Greg Epstein is the Humanist chaplain at Harvard University and at MIT, where he advises students, faculty, and staff members on ethical and existential concerns from a humanist perspective. He has served for over 20 years in elected and appointed interfaith leadership roles as an advisor for the non-religious. He himself is an atheist, agnostic, Humanist.Tech has changed roles. It used to be a mere tool that people could use for bettering and strengthening humanity. Now, it has achieved a religiosity that threatens to make us the servant worshipers of a dangerous Big Tech agenda. We need to stop genuflecting to our black mirrors a hundred times a day and pull all that is digital down from the heavens, back into the toolbox.Below, Epstein shares five key insights from his new book,Tech Agnostic: How Technology Became the Worlds Most Powerful Religion, and Why It Desperately Needs a Reformation.Listen to the audio versionread by Epstein himselfin the Next Big Idea App.1. Tech has come to play a role in our lives that surpasses any industryTech has come to look more like a religion. If you compare the mythological kingdom of Silicon Valley to the size and scope of other world religions today, it would now be the biggest.We tend to say that tech is an industry, but that description makes no sense because theres no longer any major industry that isnt a tech industry. If a new religion of the traditional kind had emerged and acquired billions of devotees (and dollars) in the way that our current fervor for AI, social media, surveillance capitalism, and all things digital have, if everyone you knew suddenly started praying or worshiping at a traditional altar as often or as fervently as we genuflect before our stained glass black mirrors (at least 150 times a day, on average), then we would and should ask ourselves whether that new creed had taken on undue influence over our lives.2. Big Tech is dominated by some weird ideasBig Tech has become a basic feature of daily life, and it has come to be dominated by some extremelyweirdideas. Many of those ideas are weirdly theological. Like Way of the Future (WOTF), a religion founded by Anthony Levandowski, a former Google and Uber AI engineer who made hundreds of millions before being convicted for IP theft against Google, avoiding jail when Donald Trump pardoned him. Levandowski, upon filing paperwork to found a new church, told the IRS that his new faith focused on, The realization, acceptance, and worship of a Godhead based on Artificial Intelligence, developed through computer hardware and software. He believes humans are creating something that will soon be a god that, like the jealous one in the Bible, will be angry to discover that we didnt start worshiping it sooner.I wish my book research hadnt turned up literally countless similar examples, like The Singularity. According to Ray Kurzweil, the AI legend who helped pioneer Googles Gemini, The Singularity is the supposedly fast-approaching moment when tech allows us to overcome death, making human life meaningful. This contradicts thousands of years of secular and religious philosophy by implying that life hasnt been meaningful until now.3. A new traditional religion dominated by strange ideas would be questionedWe desperately need more critical thinking about why Big Tech is selling such grand ideas and lofty ideals. Many of the most important weird tech ideas I explore inTech Agnosticdirectly influence the movement of billions of dollars.Heaven is a genuinely beautiful and meaningful concept for many. Im fine with that, even though I am among those who, like John Lennon, prefer to Imagine theres no such thing. The problem is that in the hands of infallible extremists or absolute monarchs, the concept can justify almost anything: Sure, society isnt fair or equitable or safe, your family is suffering, and the future looks bleak. But stop complaining and obey my commands, say such rulers. If you do, youll go to paradise. If not, go tothe other place.This classic theological trope appears in a 2003 essay, Astronomical Waste: The Opportunity Cost of Delayed Technological Development, by Nick Bostrom, a former longtime Oxford professor who was among the worlds most decorated figures in AI until he was forced to close his Future of Humanity Institute in April 2024. In the piece, Bostrom argued that for every year that sufficiently advanced technology is not developed, and colonization of the universe is delayed, there is a corresponding opportunity cost of the trillions of hypothetical future digital lives that tech could bring to the universe.In other words, if you dont pump billions into the coffers of AI leaders now, youre denying the birth of billions of AI people in a celestial tech future. By doing so, you might be committing genocide. The influential tech billionaire investor and founder Marc Andreessen makes the same case in his famous 2023 Techno-Optimist Manifesto. He writes: We believe any deceleration of AI will cost lives. [. . . ]Deaths that were preventable by the AI that was prevented from existing is a form of murder.Yikes. Facing a claim like that, its harder to raise more earthly concerns like AIs huge carbon footprint amid the global climate crisis or AI disinformation harming democracy. Thats precisely the agenda behind Big Beliefs like Tech Heaven.4. We need a Renaissance of agnosticismOne of the biggest blessings skeptical Humanism can offer a world of tech-certainty, in which AI chatbots freely and frequently hallucinate garbage answers and advice (like Google Geminis suggestion to use glue to keep cheese from sliding off pizza), is that its honorable to admit not knowing an answer. Patient, thoughtful agnosticism may be slower, but it can help form better answers to lifes hardest questions, like Is the theology I believe in true? Or, How to govern a diverse society? Or, Should I glue mozzarella and sauce to my pizza crust? Okay, some questionsdohave easy answers.Seriously though, our society needs to be more proud of what my friend Lesley Hazleton, author ofAgnostic: A Spirited Manifesto, calls a spirited delight in not knowing.5. Technology belongs as a toolnothing moreThere is a deep beauty worth fighting for: Acknowledging, even celebrating, our limitations, imperfections, and mortality. Our flawed yet resilient capacity to love is valuable. We need to return technology to the status of tools that are in service to our deep and common humanity.This article originally appeared in Next Big Idea Club magazine and is reprinted with permission.

A jet-black cabin called Atelier Nyp has been built on the old foundations of a destroyed sheep shed by architecture practice Studio Bua in remote western Iceland.Named after Nypurhyrna mountain behind it, the cabin contains an artist's studio and guesthouse, perched overlooking the expansive Breidafjordur fjord that is a three-hour drive from Reykjavik.Studio Bua has completed a cabin in western IcelandAtelier Nyp is the latest addition to a cluster of former farm buildings on the remote site in Skardstrond that have been turned into a home, guesthouses and cultural spaces by Studio Bua, which has offices in London and Oslo.The cabin is designed with a deliberately simple volume to fit in with the other agricultural-style buildings on the compound. Its pitched roof is off-centre, nodding to the shape of one of the area's dominant mountain peaks.Atelier Nyp forms part of a cluster of old farm buildingsOne of the key parts of the client's brief was to reuse the remains of an existing sheep shed structure on site to minimise the amount of concrete required in the new building."We approached the project from the point of view of sustainability and to maximise the existing resources, both material and cultural," said Studio Bua co-founder Sigrn Sumarliadttir."We repurposed the concrete foundation from an existing sheep shed that had blown off in extremely bad weather, which in this part of the world is not uncommon," she added.The cabin has an off-centre pitched roofInside Atelier Nyp, there are two independent units within one space. The mountain-facing side is home to a kitchen and dining area with a workspace on the ground floor and accommodation for the artist client and her husband on the first floor, including a small office space.Meanwhile, on the other side of the building, there is a mini apartment with a double-height bedroom, bathroom and kitchenette to rent out to visitors. Next to the cabin is a dark green steel greenhouse, also designed by Studio Bua as part of a previous project.Read: Naturehumaine completes Quebec retreat for "well-being and rejuvenation""We are quite proud of how much we fit into this little building, and it somehow feels spacious on the inside," added Sumarliadttir. "We also like the elemental look, it seemed almost like a diagram of a building on the outside."According to Studio Bua, the client wanted the guesthouse to be ready for summer so to speed up construction, the structure was built using cross-laminated timber (CLT), which has been left exposed on the inside to create a warm finish.The cabin houses two independent units within one spaceIts exterior is clad in corrugated steel to protect against the harsh weather. The steel's black finish was chosen to distinguish it from its neighbours and emphasise the building's uncomplicated shape.In addition to the concrete foundations, Studio Bua also salvaged other items for Atelier Nyp, including an old stair from a historic building in Reykjavic and kitchen units from a fifties apartment block.An upper level contains a workspace and bedroom for the owner"We were working in a rural area where innovation and new ways of building are not highly visible," explained Sumarliadttir. "The more common way of doing things is demolishing the older structures and importing prefab buildings in complex materials.""In this site we have renovated several buildings to make a cultural centre that is accessible to everyone in the area and so could influence people to reuse and revalue the existing building mass and its history," she added.Other cabins recently featured on Dezeen include a white-painted retreat in Qubec with a matching metal roof and one with a hat-shaped aluminium roof in Sweden.The photography is courtesy of Studio Bua.The post Studio Bua creates "elemental look" for black cabin overlooking Icelandic fjord appeared first on Dezeen.

Smoke exposure, researchers have found, raises the risk of dementia, poor mental health, fertility problems, and neurodegenerative diseases.

Plus: The FBI discovers a historic trove of homemade explosives, new details emerge in Chinas hack of the US Treasury Department, and more.

Purchase data shows that electric vehicle sales are growing globally. But the question remains: How fast?

If I were a betting woman, I would bet youre reading this on your phone, maybe sitting around your kitchen table or at your kitchen island. So, look around. What do you see? Is it a bright, white kitchen with a subway tile backsplash? (Hello, modern farmhouse!) Or perhaps you went a little more classic with butcher block countertops and green cabinetry. (For the love of cottagecore!) Regardless of what your kitchen looks like now, it was almost certainly influenced by the design trends of the time it was built or most recently remodeled.Whether youre planning a full kitchen makeover in the new year or are just curious how to easily make your kitchen feel a little less dated, youve come to the right place. I spend all year chatting with kitchen designers and writing about kitchens. Below, Ive compiled the top seven kitchen design ideas they are most excited about for 2025. From cabinetry refreshes to the comeback of a tried-and-true material, 2025 is shaping up to be a return to classic form for kitchen design. Read on to check out what designers and experts forecast as the top kitchen trends for 2025 (dont miss #7almost every expert we spoke to said these are going to be everywhere!). Get More Ideas for Your Next Kitchen Remodel: Jump to:Embrace Wood CabinetrySara Ligorria-TrampIn the kitchen of their new-build barn home, designers Anne and Richard De Wolf anchored the kitchen space with a dark stained oak island inspired by the bars of Irish pubs.Thats right. Put down your paint brusheswood cabinetry is back! Before you have flashbacks to the orange-toned oak of the 1990s, we definitely dont mean that. Think of rich, dark-stained woods, such as hickory and walnut, that feel sophisticated and luxurious. There is a noticeable shift from painted cabinets to warm, natural woods, particularly with sleek lines for a contemporary, yet warm feel, says Kiara Perdomo, the director of product and development at Nemo Tile + Stone. Weve been reporting on the rise of wood interiors all year, starting with this trend report touting the return of wood-paneled walls. Since then, a design-forward embrace of nature has only become more clear. In fact, Pinterest named eco-living aesthetics as a top trend for 2025, meaning woodsy interiors are just the beginning of environmentally minded interiors. Go All In On Muddy Paint ColorsAli Harper for Country LivingDesigner Jensen Killen chose a delightfully moody shade of sage green for the butlers pantry of an elegant Alabama home.And, whats best to pair with your brown wood cabinetry? (Or not quite ready to embrace the no-paint trend.) Color! But not just any colorand especially not white. This year, designers are asking everyone to check out the other side of their paint deck and work with muddier hues. Above, designer Jensen Killen chose a delightfully moody shade of sage green (French Gray by Farrow & Ball) to make a statement in this butlers pantry (see more on this trend below!). Caren Rideau, the founder of Kitchen Design Group, echoes the muddy sentiment well be seeing everywhere in 2025. We have recently left behind a vibrant era dominated by bright colors in home fashion, says Caren. Now, the recirculation of muted and muddy colors is emerging as a powerful alternative that creates a more serious palette, perfect for todays sophisticated aesthetic. The easiest way to incorporate these colors is to use them in kitchens with streamlined silhouettes, according to Caren. Keeping things simple allows the colors to truly take center stage. RELATED: 5 Paint Colors You'll See Everywhere in 2025And None of Them Are Beige! Choose Unique Cabinet FrontsCourtesy of Max Humphrey/David TsayNickel gap (similar to shiplap) cabinet fronts add texture to this Lake Tahoe kitchen by designer Max Humphrey. Here at Country Living, we love the Shakers and their design legacy. (Shaker-style has been a design standby for over a century for a reason!) But, in 2025, were ready to make room for new looks in the kitchen. I love a Shaker [cabinet door] frame as much as the next designer, but there are so many other options out there, says Oregon-based designer and author Max Humphrey. Ive been doing a lot of tongue-and-groove and nickel gap cabinet fronts recently, which is a way to add some visual interest and country-up a space, he says. RELATED: Our 25 Favorite Green Kitchen Cabinet IdeasRethink The Kitchen Island Kirsten FrancisStained dark walnut, the Carrara marble-topped work table grounds this white kitchen of designer Stephanie Perez.Its time to say goodbye to big, boxy, built-in kitchen islands. As the look of unfitted kitchens (a thoroughly British design ethos centered around the idea of compiling freestanding furniture pieces instead of built-ins) continues to gain popularity, designers are opting more and more for high-top work tables and oversized farm tables for their kitchen islands. We love the way the worn wood finish of an antique work table adds a perfect touch of rusticity to even the most industrial of spaces. And, if youre in want of something a little more durable than wood, take a note from designer Stephanie Perez who topped the work table island in her kitchen with a thick slab of marble, making it the perfect prep space. RELATED: Get More Design Inspiration With These 70+ Stylish Kitchen Island Ideas for Kitchens Large and SmallMake A Dramatic (Back)SplashCourtesy of Jackson Warren InteriorsAnother thing were ready to say goodbye to in 2025? Boring backsplashes. There are just too many fun material options to stick to the basics. Were also seeing experimentation in the scale and shape of backsplashes. For example, try extending your tile (or wood paneling or marble slab) backsplash all the way to the ceiling. The look is clean and adds a subtle-yet-luxurious element to the design, say Kiley Jackson and Aileen Warren, the duo behind Jackson Warren Interiors, who predict well see even more of these show-stopping backsplashes in 2025.Check out these kitchens with unique backsplashes for more inspo:CollectBut Dont ClutterBrian Woodcock for Country LivingFramed artwork, colorful cannisters, an antique rug, and a vintage vase bring aged character to this cottage kitchen designed by Holly Williams. Yes, you read that right! Bring on all the antiques, because they do, in fact, belong in the kitchen. Dont believe us? Just ask the National Kitchen & Bath Association. Their 2025 kitchen trend report, compiled from the responses of over 500 industry professionals, including their all-star group of designers on the official NKBA Design Council, outlines how these personality-driven kitchens are on the rise. Designer and member of the NKBA Design Council, Celerie Kemble of the design firm Kemble Interiors, agrees: Kitchens [should] feel like the other wonderful rooms in your house, she says. Her own home features a moody kitchen with appliances hidden by paneling, allowing the eye to take in the design and not the bright steel facade of a dishwasher. One easy way to make your kitchen feel a bit more personal? Channel your favorite space. We love the trend of kitchens feeling like apothecaries or libraries, or garden potting sheds, says Celerie. Just be sure to prioritize pretty and practical storage (glass apothecary jars, for example) to keep your space from feeling too cluttered. RELATED: The 100+ Best Places to Shop for Antiques and Vintage OnlineEmbrace New MetalsBecky Luigart-Stayner for Country LivingIn this cheery kitchen designed by Claire Zinnecker, a copper scallop-edge vent hood is the crowning moment. A kitchen rail below holds the homeowners copper cookware collection. Unlacquered brass has dominated kitchen design for the past four years, but in 2025 designers are beginning to look elsewhere on the finish chart. Top of our list? Copper! Were no strangers to an artfully arranged collection of copper pots (Martha Stewart does it best!), but, in 2024, we saw more and more designers taking it to kitchen surfacesthink copper vent hoods, countertops, and hardware. Other metal finishes we expect to see more of in 2025? Brushed gold, satin brass, and gunmetal are back, says Sarah Fishburne, the director of trend and design at The Home Depot. She recommends pairing these more daring metals with wood cabinetry and warm stone countertops, which she forecasts will overtake white marble in popularity this year. Put In The Work(Kitchen)Adam Albright for Country LivingIn this serene butlers pantry, a deep counter, plus a mix of open shelving, drawers, and cabinets provide storage and work space for homeowner Alyson Morgan.We have to end with the trend almost every expert we spoke to said would dominate kitchen design in 2025. Drumroll, please...work kitchens! (Also commonly known as butler pantries, dirty kitchens, orin British kitchenssculleries.) If youre lucky enough to have the extra roomconsider converting an underused closet, hallway, or powder room, these separated spaces are so more than just a walk-in pantry. Theyre hardworking and multi-purpose, often featuring additional appliances, a sink, additional built-in storage, and, sometimes, even pet stations. These small specialized rooms, as they were dubbed by the National Kitchen & Bath Association, are key to a well-functioning and well-designed kitchen. More Kitchen Design and Storage Ideas:Anna LoganSenior Homes & Style EditorAnna Logan is the Senior Homes & Style Editor at Country Living, where she covers design and decorating trends, home features, and gift guides. She also produces home features and styles content for the print magazine. When she isnt working, can often be found digging around antique shops for the perfect find. Follow her adventures on Instagram!

Were Quizgecko (quizgecko.com)an AI-powered quiz and flashcard platformand were looking for an experienced React Native Developer to help build and maintain our mobile application.This is a contract, remote-friendly position that will allow you to work from anywhere in the world. Please only apply if you have experience working remotely and are willing to work on a contract/freelance basis.You will be the sole developer for a popular iOS and Android app that is used by thousands of paying customers each day. Therefore, it is essential that you have at least 3+ years of React Native experience so you can hit the ground running.ResponsibilitiesDevelop and maintain features in our React Native mobile applicationBuild and submit new versions weekly to theCollaborate with our backend dev to integrate RESTful APIs and other servicesTroubleshoot and optimize app performance for a seamless user experienceWork with our QA tester to ensure qualityFollow best practices in code quality, version control (Git), and documentationCommunicate effectively with our team, providing regular progress updatesRequirementsProven experience with React Native (please share relevant project examples)Strong knowledge of JavaScript (ES6+)Experience working with GitExcellent problem-solving and communication skillsAbility to start soon and meet project deadlinesNice to HaveLaravel / PHP and web development experienceNative iOS/Android experience (Swift, Kotlin, Java)Why Work With UsFlexible hours and remote-first work (work from anywhere in the world)Opportunity to contribute to an innovative AI-driven productOpportunity to earn equity after 1 year

Installing solar panels can be a move toward long-term energy savings for a lot of people. Though inflation is cooling, energy costs have increased for a lot of people over the past two years. While solar costs have also risen with inflation, their cost is falling overall and can be subsidized with the 30% federal tax credit. If you've invested in solar, you won't want to leave any electricity production (and the associated savings) on the table. Winter weather can add a few obstacles to that goal.Solar panels work just as well in the winter as in the summer. (Maybe even better. Cool temperatures can keep solar panels running at their most efficient.) But shorter cloudy days, snow and ice accumulation and the sun lower in the sky all reduce the amount of sun available. If solar panels work better in the cold, they have less sun to work with.You can mitigate some of these effects. You might not be able to do much about the clouds in the sky, but you can do something about the snow on your panels. With just a bit of extra work, you can get a bit more energy out of your solar panels through the winter than you would otherwise. Can solar panels save you money? Interested in understanding the impact solar can have on your home? Enter some basic information below, and well instantly provide a free estimate of your energy savings. CNET has other solar tips, from how to find a reputable installer among our favorite installers to how to avoid a bad solar deal. Check out how to save money and electricity around the houseand find answers to all your solar questions.Remove heavy snow from your panelsIf you live in an area that gets snow, it's natural that some will land on your solar panels. And that's not necessarily a bad thing. Light snowfall is likely to melt fairly quickly. And there may actually be some benefit to snow on your solar panels since it can clean your panels as it melts or slides off.While some snow on your solar panels is fine, watch out for excess snow accumulation. Solar panels that are covered in snow simply won't capture sunlight in the same way. Additionally, heavy snow can result in too much weight on your solar panels, putting stress on the mounting points.If you're going to clean snow off your solar panels, be sure to use the right tool. A rough brush or rake can damage your solar panels. Instead, use a soft snow brush that will clean the snow off without scratching the surface of your panels. Again, it's always a good idea to check with your provider to make sure you won't void your warranty. Considering Solar Panels? Our email course will walk you through how to go solar Reduce your energy usage (or prepare to pay more for electricity)Solar panels can still capture sunlight and create energy for your home during the winter. But because there are fewer daylight hours, you can also expect your solar panels to produce less energy than they might during the summer. As a result, you may either need to reduce your energy usage or prepare to pay a higher electricity bill. The good news is that there are plenty of ways to reduce your energy usage, including:Switch to energy-efficient light bulbs. They last longer and perform better. In general, a 60-watt traditional light bulb can be replaced with a 15-watt energy-efficient bulb.Turn off lights and appliances you aren't using. While most of us know we're wasting energy when we leave these things on, we forget that it actually impacts our wallets.Unplug small appliances you aren't using. Even when they aren't in use, they can use a small amount of electricity, which adds to your energy bill.Turn down your thermostat. You can save money by turning the temperature in your home down a few degrees. Wear layered clothing to make yourself more comfortable.Check your home's insulation. If your home has poor insulation, more heat will escape, which will cost you money. Here Are 23 Ways to Save On Your Electric Bills Right Now See all photos Adjust the angle of your panelsThe sun sits lower in the sky during winter and will likely hit your solar panels at a shallower and less efficient angle. Adjusting the angle of your solar panelsso the sun hits them more directly will boost electricity generation. Most people won't be able to, since solar panels are typically mounted on fixed racks but, for those who can, adjusting the angle can get a bit more sun to your panels.Because the sun is lower in the sky during the winter than in the summer, you'll want your panels at a steeper angle during those months. Some sources suggest a winter angle ofyour latitude plus 10-15 degrees. In Chicago, for example, that would be an angle between 52 and 57 degrees. (Chicago's latitude is about 42 degrees.) As an added perk, not only will a steeper angle help to capture more sunlight, but it will also help the snow to more easily fall from your panels. Talk to your solar panel provider about your options before you make any adjustments. You should be extremely careful not to tinker with your panels in a way that might void their warranty. Watch this: Easy Ways to Lower Your Utility Bills and Save Money 08:13 Properly insulate your batteriesYou'll want to take special care of your solar batteries during the winter to ensure they continue to perform. It's important to keep your batteries at an appropriate temperature. Batteries aren't meant to work in the very low temperatures that some regions experience. As a result, you should either store your batteries indoors or ensure they are well-insulated. Considering Solar Panels? Our email course will walk you through how to go solar If you keep your batteries outdoors, monitor the temperature to ensure it's in the optimal range.Watch your battery dischargeIt's also important to watch your battery discharge levels. It's not recommended that you completely discharge your solar batteries. In fact, while some batteries may be suited for discharge levels of 70% to 80%, the recommended discharge level is actually 50%. On high usage days, as you may be likely to have in the winter, keep an eye on your battery discharge and consider investing in a backup generator.The bottom lineThe good news is that your solar panels can still capture sunlight and create energy for your home during the winter months. They may simply require a bit more care and maintenance leading up to and during winter.

Apple released iOS 18.2 in December, more than a month after the tech giant released iOS 18.1. The latest iPhone update brought more Apple Intelligence features to some iPhones, but it also made it easier to change your iPhone's default apps.Read more: Everything You Need to Know About iOS 18Your default apps are the apps your iPhone uses automatically in certain situations. So if you tap a phone number on a website, for example, your iPhone will open your Phone app and place a call to that number. But if you like using another app for phone calls, like WhatsApp, you can now make that app your iPhone's default call app.Here's how to change your default apps on your iPhone.How to change your iPhone's default apps1. Open Settings.2. Tap Apps.3. Tap Default Apps.From this menu you can choose to change different categories of default apps on your iPhone. Here are the categories you can change and Apple's description of each. App Installation isn't an available category in my region. Apple/Screenshot by CNETApp Installation*: Choose an alternative app marketplace instead of the App Store to use as your default.Browser App: Choose another app instead of the Safari app to use when opening links to webpages.Calling: Choose another app instead of the Phone app or FaceTime app to make calls.Call Filtering: Choose an app to use for presenting caller ID and blocking unwanted callers.Contactless App*: Choose another app to make contactless transactions using your device's built-in technology.Email: Choose another app instead of the Mail app to use when opening links to send email.Keyboard: Choose an app to use for text-entry capabilities systemwide.Messaging: Choose another app instead of the Messages app to use when opening links to send instant messages.Password & Codes: Choose another app instead of the Passwords app to use for Password AutoFill in Safari and other apps.*Only available in certain countries and regions.Tap into any of these categories and you can change that default app. If you don't have a third-party app downloaded to your iPhone for a certain category, that category will show you Apple's app or nothing.Couldn't I change my default apps before?In some cases yes. When Apple released iOS 14 in 2020, the update let you change your iPhone's default email and browser apps. You could also change a few other categories before iOS 18.2, like Keyboard, but the options were scattered throughout Settings.With iOS 18.2, your iPhone gathers those categories in one place, and the update adds a few other categories, like Messaging and Calling.For more on iOS 18, here's what to know about iOS 18.2 and iOS 18.1 and our iOS 18 cheat sheet. You can also check out what could come to your iPhone with iOS 18.3. Watch this: What to Expect From Apple in 2025 04:23

We're a couple of days into 2025 and the COLA increase has officially gone into effect. Social Security (retirement and survivors) recipients will now see a 2.5% increase in their next check and throughout the year. The COLA increase also extends to Supplemental Security Income and Social Security Disability insurance recipients. If you're not sure when you can expect your check, we have you covered below.If you're still waiting on your check from December, check outwhat you should do if your Social Security payment is missing.Read on to find out if you should expect to receive your check, and how your payment date is determined by the Social Security Administration. Plus, we'll cover other government benefit payment dates. For more, don't miss the Social Security and SSDI cheat sheet.When will I get my Social Security check?Want to know which day of the month you'll get your check? Here's the Social Security and SSDI payment schedule for January.Social Security payment schedule for January 2025 You've received Social Security before May 1997 Jan. 3If your birthday falls between the 1st and 10th of any given month Jan. 8If your birthday falls between the 11th and 20th of any given month Jan. 15If your birthday falls between the 21st and 31st of any given month Jan. 22 How is my Social Security payment date determined?Social Security payments are typically paid out starting on the 2nd Wednesday of the month. The remaining two payments will be paid out on the following two Wednesdays of the month. Which week you receive your payment depends on your birthdate. There is one big exception, which I'll cover below. Smart Money Advice on the Topics That Matter to You CNET Money brings financial insights, trends and news to your inbox every Wednesday. Birthdate between:Social Security check date 1st and the 10th 2nd Wednesday of the month11th and the 20th 3rd Wednesday of the month21st and 31st 4th Wednesday of the month Will I receive my other government benefits on the same day?If you've received Social Security benefits before May 1997, or receive both Social Security and Supplemental Security Income, your payment schedule isn't determined by your birthdate. Instead, payments are paid out every month on the same date with a couple of exceptions that I'll explain below.Social Security payments will be sent out on the 3rd of each month, while SSI payments are sent out on the 1st of each month. These dates will sometimes change if the 1st or the 3rd of the month falls on a weekend or holiday. For instance, March 3 of last year fell on a weekend, so Social Security recipients received their March payments two days early, on March 1. Smart Money Advice on the Topics That Matter to You CNET Money brings financial insights, trends and news to your inbox every Wednesday. The only benefits that are paid on the same schedule are Social Security and Social Security Disability Insurance.Didn't receive your Social Security check? Start here.If your check doesn't show up when it's supposed to or at all, the Social Security Administration suggests waiting for three additional mailing days before contacting it. After that, you can call the national toll-free number: 1-800-772-1213.The SSA notes that "wait times to speak to a representative are typically shorter in the morning, later in the week and later in the month."If you're having trouble getting ahold of the SSA through the national number, you can use their office locator to find a local office to reach out to.For more, seehow to apply for Social Security benefits for eligible children and how to apply for Social Security Disability Insurance.