• Meta dropping fact checking ahead of Trump return
    Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced a series of major changes to the company's moderation policies and practices Tuesday, citing a shifting political and social landscape and a desire to embrace free speech.Zuckerberg said that Meta will end its fact-checking program with trusted partners and replace it with a community-driven system similar to Xs Community Notes.The company is also making changes to its content moderation policies around political topics and undoing changes that reduced the amount of political content in user feeds, Zuckerberg said.The changes will affect Facebook and Instagram, two of the largest social media platforms in the world, each boasting billions of users, as well as Threads."We're going to get back to our roots and focus on reducing mistakes, simplifying our policies and restoring free expression on our platforms," Zuckerberg said in a video. "More specifically, here's what we're going to do. First, we're going to get rid of fact checkers and replace them with community notes similar to X, starting in the U.S."Zuckerberg pointed to the election as a major influence on the company's decision and criticized "governments and legacy media" for allegedly pushing "to censor more and more." "The recent elections also feel like a cultural tipping point towards, once again, prioritizing speech," he said. "So we're gonna get back to our roots and focus on reducing mistakes, simplifying our policies and restoring free expression on our platforms."He also said the systems the company had created to moderate its platforms were making too many mistakes, adding that the company would continue to aggressively moderate content related to drugs, terrorism and child exploitation."We built a lot of complex systems to moderate content, but the problem with complex systems is they make mistakes," Zuckerberg said. "Even if they accidentally censor just 1% of posts, that's millions of people, and we've reached a point where it's just too many mistakes and too much censorship."Beyond the end of the facet-checking program, Zuckerberg said the company will be eliminating some content policies around hot-button issues including immigration and gender, and refocus the company's automated moderation systems on what he called "high severity violations" and rely on users to report other violations.Facebook will also be moving its trust and safety and content moderation team from California to Texas."We're also going to tune our content filters to require much higher confidence before taking down content," he said. "The reality is that this is a trade off. It means we're going to catch less bad stuff, but we'll also reduce the number of innocent people's posts and accounts that we accidentally take down."The changes come as Meta and social media companies broadly have in recent years reversed course on content moderation due in part to the politicization of moderation decisions and programs. Republicans have long criticized Metas fact-checking system and fact-checking in general as unfair and favoring Democrats a claim that is in dispute.Xs Community Notes system, which CEO Elon Musk has used to replace the company's previous efforts around misinformation, has been celebrated by conservatives, and it has allowed for a mixture of fact-checking, trolling and other community-driven behavior.Zuckerberg's announcement comes as CEOs and business leaders across sectors are currying favor with the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump. Meta, along with other tech companies, donated $1 million to Trump's inaugural fund, and ahead of the election, Zuckerberg praised Trump in an interview with Bloomberg Television without offering an outright endorsement. Ahead of Trump's inauguration, Meta has reportedly appointed Republican Joel Kaplan to lead its policy team, and on Monday, the company announced that UFC's Dana White, a long-time supporter of Trump, would join its board.Kaplan appeared on Fox News on Tuesday morning as part of the rollout of the company's announcement. No other Meta executive appeared on any news channel.Metas initial fact-checking system, which was launched on Facebook in 2016, worked by running information on its platforms through third-party fact-checkers certified by the International Fact-Checking Network and the European Fact-Checking Standards Network. The program included more than 90 organizations that would fact-check posts in more than 60 languages. In the United States, they have included groups such as PolitiFact and Factcheck.org.In a news release, Meta wrote that it was able to identify posts that might be promoting misinformation based on how people were responding to certain pieces of content and how fast posts would spread. Independent fact-checkers would also work to identify posts with possible misinformation on their own. Posts that were said to include misinformation would then be shown lower in feeds as they waited for review.The independent fact-checkers would then work to verify the accuracy of the content that had been flagged and give it a content rating, labeling content as False, Altered, Partly False, Missing Context, Satire or True and adding notices to the posts.Those fact-checking measures applied to any posts on Facebook, and they expanded to include Instagram in 2019 and Threads last year. Fact-checkers were able to review content including ads, articles, photos, videos, Reels, audio and text-only posts.Under the system, Meta noted, fact-checkers did not have the ability to remove content, and content would be removed if it violated the companys community standards, which was discerned by Meta itself.In addition to the changes in content moderation, Zuckerberg also said Tuesday that the company will be changing its powerful recommendation system that decides what to show users. Meta has, for years, limited political content, citing user complaints and following discussions about how social media can affect users' beliefs."We're bringing back civic content," he said. "For a while, the community asked to see less politics because it was making people stressed, so we stopped recommending these posts. But it feels like we're in a new era now, and we're starting to get feedback that people want to see this content again. So we're going to start phasing this back into Facebook, Instagram and Threads, while working to keep the communities friendly and positive."Lastly, Zuckerberg said Meta would work with the incoming Trump administration to promote free speech around the world, though he did not detail any steps toward that goal."We're going to work with President Trump to push back on governments around the world that are going after American companies and pushing to censor more," he said, adding that various countries have cracked down on certain speech online."The only way that we can push back on this global trend is with the support of the U.S. government, and that's why it's been so difficult over the past four years, when even the U.S. government has pushed for censorship," Zuckerberg added. "By going after us and other American companies, it has emboldened other governments to go even further."In the last several years, the government's interactions with social media companies have come under intense scrutiny from Republican politicians who have made claims of censorship. After the 2016 election, Meta and other social media companies ramped up moderation efforts and routinely met with representatives of the FBI and other governmental organizations to prevent foreign interference. As Republicans began to inquire about government interactions with social media platforms, those meetings became the subject of congressional inquiries led by conservative leaders such as Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio. In 2022, Zuckerberg defended the company's interactions with agencies such as the FBI, calling it a "legitimate institution" in an interview with podcaster Joe Rogan.Scrutiny was also heaped on communications between the White House and social media companies, most notably around posts related to the Covid pandemic and vaccines. In August, Zuckerberg said that the Biden White House pressured Meta to take action against some Covid-related posts and that it was wrong to do so. In June, the Supreme Court rejected arguments that the government had unlawfully coerced social media companies to take down content.Still, the issue has remained politically potent, amplified by Musk's takeover of X (then Twitter) and his moves to drastically change the platform's moderation practices. Zuckerberg has previously praised Musk's handling of X, despite also at times engaging in a feud that has included discussions of a possible cage fight.Musk posted a screenshot of a headline about the Meta news to X later Tuesday morning."This is cool," he wrote.Bruna HorvathBruna Horvath is an intern on NBC News' tech team.Jason AbbruzzeseJason Abbruzzese is the assistant managing editor of tech and science for NBC News Digital.Ben GogginBen Goggin is the deputy tech editor for NBC News.
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  • WWW.TECHSPOT.COM
    End of Windows 10 support this year threatens over 60% of active Windows PCs
    Bottom line: Security experts are continuing to to raise alarms regarding Windows 10's impending end-of-life status this October. Despite Microsoft's best efforts, only about 30% of its users have upgraded to Windows 11 since its launch in 2021. The remaining majority face difficult choices, as continuing to receive official security updates will come at a cost, and many Windows 10 devices don't meet Windows 11's stringent hardware requirements. Thorsten Urbanski, a security expert at ESET, warns that the end of support for Windows 10 could put most Windows devices at risk. Without free official security updates, millions of business and personal systems could become highly vulnerable to cyberattacks and other security threats.As Windows 10 approaches its 10th anniversary, it remains the most widely used Windows operating system by far. ESET estimates that approximately 65% of devices in Germany around 32 million are still running Windows 10.Global data from StatCounter paints a similar picture, with Windows 10 accounting for 62% of Windows devices as of December 2024. In contrast, Windows 11 has only crawled up to 34% since its debut in 2021. Surprisingly, Windows 10 has even gained user share in recent months. While Windows 11 is slightly more popular among gamers, the latest Steam survey reveals that 42% of players continue to use Windows 10.ESET warns that the end of official Windows 10 support could lead to more than just security issues. Businesses and individuals may also face software and hardware compatibility challenges. Organizations that fail to upgrade in time risk breaching cybersecurity regulations, compounding the problem.Windows 11's relatively strict hardware requirements are a primary reason behind its low adoption rate. Microsoft has made it clear it has no plans to relax these standards. The company recently reaffirmed that all Windows 11 devices must include TPM 2.0 security, potentially excluding millions of systems with older processors. Even those eligible for Windows 11 have recently encountered problems when clicking on Microsoft's update prompts. // Related StoriesIndustry analysts predict that the October deadline could drive a surge in PC sales, as businesses and individuals purchase devices pre-installed with Windows 11. For those unwilling or unable to upgrade immediately, there are other options to maintain security.Businesses can purchase Extended Security Updates for $61 per device for the first year, but the cost will double each subsequent year. Individual users have the option to pay $30 for critical updates for one additional year.Meanwhile, third-party provider 0patch has pledged to offer unofficial security patches for Windows 10 through 2030. The company has a proven track record, as it continues to release updates for Windows 7, suggesting it is likely to follow through with its plans for Windows 10.
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  • WWW.VG247.COM
    Crunchyroll has already conquered anime, and now it's setting its sights on manga... again
    Page TurnerCrunchyroll has already conquered anime, and now it's setting its sights on manga... againThe question is, will this app be any good?Image credit: Crunchyroll News by Oisin Kuhnke Contributor Published on Jan. 7, 2025 There's a new manga reading app coming to town, this time from the anime juggernaut that is Crunchyroll.This week at CES 2025, during Sony's press conference which brought all manner of reveals, Crunchyroll announced that it has a new app on the way, this time one that will let you read manga. According to Crunchyroll's own website, the app will "join the service as a premium add-on, slated to launch later in 2025," and that it will "launch as a standalone, called Crunchyroll Manga, on iOS and Android with web browser support planned for the future." Right now there's just plans to launch it in English in the US and Canada, with other languages to come at some point, but there was no word on when it might come to other territories.To see this content please enable targeting cookies. Not only that, there wasn't even any confirmation as to what you'll even be able to read on it. Viz, one of the major manga publishers, has its own app, with titles like Inuyasha and Uzumaki available to read, and there's the Shonen Jump app too, where you can read pretty much every Weekly Shonen Jump title like Chainsaw Man and Jujutsu Kaisen. Crunchyroll could obviously pair up with other, smaller publishers, but some of the most popular titles around are already covered. And then, there's the issue of Crunchyroll itself.In the first instance, it had a manga service right up until last month, but it wasn't particularly well liked, nor did it have that much to read on it. Outside of that, users and subscribers are constantly expressing frustrations with the anime app due to its poor usability and lack of features, so there's not much reason to be confident in a new app. It's not surprising that Crunchyroll wants to move into manga, too, but we'll have to see if the app is any good.
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    One of gaming's best metal songs has just passed 100 million streams on Spotify
    Hell YeahOne of gaming's best metal songs has just passed 100 million streams on SpotifyMick Gordon is a beloved composer, with one of his most popular tracks soaring past the 100 stream mark. News by Connor Makar Staff Writer Published on Jan. 7, 2025 One of gaming's most popular metal tracks has soared past the 100 million stream mark on Spotify, cementing it as a true classic in the world of video game OSTs.The track is BFG Division from Doom (2016), composed by Mick Gordon. Gordon has been around the video game industry for a while, but his popularity as a composer exploded with the release of the Doom reboot. Since then, he's worked on games such as Atomic Heart, Borderlands 3, and Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus. To see this content please enable targeting cookies.Other tracks from the Doom (2016) soundtrack aren't doing too shabby either. Rip & Tear has even surpassed the 100 million mark, currently sitting at other 117 million streams on Spotify. At Doom's Gate has passed 70 million, Rust, Dust & Guts has passed 27 million, and Hellwalker has passed 25 million.It's a wonderful bit of news for the composer and the game itself, but still marred a bit by the reported mistreament of Gordon during Doom Eternal's development. According to a lenghty blog post by Gordon (which we covered back in November 2022), he claims he worked for months straight, "desperately trying to stay on top of things, and each week seemed to bring a new set of problems". Gordon also claimed this was made worse by being cut out of meetings, unanswered emails, files being auto-deleted and information being withheld.To see this content please enable targeting cookies. Because of this, while Gordon is credited for his work on Doom Eternal, he has gone out of his way to disapprove of the quality of the game's sountrack, blaming id Software executive producer Marty Stratton for the ordeal. Stratton responded to these claims with his own tell-all post on Reddit which covered his side of the story. A messy ending to one of gaming's most beloved collaborations.Are you still listening to the Doom (2016) soundtrack? Let us know below!
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  • TECHCRUNCH.COM
    Peacock is experimenting with mini-games and short videos
    As Peacock continues to trail behind major players in the entertainment industry like Netflix, TikTok, and YouTube, the streaming service is adopting strategies similar to its rivals with two new initiatives: mini-games and a short-form vertical video feed. The company previewed these experiments at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas on Monday.Starting this month, Peacock will begin piloting the new features on its iOS and Android apps before a broader rollout later this spring. During the initial testing phase, a company spokesperson told TechCrunch that some users will see both the games and the vertical video playlists, whereas some will see one or the other, and some will see neither.The platform is likely trying to keep pace with other major streaming services as it faces challenges in subscriber growth. Peacock lags significantly, with only 36 million subscribers compared to Netflixs impressive 282.72 million. Since introducing its gaming division in 2021, Netflix has launched over 120 games. YouTube and Sling TV have also rolled out free gaming offerings to compete.Image Credits:PeacockPeacock is currently testing five games: Daily Sort, Daily Swap, Predictions, What The, and Venn. These fast-paced games aim to enhance fan involvement with the most popular titles, as they offer gameplay influenced by TV shows and sports programming. Linking games to popular IP is a smart move, as it attracts players who are interested in those titles.For example, with Venn, players sort items into the appropriate circles based on a daily theme that relates to episodes of shows like Below Deck. The Predictions game allows users to predict the outcomes of specific shows and sporting events, enabling them to return later and see how accurate their guesses were.Image Credits:PeacockMeanwhile, the streaming platform is also testing new curated vertical video playlists, which will feature short clips from Peacocks entire library, such as TV shows, movies, sports, and news. These will be updated daily and weekly, with many clips debuting exclusively on the app. Users can tap on the clips to be directed to the respective shows page, making it easy to jump in and watch.As the potential TikTok ban looms and users grapple with shorter attention spans, Peacocks vertical video playlists could become a popular feature for viewers seeking quick entertainment. The latest test takes after Tubi, the Fox-owned free ad-supported streaming service, which also embraced short-form video with its new feature called Scenes.
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  • TECHCRUNCH.COM
    Meta to phase back in political content on Facebook, Instagram and Threads
    As a part of a significant overhaul of its content moderation policies announced on Tuesday, Meta admitted that its approach to limiting political content across its platforms had been pretty blunt and would now be addressed. The company said it would once again phase in political content into Facebook, Instagram, and Threads, allowing people who want political content in their feeds to see more of it. The amount of political content on Metas apps has been reduced since 2021, Meta noted in a blog post, based on user feedback that they wanted to see less of this content in their feeds. However, the changes to limit proactive recommendations on Instagrams apps went live just last year.Metas early 2024 decision to stop proactively recommending political content to users on Instagram and Threads a move it made in a critical presidential election year for the U.S., lets remember was met with both user and creator backlash. Hundreds of creators signed an open letter in April that argued the decision to limit political content should be one thats opt-in, instead of being switched on by default. Creators were particularly concerned about how Meta would determine which content was political. Instagrams definition describes this content as anything related to laws, elections, or social topics, which they said would limit the reach of conversations around things like climate change, gun control, and reproductive rights, among other things.They were also worried about how these changes would limit their reach and ability to reach new audiences, which would have a direct impact on their ability to grow their personal brand and, therefore, their income.Users, meanwhile, felt that Metas changes to how political content was being surfaced were suppressing their voice across social media. It also didnt help that a bug later appeared to once again suppress political content by reverting users settings back to the default, which would limit political content from those they didnt follow. Despite these changes, there continued to be a clear demand for politics in users feeds especially on Threads, Metas X/Twitter alternative, where political content would often dominate the trends section. Meta today explained how it would make changes to political content in users feeds, saying that it would take a more personalized approach going forward. For starters, it would take civic content from people and Pages you follow on Facebook and treat it more like any other content in your feed meaning ranking it and displaying based on both explicit and implicit signals, like how many users liked a post or viewed it. The company said it would also recommend more political content to people based on these personalized signals and would expand the options people have to control how much content they see. The latter indicates that Meta will implement specific controls users could toggle within their settings. Its not clear how Meta will advertise to users when and where these controls would become available.
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  • WWW.ARTOFVFX.COM
    Bob Marley One Love: VFX Breakdown by Outpost VFX
    Breakdown & ShowreelsBob Marley One Love: VFX Breakdown by Outpost VFXBy Vincent Frei - 07/01/2025 Behind the authenticity of Bob Marley: One Love lies the VFX magic! Outpost VFX mastered invisible effects, crafting immersive environments and vibrant crowd scenes to honor the legend!WANT TO KNOW MORE?Outpost VFX: Dedicated page about Bob Marley: One Love on Outpost VFX website.Roni Rodrigues: Heres my interview of Production VFX Supervisor Roni Rodrigues. Vincent Frei The Art of VFX 2025
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  • WWW.ARCHPAPER.COM
    Here are the buildings and projects AN editors are looking forward to see completed in 2025
    What new, highly anticipated buildings will their open doors in 2025? Museums in Harlem, artist spaces in Marfa, and an institutional headquarters in Paris, to name but a few. This non-exhaustive list catalogs the building slated to open in 2025 that AN editors have on our radar. Venice Architecture BiennaleThe 19th International Architecture Exhibition opens on May 25 in Venice, Italy. This years U.S. Pavilion will focus on the porch as a central element in American architecture, highlighting its social, environmental, and democratic significance.PORCH: An Architecture of Generositywill be commissioned and curated byPeter MacKeith, dean of the Fay Jones School at University of Arkansas;Susan Chin, founder of DesignConnects; andRod Bigelow of Crystal Bridges Museum. The Architects Newspaperwill be the exhibitions media partner.Exterior view of Studio Museum in Harlem under construction ( Albert Vecerka/Esto)Studio Museum in HarlemStudio Museum in Harlem is slated to reopen this year after getting a new purpose-built home by Adjaye Associates and Studio Zewde. Visitors are now just a few months away from perusing pieces by Romare Bearden, Dawoud Bey, Jordan Casteel, Barkley L. Hendricks, Seydou Keta, Norman Lewis, Lorraine OGrady, Faith Ringgold, and others.The first major exhibition at Studio Museum will be a Tom Lloyd retrospective. For many, the retrospective marks a full circle: Lloyd was the subject of Studio Museum in Harlems first exhibition when it opened in 1968, in a show called Electronic Refractions II.A rendering of the newly renovated Frick Collection, viewed from East 70th Street. (Courtesy Selldorf Architects)Frick CollectionThis April, the Frick Collection will reopen its doors. Selldorf Architects led the multi-year renovation project for the building sited on Museum Mile. When it reopens, visitors can enjoy a suite of opening programs including rare works on paper by Degas, Goya, Ingres, Rubens, and Whistler. A special installation of ceramic floral sculptures by Ukrainian artist Vladimir Kanevsky will also be on display.Donald Judds Architecture OfficeAlmost four years ago, a fire halted construction on Donald Judds Architecture Office inside the Glascock Building on Marfas Highland Avenue, a 2-story structure with an expansive glass storefront. In September, the office will reopen thanks to a renovation by SCHAUM/SHIEH.ThoravejIn Copenhagen, Pihlmann Architects, a local office, will complete this year a new case study in material reuse. Thoravej consists of a new community hub built inside of a 1960s factory building. The architects took special care to recycle as much of the existing building as possible. 262 Fifth AvenueA supertall in Midtown Manhattan by Meganom, a Moscow office, is expected to open this year sometime in Q4. The tower is backed by Boris Kuzinev, and, despite its mind boggling height, will have only 26 luxury condos. Its been met with frustration because it will block views of the Empire State Building, as Michael Kimmelman recently noted in the New York Times.262 Fifth Avenue marks Meganoms first New York project. Previously, Kuzinev grew his fortune building Moscows Golden Mile, a gleaming residential district home to the citys most expensive real estate.The USA Pavilion features a floating, translucent cube flanked by walls for displaying panoramic views of the United States. (Courtesy Trahan Architects)2025 Expo OsakaJapan, anyone? The USA Pavilion for Expo 2025 Osaka-Kansai designed by Trahan Architects opens this year. Exhibitions there will explore concepts ranging from sustainability to space exploration, education, and entrepreneurship. HOOD Design Studio,Studio Loutsis,Dot Dash Lighting Design,BRC Imagination Arts,Alchemy International,Ricca, and ES Global are all collaborators.South Station TowerThis summer, a tower designed by Pelli Clarke & Partners that hovers over Bostons South Station will open its doors. South Station Towers opening will coincide with a number of upgrades to Bostons most-trafficked transit hub.At South Station, bus terminal capacity will be increased by 50 percent. There will also be a better roof covering over the concourse area to protect Massachusetts commuters from chilly winters, among other upgrades.The building that will house the Fondation Cartiers pour lart contemporain ( Luc Boegly)Fondation Cartier pour lArt ContemporainFounded in 1984 by Alain Dominique Perrin, the Fondation Cartier was Frances first corporate foundation for contemporaryart. This year, the institution will move from a glassy outpost along Boulevard Raspail and into a historic building on Place du Palais-Royal, in the heart of Paris. Jean Nouvel is heading the renovation of the historic building. 270 Park AvenueA hulking Leviathan designed by Foster + Partners for JPMorgan Chase will open its doors this year. It was built where Natalie de Blois andGordon Bunshafts Union Carbide Building used to be.Despite how the architects tout 270 Park as New York Citys largest all-electric tower, architecture critic Fred Bernstein isnt convinced of its alleged ecological merits.Storm Kings capital projectThe first-ever capital project at Storm King will complete this year, helping preserve the upstate New York institutions 500-acre site while adding new opportunities for engaging with art, and working artists themselves.Soon, Storm King will have a new welcome experience; a new building for maintenance, fabrication, and conservation; and more.Rendering of the entrance to Adjaye Associates design for the new Princeton University Art Museum building (Adjaye Associates)Princeton University Art MuseumRenderings were first released for Princeton University Art Museum by Adjaye Associates in 2020. Later this year, the museum expects to open its doors so scholars and students can commingle and collaborate in the new galleries.V&A East StorehouseIn Londons Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, a new center designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro (DS+R) will connect visitors with precious works of art from V&As archives. V&A East Storehouse will contain 250,000 objects; 350,000 books; and 1,000 archives from V&As collection of fashion, textiles, furniture, theater and performance, metalwork, ceramics, glass, sculpture, architecture, paintings and product design.Houstons Ismaili Center is composed of three interlocking boxes, each supporting a second-floor verandah covered by flat roofs supported on tall, slender columns. ( Imara Houston Inc.)Ismaili Center HoustonAt the intersection of Allen Parkway and Montrose Boulevard in Houston, a new building by Farshid Moussavi Architects opens this year. The Ismaili Centers client is His Highness the Aga Khan, spiritual leader of the Shia Ismaili Muslims and founder and Chairman of the Aga Khan Development Network.Houstons Ismaili Center follows other centers by His Highness the Aga Khan, including ones in London, Lisbon, Dubai, Dushanbe, Vancouver and Toronto.
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    Doors and sliding door systems for various settings
    A selection of openings to create seamless transitions. (Courtesy Marvin)Marvin Ultimate Sliding DoorsMarvinThe Ultimate Sliding Door is built on the same design platform as Marvins Ultimate swinging door counterpart, ensuring a seamless and consistent aesthetic across different door types. The slider features 3-inch stiles and rails with standard square glazing profiles.(Courtesy C. R. Laurence)Latitude 34 Sliding Door CollectionC. R. LaurenceThis reengineered approach to barn door design includes three distinct sliding door systems that enable several post installation adjustments including door stop location, track leveling, and track height. (Courtesy PurOptima)Edge Bi-Fold DoorsPurOptimaNow available in the U.S., the Edge Bi-Fold Door is a single-glazed solution used with PurOptima Microflush doorframes and is designed for seamless integration with the PurOptima117 Plus system.(Courtesy Kova)KOVA65 Thermal Break SystemKovaThis European-style sliding door system offers options for doors in various configurations with superior thermal and acoustic insulation. Available in stocked colors of white, bronze, and black, with custom colors and finishes.(Courtesy Masonite)Performance Door SystemMasoniteMasonite Performance Door System with M-Protect Multipoint security lock is an exterior door system that offers superior protection with four times more impact resistance than standarddeadbolt locks.
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  • WWW.THISISCOLOSSAL.COM
    Traveling Middle America, Richard Sharum Reaches for the Heart of the Heartland
    Two Sisters and a Cousin, Macksville, Kansas, June 19, 2021. All images Richard Sharum, courtesy of GOST Books, shared with permissionTraveling Middle America, Richard Sharum Reaches for the Heart of the HeartlandJanuary 7, 2025Grace EbertWhat characteristics define a contemporary American? Amid an increasingly polarized political and cultural landscape, photographer Richard Sharum traveled across Americas spine to suss out the common threads and seemingly insurmountable disparities of a fractured nation.For three years, Sharum traversed a lengthy stretch between the Canadian and Mexican borders. From North Dakota to Kansas to Texas, he documented the lives of more than 4,000 people in 14,000-plus images, creating a snapshot of a region thats historically been overlooked. I knew that in order for me to find out what America is, I needed to travel its central corridor and see it for myself, he said.Harvester, Pearsall, Texas, March 24, 2021 In his new book, Spina Americana, a portrait of a nation emerges in bold black and white. On frozen water in Hemand, North Dakota, a fisherman shows off his recently speared Nothern Pike. In ONeill, Nebraska, an older woman cradles a bowling ball in front of wood paneling, and two teenagers steel away from baseball practice in Tolar, Texas, to pose for Sharum. Delineated by location and an area often described as flyover country, the photos focus largely on the working class. Manual labor is prominent throughout the series, which features migrant workers picking oregano, a firefighter, and a cotton candy vendor. Whereas the working class in this region is often omitted from or patronized within pop culture and political conversations, Sharum portrays each person with reverence and a desire to emphasize a shared humanity. The lack of color similarly draws attention to the material conditions and expressions of the subjects. He adds: This term, flyover country, was one Id heard my entire life but had never really thought about when it came to the condescension it implied. I felt that this part of our country had been ignored politically, socially, and culturally for decades, with its obscurity creatinga subtle but consequential vacuum that had implicitly added fuel to our national divisions. Raised in Corpus Christi, Sharum is now based in Corning, New York. Spina Americana is published by GOST Books and available on Bookshop. Find more of his work on his website. (via PetaPixel)Ice Fisherman with Fresh Northern Pike, Hemand, North Dakota, March 2, 2022Storm Chaser, Burlington, Oklahoma, May 15, 2022Firetech with Grassfire, Huntsville, Kansas, May 18, 2022Cotton Candy Vendor, Lake Andes, South Dakota, June 3, 2023Migrant Laborers Picking Oregano, Edinburg, Texas, November 4, 2022Bowler, ONeill, Nebraska, December 16, 2021Isolation Cell, JRCC, Jamestown, North Dakota, March 4, 2022Mennonite Sisters, Partridge, Kansas, June 20, 2021Two Highschool Baseball Players at Practice, Tolar, Texas, March 3, 2021Next article
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