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The rural region is changing fast as electricians from around the country plug the tech industrys new, giant data centers into its ample power supply.

Publications that made Medium great in 2024Published inThe Medium BlogSent as aNewsletter4 min readJust now-- Today gives us a wonderful two-for-one holiday deal: Merry Christmas AND Happy Hanukkah!Issue #236: a tech copywriters foster care beginnings, Xmas movie reviews, and hilarious Hanukkah cartoonsIf youre not entirely familiar with publications on Medium, theyre essentially magazines or collections of stories. Some writers use publications as portfolios to collect their best work. Others have grown them into thriving communities, with their own meetup schedules, editorial calendars, and support systems. In 2024, over 865,000 stories were published in over 33,000 active publications.These publications are gifts to the Medium community. Their editors often put in long hours managing and delivering feedback on dozens, if not hundreds, of drafts a month. Earlier this year, we launched a new Featured Stories functionality to help them get their best stories out to a wider audience.A little bird told me theres a lot more in store for publications in 2025. To help you learn more about them and support them in the new year, were dedicating this issue to the array of publications on Medium.New pubsOver 11,000 new publications were launched in 2024! Here are a few that particularly resonated with our readers this year:The Quantastic Journal: a publication about humanity, science, and technology. Sample story: What is a Particle, Really? by Selena Routley.The Parenting Portal: its about all things parenting, but its not just for parents. Sample story: Pregnancy Feels Different With Grief by Ayne.Life Without Children: for those who choose (or did not choose) a child-free life. Sample story: Why the Crazy Cat Lady Stereotype Is Especially Problematic for Women Without Children by Charlie Brown.Iberospherical, a publication that focuses on stories of Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking lands and culture. Sample story: My Name, My Home by Mario Lpez-Goicoechea.The Psychology of Workplaces: examining workplace culture and featuring tons of career tips. Sample story: How My Outsider Status Led to My Greatest Successes by Neela.Active pubsThese publications are dependable resources every day. They are inspiring examples of what Medium communities can offer, especially if you are thinking about launching a pub of your own!Towards Data Science: Truly a one-stop-shop for anyone interested in technology topics, you can learn everything from tech career tips to how to build your own LLM.UX Collective: Its not just about digital design. Its stories feature a lot of important conversations about inclusivity/accessibility, color theory, and brand-building.The Writing Cooperative, a phenomenal resource for grammar tips and advice on crafting narrative, but it also features encouraging topics, like Writing Through The Christmas Holidays: A Survival Guide.The Narrative Arc: If you love memoirs about the human condition, this is the place to be. It also runs monthly writing challenges, which are a great way to stretch your skills and get to know their community.Tastyble: Featuring truly useful recipes and cooking advice for things you know you should be doing, but dont, so now you dont have an excuse (such as properly cleaning a cast iron pan or how to quick-pickle your own stuff).Find *your* new favorite pubsSubscribe to our Huge List of Publications Accepting Submissions. Although primarily a resource for writers seeking pubs, its also a way to find active and emerging communities on Medium.PRO TIP: Use Mediums search to look for topics youre interested in, and filter by hitting the publication tab on the results page!Subscribe to our official blog for our monthly It Happened On Medium roundups. We mention plenty of new publications there, too.Check out the comment section of this post!? If its empty, why not get into the generosity of this holiday season and share your favorite ones here?Recommended readingIn Debugging My Childhood, Shari Walker shares her journey from a foster home to becoming a tech copywriter, lovingly depicting heartbreaking details from her childhood and describing how she transformed her experiences into empowerment.Laugh your way into the next eight crazy nights with Ellen Liebenthals hilarious illustrated Hanukkah Gifts for Companies That Just Dont Get it. My favorite might be the Chanukah Bunny. (Runner up: The Adam Sandler snowglobe??)Eric Pierce, editor of Fanfare, endured 40 titles to make this list of the best and worst Christmas movies to stream right now. His pick for #1 best movie? Klaus, an animated film available on Netflix that seems profoundly charming and may help you avoid the #1 most controversial debate at family holiday gatherings: So, what should we watch tonight?STILL searching for gifts? Youre not alone. For those of us in the U.S., we can blame a late Thanksgiving for that; its left us all in a scramble. Im thankful for this gift guide by author Ximena Vengoechea, which features useful book recommendations and easy options to quickly find, such as a panettone cake (classic and classy, IMO) or unique memberships (like to your local botanical garden).A practical dose of writing wisdom: denotation vs. connotationIf you are worried about offending your audience, lean into the denotation (the strict definition) of the words you use. If you want to persuade your audience, lean into their connotations (the vibes).

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Arcane AccountingArcane may have been a Netflix hit, but Riot spent way more money on it than it got paid for it, or made from itArcane has quickly become one of Netflix's most recognisable animated streaming shows, but Riot Games has struggled to have it make financial sense.Image credit: Fortiche/ Riot/ Netflix News by Sherif Saed Contributing Editor Published on Dec. 25, 2024 Whether or not you care about League of Legends, its hard to deny the impact Arcane - the animated series inspired by the games world and characters - has had on the streaming world.Arcane was once called the most expensive animated series of all time, with its two seasons costing over $250 million to produce and market. If that figure sounds big, thats because it is. More than that, however, its well beyond what everyone else involved has paid Riot for it.To see this content please enable targeting cookies. Thats because Riot reportedly spent a lot of its own money on actually producing the show, and according to a new Bloomberg report, the production ran over budget. Though some rumours suggest that multiple seasons were in the works, the reality is that Arcanes second season will be its last, and it likely has a lot to do with those production costs.The budget news is particularly brutal considering Netflix paid Riot around $3 million per episode, and parent company Tencent paid $3 million to air the show in China. All told, thats less than half of the shows total costs.The report also revealed that, while Riot had ambitious plans to transform itself into a media giant with the help of Arcane, the studio didnt have a solid plan to recoup the costs of the show before it aired. A Riot spokesperson confirmed to Bloomberg that Arcane wasnt profitable on its own, but it helped the business in other ways. They also said that the second season is on track to at least break-even for us financially. Enjoy it while it lasts, folks. | Image credit: Riot/ NetflixIts important to keep in mind that, unlike most projects of this nature, Arcane was funded, developed and produced by Riot. The studio wanted full control of the IP and production, so it didnt follow the easier (and more lucrative) licensing model. That also makes Riots decision to pause its other in-development entertainment projects, and stop working on Arcane itself, make sense.More interesting than the raw figures, Arcane reportedly didnt bring in enough new players to League of Legends, or convince existing ones to spend more on the game. Part of that was caused by the limited window the shows creators gave Riot designers to create in-game skins and themed events around it (an issue the studio solved with the second season), but it also has a lot to do with the complex nature of the game which deterred a lot of the new players who signed up after the first season blew up.For now, it doesnt look like Arcane will be followed by any other shows inspired by the world of League of Legends.

Image: Gemma Smith / Nintendo LifeSeason's Greetings to one and all! The 25th of December has crept up on us once more with its promise of sugary treats, hot and cold meats, papery hats and glittery tat... and, of course, video games.It's been a slow but steady year for Nintendo lovers as Switch winds down and everyone eyes The Future. The system still had loads of great games this year, though as our bulging holiday backlogs can attest and with the prospect of a shiny new console launch next year, there's much to be excited about. It won't be long until we find out more and get our fidgeting hands on that most precious of gifts - a Nintendo system launch game!Whatever your plans this year, whether surrounded by friends and family or spending this one alone, everyone here at Nintendo Life sends our very best wishes for the holidays and beyond. We've got a suite of articles programmed for the next week, so sit back and relax - you've almost certainly earned it. (Not you, Jim - back to work with ye'!)As is tradition, we're off to run around Freezeezy Peak with a bear and bird. Have a great one, everyone!And now, time for the soothing, classic voice of Mumbo Jumbo, singing for you this Christmas with - "Mumbo Navidad" (I Want To Wish You An Eekum-Bokum) Happy holidays folks! @grantkirkhope.bsky.social @rare.co.uk @kurkogames.bsky.social #banjokazooie #n64 #midi #rareware #90s #christmas Riposte (@ripostebk.bsky.social) 2024-12-23T20:29:14.814Z

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The worst technologies of 2024. The future of mixed reality. AIs impact on the climate. These are just a few of the topics we covered this year in MIT Technology Reviews monthly event series, Roundtables. The series offers a unique opportunity to hear straight from our reporters and editors about what's next for emerging technologies. Available exclusively for subscribers, these 30-minute online discussions provide insights, analysis, and perspectives on timely topics such as gene editing and smart glasses. Roundtables is also a chance for subscribers to ask questions about the latest technologies and learn more about their impact directly from our experts and guests. Subscribers can access recordings of past sessionsabout EVs in China, climate-friendly food, CRISPR babies, and AI hardware. To access the library, simply log in with your subscription or subscribe now to save 25% and unlock access to the entire series. Here are some highlights from this year in Roundtables: The Worst Technology Failures of 2024 MIT Technology Review publishes an annual list of the worst technologies of the yearchronicling flops, failures, and other mishaps. The 2024 list was unveiled in December by executive editor Niall Firth and senior editor for biomedicine Antonio Regalado. They had a lively discussion about each of the eight items on this listand what we can learn from these fiascos. Whats Next for Mixed Reality: Glasses, Goggles, and More This year brought many new developments in one particular consumer device category: smart glasses. After years of development, new augmented-reality specs from several companies made their debut. Editor in chief Mat Honan and AI hardware reporter James ODonnell talked about where its all heading. Putting AIs Climate Impact into Perspective The rise of AI comes with a growing carbon footprint and greater demand for electricity. Analysts project that AI could drive up data centers energy consumption by 160% this decade. So how worried should we be? Editor at large David Rotman, senior AI reporter Melissa Heikkil, and senior editor for energy James Temple explored the energy trade-offs involved in AI. CRISPR Babies: Six years later Gene editing can correct or improve the DNA of human embryos, potentially opening the door to the technological evolution of our species. But in 2018, a premature attempt to use the technology this way led to a prison term for He Jiankui, the researcher involved. Editor in chief Mat Honan and senior editor for biomedicine Antonio Regalado had a conversation with He, a biophysicist and the creator of the first gene-edited humans, to revisit this controversial technology and the future of editing in IVF clinics. Why Thermal Batteries Are So Hot Right Now Thermal batteries could be a key part of cleaning up heavy industry. Executive editor Amy Nordrum and senior climate reporter Casey Crownhart told us what we can expect next from this emerging technologywhich was also voted the 11th breakthrough technology of 2024 by our readers.

As we run, drive, bike, and fly, we leave behind telltale marks of our movements on Earthif you know where to look. Physical tracks, thermal signatures, and chemical traces can reveal where weve been. But another type of trail we leave comes from the radio signals emitted by the cars, planes, trains, and boats we use. On airplanes, technology called ADS-B (Automatic Dependent SurveillanceBroadcast) provides real-time location, identification, speed, and orientation data. For ships at sea, that function is performed by the AIS (Automatic Identification System). Operating at 161.975 and 162.025 megahertz, AIS transmitters broadcast a ships identification number, name, call sign, length and beam, type, and antenna location every six minutes. Ship location, position time stamp, and direction are transmitted more frequently. The primary purpose of AIS is maritime safetyit helps prevent collisions, assists in rescues, and provides insight into the impact of ship traffic on marine life. US Coast Guard regulations say that generally, private boats under 65 feet in length are not required to use AIS, but most commercial vessels are. Unlike ADS-B in planes, AIS can be turned off only in rare circumstances. A variety of sectors use AIS data for many different applications, including monitoring ship traffic to avoid disruption of undersea internet cables, identifying whale strikes, and studying the footprint of underwater noise. Using the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Associations Marine Cadastre tool, you can download 16 years of detailed daily ship movements, as well as transit count maps generated from a years worth of data showing each ships accumulated paths. The data is collected entirely from ground-based stations along the US coasts. I downloaded all of 2023s transit count maps and loaded them up in geographic information system software called QGIS to visualize this year of marine traffic. The maps are abstract and electric. With landmasses removed, the ship traces resemble long-exposure photos of sparklers, high-energy particle collisions, or strands of fiber-optic wire. Victoria, British Columbia, and Seattle.DATA: NOAA; MAP: JON KEEGAN / BEAUTIFUL PUBLIC DATA Lake HuronDATA: NOAA; MAP: JON KEEGAN / BEAUTIFUL PUBLIC DATA Savannah, GeorgiaDATA: NOAA; MAP: JON KEEGAN / BEAUTIFUL PUBLIC DATA LouisianaDATA: NOAA; MAP: JON KEEGAN / BEAUTIFUL PUBLIC DATA Zooming in on these maps, you might see strange geometric patterns of perfect circles, or lines in a grid. Some of these are fishing grounds, others are scientific surveys mapping the seafloor, and others represent boats going to and from offshore oil rigs, especially off Louisianas gulf coast. Hiding in plain sight Having a global, near-real-time system for tracking the precise movements of all ships at sea sounds like a great innovationunless youre trying to keep your ships movements and cargoes secret. In 2023, Bloomberg investigated how Russia evaded sanctions on its oil exports after the invasion of Ukraine by spoofingtransmitting fake AIS datato mislead observers. Tracking a fleet of rusting ships of questionable seaworthiness, reporters compared AIS data with what they actually saw on the seaand discovered that the ships werent where the data said they were. Monitoring the fishing industry Clusters of fishing vessels gravitating toward known fishing grounds create some of the most interesting patterns on the maps. Global Fishing Watch is an international nonprofit that uses AIS to monitor the fishing industry, seeking to protect marine life from overfishing. But it says that only 2% of fishing vessels use AIS transmitters. The organization, which is backed by Google, the ocean conservation group Oceana, and the satellite imagery company SkyTruth, combines AIS data with satellite imagery and uses machine learning to classify the types of fishing technology being used. In a press release announcing the creation of Global Fishing Watch, John Amos, the president and founder of SkyTruth, said: So much of what happens out on the high seas is invisible, and that has been a huge barrier to understanding and showing the world whats at stake for the ocean. A version of this story appeared in Beautiful Public Data (beautifulpublicdata.com), a newsletter that curates visually interesting datasets collected by government agencies.