2023 was the hottest year on record. This past year is on track to beating it and it caused more problems this past year than just spiking thermometers.The World Weather Attribution (WWA) released its annual Extreme Weather report showing how the record-breaking 34.34 Fahrenheit increase in man-made warming from the past year caused unrelenting heatwaves, drought, wildfire, storms and floods. The WWA estimates that climate change was responsible for at least 3,700 deaths and 26 weather events in 2024 that led to the displacement of millions.The report recorded a total of 219 events from 2024 that met its trigger criteria for identifying impactful weather events. Many of the events were influenced by the natural climate pattern known as El Nio (which has only become stronger under the effects of climate change) but the WWA studies found that climate change played a bigger role than El Nio in fueling these events, including the historic drought in the Amazon.Climate change added on an average 41 additional dangerous heat days and fueled record-breaking rain and flooding across the globe. A study of 16 floods found all but one of them were caused by warming atmospheres that retained more moisture leading to heavier rainfall. These climate conditions can also fuel bigger and deadlier hurricanes and typhoons such as the Helene, the Category 4 Hurricane that hit America in September. North Carolinas Office of State Budget and Management estimates that Helene caused $53.8 billion in damage in its state alone.Two of the worlds most important ecosystems were also hit hard by climate change in 2024, according to the WWA report. The Amazon rainforest and the Pantanal Wetland, the largest tropical wetland in the world, experienced severe droughts and wildfires that created huge biodiversity loss in the past year.Both areas are critical for maintaining the strength of the Earths ecosystems, climate and economies. The Amazons plant life removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through photosynthesis and releases water into the atmosphere that helps control the climate and circulate ocean currents. The Pantanal Wetland houses tens of thousands of species of wildlife and provides much needed flood control for the region and creates global economic activity for cattle ranching and soy production, according to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).The WWAs report set some critical resolutions for 2025 to combat the rising influence of climate change. The report calls for a faster shift away from fossil fuel usage, improvements in early warning systems for extreme weather events, a greater focus on reporting of heat related deaths and financing for developing countries and regions hit hardest by the effects of climate change.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/science/2024-is-on-its-way-to-being-the-hottest-year-ever-211524257.html?src=rss

Whether youre into shooters, fighting games or immersive RPGs, theres something for every Xbox owner out there. While Microsofts first-party output has been a bit slim lately, the company has been on a tear acquiring the likes of Bethesda and Activision Blizzard, as well as pumping up the amount of worthwhile titles in its Game Pass subscription service. The result is a plethora of games to choose from, which can be either a blessing or a curse for the indecisive gamer.To make life a bit easier, weve highlighted some of the best titles available on the Xbox Series X and S (some of which are also playable on older Xbox One systems). Weve chosen a mix of old and new titles, but given the hundreds of hours weve put into these games, we can guarantee theyre well worth your time. Check out our entire Best Games series including the best Nintendo Switch games, the best PS5 games, the best Xbox games, the best PC games and the best free games you can play today. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/xbox/best-xbox-games-140022399.html?src=rss

Following months of speculation, OpenAI has finally shared how it plans to become a for-profit company. In a blog post penned by its board of directors, OpenAI said Thursday it plans to transform its for-profit arm into a Public Benefit Corporation sometime in 2025. PBCs or B Corps are for-profit organizations that attempt to balance the interests of their stakeholders while making a positive impact on society.As we enter 2025, we will have to become more than a lab and a startup we have to become an enduring company, OpenAI said, adding that many of its competitors are registered as PBCs, including Anthropic and even Elon Musks own xAI. [The move] would enable us to raise the necessary capital with conventional terms like others in this space.As part of the transformation, OpenAIs nonprofit division would retain a stake in the for-profit unit in the form of shares at a fair valuation determined by independent financial advisors, but would lose direct oversight of the company. Our plan would result in one of the best resourced non-profits in history, claims OpenAI.Following the reorganization, the for-profit division would be responsible for overseeing OpenAIs operations and business, while the nonprofit arm would operate separately with its own leadership team and a focus on charitable efforts in health care, education and science.OpenAI did not state whether CEO Sam Altman would receive an equity stake as part of the restructuring. Last year, OpenAIs board of directors briefly fired Altman before bringing him back, in the process sparking the institutional crisis that led to this weeks announcement. According to some estimates, OpenAIs for-profit arm could be worth as much as $150 billion. In 2019, OpenAI estimated it would need to raise at least $10 billion to build artificial general intelligence. In October, the company secured $6 billion in new funding.The hundreds of billions of dollars that major companies are now investing into AI development show what it will really take for OpenAI to continue pursuing the mission, OpenAI said. We once again need to raise more capital than wed imagined. Investors want to back us but, at this scale of capital, need conventional equity and less structural bespokeness.Despite this weeks announcement, OpenAI is likely to face multiple roadblocks in implementing its plan. In addition to its ongoing legal feud with Elon Musk, Meta recently sent a letter to Californias attorney general urging him to stop OpenAI from converting to a for-profit company, saying the move would be wrong and could lead to a proliferation of similar start-up ventures that are notionally charitable until they are potentially profitable.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/openais-for-profit-plan-includes-a-public-benefit-corporation-163634265.html?src=rss

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U.S. tech investor Cathie Wood is calling on Donald Trumps incoming administration to boost economic growth and policy certainty by backdating promised corporate and personal tax cuts to Jan. 1, 2025, she told Reuters.A laggard in recent years, Woods flagship ARK Innovation exchange-traded fund has surged 17% since Trumps victory, which is expected to bring policy changes that will benefit the funds holdings.Two of its stocks, electric carmaker Tesla and crypto exchange Coinbase, are already up 54% and 7% respectively since Nov. 6, while the S&P500 has risen about 1.7% in that time.ARKKs other top holdings include Robinhood and Block, both of which could also benefit from friendlier crypto and AI policies.Wood has publicly backed Trumps economic platform, arguing that his plan to unleash deals, promote innovation in crypto and artificial intelligence, and cut red tape and government costs will make life easier for corporate America.Tax policy was also central to the election race, with Trump pledging to cut the rate paid by companies that make goods in the United States and to extend individual tax cuts Congress passed in 2017 that are set to expire next year.Thats a key area where Wood said shes pushing for more clarity.I see them saying, okay, were going to cut taxes but we will make them retroactive to Jan. 1, 2025. That would be very helpful, I think, in terms of providing certainty for the markets, Wood said in an interview.If they dont, youre going to get companies and individuals perhaps holding back. Im trying to communicate that pretty regularly to anyone who will listen.While Wood said she does not generally support tariffs, which act as a tax increase on goods, Trumps threat to hike them on major trading partners appears to be a negotiating strategy.TAX REFORMAnalysts expect the new Republican-controlled Congress to pursue tax reform next year, but Trump will kick start other key policies with executive orders upon his Jan. 20 inauguration. He has also announced new regulators who can start to implement his pro-innovation agenda.Campaign finance records indicate that Wood did not financially back Trump in the 2024 election cycle.She told Reuters that she has only met Trump once, earlier this year at his Florida home, but is in contact with Tesla boss and billionaire Trump backer Elon Musk and crypto enthusiast Wyoming Republican Senator Cynthia Lummis, both of whom are helping to shape Trumps policies.Wood has been one of Musks top cheerleaders, investing 16% of ARKKs $6.4 billion in assets in Tesla. That oversized bet reflects her confidence in Musk and her conviction that AI, including autonomous vehicles, will be a major driver of investment returns going forward, she said.He understands that technologies are converging, that artificial intelligence is the biggest catalyst, said Wood.However, she is selling some Tesla shares to reinvest in other companies likely to benefit from the same trend, like Archer Aviation, a developer of autonomous aircraft.Florida-based ARK has also been a leading proponent of crypto, launching a spot bitcoin ETF in January. Wood said a crypto crackdown under President Joe Biden put the United States in a vulnerable position, but the new administration will not want to lose innovation to the rest of the world.Lummis said in a statement that engaging with stakeholders was a priority and that Wood is a leader in digital assets and someone who has shared feedback with me on a number of issues related to innovation.Although some of the market exuberance over Trumps victory has fizzled, Wood said she believes the Trump bump, which has benefited crypto, small-cap and financial stocks, will eventually spill over into more of the market.I do think that the market is going to continue broadening out. Itll definitely favor innovation and anything that has been held back by policies in the last several years, she said.Neither Musk nor Trumps transition team responded to requests for comment.CONTRARIAN PATTERNWoods outsize bets on stocks like Zoom generated a 152% return at the height of the pandemic and won her a huge retail investor following but she has struggled to sustain that outperformance.Investors have pulled roughly $3.5 billion from ARKK over the past two years, with $300 million flowing out in the past month, according to data from Morningstar and VettaFi.Thats an atypical pattern for most ETFs and mutual funds, but typical of the contrarian pattern weve seen for Cathie Woods funds, said Robby Greengold, a Morningstar analyst.Wood said that even the most favorable new policies wont end that volatility.Were telling people that, hey, we offer a highly differentiated exposure to innovation. As a result, she added: yes, were going to be volatile.Suzanne McGee, Reuters

The average rate on a 30-year mortgage in the U.S. rose for the second week in a row to its highest level since mid-July, reflecting a recent jump in the bond yields that lenders use as a guide to price home loans.The rate rose to 6.85% from 6.72% last week, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday. One year ago, the rate on a 30-year mortgage averaged 6.61%.The average rate on a 30-year mortgage is now the highest its been since the week of July 11, when it was at 6.89%. It dipped as low as 6.08% in September a 2-year low and as high as 7.22% in May.Most economists forecast the average rate on a 30-year mortgage to remain above 6% next year, with some including an upper range as high as 6.8%. That range would be largely in line with where rates have hovered this year.Borrowing costs on 15-year fixed-rate mortgages, popular with homeowners seeking to refinance their home loan at a lower rate, also rose this week. The average rate increased to 6% from 5.92% last week. A year ago, it averaged 5.93%, Freddie Mac said.Elevated mortgage rates and rising home prices have kept homeownership out of reach of many would-be homebuyers. While sales of previously occupied U.S. homes rose in November for the second straight month, the housing market remains in a slump and on track for its worst year since 1995.Mortgage rates are influenced by several factors, including the moves in the yield on U.S. 10-year Treasury bonds.Bond yields climbed last week after the Federal Reserve signaled that it will likely deliver fewer cuts to rates next year than it forecast just a few months ago. While the central bank doesnt set mortgage rates, its actions and the trajectory of inflation influence the moves in the 10-year Treasury yield.The biggest wildcard for mortgage rates next year is whether President-elect Donald Trumps policy initiatives will contribute to higher inflation and swell the national debt, which could keep mortgage rates elevated. Thats because what happens with inflation, the U.S. deficit and the economy can have an effect on the 10-year Treasury yield.The yield, which was below 3.7% as recently as September, was at 4.61% in midday trading Thursday.Matt Ott, AP Business Writer

This holiday season has come with a hefty price tag: record-high credit card debt.Over a third of (36%) of American consumers took on holiday debt, according to anew surveyfrom LendingTree, with average balances of $1,181, up from $1,028 in 2023. The good news? That is still down from $1,549 in 2022.Heading into the peak shopping season, credit card balances rose by $24 billion in the third quarter of 2024 and are 8.1% higher than a year ago, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New Yorksreport on household debt. Collectively, Americans currently owe a record $1.17 trillion on their credit cards.However, record-breaking debt didnt stop Americans from hitting a consumer spending high this holiday. The National Retail Federation (NRF) reported last week that spending between November 1 and December 31 is clearlyon track to reach a record, between $979.5 billion and $989 billion.Job and wage gains, modest inflation and a healthy balance sheet is to thank for solid holiday spending, according to the NRFs chief economist, Jack Kleinhenz.Less than half (44%) of those who took on debt expected to find themselves in the red this year. Those most likely to take on debt were parents of young children, at 48%; millennials ages 28 to 43, at 42%; and individuals who earn $30,000 to $49,999, at 39%, according to LendingTree.To add insult to injury, 28% of credit card users still have not paid off last years bill when it comes to gifts, according to another holiday spending report byNerdWallet, which polled more than 1,700 adults in September.Credit cards continue to be one of the most expensive ways to borrow money, with the average credit card rate currently more than 20% and some retail card APRs even higher. Looking to 2025, it will come as no surprise that paying down debt is at thetop of many new year resolutions.

Chicago-based Studio Becker Xu has separated a vernacular dogtrot house to create a set of concrete pavilion-like blocks capped with a pine gable to form a house in North Carolina.Known as the Dogtrot House, the 3200-square foot (300-square metre) residence sits on a 10-acre site in Hillsborough, outside of Raleigh-Durham, that is densely wooded with oak, sweet gum, maple and persimmon trees and overlooks a pond.Studio Becker Xu has completed Dogtrot House in North CarolinaCompleted in 2023, the house prioritizes seamless indoor-outdoor living and pays tribute to a traditional southern dogtrot, which typically feature two enclosed living areas connected with a covered breezeway."This format reflects a connection with the outdoors, which, in the past, was synonymous with life in the region," Studio Becker Xu said. "The clients' desire to be surrounded by both family and nature in their home called for a new adaptation of this once-ubiquitous typology, expanding and reframing the idea of outdoor living."The exterior is a combination of geometric blocks and features concrete and fiber cement panelsThe exterior is a conglomeration of board-formed concrete, polished architectural concrete masonry units, light-toned fiber cement panels, and floor-to-ceiling glazing, notched together in geometric blocks.A dark standing-seam metal roof rises into a steep gable and thin red, circular columns add asymmetrical pops of color around the exterior.Inside, the two blocks of the dogtrot have been split in half to form four pavilions that each house a separate function and open views in four directions.The gable was transformed into a double-height corridor with a cathedral ceilingThe traditional gable became a 100-foot-long (30 metres), double-height corridor with a 20-foot (6 metres) cathedral ceiling, clad in warm laminated Southern pine, and sliding glazed walls at both ends that can open to become a long covered porch.The gabled ends extend beyond the front and back walls of the house to form shaded porches on either end. On one end of the house, a board-formed concrete wall extends beyond the porch and curves outward toward the forest.Read: Studio MM wraps rural New York home in Corten steelThe central corridor serves as "the hearth of the home [and was] engineered by designing the flat roofs as diaphragms to resist the horizontal thrust from the gable roof, with the loft platform at the center tying it all together".In the centre of the corridor, a volume combines a lightweight, folded blackened steel staircase, a powder room, a fireplace, and a 10-foot-long piece of custom millwork that can be used as a home office.The dining room is extended from the corridor and features a circular windowThe wooden ceiling and white walls are juxtaposed by dark earthen tiles and a heavy board-formed half-wall that curves from the entrance into the central space."The curved concrete arcs and red columns offer a loose framework for a variety of tableaus indoor & outdoor seating, family entertainment area, and playscape for the children."The floating staircase leads to a loftThe four pavilions a primary suite, children's rooms with a jack-and-jill bathroom, a living room, and the kitchen each encounter nature with framed views to the outdoors.The dining room featuring a reclaimed red oak dining table is formed by a small bump-out from the centre of the corridor. A circular window breaks the orthogonal design but references the curved walls.The floating staircase leads up to a loft with a blocky dormer featuring a square window that sits directly above the porthole in the dining room.Each pavilion of the house frames a different view of the surrounding natureOne's spatial experience of the home is fluid, moving around and amongst architectural elements like columns, walls and volumes that feel as if they are scattered across the natural landscape, rather than in and out of enclosed rooms," co-founder Sharon Xu said."Walking around the exterior, each elevation is unique, creating a similarly fluid and dynamic experience of nature and architecture together in the round.Other homes recently completed in North Carolina include a house constructed with compressed perennial grass panels by DR Horton and Plantd and an energy-efficient home inspired by agrarian barns by Harding Huebner.The photography is by Keith Isaacs.Project credits:Architect: Studio Becker XuContractor: BuildSenseStructural engineer: Lysaght & AssociatesMetal fabricator: Leo Gaev MetalworksCustom woodwork: XylemThe post Studio Becker Xu revises dogtrot model for North Carolina house appeared first on Dezeen.

The future of mobility is going to be focused on and around the preservation of the environment while keeping in mind the dynamic commuting needs of city dwellers. Weve seen numerous personal mobility concepts and prototypes that envision the designs of vehicles a decade from now. The same is true for public transportation needs as new technological innovations will change the dynamics of how we move in and around metro cities.Meet TREO a new kind of sustainable transportation system specifically designed for future rewilding cities, seamlessly integrating with the green urban ecosystems. The proposed concept can be configured both as a personal commuter or a suspended transport module when connected with other TREO vehicles. The idea is to have a single-module vehicle that can transport you to the city center for short-distance travel, and then you can get connected to the other vehicle modules for automated transportation to your destined location.Designer: Xiqiao WangThe aerodynamic single-person module can reach speeds up to 25 km/h and has freedom for multidirectional movement on smooth surfaces. On the rear, this module has a suspension link that can be connected to the lifting mechanism when mode switching is required. In the ground movement mode, the rider gets a semi-automated travel option while in the suspended transportation mode, the steering wheel folds, HUD turns into an entertainment hub, and seats retract back in the circular structure for a laid-back travel. Most of the TREOs structure is made out of 3D-printed material keeping the weight down and opening the possibility of multimodular movement for adjusting according to users needs. The omnidirectional wheels are made out of spherical tires and have individual motors.The vehicle is a combination of organic U shapes contrasted with sharp cutting lines. The interior is kept very open and airy so that the rider has 180-degree vision on all sides to enjoy the ride home. Overall this futuristic ride is targeted towards future cities that have the basic infrastructure sorted and more oriented towards quality of life.The post TREO mobility concept targets flexible commuting needs of city dwellers in a dual travel mode first appeared on Yanko Design.