout demonstrates this. European businesses continue to grapple with implementation challenges and costs nearly a decade later. We must learn from regions that have gone before us and not repeat those mistakes. Thiscalls forstarting early and carving out additional time for privacy upgrading, onboarding and troubleshooting.Whatever Happens Next, Prepare NowThe writings on the wall for federal privacy. Its simply not tenable for almost half the states having varying privacy thresholds and the other half with nothing. Our interconnected business and digital ecosystems need certainty and consistency across the country.Congress can and should stand up for American privacy. The good news? Recent history shows that sweeping reforms are possible. From the CHIPS and Science Act to major pandemic stimulus, lawmakers have shown their ability to meet moments with big regulations. While states deserve credit for filling the privacy void, federal action must follow.For now, theres no time to waste. Enterprises that build privacy-ready operations today will be better positioned to thrive under future regulations, maintain customer trust, and turn compliance into a competitive advantage. On the other hand, slow-to-move companies risk regulatory penalties and loss of customer confidence in an increasingly privacy-conscious marketplace.Future-forward organizations recognize that investing in privacy isnt just about compliance; its about building a sustainable competitive advantage in the data-driven economy. The choice is clear: invest in privacy now or play catch-up when federal mandates arrive.

This story originally appeared in The Algorithm, our weekly newsletter on AI. To get stories like this in your inbox first, sign up here. Heres a question. Imagine that, for $15,000, you could purchase a robot to pitch in with all the mundane tasks in your household. The catch (aside from the price tag) is that for 80% of those tasks, the robots AI training isnt good enough for it to act on its own. Instead, its aided by a remote assistant working from the Philippines to help it navigate your home and clear your table or put away groceries. Would you want one? Thats the question at the center of my story for our magazine, published online today, on whether we will trust humanoid robots enough to welcome them into our most private spaces, particularly if theyre part of an asymmetric labor arrangement in which workers in low-wage countries perform physical tasks for us in our homes through robot interfaces. In the piece, I wrote about one robotics company called Prosper and its massive effortbringing in former Pixar designers and professional butlersto design a trustworthy household robot named Alfie. Its quite a ride. Read the story here. Theres one larger question that the story raises, though, about just how profound a shift in labor dynamics robotics could bring in the coming years. For decades, robots have found success on assembly lines and in other somewhat predictable environments. Then, in the last couple of years, robots started being able to learn tasks more quickly thanks to AI, and that has broadened their applications to tasks in more chaotic settings, like picking orders in warehouses. But a growing number of well-funded companies are pushing for an even more monumental shift. Prosper and others are betting that they dont have to build a perfect robot that can do everything on its own. Instead, they can build one thats pretty good, but receives help from remote operators anywhere in the world. If that works well enough, theyre hoping to bring robots into jobs that most of us would have guessed couldn't be automated: the work of hotel housekeepers, care providers in hospitals, or domestic help. Almost any indoor physical labor is on the table, Prospers founder and CEO, Shariq Hashme, told me. Until now, weve mostly thought about automation and outsourcing as two separate forces that can affect the labor market. Jobs might be outsourced overseas or lost to automation, but not both. A job that couldnt be sent offshore and could not yet be fully automated by machines, like cleaning a hotel room, wasnt going anywhere. Now, advancements in robotics are promising that employers can outsource such a job to low-wage countries without needing the technology to fully automate it. Its a tall order, to be clear. Robots, as advanced as theyve gotten, may find it difficult to move around complex environments like hotels and hospitals, even with assistance. That will take years to change. However, robots will only get more nimble, as will the systems that enable them to be controlled from halfway around the world. Eventually, the bets made by these companies may pay off. What would that mean? One, the labor movements battle with AIwhich this year has focused its attention on automation at ports and generative AIs theft of artists workwill have a whole new battle to fight. It wont just be dock workers, delivery drivers, and actors seeking contracts to protect their jobs from automationit will be hospitality and domestic workers too, along with many others. Second, our expectations of privacy would radically shift. People buying those hypothetical household robots would have to be comfortable with the idea that someone that they have never met is seeing their dirty laundryliterally and figuratively. Some of those changes might happen sooner rather than later. For robots to learn how to navigate places effectively, they need training data, and this year has already seen a race to collect new data sets to help them learn. To achieve their ambitions for teleoperated robots, companies will expand their search for training data to hospitals, workplaces, hotels, and more. Now read the rest of The Algorithm Deeper Learning This is where the data to build AI comes from AI developers often dont really know or share much about the sources of the data they are using, and the Data Provenance Initiative, a group of over 50 researchers from both academia and industry, wanted to fix that. They dug into 4,000 public data sets spanning over 600 languages, 67 countries, and three decades to understand whats feeding todays top AI models, and how that will affect the rest of us. Why it matters: AI is being incorporated into everything, and what goes into the AI models determines what comes out. However, the team found that AI's data practices risk concentrating power overwhelmingly in the hands of a few dominant technology companies, a shift from how AI models were being trained just a decade ago. Over 90% of the data sets that the researchers analyzed came from Europe and North America, and over 70% of data for both speech and image data sets comes from YouTube. This concentration means that AI models are unlikely to capture all the nuances of humanity and all the ways that we exist, says Sara Hooker, a researcher involved in the project. Read more from MelissaHeikkil. Bits and Bytes In the shadows of Arizonas data center boom, thousands live without power As new research shows that AIs emissions have soared, Arizona is expanding plans for AI data centers while rejecting plans to finally provide electricity to parts of the Navajo Nations land. (Washington Post) AI is changing how we study bird migration After decades of frustration, machine-learning tools are unlocking a treasure trove of acoustic data for ecologists. (MIT Technology Review) OpenAI unveils a more advanced reasoning model in race with Google The new o3 model, unveiled during a livestreamed event on Friday, spends more time computing an answer before responding to user queries, with the goal of solving more complex multi-step problems. (Bloomberg) How your car might be making roads safer Researchers say data from long-haul trucks and General Motors cars is critical for addressing traffic congestion and road safety. Data privacy experts have concerns. (New York Times)

Another year is coming to a close, so lets look back at the MIT Technology Review stories that resonated most with you, our readers. We published hundreds of stories in 2024, about AI, climate tech, biotech, robotics, space, and more. There were six new issues of our magazine, on themes including food, play, and hidden worlds. We launched two newsletters, to share tech industry analysis from our editor in chief and to step people through the basics of AI. And we hosted 11 exclusive conversations with our editors and experts in our subscriber-only event series, Roundtables. What did people enjoy most? Heres a quick look at some of the stories that performed best with our audience: 10 Breakthrough Technologies of 2024 Every year as we compile this annual list, we look for promising technologies poised to have a real impact on the world. It represents the advances that we think matter most, and the 2024 edition included weight-loss drugs, chiplets, and the first gene-editing treatment. The 2025 list is dropping in early January. To find out what made the cut, join us for a special live Roundtables event, Unveiling the 10 Breakthrough Technologies of 2025, on Friday, January 3, at 12:30 p.m. ET. This is a subscriber-only event. Register to attend or subscribe for access.) What is AI? Everyone thinks they know, but no one can agree. Senior editor Will Douglas Heaven explored the problem in this in-depth feature storyand explained why it matters for all of our futures. He covers the origins of modern AI and digs into the ongoing debate among experts about this technologys capabilities and potential. The AI Hype Index Theres no denying AI moves fast, and it can be hard to know whats worth your attention. Thats why we started plotting everything you need to know about the state of AI in a new matrix, along axes that run from Hype to Real and Doom to Utopia. What are AI agents? Major tech companies are now developing AI tools that can do more complex tasks, like sending emails or booking plane tickets, on your behalf. Heres how they will work. Super-efficient solar cells: 10 Breakthrough Technologies 2024 Solar cells that combine traditional silicon with cutting-edge perovskites could push the efficiency of solar panels to new heights. Thats why we put them on our list of the 10 Breakthrough Technologies of 2024. Happy birthday, baby! What the future holds for those born today As part of our 125th anniversary issue, contributor Kara Platoni spoke with a dozen experts to sketch out how technology might influence the life of someone born today over the next 125 years. The messy quest to replace drugs with electricity In the 2010s, the field of electroceuticals was born, attracting much fanfare and investment. Contributor Sally Adee explored how the field fizzled and how its being revived as an effort to turn gene expression on and off with electric fields. 15 Climate Tech Companies to Watch For the second annual edition of this list, our reporters and editors chose 15 companies from around the world that we think have the best shot at making a difference on climate change. Weight-loss drugs: 10 Breakthrough Technologies 2024 Drugs like Wegovy and Mounjaro have quickly become embedded into American life. In 2024, they even earned a place on our 10 Breakthrough Technologies list. The long-term implications are unknown, but plenty of people are using semaglutides anyway, and many lose around 15% of their body weight. Don't miss out on even more emerging technology coverage and subscriber-only stories.Subscribe today for unlimited accessto expert insights that you can't find anywhere else.

html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd"World Architecture Community has opened the WA Awards 10+5+X 49th Cycle to the Voting stage to name the best projects in the Architecture, and Student categories.The Voting process for the WA Awards 49th Cycle has started today (24 December) at 10:30 am GMT +0voting stage will close on Sunday,12 January 2025 (23:59 GMT +0).Once more, we have received a wide range of innovative projects from all around the world, which were submitted from 29 countries in the Architecture, and Student categories.These countries are Turkey, United States, China, Japan, India, Iran, Vietnam, Greece, United Arab Emirates, Montenegro, Slovenia, Portugal, Taiwan, South Korea, Spain, Saudi Arabia, Canada, The Netherlands, Oman, Colombia, Indonesia, Jordan, Finland, Bangladesh, Austria, United Kingdom, Palestine, Kenya, and Egypt. A great mix and global coverage, to say the least!WA Honorary Members and previous cycles' WA Awards Winners will cast their Votes to name the first 10 winning projects in each category. The World Architecture Community Members will cast their Votes to name the next 5 winning projects.Start your Voting for the 49th Cycle of WA Awards.Center For Inclusive Growth & Competitiveness For TAPMI by Akshay Heranjal in India is competing to be the winner of WA Awards 49th Cycle in the Architecture/Realised category. Image SURYAN //DANGPablo Gil's House On The Cliff in Spain, Sanjay Puri Architects' 3 projects; Earth Home in India, Wavivanta in India, Tomorrowland Sports Club in India, Yazgan Design Architecture's Ayvalk Stone House in Turkey, Architectural Studio Chado's The Hotel Complex Mvenpick in Montenegro, Mind Architects' Haegrida in South Korea, PDM Partners' 3 projects; CHILAMSAGYE in South Korea, Sunglim Mokjang in South Korea, SEONYUDOWON in South Korea are among projects competing to be the winner of the 49th Cycle.You are the jury now! Choose the best projects for the WA Awards 10+5+X 49th CycleThe first group of jury members consists of WA Honorary Members and previous winners of the WA Awards. They will select the first 10 winning projects.The second group of jury members is made up of World Architecture Community Members, who will determine the remaining 5 winning projects through their votes.The above-mentioned jury members may go ahead, and click here to Votefor their preferred projects by Sunday, 12 January 2025 (23:59 GMT +0)House On The Cliff by Pablo Gil in Spain is competing to be the winner of WA Awards 49th Cycle in the Architecture/Realised category. Image Jess GranadaIn the WA Awards Submissions page, the submitted projects are listed under the Architecture page. Then submitted projects are divided into 3 sub-categories; Realised, Designed and Student in the Architecture page.WAC's Honorary Members are composed of an exclusive group of invited architects, acclaimed critics, academics and theoreticians, editors of architectural magazines, curators and other experts from architectural centers and other organizations.Nikos Fintikakis, co-founder of SYNTHESIS AND RESEARCH, acclaimed Indonesian architect Budi Sukada, who is senior lecturer at the University of Tarumanagara, artist and teacher Ruth Jacobson, Alhadeff Architects founder Giancarlo Alhadeff, WAC Professional Member Sanjay Puri, the founder of Sanjay Puri Architects, Consultant & Culture advisor, author of DFID project research 2003 Jane Samuels, Prof. Dr. engl ymen Gr, are among the WAC's Honorary Members.The Hotel Complex Mvenpick In Montenegro by Architectural Studio Chado in Montenegro is competing to be the winner of WA Awards 49th Cycle in the Architecture/Designed category. Image Architectural Studio Chado2 distinctive groups of WAC Members will Vote the submitted projectsWA Awards' judging is based on 2 selection processes: WAC Members' Voting and WAC's Honorary Members and earlier WA Award Winners Voting.The members mentioned above will see "the Vote" button defined for them after clicking on the World Architecture Awards 10+5+X Submissions page. Voting is realized by a mixture of WAC's Honorary Members and earlier WA Award Winners. Their Votes will determine the first 10 winning projects. The second judging is WAC Members' Voting, which is realized by the fellow community members of World Architecture Community. Their Votes will decide the next 5 awarded projects.To Vote for the projects, a WAC member must have at least 1 uploaded project that was uploaded a minimum of 1 month agoon his/her page, and the project must have been opened to the public by being approved by the World Architecture Community. WAC's Members are composed of architects, interior designers, students, and academics.Both Voting processes take place simultaneously and will be completed by Sunday, 12 January 2025 (23:59 GMT +0).Foz Housing Heritage by dEMM arquitectura in Portugal is competing to be the winner of WA Awards 49th Cycle in the Architecture/Designed category. Image dEMM arquitecturaNow that you know everything, you may go ahead on the Voting Page for your preferred projects bySunday, 12 January 2025 (23:59 GMT +0), and help choose the best of the 49th WA Awards 10+5+X on the World Architecture Community.The World Architecture Community organises the WA Awards 10+5+X, running typically for 3-4 cycles per year, to recognise and highlight some of the great projects of our fellow community members.The World Architecture Community plans to announce the winners in the middle of January.Let's Play! - A Journey Of Regeneration And Reconnection In Glasgow by Xinyue Geng in United Kingdom is competing to be the winner of WA Awards 49th Cycle in the Architecture/Student category. Image Xinyue GengOne Cycle ends and Another begins!Now, the WA Awards 50th Cycle is open for entries in the Architecture, Interior Design and Student categories.Start your entries today.If you missed the previous cycle, you can submit your entries to the WA Awards 10+5+X 50th Cycle until 31March 2025.See all previous winners for WA Awards 10+5+X here.

2024 was a big year for my family, and not in a good way. My partner lost his job, our dog was diagnosed with cancer and one of my family members suffered a stroke.As a personal finance expert, I pride myself on taking risk into account. I have a high-yield savings account and I'm more aware than most of the perils of the credit card debt trap. So how did I find myself in this situation?Life is unpredictable, and sometimes we don't have the resources to handle what comes our way. As such, 45% of American households hold credit card debt, according to recent data from the Survey of Consumer Finances, which shows me that I am not alone in my struggles.I used to vilify credit cards, but through my work and lived experiences, I now recognize them as a tool. Although debt is morally neutral, having more of it than you intend to can dig you into a financial hole. By removing the common vitriol associated with debt and making a clear plan, we can zero out our balances sooner.Here is what I am doing to pay off $10,602.27 of credit card debt in six months. 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. Identify the real numbersThe first step to paying off any type of debt is knowing your numbers. What is the total debt owed? What is the minimum monthly payment? What is the interest rate? This helps you see what you're up against and how you need to prioritize your money.For example, here is a chart with the above information on my credit cards. I used this so that I could take into consideration what my debt looked like.CardDiscoverAMEXCare CreditTotal debt owed$4,494.57$5,074.82$1,032.88Monthly payment$106.77$140.00$62.00Interest rate29.99%22.15%0% until MarchAn important thing to note is that some of your credit cards may have introductory rates. My Care Credit credit card, for example, is 0% interest until March. Then, the interest rate skyrockets to 32.99%.Have an emergency fundOne of the reasons I got into debt was because my emergency fund wasn't as large as I would have liked. At the moment I could pay off my Care Credit card with the amount of money I have saved in my savings account. I'm choosing not to because that amount of savings is the only defense I have between myself and debt.This is why having an emergency fund is so important. If you have no cash saved, you could dig yourself into more debt that will be harder to get out of.Pro tip: If you're paying down debt and you don't have an emergency fund, prioritize saving at least one month's worth of expensesas a safety cushion. This will help you avoid indebting yourself further and allow flexibility when dealing with unforeseen circumstances.Create a debt payoff plan (and stick to it)There are many debt payoff plans out there. The best one is the one you will stick to.I'm going to use the debt snowball method. The debt snowball method prioritizes paying off the debt with the lowest total amount owed. By paying the minimum on every other debt, you free up more money to allocate toward the smallest balance. Once the debt with the lowest total amount owed is paid off, you apply the amount you were paying towards that debt to the next-lowest debt on your list.The reason I am choosing this method is because of the Care Credit introductory rate. While the 0% interest rate was helpful at the time of my dog's cancer treatment, I do not want to be charged with a 33% interest rate when I can quickly pay off the remaining balance before that happens. After I pay off the Care Credit credit card, I will move on to the Discover card, then finally the Amex card.Budget extra money toward debtI sat down and ran the numbers over the last few months. I put spending averages into categories and created a realistic monthly budget. While that budget is tight, I am committed to following it so that I am able to pay off as much debt as I can each month.I am also putting any "extra" money, including commission, side hustle income, gifted money and tax returns toward debt. (I would much rather use that money to fix my perpetually broken hot tub, but I've committed myself to paying off debt first.) Rocket Money Build a budget you can stick to with Rocket Money, CNET's editor choice winner and pick for best budgeting app. Details See at Rocket Money Remember to have funPaying off high interest credit card debt is important to my financial journey, but it's not the only important step. A few years ago I would have told you to focus solely on debt payoff if you were in debt of any kind. Now I know that sustainable debt payoff is more important.I'm encouraging myself to have fun while I pay off credit card debt. I still went on vacation this fall, I still order DoorDash and I still buy myself treats here and there. It may seem counterintuitive, but spending money on yourself and practicing financial balance is key to staying motivated during debt payoff.Your debt payoff journey doesn't have to be all or nothingIt may take you a little while longer to pay off debt, but you'll hate your life much less in the process and you'll avoid regressing or stopping completely. Sustainability and longevity are what you should aim for in your money journey.

8.4 /10 SCORE Our Verdict Our Verdict Best for: Back sleeper Combo sleeper Stomach sleeper Score Breakdown Performance 8 /10 Policies 7.5 /10 Durability 10 /10 Features 7.5 /10 Pros and Cons Pros Durable steel coils provide the bed with enhanced support Neutral comfort foams above offer nice pressure relief Ideal for much heavier body types Available with cooling cover upgrades Excellent edge support Cons Not for those on a tight budget People under 150 pounds might not need the added support Not ideal for fans of memory foam Table of Contents Helix Sleep has earned its place among the top-rated mattress companies available today, offering a robust matrix of seven firmnesses and three tiers of quality tailored to a wide, wide array of sleep styles. Each mattress is uniquely designed to cater to specific needs, with the brands main collection featuring high-quality hybrid models at budget-friendly prices.Helix Sleep also offers Helix Plus beds, an ultra-supportive hybrid mattress lineup designed to support heavier people. The Plus lineup is further split into three models -- Core, Luxe and Elite. We tested out the Helix Plus Core model to find out whether it's worth buying and who it might be the most ideal for, and we've also tested out the Helix Plus Luxe if you're after a pillow top mattress. Current coupon code Cyber Monday ended weeks ago, but Helix is still taking 20% off mattresses with the special promo code CYBERSALE20. This knocks $300 off the price of the Helix Plus mattress, and you can also get two free pillows with it. First impressions of the Helix Plus mattress Jon Gomez/CNETIn the past, we tested a few different iterations of this mattress. The previous model to this one felt like a neutral hybrid bed with lots of support, but it was around a medium firmness on our scale. This new model now looks very similar to the other beds in Helixs core lineup and also feels much firmer.Once it arrived at our space in a large box, we unboxed it, which took no time at all, and the process itself was really easy and fun to do. Ripping off a bunch of plastic and cardboard kind of makes you feel like a kid again, tearing into your presents on Christmas morning.After we let the bed properly inflate and off-gas, it was ready to be tested. Upon feeling the bed, I immediately noticed the cooling pillow top to be cool to the touch and thought it made the bed look and feel more comfortable. When I hopped, I thought the bed was firmer than where we originally had it at around a medium.Since the bed is designed for heavier people, who sink into beds more and perceive them to be softer, bigger body types could find this bed to be more in line with medium firmness. If youre an average-sized person, this bed might feel a bit too firm for your liking. The bed does provide an ample amount of support, though. Id say it stacks up to the likes of other ultrasupportive options like the Saatva HD, Big Fig and WinkBed Plus.Video: Helix Plus mattress reviewWatch me review the Helix Plus mattress in this video review. Helix Plus mattress firmness and feel Jon Gomez/CNETWhat does Helix Plus feel like?This new core rendition of Helix Plus presents sleepers with more of a neutral hybrid feel. Simply put, it feels like a supportive and durable hybrid bed thats generally comfortable and accommodating. It doesnt have much of a sink-in sensation that youd otherwise get with a memory foam mattress. Instead, it feels like a neutral bed that offers lots of push-back and resistance from its high-density foams and extra-supportive coils.Beds that have a pillow top feel or neutral hybrid feel are often safe choices. They just provide a general level of comfort that should be able to accommodate almost anyone. Unless you know you want a dense memory foam option or a super responsive latex foam feel; I think the feel of this Helix Plus mattress will work just fine for you.How firm is the Helix Plus mattress?I mentioned that the Helix Plus is a bit firmer than a medium nowadays, but how much firmer is it? Well, our team thought it was now right around a proper medium-firm on our scale, so the new model has gotten firmer.This firmness makes the bed most suitable for back and stomach sleepers. If youre a side or combination sleeper, you could get by on this mattress, but only if you prefer sleeping on something much firmer. If youre the type of side sleeper who prefers softer options, this may not be the right mattress for you.Keep in mind that this bed is not designed for the average-sized person. Much heavier people often sink into beds a bit more than average-sized folks, finding beds to be softer than medium body types. So, if youre a much heavier individual, this bed might be right around a medium when it comes to firmness.Helix Plus mattress construction Jon Gomez/CNETThe Plus is an enhanced hybrid bed thats constructed with high-quality materials. Its comprised of the following layers:1. On the bottom, theres a layer of base foam. This is a thin, dense foam that acts as a foundation for the rest of the beds layers.2. Then you have the beds main support system of TitanCore steel coils, designed to be extra durable and withstand a lot of weight.3. Next is a transition layer of Ultra-Dense Helix Responsive Foam., which acts as a buffer between the coils and the comfort elements on top.4. Just beneath the pillow top is a layer of high-density Helix Dynamic Foam. This is a comfort layer designed to be more durable than your average foam.5. Rounding the mattress out is its Breathe Knit cover, which should help the bed sleep temperature-neutral. You can spend up for the GlacioTex Pillow Top, which helps the bed sleep cooler.Helix Plus mattress performance Jon Gomez/CNETMotion isolationCompared to other ultrasupportive hybrid options online, wed say this bed deadens a decent amount of cross-mattress movement. It shouldnt isolate motion as well as dense memory foam options like Nectar or TEMPUR-Pedic, but I dont foresee your movements reverberating through the bed, causing your partner to wake up on this mattress or vice versa.Edge-to-edge supportThe TitanCore steel coils in the mattress provide Helix Plus with a solid amount of edge support. Theres no real roll-off sensation if you happen to sleep closer to those edges, and you should feel plenty of support along the beds perimeter.The dense nature of the comfort foams used above the coils also helps to keep you placed firmly along those edges. If your partner is a major bed hog, you can rest easy knowing this beds got your back.TemperatureLike many other beds within the online space, Helix Plus is advertised to sleep on the cooler side. Based on our tests, we found the standard Breathe Knit cover to be temperature-neutral. The GlacioTex Pillow Top will add a cooling factor to the mattress, which should appeal to hot sleepers more.Sleeping temperature often depends on other factors more than the bed itself. Your rooms overall temperature is the biggest influence in this regard, but it could also come down to the sheets youre using or the pajamas youre wearing. A bed can only do so much cooling-wise.DurabilityA quality hybrid bed such as this can last for several years, sometimes even over a decade. Weve found that coil beds generally last longer than those that have dense support foam. Foam layers can degrade faster over time as you lay on them night after night, whereas coils retain their shape more since theyre made of metal. Since the Helix Plus is an ultrasupportive hybrid mattress. Itll likely last you several years to come, especially if youre a heavier person.Who is the Helix Plus mattress best for? Jon Gomez/CNETAlthough the Plus could work for all body types, it's mainly intended to support folks on the much heavier side, so it might not be right for everyone. Here are the main things to consider about the bed and who itll work out best for.Sleeping positionIf youre a heavy individual well over the 200-pound threshold, you could probably get by on this bed in any sleeping position. Heavier people usually find beds to be softer than the average-sized person since they have more mass to sink in.If youre of a medium-sized build, the bed will probably be ideal for back and stomach sleeping. It might provide too much resistance against your shoulders and hips if youre a side sleeper whos more petite. Id say this bed is best for much heavier combination sleepers who tend to rotate around at night.Body typeAs mentioned above, this mattress is designed to support heavier folks, particularly those around 300 pounds and up. If youre in or around that weight, oftentimes, you need a hybrid bed with an enhanced support system such as this one.If youre an average-sized person, this bed is probably overkill for you. You can get by on a regular hybrid mattress thats more affordable and accommodating for your body type. If youre on the much smaller side, an all-foam bed will likely support you and your wallet more as well.Helix Plus mattress pricing SizeMeasurements (inches)Price Twin 38x75 inches$1,061Twin XL 38x80 inches$1,186Full 54x75 inches$1,374Queen 60x80 inches$1,499King 76x80 inches$1,874CA King 72x84 inches$1,874 For a bed of this caliber, I think the Helix Plus is offered at a great price point. After a discount, a queen size should run you around $1,100. Ultra-durable hybrid beds of this quality can easily cost upwards of two grand, so its nice to see the Helix Plus at a slightly more affordable value. Helix Sleep also likes to bundle in two free Dream pillows with every mattress purchase. Isnt it awesome getting free stuff?Helix Sleep typically runs discounts on its beds year-round as well.Helix trial, shipping and warrantyAs a brand, Helix backs its beds with above-average policies. Its beds ship to you in a box for free, and once its in your possession, you get a 100-night trial period to try it at home risk-free. If you happen to not like it within that time frame, you have a return option, but if you decide to keep it, youre backed by a 15-year limited warranty. Just be sure to use the right foundation for the bed. Otherwise, you could void your beds warranty.The final verdictIf youre a much heavier person looking for an ultrasupportive hybrid bed, the Helix Plus might be one of your best options for the price. If you dont mind spending up for a durable coil mattress with a neutral feel thats slightly softer than a medium-firm, this could be the best bed for you out of Helix Sleeps extensive lineup.Also, if you want a mattress with options, like a pillow top upgrade with a cooling cover for hot sleepers, thats definitely another perk for the Plus.You might like the Helix Plus mattress if:You want a very supportive hybrid mattressYoure a heavier back or stomach sleeperYou like a bed with some optional cooling cover upgradesYou weigh more than 250 poundsYou might not like the Helix Plus bed if:You're looking for an all-foam mattressYoure a smaller-sized person who doesnt need extra supportYou want a soft mattress for strict side sleepingYoure on a super strict budgetOther Plus mattresses from Helix SleepBesides the nearly two dozen other beds that Helix currently has in its lineup, this redesign of the Helix Plus also came with two other renditions of the bed. You now have a Helix Plus Luxe and a Helix Plus Elite to choose from nowadays.The Plus Luxe is similar to the other beds in the Luxe line, only with an even more enhanced support system. The coils on this mattress are laid out in a Zoned support format, which helps promote proper spinal alignment as you sleep. The bed also has a pillow top for comfort, which provides lots of cushion and pressure relief on top.The Plus Elite mattress takes this idea to the next, more luxurious level. Its pillow top features a GlacioTex Cover by default. Its removable comfort insert features a combination of foam and micro coils: there are technically three layers of coils in this one.How does the Helix Plus compare to other mattresses?Helix Plus vs. Big FigBoth of these are more supportive hybrid options with heavier people in mind, but who is right for which bed? When it comes to firmness and feel, theres a noticeable difference. Big Fig is a truly firm bed, and wed say its quite a bit firmer than Helix Plus. Since it uses some latex foam and memory foam, WinkBed has a bit more of a nuanced feel compared to Helix Plus, which feels pretty neutral overall. Both are plenty responsive and supportive; it just comes down to the firmness and feel you prefer. If you want the more affordable option, though, check out Helix Plus. Helix Plus vs. WinkBed PlusSince theyre so similar, these beds are quite difficult to pick apart. Both are right around a medium-firm and have pronounced neutral feels, but I guess the main difference is that the WinkBed Plus comes with a pillow top by default. You will have to spend up for that enhanced comfort option if you decide to go with the Helix Plus mattress. Even with that upgrade, the Helix Plus is still more affordable than WinkBed Plus. Both beds offer plenty of support for much heavier people and are viable options for those over the 300-pound mark. Helix Plus mattress FAQs What's the weight limit for the Helix Plus? According to Helix Sleep's website, this mattress can support two people each weighing 500 pounds, so it can handle up to 1,000 pounds of weight at once. Is the Helix Plus mattress good for side sleepers? Given its slightly firmer profile, I wouldn't classify this bed as a good option for side sleepers. Typically, side sleepers prefer sleeping on softer mattresses that provide lots of pressure relief for their shoulders and hips. While this bed might provide some of that, we don't think it's enough to move the needle for those sleeper types. If you're the type of side sleeper who prefers a firmer bed, maybe look into it, but it wouldn't be at the top of my list of recommendations. What is the Helix Plus made of? All of the materials used in this bed are Certi-Pur US certified, which means they're made in a nontoxic way. Additionally, all the support and comfort elements in the bed are designed to be more durable than your average hybrid bed. Its TitanCore steel coil system is made up of thicker gauge coils, and the high-density foam used above is made to last under lots of nightly weight over time.