My twins are teenagers, and they still love going on family vacations.We recently went to Saint Martin, and they loved every moment of it.I hope they continue to love our family trips as they grow up.When I was pregnant with twins, people would say, "You're not going to be able to travel anymore." But I proved them all wrong.My twins are now 19 years old, and we have been going on yearly family vacations since they were born. When my younger daughter came along 16 years ago, we kept traveling.Most people assume that once your kids turn 18, they won't want to travel with you anymore, but that hasn't been the case with my children. I hope it stays that way.Our most recent summer adventure was to Saint MartinThis summer, we visited the Caribbean Island of Sint Maarten/Saint Martin. The reason there are two similar names listed with different spellings is that it's actually one island with two countries that have open borders. The Dutch side is called Sint Maarten, while the French side is Saint Martin.One of my kid's favorite aspects of our family vacation was that they had their own room. Every night, they bonded by watching YouTube videos everything from cats being groomed to gamers playing Observation Duty.While I didn't relate to their late-night entertainment choices, I loved hearing them recap the videos over breakfast each morning, laughing about the details. Even now, six months later, they still talk about how much fun they had watching YouTube videos together.One of our favorite activities during the trip was a nighttime swim in the hotel pool something we've done on other vacations, too. The pool, usually crowded during the day, was completely ours at night. Swimming after sunset meant that we didn't need to worry about sunscreen or sunburns. My daughter used to be on the swim team, but we all love our time in the pool. It's definitely a memorable bonding experience and a cherished family tradition.I try to include my teens in the planning processDuring our trips, I'm usually the one who plans and researches everything. But I always provide options or ask for feedback from my teens and husband.One experience in St. Maarten (the Dutch side) that kept popping up in my internet searches was a zipline course. I was hesitant to mention it due to safety concerns and the steep price, but when I did, my adventurous teens immediately wanted to go. They justified the cost by suggesting it could be an early Christmas present. Since it was hard to know what to buy them, and it did seem like a unique experience, I gave in and let them go.It turned out to be a highlight of the trip. My kids said it was one of the best experiences on any of our vacations.I hope that by including them in the planning of our family vacations, they will stay interested in traveling with me.We are already planning our next tripMy three teens loved Sint Maarten/Saint Martin and said it was the best family vacation and their favorite travel destination. Whether it's swimming under the stars, laughing over YouTube videos, or braving a zipline, it's the shared moments that matter most.My daughter plans to study abroad in Italy next year. We've already begun researching where we can stay when we visit her. I hope that even when they graduate from college, they will still want to travel with us.Who knows? Maybe one day, they'll invite me along when they have their own families. Of course, I'll join as long as they agree that I can have my own hotel room so I can watch weird YouTube videos, too. A mom can dream.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni made a surprise visit to Mar-a-Lago on Saturday.Meloni received a rapturous welcome to Trump's Florida resort, per videos circulating on social media.The pair reportedly discussed tariffs and the arrest of an Italian journalist in Iran.Italy's right-wing Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni made a surprise visit to President-elect Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort on Saturday, just days before she's scheduled to meet with President Joe Biden.Photos shared by the Italian government show Trump greeting Meloni and the pair posing at the entrance to the president-elect's Florida base.While no official details of the meeting have been shared, Meloni and Trump are said to have discussed tariffs and the arrest in Iran of Cecilia Sala, an Italian journalist, Bloomberg reported, citing an unnamed person familiar with the matter.The visit is also reported to have included a dinner and a screening of a new film called "The Eastman Dilemma: Lawfare or Justice.""This is very exciting, I'm here with a fantastic woman, the prime minister of Italy," Trump reportedly told the crowd at Mar-a-Lago. "She's really taken Europe by storm, and everyone else, and we're just having dinner tonight."It comes as Meloni who received a rapturous welcome to the Palm Beach estate, according to videos circulating on social media is set to welcome Biden to Rome for an official visit from January 9 to 12.Meloni has been calling on EU members to carve out a positive relationship with Trump ahead of his return to office.In a speech to the Italian parliament in December, Meloni said it was "essential to maintain a pragmatic, constructive and open approach with the new Trump administration, exploiting areas of potential and fruitful EU-U.S. cooperation and trying to prevent commercial disputes that would certainly not be good for anyone," per Politico.She has also forged a growing bond with Elon Musk, who is set to co-lead the Department of Government Efficiency under Trump's incoming administration.Following Trump's election win in November, Meloni took to X to announce that her "friend" Musk had been in touch."I am convinced that his commitment and vision will be an important resource for the United States and Italy, in a spirit of collaboration aimed at addressing future challenges," she wrote.In June 2023, Meloni hosted Musk at the Italian prime minister's official residence, the Palazzo Chigi.Meloni and the Tesla CEO reportedly discussed AI, birth rates, innovation, and European market rules.The prime minister called the meeting "fruitful" and a "moment of great cordiality" in a post on X.In December 2023, Musk was also the guest of honor at Meloni's "Atreju" political festival in Rome.The topic of birth rates was on the agenda again, as Musk urged Italians and other developed nations to have more children.For his part, Musk has called Meloni a "precious genius" who was "even more beautiful on the inside than she is on the outside."Since his election, Trump has also welcomed Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbn, Argentinian President Javier Milei, and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to Mar-a-Lago.Business Insider has contacted Meloni's office for comment.

I really, really, wanted to like the Boox Go 6 e-reader. Most reviewers were enthusiastic about the Boox Palma, the e-ink replacement for smartphone doomscrolling, for its easy-to-read display and handiness. I thought that this small tablet-like reading device would have the same effect. Sadly, the Boox Go 6 e-ink reader failed to convert me to a full-time user. The Boox Go 6s e-ink screen isnt a problem for meI like the 6-inch display, which features an adjustable backlight and brightness. Text and details on the screen appear sharp and crisp even with the backlight turned off. But the displays slow refresh rate powered by a middling processor made my reading experience slower than a traditional, tangible book. It made me wait, and I hate waiting. No matter what I wanted to read, I had to wait for the screen to catch up to my fingerpress before the e-reader would load the desired content. It did this for ebooks I stored locally, books Id borrowed from Libby, and a few other apps I tried out over the excitement of having nearly unfettered access to the Google Play Store. One of the selling points of the Go 6 is that it runs Android, making it easier to load third-party apps and stores. But interacting with the Boox Go 6 can be so frustrating; it almost doesnt make the open nature of its software alluring, after all. Open Reading The 2021-era Kindle Paperwhite, the other e-reader in my stead, also has a comfortable display and slim profile. I hoped to swap it out for the Onyx Boox Go 6, which doesnt limit me to the Kindle library and its partners. I had long ago figured out how to upload DRM-free comics and graphic novels to a Kindle through Calibre, a Windows app, but Im still missing a couple of third-party libraries Id like to have on hand, like Google Play Books, which Ive been using for a long time on Android, and this one app I started using to grab Romanian ebooks. The Play Store also lets me read my newspapers through their mobile apps: the San Francisco Chronicle and the New York Times.The Go 6s Android software offersintegrated access to the Google Play Store without requiring a third-party solution. Setting up a Google account on the device is easy, and then you can access the Google Play Store and download apps. But its not a copy-and-paste Android experience. The version of Android 11 that runs on the Go 6 is not the user interface youre used to on a smartphone. For instance, there are two additional buttons in the navigation bar for refreshing the page and accessing the settingsyoull be using that refresh button quite a bit, depending on the content youre perusing. The notifications panel drops if you drag down from the upper left side of the screen. The quick settings are available on the upper right side. Its fluid if youve used Android on a tablet, though its often felt sluggish on the Go 6. While I got the San Francisco Chronicle loaded to read on the Onyx Boox Go 6, I havent been able to sync up the New York Timesarguably the subscription where Im trying to get my bang for the buck. There seems to be an authentication issue I havent been able to troubleshoot yet. (The browser times out when I try to log in.) At the very least, what Ive managed to experience reading the Chronicle app has been relatively pain-free, save for the times the Go 6 would crash on me mid-scroll. It helps that mobile news apps of this type are pretty rudimentary. Its just black text on a white background. Relatedly, the Go 6 has more difficulty scrolling if you go into dark mode. I tried perusing Reddit through the Chrome browser on the Go 6 that way, but the screen could not keep up with each page jump. Florence Ion / Gizmodo The one saving grace of the Go 6s frequent sluggishness is that the e-reader doesnt catch up on notifications for the Android apps you have installed. When the e-reader is off and turned on again, youre not immediately bombarded by useless notifications for stuff from days or weeks ago. You do get push notifications from news apps that support it, but its tempered. I noticed it pushes only the most recent alert since the screen has been on. Loading books on the Boox Go 6 otherwise is fast, though not as straightforward as dragging and dropping files from point A to point B using a computer. Instead, the Go 6 uses BooxDrop, which creates a little WiFi direct/FTP situation where you can drag and drop files through the browser. I loaded PDFs of vintage magazines from the late 90s and DRM-free comics I purchased from SilverSprocket. I also loaded up traditional CBR and EPUB files Ive collected over the years. The Go 6 comes with a default 32GB of onboard storage. Theres a microSD slot if you want to add more, which I found is the easiest method for onboarding a massive library of ebooks you might already have stored up. Florence Ion / Gizmodo Whats Inside The Go 6 is a lighter device than the Kindle Paperwhite by nearly two ounces. Its 6-inch E Ink HD Carta 1300 display has a 1,448 by 1,072 resolution. There are bezels on the device, which is fine because I like to have a bit of chassis to hold onto when lying on my back. Boox also sent over the magnetic cover case to protect it. I like how svelte the whole package is, and I loved the look and feel of the device alongside my other everyday carry.The Go 6 has a 2GHz octa-core processor powering it up, plus 2GB of RAM, which is why its not fast. Its a slower experience than any early-generation Android device youd use, though things run more smoothly if youre not jumping around between screens and apps. I found it best to navigate to the app or title I wanted to use and then keep it there. Anytime I tried to multitask, Id get a little flustered, remembering the whole point of this device is to slow down. I had to consistently remind myself that there was a 14GB difference in memory between this cute little e-reader and my Pixel 9 Pro smartphone and that I needed to act the part. Florence Ion / Gizmodo Should You Buy the Boox Go 6? You will find the Onyx Boox Go 6 at Target and Wal-Mart for $150, about as much as the latest Kindle Paperwhite on Amazon. The Go 6 is a decent alternative to a locked-in Kindle Paperwhite for the same price. But just because it runs Android doesnt mean it runs Android apps. The apps provide additional access outside an ecosystem of e-books over an otherwise plain e-reader. Still, I wouldnt suggest this device for someone new to e-books or digital reading.If you are looking for a platform-agnostic, non-OLED solution to reading at night, the Go 6 isnt a bad choice. Just temper your expectations. Remember that the e-ink screen is not the same as a smartphone. But the payoff is an incredible battery life for an e-readerup to five days consecutive days of reading off the charger in my testingand the ability to load up a digital library of books, comics, and magazines onto one dedicated device. At the very least, the Boox Go 6 reminds you to move slower than the pace of everything else these days, even if you are waiting a while for the page to load.

B09 Building Island / urbanmakers + Selva & Maugin ArchitectesSave this picture!Residential ArchitectureBordeaux, FranceArchitects: Selva & Maugin Architectes, urbanmakersAreaArea of this architecture projectArea:3875 mYearCompletion year of this architecture project Year: 2024 Lead Architects: Antoine Motte More SpecsLess SpecsText description provided by the architects. Context - Facing Bordeaux's iconic 18th-century "stone city," the Bastide-Niel district introduces an unconventional urban form. Designed with heliotropic principles and narrow grids by urban planner MVRDV, the area extends Bordeaux's vibrant urban life to the Garonne River's right bank. Roofs define the district's identity, creating a striking silhouette of varied scales and sloping planes that shape its innovative fabric.Save this picture!Key Challenges - Located on Quai des Queyries beside the "Parc aux Angliques," the B09 building-island hosts 54 social rental units. The challenge lay in embracing a pre-defined volume while addressing residential requirements and ensuring continuity between walls and roofs to form a unified envelope.A Mineral Aesthetic Rooted in Tradition - The material palette reflects a classic mineral aesthetic, using warm sandy tones that recall Bordeaux's historic architecture. Blonde brick facades transition seamlessly into tiled roofing, unifying the structure. Despite its sculptural volume, the design emphasizes domesticity, with tactile materials that invite interaction. Openings and uses integrate the human scale, ensuring the building feels welcoming and familiar.Save this picture!Domestic Comfort & Functionality - The project prioritizes resident comfort through thoughtful details: carefully proportioned windows, railings, deep loggias, and subtle facade projections. Habitable rooftops, including tropziennes, add further living space. Opaque lower panels on windows and loggias ensure privacy, a key feature for dense urban environments. Integrated loggia storage cabinets enhance daily functionality.A Thoughtful Entry Sequence - At the heart of the project lies the "vestibule," a generous open passage that connects residents to their homes. This transitional space bridges public and private realms while fostering pedestrian-friendly access. To comply with floodplain regulations, the ground floor is elevated on a plinth, ensuring resilience against water risks.A Unified Vision - B09 combines aesthetic coherence with functional innovation, tackling contemporary urban challenges. By blending classic materials, human-centered design, and efficient spatial organization, it enhances Bastide-Niel's identity. The project sets a benchmark for sustainable, inclusive housing, harmoniously merging tradition and modernity.Project gallerySee allShow lessProject locationAddress:Bordeaux, FranceLocation to be used only as a reference. It could indicate city/country but not exact address.About this officeurbanmakersOfficeMaterialBrickMaterials and TagsPublished on January 05, 2025Cite: "B09 Building Island / urbanmakers + Selva & Maugin Architectes" 05 Jan 2025. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/1025306/b09-urbanmakers-plus-selva-and-maugin-architectes&gt ISSN 0719-8884Save!ArchDaily?You've started following your first account!Did you know?You'll now receive updates based on what you follow! Personalize your stream and start following your favorite authors, offices and users.Go to my stream

Stack CommerceShareWe may earn revenue from the products available on this page and participate in affiliate programs. Learn more New year, same sluggish computer? It doesnt have to be this wayand you dont have to spend hundreds on a new machine. That operating system youve been holding out on getting, Windows 11, could actually make your computer feel like new again or closer to it, anyway.Microsoft is ending support for Windows 10 soon, so you should upgrade to Windows 11 to speed up your PC and get all the latest features. During our New Years sale, you can get the Pro version for only $20 this week (reg. $199).A new PC for $20? Not quite but tons of new featuresIf youve been holding out on the OS upgrade because you arent sure if youll like the new look, we get it. It might take a bit of an adjustment, but youll warm up to the centered bottom taskbar, rounded app corners, and the new productivity tools like snap layouts and widgets faster than you think.Youll also unlock the new AI assistant, Windows Copilot. This one is completely unlike Cortana in that its actually useful. You can ask it questions, generate images, summarize websites, and change system settings.Since this is the Pro version of Windows 11, you get some features that are not available on the Home version, which is free for some users. BitLocker device encryption locks down your hard drive in case of device theft or loss, Hyper-V allows you to run virtual machines, and Windows Sandbox lets you test apps in a secure environment.Speed up your PC and get new features with Windows 11 Pro, now $20 (reg. $199) until January 12 at 11:59 p.m. PT. No coupon is needed for this deal.StackSocial prices subject to change.Microsoft Windows 11 Pro $20See Deal

A coin hoard dating back about 2,100 years, during the time of the Jewish Hasmonean kings, has been discovered at a site in the Jordan Valley.

Process: Camera tracking done in After Effects and then imported the scene in blender and using a train model designed the entire path using bezier curve and made the train follow it. If anyone interested I have made a full tutorial on creating this on my Patreon - Motion Nations submitted by /u/admj707 [link] [comments]

https://youtu.be/ev4TUuHNbh4?si=E34tNNEV3XOmnZtw submitted by /u/kaleab_hoova11 [link] [comments]

Hello everyone, wanted to share my first render of 2025 :) Song is by Lush Crayon submitted by /u/strayscout [link] [comments]