The popular Haunted Mansion Holiday inspired by Tim Burtons The Nightmare Before Christmas will return in August, as it traditionally doesnot November, as was erroneously reported after incorrect dates were published on the Disneyland site. The error briefly drummed up fan excitement that the attractions Christmas movie overlay would arrive November 14, a later-than-usual date thats much closer to the holiday at the center of Nightmare Before Christmas. In a statement to io9, Disney experiences shared: We look forward to welcoming Haunted Mansion Holiday back for Halloween Time on Aug. 22. Incorrect dates published on the website this morning are being updated.For those who have no idea what were talking about, for the better part of two decades, the beloved classic spooky attraction has been hijacked by Jack Skellington as Sandy Claws, bringing the Christmas spirit to the start of Halloween season. It never truly made sense because Nightmare Before Christmas is a Christmas movie; the events of Jack appropriating Christmas take place right after Halloween and lead up to Christmasand because the Haunted Mansion is a ghost house.That means fans who want to visit the Haunted Mansion in its regular form as part of their Disneyland Halloween festivities are out of luck. If you want to experience the Haunted Mansion during Halloween, youll have to go to Walt Disney Worlds Magic Kingdom variant in Florida instead. It made us think back on what Disney super-fan Ryan Gosling said about the timing situation back in 2020. Below you can watch a rant the Barbie actor went on when asked about why he wasnt too keen on the Nightmare Before Christmas Haunted Mansion Holiday: They do it at Halloween, they bring Christmas into Halloween. Thats a terrible idea. Lets leave Christmas at Christmas. In brighter Haunted Mansion news, Disneylands version of the ride has been speculated to include major updates after its long refurbishment period last year, which included a re-working of the outside queue. Rumors have seemingly been given credibility with the first look at a recently revealed drink collectible sipper which depicts a new bride, so were thinking theres a new incarnation for the lore to be seen when the ridewhich just wrapped up its most recent Haunted Mansion Holiday season opens back up in a few weeks. For more information on Disneylands 70th anniversary and the Haunted Mansion, visit Disney Experiences official website. Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, whats next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.

By Thomas Maxwell Published January 7, 2025 | Comments (4) | Meta is deleting comments from internal discussion boards criticizing appointment of UFC's Dana White to its board of directors. Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Meta is allegedly curtailing internal criticism of CEO Mark Zuckerbergs announcement on Monday that Dana White would be added to its board of directors. 404 Mediareported on the deletion of comments employees left on Workplace, an internal version of Facebook accessible to employees. Some of the comments highlighted video footage from 2022 showing White, an outspoken Trump supporter and CEO of Ultimate Fighting Championship, slapping his wife at a New Years Eve party. He was never charged over the altercation. According to 404, some employees expressed excitement about the appointment or made joking comments. One employee, for instance, wrote W while another wrote, We hire Connor [McGregor] next for after work sparring? Connor McGregor, a UFC fighter, was found guilty of sexual assault by a civil court after a woman accused him of rape in 2018. Others were displeased by Metas decision and the celebratory comments from colleagues. Kind of disheartening to see people in the comments celebrating a man who is on video assaulting his wife and another who was recently convicted of rape, one employee commented. I can kind of excuse individuals for being unaware, but Meta surely did their due diligence on White and concluded that what he did is fine. I feel like Im on another planet. White does not seem to have any notable experience in tech or social media, but Zuckerberg is big into mixed martial arts, so there is that connection.Tech giants like Meta and Google were famous in their early days for allowing freewheeling internal discussions and dissent, believing that it would make them enjoyable places to work and lead to the best product decisions. But as these companies have metastasized into world-spanning companies with hundreds of thousands of employees, they have largely curtailed open discussion or employee protests. High-profile controversies like the anti-diversity memo written by a former Google employee caused much internal havoc and leadership teams across the industry eventually threw their hands up. The workplace is for work, or so the thinking goes, and employees need to get along to be productive.In removing the comments about White, a member of Metas Internal Community Relationships team explained to employees that they violated the companys internal rules for discussion, called Community Engagement Expectations. Im posting a comment here with a reminder about the CEE, as multiple comments have been flagged by the community for review. Its important that we maintain a respectful work environment where people can do their best work. We need to keep in mind that the CEE applies to how we communicate with and about members of our communityincluding members of our Board. Insulting, criticizing, or antagonizing our colleagues or Board members is not aligned with the CEE. Metas communications team stressed to 404 that the company has different rules for discussions internally and those that happen on its platforms including Facebook and Instagram. Zuckerberg has been on a full-court press to please President-elect Trump, starting with a $1 million donation he made to the inauguration.Following Whites appointment on Monday, Zuckerberg today made a series of announcements regarding content moderation in a video that can best be described as a masterclass in political theater. The announcements included that Meta would drop its fact-checking apparatus in favor of an X-style community notes system; leave a small moderation team in place which would be relocated from California to Texas to eliminate bias; allow political content on Facebook and Instagram again after suppressing it in recent years; and lift restrictions on content pertaining to discussion of gender and immigration.On that last point, Meta updated its community guidelines to permit allegations of mental illness or abnormality when based on gender or sexual orientation, given political and religious discourse about transgenderism and homosexuality. In essence, it is now okay to suggest being gay is attributable to mental illness. Put together, the moves look like not much more than calculated moves to appease Trump, who under his first administration threatened to lock Zuckerberg up for the rest of his life. Zuckerberg last week replaced the head of Metas political apparatus with a Republican insider, showing he will change his views on a dime when it is politically expedient.Trump was asked about Zuckerbergs decision to loosen content restrictions during a Mar-a-Lago press conference early Tuesday. After a journalist asked whether Trump believed Zuckerberg was making the changes in response to his previous threats, Trump responded, probably. Did we mention a big antitrust case against Meta is heading to court in April? Trump could save Meta execs including Zuckerberg a lot of public grilling under oath. Daily NewsletterYou May Also Like By Matthew Gault Published January 7, 2025 By Matthew Gault Published January 7, 2025 By Matthew Gault Published January 6, 2025 By Matthew Gault Published January 3, 2025 By Thomas Maxwell Published January 2, 2025 By Matthew Gault Published December 30, 2024

4 Modular Kindergartens in Lisbon / SUMMARYSave this picture! Fernando Guerra - FG+SGKindergartenLisboa, PortugalArchitects: SUMMARYAreaArea of this architecture projectArea:2660 mYearCompletion year of this architecture project Year: 2023 More SpecsLess SpecsSave this picture!Text description provided by the architects. The buildings emerged in response to a public initiative project for the construction of kindergartens in various areas in Lisbon, through a competition launched by the Municipality. The starting point was a standardized solution that allowed for economic intervention, quick execution, and the creation of an identifiable image, making these facilities recognizable throughout the city. The proposal is based on the overlapping of structural modules in reinforced concrete, with a U section, shaping the building's surfaces. The choice of this material is linked not only to the modular configuration but also to the requirement evident in the competition program to ensure solutions of high and proven durability and low maintenance.Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!The standardization of solutions naturally implies a formal analogy among the four kindergartens. The image of the buildings arises from the potentialities and limitations imposed by the modular construction system. From the exterior, a clear tectonic reading of the buildings is possible the joints are visible, and one can discern each of the modules and the way they are arranged and supported. These 4 nurseries feature a similar organic and functional distribution: two groups of overlapping U-shaped modules, housing various compartments, and a central corridor between them where all horizontal and vertical circulation takes place (corridors, stairwells, and elevators). It is also within these central corridor lines that the main sections of the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning infrastructure are located, reaching the compartments through the adjacent side walls.Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!The circulation spaces are straight and linear, facilitating user orientation within the building and visibility between all areas, promoting functionality and safety. The outdoor spaces have been designed as an extension of the indoor activities. Some non-slip paved areas are proposed, so that wheeled toys can be used. We also considered the existence of garden areas for outdoor activities with the children. The vegetal cover on most of the outside surface contributes to soil permeability. The choice of plant and tree species was based on the criteria of adaptation to the climate, low water requirements and the exclusion of species that could cause allergic problems.Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!The nurseries are distributed across two floors, making them more compact in terms of footprint to address the limited space of the plots (all located in consolidated urban areas) and to maximize external space for recreational areas. The essential service areas (kitchen, administrative zone, laundry, etc.) are situated on the ground floor, while the various activity rooms for children are spread across both floors. All these rooms have direct access to the outside - on the ground floor, to the playground; and on the upper floor, through terraces.Save this picture!All the structural components of these buildings, including the foundations, were prefabricated in a factory under controlled conditions. They were then assembled on-site within a few days. These prefabricated components not only form the structure of the building but also define the facades, floors, and interior compartments. This approach allowed for a faster and more controlled construction process, avoiding on-site concreting, thus reducing waste, noise, and dust. The goal was to increase the city's network of public kindergartens without disrupting the surrounding neighbourhood during construction. Both the process and the result were equally important in achieving this objective.Save this picture!Project gallerySee allShow lessProject locationAddress:Lisboa, PortugalLocation to be used only as a reference. It could indicate city/country but not exact address.About this officeSUMMARYOfficeMaterialConcreteMaterials and TagsPublished on January 07, 2025Cite: "4 Modular Kindergartens in Lisbon / SUMMARY" [4 Creches Modulares Em Lisboa / SUMMARY] 07 Jan 2025. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/1025323/4-modular-kindergartens-in-lisbon-summary&gt ISSN 0719-8884Save!ArchDaily?You've started following your first account!Did you know?You'll now receive updates based on what you follow! Personalize your stream and start following your favorite authors, offices and users.Go to my stream

Every so often, all we see of Mars is an orb covered by dust from the wind. Understanding how and why the planet sometimes becomes completely engulfed in grit will help scientists better predict that phenomenon. Such foresight could be essential to the success of future missions there.A team of scientists from Colorado University at Boulder have taken steps toward forecasting the storms. Heshani Pieris, a graduate student there, presented data at the American Geophysical Union meeting in December 2024.Dust storms have a significant effect on rovers and landers on Mars, not to mention what will happen during future crewed missions to Mars, Pieris said in a press release. This dust is very light and sticks to everything. In 2018, for example, a global dust storm smothered the solar panels on NASAs Opportunity rover. The rover died not long after.Understanding Martian Dust StormsThe team looked at two storms the planet experienced every Mars year (687 Earth days). They drew from data collected by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter over eight Mars years (15 years on Earth). Those storms tended to start at the planet's poles, then move toward its equator. They noticed that stretches of warm weather when more sunlight penetrated the planets thin atmosphere and scorched its surface appeared to precede the storms. A sharp rise in surface temperature was linked to about 68 percent of major Mars storms.Its almost like Mars has to wait for the air to get clear enough to form a major dust storm, Paul Hayne, a CU astrophysicist and co-author of the study said in a press release.Clearing for Dust TakeoffThe scientists say they dont yet have enough data to definitively say that the hot, dry spells cause the storms only that those conditions are associated with them. However, they note the patterns are not unlike similar situations on Earth.For example, during hot Colorado summers, warm air near the ground sometimes rises quickly into the atmosphere. That sudden buoyancy can sometimes carry dust into the air. However, Haynes noted their understanding of how this might happen on Mars is still primitive. We dont even fully understand the basic physics of how dust storms start at the surface, Haynes said.The researchers are now gathering more recent data. They aim to better understand the planets weather patterns, with the goal of predicting storms within weeks.Article SourcesOur writers at Discovermagazine.com use peer-reviewed studies and high-quality sources for our articles, and our editors review for scientific accuracy and editorial standards. Review the sources used below for this article:Before joining Discover Magazine, Paul Smaglik spent over 20 years as a science journalist, specializing in U.S. life science policy and global scientific career issues. He began his career in newspapers, but switched to scientific magazines. His work has appeared in publications including Science News, Science, Nature, and Scientific American.

ShareDespite their inability to take to the skies, birds like ostriches, emus, and chickens use their wingstheyre actually vital to their everyday movements. And unlike existing biomimetic robots that take their cues from high-flying birds, researchers at Chinas Shandong University recently built a new, strutting machine inspired by terrestrial avians.Credit: Zeng, et al. / Popular Science[H]umans swing their arms to counteract the angular momentum generated by their legs during high-speed movements, such as sprinting, engineer Xianwu Zeng explained to TechXplore. Similarly, ostriches and roadrunners use their wings for flight but flap them during rapid running, jumping, or sharp turns, where the wings serve as auxiliary mechanisms.With these biological influences in mind, Zeng and colleagues have designed KOU-III. Named in reference to Lie Yukou, a Chinese mythological figure capable of riding the wind, KOU-III is a small, bipedal robot that walks like a chicken, but utilizes a quadrotator system to assist leaping and sprinting. Zeng says that of all ground birds, however, KOU-III is particularly engineered based on the Red-Carpeted Manakin, which employs its wings during ritual courtship jumps.According to their SSRN preprint paper, Zengs team explains that KOU-IIIs rotors provide substantial torque for roll and pitch stabilization, as well as vertical lift. This allows the robot to pick up speed without tipping over due to its weight.Crucially, during airborne jumps, the robots posture can be rapidly adjusted using the rotors, added Zeng.In lab testing, KOU-III took 32 seconds to top out at a speed of 0.79 m/s (2.36 ft/s) while walking without its rotors engaged. Past that, however, and the robots stability gave out, causing it to topple over. With its rotors on, however, the bot maxed out at 1.1 m/s (3.6 ft/s). When it came to jumping, the rotors allowed KOU-III to jump up 35.2 cm (1.15 ft), which is over its actual height of 32 cm (1.04 ft). Get the Popular Science newsletter Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. By signing up you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.Building on the successful use of rotors as legged assistance mechanisms, we aim to explore other more efficient and safer auxiliary systems and develop corresponding motion control strategies, Zeng said. The team believes real-world applications could include exploring narrow, uneven terrains like caves, and even clearing former battlefields of landmines.

Nature, Published online: 07 January 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-00005-6Large language models can propose fine-tuning adjustments for an electron accelerator in Germany.

A canine baculum (penis bone) covered in red ochre may be from a long-lost Romano-British ritual.

Parkour has been an important part of the Assassin's Creed franchise from the beginning, but Assassin's Creed Shadows will be making some adjustments to the acrobatic running style. Ubisoft has already hinted that Naoe--one of Shadows' new leading characters--can Naruto run in the game. But that's just the beginning of what she can pull off while running.Ubisoft has shared an extensive breakdown of Shadow's new parkour options, as well as the revised button map for the game. One of the most notable changes is that the crouch and the dodge buttons have traded places. That will allow the player to either crouch or lie in a prone position. Naoe can even kill her targets while lying prone. Yasuke--the game's other lead character--and Naoe can both perform dodges while crouched, but only the latter can pull off a dodge in her prone stance. The other new parkour moves that Naoe can pull off include a wall-run eject and a backward dodge, which you can see below.Continue Reading at GameSpot

Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana Refined Edition is now available for Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 5. Fans of Nihon- Falcom's classic RPG series can pick up a physical copy of The Oath in Felghana for $60 at Amazon, Walmart, or Best Buy. Like other physical releases of Ys games, the launch version of The Oath in Felghana is a cool collector's set bundled with extras. Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana Refined Edition $60 The Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana Refined Edition includes the base game, an acrylic keychain and diorama set, a compilation soundtrack, illustrated microfiber cloth, and a set of postcards. It's priced at $60, so this is a great opportunity for fans to get a cool physical release with collectibles for a great price. Like other Ys physical editions, quantities are limited.Base gameAcrylic keychainDiorama setFour postcardsSoundtrack on CDMicrofiber clothCheck out all of the extras in the image below. See at Amazon See at Best Buy See at Walmart Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana Refined EditionYs Memoire: The Oath of Felghana Refined Edition at AmazonPS5 -- $60Nintendo Switch -- $60There's an interesting history behind this Ys release, as it was first released under the title of Ys III: Wanderers from Ys in 1989. It was remade as Ys: The Oath in Felghana for PSP in 2005. The remake was ported to PC in 2012, and now it has been remastered for Nintendo Switch and PS5.Continue Reading at GameSpot

The Elder Scrolls 6 is the next big game from Bethesda Game Studios, but no one should expect it soon. The wait for the RPG continues, and just recently passed a sad milestone.Reddit user RoboPup has pointed out that it's now been 2,403 days since The Elder Scrolls 6 was announced on June 10, 2018 (via IGN). What's the significance of 2,403 days? That's also the number of days that The Elder Scrolls 6's trailer was revealed after The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim came out on November 11, 2011.Starfield was the latest release from Bethesda Game Studios. The Elder Scrolls 6 is coming up next, and it will be followed by Fallout 5 at some point later on. Bethesda, which is owned by Microsoft, has not announced release dates for any of its upcoming games, however.Continue Reading at GameSpot