This story was originally published by Grist and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration. On Tuesday, after a ferocious Santa Ana windstorm blew through Southern California, a severe brush fire broke out in the wealthy Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, burning at least 1,000 structures and forcing hundreds of thousands of residents to evacuate as of Thursday morning. Another large brush fire broke out near Pasadena around the same time, killing at least two people. Together the two blazes threatened some of the most valuable homes and businesses in the United States. The damage from the Palisades Fire alone could exceed $10 billion, according to a preliminary estimate from JP Morgan.If this estimate holds true, it will test insurers commitment to a market that has been teetering on the verge of collapse for the better part of a decade now. Over the past five years, California has become a poster child for what climate-fueled weather disasters can do to a states home insurance market. Following a rash of historic wildfires in 2017 and 2018, insurance companies have fled the state, dropped tens of thousands of customers in flammable areas, and raised prices by double-digit percentages.Until recently, elected officials have taken few major steps to address the crisis. But late last month, after more than a year of drafting, Californias insurance commissioner unveiled a set of reforms that he claimed will bring companies back into the fold as they take effect this year. This is a historic moment for California, said Ricardo Lara, the states insurance commissioner, when he revealed the rules in December. With input from thousands of residents throughout California, this reform balances protecting consumers with the need to strengthen our market against climate risks.The rules come after months of debate among state insurance officials, lawmakers, insurance companies, and consumer advocates. The biggest change is that California will now require many insurance companies to do more business in what the state calls distressed areas, the fire-prone scrubland and mountain regions where insurers are now hiking prices and dropping customers. Companies will soon have to ensure that their market share in these areas is at least 85 percent of their total statewide market share in other words, if a company controls 10 percent of the states insurance market, it must control at least 8.5 percent of the market in fire-prone areas. This mandate should push big companies like State Farm and Allstate to pick up customers theyve dropped in flammable regions like the mountainous north of the state. Some companies have already begun to offer new policies in burned areas in anticipation of the states new rules: the insurance company Mercury announced last week that it will be the first insurance company in the state to offer new policies in Paradise, California, which was destroyed in the catastrophic 2018 Camp Fire. The move recognizes the towns work to mitigate future fires by clearing trees and hardening homes.The requirement to expand coverage, coupled with recent announcements from companies like Mercury, should give consumers hope that competition and options will be returning, said Amy Bach, the head of insurance customer advocacy group United Policyholders, in a statement.In return for this added coverage, the state is making a few big tweaks that will allow insurers to pass on the price of fire risk to their customers. California is the only state in the country that doesnt allow insurance companies to use forward-looking catastrophe models when they set prices. It also prohibits companies from factoring in the rising costs of reinsurance, the insurance purchased by insurance companies to ensure theyre able to pay out big claims.These two restrictions have kept prices artificially low for years, and also prevented insurers from planning for climate change impacts, creating a de facto subsidy for homeowners in risky areas. This addresses the major stumbling blocks that companies have been identifying for a decade, so thats a positive, said Rex Frazier, the president of the Personal Insurance Federation of California, the states leading insurance trade group. This trade-off has some residents in fire-prone areas worried. Insurance companies might now have to offer more policies in flammable zones, but they also have more latitude to increase prices. Im not optimistic that it will improve the experience of the consumer, as the insurers can now pass certain costs onto consumers, which Im expecting will result in higher premiums, said Jason Lloyd, who moved to mountainous Lake County last spring. He and his wife came to the area because they wanted to be closer to his wifes family, but when they made an offer on a home, they learned that they would have to pay more than $8,000 a year for insurance, or else go to the California FAIR Plan, a state-run insurance program that offers minimal coverage. Beachfront homes are devastated by the Palisades fire in Malibu, California. Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times via Getty ImagesLloyd and his wife later bought another home in Hidden Valley Lake, a town that has taken ambitious steps to reduce flammable vegetation, but their insurance premium is still more than $4,500 a year, more than triple what it was on their last home in Kansas. Lloyd is worried that his insurance company will hike his price further under the new rules.Other states across the West, such as Colorado and Oregon, are also seeing insurance coverage gaps emerge after big wildfires, though their problems are less acute than those in the Golden State. In Colorado, for instance, officials just recently established a state fire insurance backstop like Californias FAIR Plan, since its only in the past few years that customers there have been dropped en masse. Californias grand bargain with the insurance industry provides a blueprint for those other states: If you want to address coverage gaps, you need to give insurers broader authority to set prices. Even this might not be enough. The past few years have seen a reprieve from major wildfires like the ones that struck in 2017 and 2018, but this weeks blazes in the Los Angeles area could cause billions of dollars of damage, on par with an event like the Camp Fire.Joel Laucher, a former regulator and fire insurance expert at the consumer advocacy organization United Policyholders, said the damage from the Los Angeles blazes could lead to further price hikes and more availability gaps.These are going to be major losses, certainly, he told Grist. Certain areas are definitely going to have new challenges, to the degree that insurers are going to be able to charge to the rate they believe those areas deserve to pay. Laucher said insurance companies may not decline to renew as many policies as they might have under previous state rules, but they could still avoid selling policies in some of the affected areas.Frazier, of the insurance trade group, voiced similar concerns. He said another round of monster blazes on the scale of 2017 and 2018 could drive the insurance industry away from the state once again, despite the commissioners reforms. If we were to have a couple more unprecedented years, all bets are off, he told Grist. Youve read 1 article in the last monthHere at Vox, we're unwavering in our commitment to covering the issues that matter most to you threats to democracy, immigration, reproductive rights, the environment, and the rising polarization across this country.Our mission is to provide clear, accessible journalism that empowers you to stay informed and engaged in shaping our world. By becoming a Vox Member, you directly strengthen our ability to deliver in-depth, independent reporting that drives meaningful change.We rely on readers like you join us.Swati SharmaVox Editor-in-ChiefSee More:

Multiple major wildfires, fanned by unusually strong seasonal winds, are currently burning through the Los Angeles area, leaving devastation in their wake.Thus far, those fires have led to at least five fatalities, massive evacuations, and significant damage to more than 2,000 buildings. Though destructive fire seasons have become increasingly common in California, its still relatively rare to see a major urban area facing fires in the way Los Angeles now is. But as populations have grown in communities that are close to vegetation and open space, experts told Vox, the risks of wildfires moving into denser, urban areas has increased. That dynamic is compounded by climate change, which has fueled extreme heat and parched the landscape in regions like Southern California that are already susceptible to wildfires. RelatedCollectively, these factors mean that wildfires may become more frequent in urban areas and while cities do have some safeguards in place against these natural disasters, there are dangerous sources of fuel in them, too. Urban fires have become more common and severe, says fire historian and Arizona State University professor emeritus Steve Pyne. A problem that we thought we had fixed has returned. What are the risks of wildfires moving into urban areas?For places that are located near vegetation, as many parts of Los Angeles are, the fire risk can be high. In the Southern California urban areas we see a highly dense, large urban area butting right up to highly flammable shrub ecosystems, says Mark Schwartz, a University of California Davis conservation scientist. These cities have sections that exist in what researchers call the wildland-urban interface, or WUI, where human development meets undeveloped wildland and vegetation. That means these populated areas are close to or intersect with natural ones like forests and grasslands.Such adjacency to vegetation especially in regions like the arid Western US, which is prone to fires directly increases a citys risk because blazes that typically begin in brush and shrubbery can move quickly through abundant fuel sources. That danger is especially acute for Los Angeles right now, as Santa Ana wind gusts hit nearly 100 miles per hour potentially carrying flames rapidly from where they begin.In general, more people have also been moving into wildland-urban interface spaces, increasing the population and activity in these areas, says Noah Diffenbaugh, a climate scientist at Stanford University. That means more risk to humans living there, and also more potential for fires to start. While lightning strikes can and often do spark wildfires, most blazes are caused by people; past conflagrations have started because of campfires, an irresponsibly discarded cigarette, or downed power lines. Where there are humans, theres plentiful sources of ignition, and where those sources of ignition are near vegetation that can burn, that elevates the risk, Diffenbaugh said. Climate change only amplifies such hazards: The clearest signal that climate change is influencing the severity of fires is the rising temperatures, which lead to more fuels, such as dry vegetation, that are primed to burn.Cities that are more hardscaped (comprised of materials like concrete and metal) and farther from sources of vegetation have lower fire risk. Those that have greenery can also make themselves more fire resistant with mitigation practices like prescribed burns (controlled fires meant to simultaneously reduce fire risk and promote healthy vegetation growth), more native plants, and less vegetation near structures. What fuel sources exist in cities that could keep major fires churning?Homes, as well as vegetation, can serve as fuel for fires. Other structures like natural gas tanks and fuel depots can exacerbate blazes if they catch on fire, says Stephanie Pincetl, a University of California Los Angeles professor of environment and sustainability. According to Schwartz, Once a fire moves into an urban area, house to house ignitions becomes the biggest concern. Homes built of wood can be flammable, and embers can also be blown into structures via vents and windows, so a house can catch fire and burn from the inside, even if the exterior is fire-proof. Free-standing single-family homes compared to row homes, which often share walls with neighboring buildings can be especially vulnerable to fires because of how many exterior-facing walls they have and the number of different points where a fire can catch, Pincetl notes. In cities like Los Angeles, drier vegetation like palm trees can also provide fuel for wildfires. Whats the worst damage weve seen wildfires do to cities in recent memory?The Camp Fire, which took place in northern central California in 2018, is the deadliest in state history. It caused 85 fatalities, destroyed more than 18,000 structures including burning almost completely through the town of Paradise, California and burned over 153,000 acres. It was so destructive due to similar conditions were witnessing in Los Angeles County this week: High winds piled on top of dry fuels, Schwartz said, emphasizing that the wind played a particularly significant role in spreading the flames. As Wireds Matt Simon explained, the wind during the Camp Fire helped carry billions of embers, which started a number of small fires farther from the front lines of the main blaze. Those embers ignited homes and other structures across Paradise making the fire tougher to contain. Many homes within Paradise were also more vulnerable to fire. Almost all the homes in town had been built prior to 2008, when California imposed a new fire-safe building code that requires the use of certain materials for building exteriors and roofs, the Los Angeles Times reported. The leveling of Paradise was devastating: Before the fire, around 27,000 people lived in the community. As of 2023, its population was fewer than 10,000 (though it has continued to rebound since the fire). The fires burning in Los Angeles County threaten a far denser urban area: Today, almost 10 million people live in Los Angeles County.Both wind and ample dry vegetation have also contributed to the growth of the recent Los Angeles fires, which have spread as the area has experienced both moderate drought conditions and a massive windstorm.Experts say its unlikely that the current wildfires could damage all of Los Angeles due to both the diversity of landscapes in the city and the precautions that it and other cities have taken to strengthen firefighting forces and use more fire-resistant building materials such as plaster and concrete. Cities used to be very, very flammable, Pincetl said. Over the decades, we have learned to build cities that are far less vulnerable to catching on fire.It used to be back in the late 1800s, for example, that entire cities would be lost because everything was made out of the same wood material, Tim Brown, a researcher at the Desert Research Institute, told Vox. In todays built environment, there are varying building materials, especially in urban and commercial centers, that would allow for much easier fire control.Youve read 1 article in the last monthHere at Vox, we're unwavering in our commitment to covering the issues that matter most to you threats to democracy, immigration, reproductive rights, the environment, and the rising polarization across this country.Our mission is to provide clear, accessible journalism that empowers you to stay informed and engaged in shaping our world. By becoming a Vox Member, you directly strengthen our ability to deliver in-depth, independent reporting that drives meaningful change.We rely on readers like you join us.Swati SharmaVox Editor-in-ChiefSee More:

Xbox has a stacked 2025 lineup, and the company is preparing to reveal new information at an event later this month here's all were expecting so farTech14:51, 09 Jan 2025Prepare for news on games coming to your console(Image: Future Publishing via Getty Images)Microsoft has announced an Xbox Developer_Direct showcase for January 23, with the company promising 'A Celebration of What's Coming for Xbox Players'.Now becoming a regular beat for Xbox at the start of the year, this year's entry will offer updates from Compulsion Games, id Software, Sandfall Interactive, and a mystery participant, too.The event, which will kick off at 6 PM UK time, will highlight four titles as the Green Team gears up for what could be a huge 2025.DOOM The Dark Ages is the first since 2020's Eternal(Image: Sony)While the identity of the mystery studio is a surprise (here's hoping for Team Cherry and a long-awaited look at Hollow Knight: Silksong hey, we can dream!), we do have a good idea of what to expect thanks to the Xbox Wire blog.id Software will showcase DOOM: The Dark Ages, a prequel to the 2016 series reboot that focuses on a "never-before-seen dark and sinister medieval war against Hell".South of Midnight, from Compulsion Games (the team behind We Happy Few), will get a "deep dive", while Sandfall Interactive's hotly-anticipated RPG Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, will also get a fresh look.2023's Developer_Direct revealed new information on Elder Scrolls Online: Necrom, Forza Motorsport, Redfall and Minecraft Legends, while also revealing and releasing Hi-Fi Rush on the same day. The next year, we saw Ara: History Untold, Avowed, Visions of Mana, Senua's Saga: Hellblade II and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle.Come and join The Daily Star on Bluesky, the social media site set up by ex-Twitter boss Jack Dorsey. It's now the new go-to place for content after a mass exodus of the Elon Musk-owned Twitter/X.Fear not, we're not leaving Twitter/X, but we are jumping on the bandwagon. So come find our new account on https://bsky.app/profile/dailystar.co.uk, and see us social better than the rest.You can also learn more about The Daily Star team in what Bluesky calls a Starter Pack.So what are you waiting for?! Let's M.S.M.F.A (Make Social Media Fun Again)Given those titles were all tipped to release in the same year as the events (Avowed slipped to February 2025), it seems the three games we know of are still planned for 2025.As things stand, Microsoft will release a new Call of Duty this year, alongside the Fable reboot, while 2026 should see the return of Gears of War, Perfect Dark, and State of Decay.Article continues belowWill you be tuning in? Let us know in the comments.For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters.RECOMMENDED

EA FC 25's latest promo, Numero FUT, continues with Team 2 this week here's all we know so far, including leaked players like Arsenal star Martinelli and AllisonTech14:22, 09 Jan 2025Gabriel Martinelli could get a huge upgrade(Image: Visionhaus/Getty Images)If you thought Team 1 of the Numero FUT EA FC 25 promo was good, we've got good news there's even more to come.Leaks are thin on the ground at the moment, but we are expecting one Arsenal star to get a big upgrade in Gabriel Martinelli. The winger has found some form, and is expected to fill in on the right during Bukayo Saka's lengthy absence. In fact, according to one leaker, his new card could see him switch flanks.The Mode Mastery event is continuing, too, but here's all we know about Numero FUT Team 2 so far.The first weekly promo of the new year, Numero FUT is already active, but we expect new cards to be added on Friday, January 10 at 6pm GMT.Expect this to be the final week, however so grab them while you can.Content cannot be displayed without consentOne of the only cards we know of so far is Gabriel Martinelli, and as we mentioned above, he could end up switching to a RM from his usual LW position.Barcelona's Balde could arrive, too, as well as Dortmund's Yan Couto. Other leaks have suggested Eder Militao and Juan Cuadrado will be included, too.Here are the leaked cards, and their positions. Ratings are predicted, though.LB: Militao (Real Madrid) - 91RM: Cuadrado (Atalanta) - 90LB: Balde (Barcelona) - 90RB: Yan Couto (Dortmund) - 89RM: Griezmann (Atletico de Madrid) - 92GK: Allison (Liverpool) - ?We'll be sure to cover the squad as soon as it's revealed, but in the meantime I need to increase my coins if I want that Martinelli especially if he does end up 90-rated.Article continues belowFor the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters.RECOMMENDED

What are you most excited to see? (Microsoft)Microsoft will be sharing new details for three of its 2025 games as well as reveal an entirely new project from an unspecified studio.We were only talking about upcoming games showcases earlier today and, lo and behold, Microsoft has just confirmed that they will be hosting one this month.Its not too surprising, considering Microsoft has held one of its Xbox Developer Directs every January since 2023. Last years was a particularly strong showing thanks to its reveal of Bethesdas Indiana Jones game.With any luck, this upcoming one will be just as good, especially since one of the four games to be highlighted will be brand new. Although so little is currently known about Doom: The Dark Ages that it may as well be too.When is the 2025 Xbox Developer Direct showcase?According to Microsoft, its next Xbox Developer Direct is scheduled for Thursday, January 23 and will air at 6pm GMT. For what its worth, thats precisely the date leaker eXtas1s claimed yesterday.The showcase will be streamed via Microsofts official social channels, so you can watch it either on YouTube or Twitch. Microsoft hasnt specified how long it will last but, based on the last two, you can probably expect it to run between 40 and 50 minutes.What Xbox games will be shown at the 2025 Xbox Developer Direct?Microsoft has promised four games will be highlighted by their respective developers. The first is Doom: The Dark Ages from id Software, which was annouced during Microsofts summer showcase last year.This is definitely the biggest draw of the lot, since it has been nearly five years since Doom Eternal and its reveal trailer only gave fans a glimpse of its medieval-esque action.Second is South Of Midnight by Compulsion Games. This is the studios first release since 2020s We Happy Few and will hopefully be a stronger showing than that game wound up being.Its certainly one of the more unique first-party offerings from Microsoft thanks to its stop motion style cut scenes, Deep South setting, and gothic fantasy inspirations.Third is Clair Obscura: Expedition 33, the debut title from Sandfall Interactive. Despite coming from a French studio, this turn-based role-player takes obvious inspiration from Japanese titles, with its reactive combat bringing to mind Nintendos Paper Mario and Mario & Luigi games.All three games are slated to launch this year, although its worth highlighting how only South Of Midnight is exclusive to Xbox Series X/S and PC. The other two are coming to PlayStation 5 as well.Microsoft has strongly implied other Xbox exclusives could make the jump to PlayStation further down the line, but its unclear if theyll discuss any of that this month.Xbox release schedule for 2025Microsoft has a few other games it has scheduled for 2025 that, for whatever reason, are being omitted from the Developer Direct. The first is fantasy role-player Avowed from Obsidian Entertainment, which you think would make an appearance since its coming out on February 18 and is so far the only Xbox game to have an exact launch date.Theres also Obsidians The Outer Worlds 2, which was confirmed for 2025 during last years The Game Awards. Then theres the Fable reboot, which we still havent really seen much of. A proper gameplay demonstration is sorely needed, along with confirmation that its out this year.Last is the full release of free-to-play side scroller Towerborne, which launched as an early access title last September.The only other game to be teased for the showcase is a mystery new title, with Microsoft only saying that viewers will visit a surprise location to see another studios brand new game.More TrendingAll this really tells us is that this wont be an already announced game, like the Perfect Dark reboot or, heaven forbid, Rares Everwild. Theres also no telling if the plan is to have it out in 2025 or whether this will be related to a major IP or something entirely new.The surprise location remark is strange and doesnt really suggest any existing rumours about upcoming games, such as MachineGames Quake reboot. Its not even clear if its an in-game location or where the developer is based.The last time Microsoft teased a new reveal at a Developer Direct, it turned out to be Hi-Fi Rush, which shadow dropped that very same day and went on to become a critical darling for Microsoft and developer Tango Gameworks though that wasnt enough to protect Tango from closure. Whatever that extra game is, it definitely isnt Hi-Fi Rush 2 (Microsoft)Emailgamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below,follow us on Twitter, andsign-up to our newsletter.To submit Inbox letters and Readers Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use ourSubmit Stuff page here.For more stories like this,check our Gaming page.GameCentralExclusive analysis, latest releases, and bonus community content.This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Your information will be used in line with our Privacy Policy

Assassins Creed Shadows gets new parkour system as Ubisoft faces difficult yearMichael BeckwithPublished January 9, 2025 3:38pmUpdated January 9, 2025 3:38pm Is this enough to encourage you into picking up Assassins Creed Shadows? (Ubisoft)Ahead of Assassins Creed Shadows launch next month, Ubisoft has shared a surprisingly thorough breakdown of its revamped parkour mechanics.It is not hyperbole to say Assassins Creed Shadows may be the most important release in publisher Ubisofts history, considering the tumultuous year it had in 2024.The companys shares were already dropping all last year and between a string of underperforming titles and cancellations, there have been serious discussions of Ubisoft selling itself off to Tencent.Time will tell if Assassins Creed Shadows is successful enough to pull Ubisoft out of the fire, but in the meantime the publisher is trying to drum up hype for the February 14 launch, with a lengthy breakdown of the games parkour mechanics.Parkour usually comes as standard in an Assassins Creed game, especially one with ninja protagonist Naoe as one of its playable characters (although the playable samurai, Yasuke, can do parkour as well).A recent blog post from Ubisoft reveals that the parkour system has been given an overhaul for Assassins Creed Shadows. For starters, long time fans will need to get used to the crouch and dodge buttons switching places.This is to take into account a new prone stance and the ability to transition from a dodge move into parkour, as explained by associate game director Simon Lemay-Comtois:In Shadows, dodge has been merged with parkour down mechanics, which unlocks a whole bunch of new parkour moves, says Lemay-Comtois, This new mapping also disconnects stance-switch (e.g. standing, crouching, prone) from parkour, ensuring you can use any stances without accidentally going down a rooftop when you dont want to.The blog goes on to break down all the different parkour moves at your disposal, but despite the wide array of techniques, it also sounds like parkour will be slightly more restrictive than usual.Compared to previous Assassins Creed games, youll only be able to scale and climb surfaces that actually have physical handholds to grab onto. This doesnt mean there are fewer climbing opportunities, but youll need to be more creative with how you traverse the world.This is a pretty big deal for us, continues Lemay-Comtois, This means we had to be more thoughtful about creating interesting parkour highways and afforded us more control about where Naoe can go, and where Yasuke cant, making our two playstyles even more contrasted.Why is Assassins Creed Shadows so important to Ubisoft?While these changes might be important for established Assassins Creed fans, a reworked parkour system isnt necessarily something thats going to attract new players.Maybe thats what Ubisoft is counting on and is now prioritising keeping hold of the current player-base and maybe winning back anyone who has dropped off the series.Ubisoft is certainly putting all its eggs in the Assassins Creed basket with how many games it has planned for the series, but those plans could radically change if Assassins Creed Shadow underperforms even a little bit.Ubisoft needs a big win after the messy 2024 it had. Star Wars Outlaws was clearly meant to be what propped the company up that year but, despite being a solid game, it wasnt the blockbuster Ubisoft wanted.It had what Ubisoft called a soft launch last August, and was what apparently spooked them into delaying Assassins Creed Shadows into 2025.More TrendingAccording to analyst Chris Dring, it was also only the second-best selling Star Wars game of the year, meaning EAs Star Wars Jedi: Survivor sold more copies in 2024 despite being a year old at that point.This isnt even mentioning the half-hearted launch of Skull And Bones (a game that took over 10 years to be completed), the abrupt cancellation of XDefiant, and Beyond Good & Evil 2 still being stuck in limbo.As for the proposed Tencent buyout, talks have apparently stalled due to Ubisofts current owners, the Guillemot brothers, being unwilling to relinquish control, according to Reuters.Assassins Creed Shadows being a hit would give the brothers more leverage in a potential sale. Conversely, its failure would reinforce the idea that Ubisoft needs new leadership. Assassins Creed Shadows two playable protagonists will have slightly different playstyles (Ubisoft)Emailgamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below,follow us on Twitter, andsign-up to our newsletter.To submit Inbox letters and Readers Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use ourSubmit Stuff page here.For more stories like this,check our Gaming page.GameCentralExclusive analysis, latest releases, and bonus community content.This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Your information will be used in line with our Privacy Policy

Looking to enhance your home entertainment setup? Philips Hues Smart Play Light Bar Extension is seeing a significant price drop, making this premium ambient lighting solution more accessible than ever. Whether youre a gaming enthusiast or simply want to create the perfect movie-watching atmosphere, this light bar offers versatile lighting options that can transform your entertainment space.See at AmazonRight now, the Philips Hue Play Light Bar Extension is available for $50 at Amazon right now, down from its regular price of $80. Thats a substantial 38% discount that saves you $30. And youll want to snag it while you can, because people absolutely love these types of light bars, and theres no way itll stay in stock very long.Perfect mood lighting, no matter the roomThis extension bar adds another point of colorful light to your existing Hue Play setup, letting you create even more immersive lighting effects. The bar can produce millions of colors and various shades of white light, from warm to cool tones, giving you endless possibilities for setting the perfect mood. Its worth noting that this is an extension unit, so youll need the base kit with power supply and a Hue Bridge to make it work.What makes this light bar particularly versatile is its mounting options. You can position it behind your TV using the included clips and double-sided tape for a clean backlight effect, stand it on a cabinet for ambient lighting, or even lay it flat on the floor for dramatic wall washing effects. The system integrates seamlessly with voice assistants like Alexa and Google Assistant for hands-free control, and with Matter support, it plays nice with other smart home devices.For anyone already invested in the Philips Hue ecosystem or looking to expand their smart lighting setup, this discounted extension bar offers a perfect opportunity to enhance their home entertainment lighting at a more budget-friendly price point. The ability to sync with your media content, combined with its flexible mounting options and wide color range, makes it a valuable addition to any modern entertainment setup.If youre interested in making your home feel more cozy on a regular basis or just playing around with the colors in any given area, this extension unit is the way to go. Youll love having access to all the different shades and seeing how versatile it truly is when you have it in action in front of you. And saving money? Well, thats the icing on the cake.See at Amazon

The new year is here and with it comes a bunch of opportunities to save on a variety of electronics and personal devices. Last year, Samsung announced the Galaxy Buds3 Pro and right now you can get them for as low as $150. These noise-cancelling earbuds are normally priced at $250, but after a trade in, you can get a credit of up to $100. If you dont have an old pair of headphones to trade in, no worries.Those without a trade-in can still save $40 for a limited time, getting the Buds3 Pro for just $210.See at SamsungA Comfortable FitThe Galaxy Buds3 Pro are designed to be Samsungs most comfortable in-ear headphones yet so they can stay in all-day comfortably for an immersive listening experience.Adaptive active noise cancellation means the earbuds can change modes on their own automatically based on your surroundings. This allows you to stay alert to whats around you while still not being distracted by ambient sounds as youre listening to your music, podcasts, or audiobooks on the go. The adaptive equalizer can even tell how you are wearing them and tailor-fit the sound you hear to your ears. You can even pair them with your TV to experience full 360-degree immersive sound that feels like its coming from all around you.With Galaxy AI, you can have conversations across the language barrier, face-to-face, in real time. This is the kind of ability joked about by Douglas Adams with the babel fish inThe Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxyseries of novels. But now its really coming I guess. They say Hola, and youll hear Hello, in your ear.Touch controls make it easy to pause, skip, accept calls and more without needing to remove your phone from your pocket.Samsung Credit With Trade-inBy trading in your old pair of earbuds, you can save up to $100 on your new Galaxy Buds3. Samsung is accepting a wide array of in-ear headphones are part of the offer. If you hand over a set of Galaxy Buds2 Pro, youll receive the full $100 credit. A standard pair of Galaxy Buds2 will net you $50 as will the original Galaxy Buds Pro. Samsung is also accepting Apple AirPods. Trade in the AirPods 2 and youll get a $75 credit.The trade-in will bring the price of the Galaxy Buds3 Pro to as low as $150. Without a trade-in, you can still save $40, getting the new earbuds for just $210down from $250.See at Samsung

By Passant Rabie Published January 9, 2025 | Comments (0) | New Glenn on the launchpad ahead of its anticipated liftoff. Blue Origin Blue Origins highly-anticipated New Glenn rocket is gearing up for its big debut. If all goes well with the rockets inaugural flight, it could pose some competition for industry favorite SpaceX. New Glenn is scheduled for liftoff during a three-hour launch window that opens on Friday, January 10 at 1 a.m. ET. The rocket will launch from Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida. A livestream of the launch will begin around an hour before liftoff on Blue Origins website. Third party provider NASASpaceflight is also livestreaming the launch, which you can watch below. Blue Origin, founded by the second richest man in the world, Jeff Bezos, first announced its $2.5 billion New Glenn rocket nearly 10 years ago. The 320-foot-tall (98 meters) rocket is designed to lift 45 tons to low Earth orbit and 13 tons to Geostationary orbit.New Glenn is partially reusable, with its first stage designed to last for 25 missions and powered by seven methane-burning BE-4 engines. By comparison, SpaceXs Falcon Heavy is a partially reusable, heavy-lift rocket capable of carrying 63 metric tons to low Earth orbit and 26 metric tons to geostationary orbit. Both Falcon Heavys side boosters and New Glenns first stage are designed to return to Earth for controlled landings on floating platforms at sea. For its first mission, the heavy-lift launch vehicle will carry Blue Origins Blue Ring Pathfinder, an orbital platform thats been referred to as a space truck. Blue Rings first flight will test its ground systems and operational capabilities as part of the DarkSky-1 (DS-1) mission, which is sponsored by the Pentagons Defense Innovation Unit, according to Blue Origin. Were excited to demonstrate Blue Rings advanced in-space operations on New Glenns inaugural mission, Paul Ebertz, senior vice president of Blue Origins In-Space Systems, said in a statement. Blue Ring plays a critical role in building a road to space, and this mission is an important first step for Blue Ring and enabling dynamic and responsive operations that will greatly benefit our nation.This is also New Glenns first National Security Space Launch certification flight, which could pave the way for the rocket to carry national security payloads on future missions. Bezos big rocket debut could fuel his rivalry with his rocket billionaire nemesis, SpaceX founder Elon Musk. Blue Origins current rocket, New Shepard, is mainly used to launch space tourists on suborbital flights to the edge of space. New Glenn, on the other hand, would officially put Blue Origin on the map when it comes to the orbital payload business. SpaceX has had a largely significant head start, making it the industry favorite. Whether Blue Origin can catch up or not is yet to be seen, but there is a lot riding on New Glenns first time soaring toward the skies.Daily NewsletterYou May Also Like By Passant Rabie Published January 8, 2025 By Passant Rabie Published January 8, 2025 By Passant Rabie Published January 7, 2025 By Thomas Maxwell Published January 6, 2025 By Passant Rabie Published January 6, 2025 Isaac Schultz and Passant Rabie Published January 4, 2025

Valine House Conversion / LDSRaSave this picture! Michiel DecleeneArchitects: LDSRaAreaArea of this architecture projectArea:220 mYearCompletion year of this architecture project Year: 2022 PhotographsPhotographs:Michiel DecleeneMore SpecsLess SpecsSave this picture!Text description provided by the architects. Valine is the conversion of a narrow, tall and deep row house. Before the conversion, it was a spacious and pleasant house with a small garden oriented to the west. On the ground floor, the veranda and the ground floor of the extension are demolished. The small garden turns into a large garden with a floating caravan above it.Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!The living spaces are organized around the transition between inside and outside, in-depth and in height. The existing staircase, spiral staircase, void and bridge create a loop between the kitchen on the ground floor and the living space and caravan on the second floor. In the caravan, a storage room, an additional bathroom and a toilet will have space. On the second floor, the offices will be organized. The offices have access to a roof garden and a bay window. The rooms on the third and fourth floors will be arranged as bedrooms with a bathroom.Save this picture!Valine is a personal project. It is radical in its interventions and empathetic in how it gives place to life in and around the house. The house is boldly designed and richly detailed. The relationship between rooms and floors is increased by removing floors. The organization in plan is derived from the design in cross-section. The house seems to have an extra floor. And there are several extra rooms in the house. As a result, the house is generous and indulgent.Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!The joinery of the rear facade, the awnings and the folding door make the relationship between inside and outside pronounced. The collection of rainwater in the pond adds to the project. During the day, you shift with the light of the sun. The folding door is open. The boundary between inside and outside blurs. We would like to invite you to stop by.Save this picture!Project gallerySee allShow lessAbout this officeLDSRaOfficePublished on January 09, 2025Cite: "Valine House Conversion / LDSRa" 09 Jan 2025. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/1025469/valine-house-conversion-ldsra&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