Practice behind redevelopment of IBM building cut close to 130 jobs in latest financial yearAHMM is behind the revamp of the IBM building on Londons South BankRedundancy costs of more than 3m helped keep AHMM in the red last year, its latest annual numbers have revealed.The architect said it spent 1.1m on redundancy payments while it also racked up a further 2.1m on underlying payroll costs of those made redundant.The firm said it cut 129 jobs during the year, a fall of 23%, to end up with 422 staff.Accounts filed at Companies House for the year to March 2024 show that the practice behind a revamp of the IBM building on Londons South Bank also had to fork out 800,000 as one-off cost for an early break clause on 13,500 sq ft of space it no longer needed at its White Collar Factory studio which it gave up last year.> Also read:AHMM submits new plans for tower over Southwark underground stationAHMM, whose directors include former RIBA president Simon Allford, said that business activity continued to be characterised by fluctuations in project programmes which had forced it to respond by significantly restructuring its UK operations.Turnover for the year was down 5% to 47m while pre-tax losses narrowed from 1.8m in 2023 to 1.4m.The majority of its workload is from the UK with revenue of 41m while the rest of the world, which includes a newly opened office in Sydney, Australia, saw income fall 14% to 5m.

Teams selected for the two-year framework will work alongside the local authority of the Scottish Highlands to provide a range of consultancy services and works to deliver energy efficiency upgrades.The framework is divided into five lots covering consultancy and advice, building fabric improvements, heating and ventilation, renewables and ancillary systems, and building controls. Up to 40 teams will be selected in total.According to the brief: This notice is for [an] energy efficiency framework for the Highland Council, for contractors to provide a range of energy efficiency works and services. This includes but is not limited to consultancy & advice, building fabric improvements, heating & ventilation, renewables & ancillary systems and building controls.AdvertisementThe Highland Council is responsible for the 25,653km2 Highland area of Scotland which is home to around 235,710 people. The latest framework will help deliver transformational change in the way energy efficiency and renewable works are carried out across the region.The appointed teams will work on a range of domestic and non-domestic properties across the Highlands as part of the councils net zero ambitions. Upgrades may include insulation, the improvement or replacement of current heating systems and the installation of solar PV.The Highland Council is seeking to undertake a transformational change to the delivery of energy efficiency and renewable works across the region. The proposal to establish a Highland Energy Efficiency framework (2024-2028) for energy efficiency and associated works to both domestic and non-domestic properties in the Highland region.The latest procurement comes eight years after the Highland Council launched a design contest for three low-cost and remote visitor centres in Wester Ross as part of Scotlands 2016 Year of Innovation, Architecture and Design celebrations.Bids for inclusion on the latest framework will be evaluated 100 per cent on quality.AdvertisementCompetition detailsProject titleEnergy Efficiency FrameworkClientThe Highland CouncilContract value25 millionFirst round deadline 5pm, 14 February 2025Restrictions TbcMore informationhttps://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/040675-2024

The winning team will deliver a new community hub complex funded by Section 106 developer contributions overseen by Dorset Council on an undeveloped site on the fringes of the settlement.The project planned to complete in 2026 will create a new facility with indoor and outdoor spaces for promoting social interaction, recreation, and inclusivity. Initial plans have already been drawn up to RIBA Stage 3 by local firm PWCR Architects.According to the brief: The Mampitts Community Hub (the Hub) will serve as a key facility for the local community, offering indoor and outdoor spaces to enhance social interaction, recreation, and inclusivity.AdvertisementThis Invitation to Tender invites architectural practices to provide detailed design and construction-stage support. The scope includes RIBA Stages 4 (Technical Design), 5 (Construction), and 6 (Handover).STC has already procured, and owns a license for, a design concept that has been worked up by a previous architect to RIBA Stage 3. This design was used to gain planning and funding approval from Dorset Council (DC) for STC to deliver the Hub.Located 32km west of Salisbury, Shaftesbury is a small Dorset town of around 9,000 residents. The new community hub will be built at the western end of Mampitts Lane and will feature a community room offering affordable space along with a caf offering training and work opportunities.Bids for the latest commission will be evaluated 70 per cent on quality and 30 per cent on price.Competition detailsProject title Mampitts Community HubClientContract value TbcFirst round deadline 31 January 2025Restrictions TbcMore information https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/notice/053f97b5-c876-452e-9c36-9cb36b600036

You probably don't want to kick your January off by thinking about tax season, but it's coming anyway. For many of us, thinking about taxes is a constant stress, but it can be a little less stressful if you've got some of the best tax software to help the process along. Thankfully, TurboTax Deluxe 2024 is on sale today with 30% off, but the deal likely won't last long. See at AmazonTurboTax Deluxe is a useful bit of software because it'll not only make sure you can save as much money as possible when filing, but help make the whole process substantially simpler as well. Not only that, but this one works on both PC and Mac, so you don't have to worry about that, and it can be used for both federal and state taxes as well. It turns a truly unpleasant experience into one that's far more palatable. Just note that this version of the TurboTax Deluxe 2024 tax software includes five federal e-files and one state via download. State e-file is sold separately, so be aware that additional fees apply for e-filing state returns. However, e-file fees may not apply in certain states.Hey, did you know? CNET Deals texts are free, easy and save you money.If you are after tax software but you're someone who's self-employed, then you'll do alright with this, but it's also worth checking out our list of the best self-employment tax software too. Why this deal mattersTurboTax is one of our favorite pieces of tax software, or at least the standard version is. The deluxe version packs in a few extra features, and given that taxes are something we all need to deal with, saving money on tax software is always good. More shopping deals from CNET CNET is always covering a wide array of deals on tech products and much more. Start with the hottest sales and discounts on theCNET Deals page, and sign up for theCNET Deals Textto get daily deals sent straight to your phone. Add the freeCNET Shopping extensionto your browser for real-time price comparisons and cash-back offers. And peruse ourgift guide, which includes a full range of ideas for birthdays, anniversaries and more. See at CNET

Wandering around without cell service? HMD's new OffGrid hotspot accessory, launching at CES 2025, is designed to let smartphones send texts using satellites.Technically, the palm-sized OffGrid is a rebadged version of the similar-lookingMotorola Defy Satellite Link, which was introduced at CES 2024 and limited to only sending emergency messages. That product was developed by rugged phone maker Bullitt, which was acquired by RCD 2023 last year (made up of Bullitt's founders), which HMD partnered with to release the OffGrid. Both devices are designed for travelers who leave coverage of conventional cell networks or as a backup during disasters when those networks go down.In contrast, the OffGrid is designed to enable regular text messaging, much like the current functionality in some premium phones like the Google Pixel 9 series and Apple's Messages via Satellite feature for iPhone 16, iPhone 15 and iPhone 14 owners. The Huawei Pura 70 Ultra released last year can also send images to contacts in an emergency.Read more: I Visited Google for an Inside Look at the Pixel 9's Satellite SOS ToolThe advantage of the OffGrid is that it can be used with Android and iOS phones (HMD didn't specify device compatibility), though they'll connect using OffGrid's proprietary app to message others. It's able to contact emergency services and can share the user's live location with up to five people in intervals from every 4 hours to every 3 minutes, though greater frequency will drain the battery faster.Using the OffGrid requires a subscription to one of two subscription tiers. HMD Unlimited, priced at $15 per month (or $140 for a year) after a $10 activation fee, grants unlimited texts, check-in messages and SOS services. The cheaper HMD Freedom plan is $80 a year (broken down to $6.67 per month) after a $20 activation fee, which offers 350 text and check-in messages to use through the year, while live tracking pings cost 10 cents apiece. Both plans also have the option for unlimited live-tracking for $5 per month extra.The OffGrid packs a 600-mAh battery, which HMD says will last 10 days, though usage (including live location tracking) will drain it faster -- if you're pinging your location every half hour, for instance, it should last around three to four days. It weighs 60 grams, which is slightly lighter than the 70-gram Motorola Defy Satellite Link, but the OffGrid looks extremely similar in design with a big, brightly colored SOS button on the right side and other buttons on the left, one of which lets you send prewritten check-in messages to selected contacts to let them know you're OK. The OffGrid also has a small speaker to warn you when the battery is low.HMD plans to expand the OffGrid's functionality with more features, and though the company hasn't detailed which will be added, representatives described an upcoming enterprise SDK and potential features like voice clips and imaging that could come later. The accessory doesn't support satellite calls, though it uses a third-party service to coordinate contacting emergency services, much like Apple does with Emergency SOS.HMD's OffGrid services run on the satellite networks of providers Viasat and Skylo, and service areas are limited to the US (including Alaska and Hawaii) at launch. These will be expanded to Canada, Mexico and Brazil in the first quarter of 2025, with further expansion to the rest of the Americas, Europe, Australia and New Zealand coming later.While specific phones have started to launch with satellite connectivity features, it's still early days for the technology; services enabling a broad range of phones to link to satellites still haven't debuted. Late last year, Verizon switched away from its prior partnership with Amazon's slow-going Project Kuiper to sign up with both AST SpaceMobile and satellite network company Skylo, while T-Mobile announced that it was ready to beta test connecting phones to SpaceX's Starlink network of micro-satellites just before the end of 2024. AT&T announced in 2022 that it would be working with AST SpaceMobile to bring connectivity to its customers. Watch this: Messages via Satellite in iOS 18: First Look 06:05

T-Mobile rolled out faster speed tiers for its 5G home internet service. But there's a catch. Not everyone can sign up for it. Here are the details.

January 6, 20252 min readHow to Catch Prime NumbersA prime number study charts the limits of detectionBy Max Springer edited by Sarah Lewin Frasier Thomas FuchsPrime numbers have captivated mathematicians for centuries with their unpredictable and seemingly random distribution. In a groundbreaking preprint study, researchers devised a novel method that bolsters our hunt for the cagey valuesbut also reveals limits to our ability to detect them.Prime numbers are divisible only by 1 and themselves. They serve as the atoms of mathematics, capable of decomposing other numbers into factors (like 12 = 2 2 3). As numbers increase, identifying primes becomes more and more challenging. If you were asked, How many primes are there between 1 and 1,000? where would you begin?The classical Sieve of Eratosthenes offers a starting point. This ancient technique systematically eliminates multiples of each prime, allowing only the primes themselves to fall out. Mathematicians refer to the eliminated multiples as Type I information, which can help predict how many primes are in a given range. Yet this information is limited. Sometimes you have as good Type I information as you can possibly hope for, but you still cant find any primes, explains study co-author Kevin Ford, a mathematician at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.On supporting science journalismIf you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.Ford and University of Oxford mathematician James Maynard provide a powerful method for studying prime numbers in large ranges by precisely estimating the number of primes that must exist within them. The work combines two complementary perspectives: the Type I information of eliminated numbers (like crossing off all multiples of 2, then 3, and so on) as well as accounting for numbers that get crossed off multiple times (like how 6 appears on the lists of multiples both of 2 and of 3)called Type II information.Mathematicians can adjust how they weigh each type of information to get the most accurate possible count of primes in a given range. But in carefully tuning these two knobs, the papers authors discovered there are fundamental limits: precise mathematical boundaries where no further adjustment can improve our counts accuracy, revealing deep truths about how these numbers are distributed across the number line.The study likens the accuracy of these estimations for a set, or strength of information, to changing the size of the mesh in a sieve: too small, and youll catch every number; too big, and the primes will slip through. The work answers precisely and directly what is sufficiently good information to detect primes, says mathematician Kaisa Matomki, who studies the distribution of primes at the University of Turku in Finland. Understanding the limits when designing a sieve is crucial for developing a complete theory of prime numbers, adds Princeton University mathematician Peter Sarnak, an expert in prime sieve theory: Uncovering what one cannot achieve is fundamental.Ford hopes this method will help researchers attack long-standing open problems. Primes are distributed in a very, very, mysterious [way], so were trying to push our understanding just a little bit.

OpinionJanuary 6, 20255 min readThe Real Reason People Dont Trust in Science Has Nothing to Do with ScientistsPropaganda works, is the real upshot of a survey showing lingering post-pandemic distrust of scienceBy Dan Vergano edited by Jeanna BrynerDr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, speaks as U.S. President Donald Trump looks on in 2020. Drew Angerer/Getty ImagesWere all trying to find the guy who did this, said the hot-dogcostumed protagonist of a 2019 comedyIn the sketch turned popular meme, bystanders didnt buy his story. Scientists, and the rest of us,Pew Research Center survey of public confidence in science.The Pew survey found 76 percent of respondents voicing a great deal or fair amount of confidence in scientists to act in the publics best interests. Thats up a bit from last year, but still down from prepandemic measures, to suggest that an additional one in 10 Americans has lost confidence in scientists since 2019.On supporting science journalismIf you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.Why? Pews statement and many news stories about the findings somehow missed the obvious culprit: the four years and counting of a propaganda campaignDonald Trumps alliesblame to scientistsfirst administrations disastrous,botched handling of the COVID pandemic1.2 million Americans. Even the hot dog guy would blanch atthe transparencythe scapegoating. It was obviously undertaken to inoculate Trumpkicked off four years agoUSA TODAY screedsent to federal prisonSimilar inanitiesleading to yearsright-wing nonsensesurreal hearingsFauci. BrowbeatingCOVID vaccinesmillions of livesa combative hearingas mendacious as it was shameful. The Pew surveys results, however, show this propaganda worked on some Republican voters. The drop in public confidence in science the survey reports is almost entirely contained to that circle, plunging from 85 percent approvalmasking, schoolbusiness restrictions, and vaccines, werent necessitiesexcess death rates were 1.5 timesAmanda Montaez; Source: Pew Research CenterInstead of noting the role of this propaganda in their numbers, Pews statement about the survey pointed only to perceptions that scientists arent good communicators, held by 52 percent of respondents, and the 47 percent who said, research scientists feel superior to others in the survey.That explanation echoes the kick me sign that scientific institutions have taped to their backsides over distrust at least since 1985, when the U.K.s Royal Society warned of [h]ostility, even indifference, to science and technology, in a report, The Public Understanding of Science. Scientists must learn to communicate better with all segments of the public, it concluded.That prescription matches scientific responses to the Pew Survey results, with National Academies of Sciences chief Marcia McNutt telling the Washington Post: [T]his gives us an opportunity to reexamine what we need to do to restore trust in science. And it matches the advice in a December NASEM report on scientific misinformation: Scientists, medical professionals, and health professionals who choose to take on high profile roles as public communicators of science should understand how their communications may be misinterpreted in the absence of context or in the wrong context. This completely ignores the deliberate misinterpretation of science to advance political aims, the chief kind of science misinformation dominating the modern public sphere.It isnt a secret what is going on: Oil industryfunded lawmakers and other mouthpieces have similarly vilified climate scientists for decades to stave off paying the price for global warming. A study published in 2016 in the American Sociological Review concluded that the U.S. publics slow erosion of trust in science from 1974 to 2010 was almost entirely among conservatives. Such conservatives had adopted limited government politics, which clashes with sciences fifth branch advisory role in setting regulationsseen most clearly in the FDA resisting Trumps calls for wholesale approval of dangerous drugs to treat COVID. That flavor of politics made distrust for scientists the collateral damage of the half-century-long attack on regulation. The utter inadequacy of an unscientific, limited-government response to the 2020 pandemic only primed this resentmentfanned by hate aimed at Faucito deliver the dent in trust for science we see today.Surveys are well-suited for measuring attitudes and describing changes in views over time. They are less well-suited for parsing potential causal factors, says survey lead author Alec Tyson, when asked why Pew refrained from making this obvious connection. While beyond the scope of this particular effort, we share an interest in scholarly efforts to understand the role of partisan rhetoric and the broader information environment in shaping views.Their aversion doesnt mean we all must play make-believe about where the distrust for science springsfrom politics. Perhaps the clearest sign of the propaganda campaign is that Republican politicians have gotten high on their own supply of antiscience hokum. With Trump headed back to the White House, his profoundly unqualified pick for Department of Health and Human Services chief isRobert F. Kennedy, Jr.,contributed to 83 measles deathsJay Bhattacharya, one of three authorspushed then on the Trump White Houseto spur coronavirusinfectionspreventable deaths of hundreds of thousands of people, according to the Infectious Diseases Society of America. Neither of these hot-dog-guy picks should be allowed anywhere near our vital health agencies.Its obviously this guy, right, say the cops at the end of the hot-dog-guy sketch, before setting off in his pursuit. Making that same call on recognizing where the distrust for science comes from today is just as simple.This is an opinion and analysis article, and the views expressed by the author or authors are not necessarily those of Scientific American.

Pokmon Go Fest 2025 will be held in Paris in June, developer Niantic has announced. Read more

The first Tokyo Xtreme Racer in 18 years lands on Steam early access this monthTraffic Jan.Image credit: Genki News by Victoria Kennedy News Reporter Published on Jan. 6, 2025 There is not long to go until you can rev your engines once more with an all new Tokyo Xtreme Racer game.The upcoming release - which will mark the first series title in 18 years - will make its Steam early access debut later this month, on 23rd January. Developer Genki said it will use this early access stint to "utilise player feedback to elevate the game even further".Early access is expected to last for around four months. Then, of course, the full release will launch. This version will include the remainder of the story, along with additional cars, additional rival characters, and "new features and improvements". Genki added those who plump for the early access version will have access to the full release version upon launch, at the discounted early access price (for now, that price is "TBA", so stay tuned). Tokyo Xtreme Racer. Watch on YouTubeIn addition, the team has shared the PC specs for Tokyo Xtreme Racer, which you can check out below.Minimum Specs*64 bit processor and OS are requiredOS: Windows 10/11 64-bitCPU: Intel CoreTM i7-7700Memory: 16GB RAMGPU: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050Ti (VRAM 4GB)DirectX: Version 12Storage: 12GB available spaceNotes: SSD recommended, Graphics quality "Low".Screen resolution 19201080 recommendedRecommended Specs*64 bit processor and OS are requiredOS: Windows 10/11 64-bitCPU: Intel CoreTM i7-13700Memory: 16GB RAMGPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX3060 (VRAM 8GB) or Nvidia GeForce RTX4060 (VRAM 8GB)DirectX: Version 12Storage: 12GB available spaceNotes: SSD recommended, Graphics Quality "High". GPU RTX4060 recommended for Graphic Quality "Ultra"You can check out Tokyo Xtreme Racer's Steam page here. Image credit: GenkiThe upcoming Tokyo Xtreme Racer was announced in August last year, with a short trailer. "Your rivals await to drag you back into the ultimate challenge! Thrilling races that unfold on the Tokyo Expressway, a return to the Tokyo Xtreme Racer roots," read the accompanying blurb."We're back!"