Amazon shared the latest list of video game titles that Prime members can snag for free this month. Members can pick up a code for BioShock 2 Remastered right now, and if you're patient, you can also grab a free copy of Deus Ex GOTY Edition or Super Meat Boy Forever later in January.The cloud-based Amazon Luna gaming service has also shared its current lineup of titles that Prime members can play. Airhead, Guacamelee! 2 Complete, The Magical Mixture Mill, Metro Exodus and Super Meat Boy are in the rotation for that service this month alongside Fallout 3: Game of the Year Edition, Fallout New Vegas: Ultimate Edition, Fortnight, LEGO Fortnite, Fortnite Festival, Fortnite Battle Royale, Rocket Racing and Trackmania.Some of Prime Gaming's freebies last for longer than 30 days, so you've also got some time left to pick up a copy of some of the December titles if you haven't already loaded up on those deals. But if you're looking ahead, here's the full lineup of upcoming free Prime Gaming titles this month and when they'll be available.NowBioShock 2 Remastered (GOG)The Bridge (Epic Games Store)Eastern Exorcist (Epic Games Store)SkyDrift Infinity (Epic Games Store)Spirit Mancer (Amazon Games App)January 16Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader (Epic Games Store)GRIP (GOG)SteamWorld Quest: Hand of Gilgamech (GOG)January 23Deus Ex GOTY Edition (GOG)Spitlings (Amazon Games App)Star Stuff (Epic Games Store)To the Rescue! (Epic Games Store)Zombie Army 4: Dead War (Epic Games Store)January 30Blood West (GOG)ENDER LILIES: Quietus of the Knights (Epic Games Store)Super Meat Boy Forever (Epic Games Store)This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/pick-up-bioshock-2-remastered-and-deus-ex-in-prime-gamings-january-freebies-215515330.html?src=rss

I wouldnt go as far as to say its been dethroned, but Mirumi the clingy fluffball with a staring problem now has some serious competition for the title of cutest robot at CES 2025. I just met Ropet, a wide-eyed companion robot with warm, soft fur, little flapping arms and big feelings. And damn is that thing adorable. Ropets sole mission is to love and be loved. Think of it like a living plushie; it has a personality, will listen to your deepest darkest secrets without judgement, and will reach out to hug you when youre sad. Its appearance is customizable and it has optional ChatGPT integration, so its there if you want it for advanced conversations with the robot but youre not forced into it. Its little button nose is a camera that it uses for face and object recognition; Ropet can identify and bond more closely with its owner, but it will remember other people too. All of this data is stored and processed locally, meaning it never leaves the device itself. If you dont trust that (fair), you can keep Ropet entirely disconnected from the internet, and itll still be capable of performing all of its functions minus ChatGPT. That includes reacting to audio, touch and gesture inputs. If you pet or cuddle it, its expression will change to visible happiness. Or, it might look grumpy if you shake it around. (What are you, evil? Dont do that). Show it one of the few dozen objects it knows, like a hot dog or a banana, and youll see an emoji of that pop up in its eyes. You can give it the shush sign to quiet it down, and itll dance along if youre listening to music. Karissa Bell for Engadget Were at the point of CES week where were all running on fumes, and Ropet brought unexpected childlike glee to this burnt-out gremlin for a few minutes. Emotional companion robots are a ubiquitous presence at CES, but the ones that actually have some degree of smarts are not usually so snuggleable. And the ones that are snuggleable usually arent very smart, tending to come across more like animatronics. Ropet looks kind of like a fluffy baby seal but not realistic enough to dip into uncanny valley territory and its body gives off heat to simulate the feeling of holding a living creature. Its hard not to draw comparisons to Furby, which is probably the best-known example of a robotic creature pet that responds to voice and touch commands. But Ropet takes the whole idea to another level. You can change the color of its eyes in the app, and buy different face plates and furs if you want to mix things up or just cant decide on how you want its appearance. There are also little outfits you can purchase. A Kickstarter campaign for Ropet managed to pull in $228,091, wildly surpassing its $1,285 goal, so Im definitely not the only one who thinks this little guy seems pretty promising. There are two purchase options for anyone who is interested: Ropet Basic ($299), which comes with a case and a USB-C charging cord, and Ropet Pro ($329), which comes with those things plus a charging base that has light effects and lets Ropet rotate a little. The Kickstarter doesnt end until January 21, so if you catch it before then you can get it for significantly cheaper. Early bird orders are expected to begin shipping in March, and the rest will be unleashed upon the world later this year. Now, we sit back and see whether Ropet will follow in the footsteps of Furby to develop its own mildly sinister lore that endures for decades to come. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/ropet-is-the-cute-as-hell-emotional-robot-at-ces-2025-that-the-modern-furby-wishes-it-could-be-214046211.html?src=rss

CES 2025 is coming to a close, and team Engadget is ready to leave Las Vegas. Our reporters and editors have scoured endless carpeted convention halls, braved lines of chain smokers and fielded thousands of emails a day to find the best and most credible products at the show.As expected, the vast majority of things we saw this CES had an AI component, with a noticeable uptick in AR glasses, hearing aid earbuds, solar-powered tech, emotional support robots and robot vacuums. Apparently people really like robovacs that can pick up socks. Our team was encouraged to see more growth in tech built to improve the lives of those with disabilities and mobility issues, too.Our list of CES 2025 winners covers a variety of categories, ranging from typical areas like home entertainment, transportation and smart home to theme-based topics like sustainability and accessibility. After our team shortlisted nominees and voted on the best for various categories, we then conducted another round of voting to decide on the best product of the show.That said, heres the full list of our picks for the Best of CES 2025.ASUS Zenbook A14ASUSThe ASUS Zenbook A14 feels impossibly light, weighing between 2.2 and 2.4 pounds, and it has a gorgeous 14-inch OLED screen and a decent array of ports (USB-C, USB-A and HDMI)! What else ccould you want in a MacBook Air competitor? After years of basically copying Apples MacBooks, ASUS proves it can out-innovate Apple without resorting to gimmicks like dual screens or flashy lights. The Zenbook A14 is simply a tiny laptop that feels great in your hands, thanks in large part to ASUSs unique Ceraluminum case material. ASUS claims it can last up to 32 hours while playing video, well above the 18 hours Apple estimates for the MacBook Air. It may seem odd that the least flashy laptop of CES 2025 is one of our favorites, but sometimes pure practicality is undeniable. Devindra Hardawar, Senior reporter, reviewsBioLite BackupBioliteWere always looking for brand new, never-seen-before stuff at CES, but sometimes its the clever reinterpretation of existing tech that catches our attention. Thats the case with Backup by Biolite. Its essentially a cross between a universal power supply (UPS) and a whole-home backup battery, but improves on both.The thin, 40-pound 1.5 kWh battery lives between a wall outlet and your fridge (or any other plug-in device) and keeps those things running in the event of a power outage. It doesnt require professional installation, just a user-installed wall mount, and its thin enough to hide behind your fridge or tuck under a counter. Though if it were on display, the matte-silver finish wouldnt spoil any aesthetic.The Backup Complete includes two units that supply up to 3 kWh, which is enough to power a fridge, microwave, lights, as well as refill phones and a laptop. The 3 kWh capacity and the fact that its an installed battery currently qualifies it for a 30 percent federal tax credit, which would bring the cost down to $2,100 for the Complete. The single-unit Backup Core packs 1.5 kWh and goes for $2,000. Both are available for pre-order now and should ship this summer. Amy Skorheim, Reporter, buying adviceJackery Solar RoofJackeryJackery is already an established name in domestic solar generator systems, and its latest product fills a wavy gap in its product lineup. Jackerys XBC curved solar roof shingles mimic some of the most common house styles in the country, and they come in terracotta or obsidian colorways for optimum HOA appeasement. These are the first curved solar tiles to hit the United States market and they deliver a cell conversion efficiency of more than 25 percent. They can withstand extreme weather conditions, including temperatures between -40 degrees F and 185 degrees F, and theyre designed in line with traditional roofing installation practices, featuring a modular setup that allows for flexible maintenance. Jackerys new wavy solar tiles connect with the companys existing solar generation and storage products, making them an accessible and attractive option for whole-home sustainability. Jessica Conditt, Senior reporterLenovo Legion Go SLenovoThe plight of the modern handheld-PC gamer is trying to decide which OS to use. There are a ton of Windows 11-based devices that offer unparalleled compatibility and strong graphics support. But all that comes on a platform that isnt optimized for smaller gadgets with attached controllers. Alternatively, SteamOS offers a much more cohesive experience with a better UI and less performance overhead. The problem is that Valves operating system was basically only available on a single device the Steam Deck. That changes now with the Lenovo Legion Go S, which will be available in two flavors: a Windows version and for the first time on any handheld not made by Valve, a model powered by SteamOS.Aside from the choice of platforms and different colored shells, we appreciate that the two variants feature almost identical specs including an AMD Ryzen Z2 Go processor, up to 32GB of RAM, 1TB of storage and a decently large 55.5Whr battery. Its 8-inch touchscreen looks great too, as it offers a 120Hz refresh rate with support for VRR, 500 nits of brightness and a 1,920 x 1,200 resolution. And with prices starting at $600 (or $500 for the SteamOS model), its rather affordable too. Perhaps the biggest downside is that while the Windows model will be out later this month, were going to have to wait until May for the one powered by SteamOS. But with the latter sort of finally making good on the nearly decade-old promise of Valves Steam Machines, holding out for a few extra months doesnt seem so long. Sam Rutherford, Senior reporter, reviewsLG OLED evo M5LGLGs Best of CES crown is safe for another year. The company is consistently at the top of the best TVs we see each year in Las Vegas, and it frequently comes out the winner. For this years OLED evo M5, the company managed to further improve its most premium displays, adding the latest (Alpha) 11 AI processor Gen2 to improve the look of lower-resolution content and power advanced features.For gamers, theres a 165Hz refresh rate, alongside both NVIDIA G-SYNC and AMD FreeSync Premium certifications. This should smooth things out and keep lag to a minimum. The companys new Brightness Booster Ultimate can achieve levels that are three times brighter than conventional OLED models, according to the company. Plus, the feature contributes to a UL Solutions' "Perfect Black" and "Perfect Color" verification on the M5. Its truly stunning picture quality.Lastly, LGs Zero Connect Box thats been available on the M-series for a while now is finally available on screens below 77 inches. This device allows you to connect all of your consoles and streaming gear without running multiple HDMI cables to the TV. LG now says it doesnt need line-of-sight clearance either, and that it can be hidden in a wooden cabinet near the M5. Billy Steele, Senior reporter, reviewsMoonbird MoonbuddyMoonbirdGadgets made for relaxation shouldnt be complicated. Moonbuddy has one purpose to make guided breathwork accessible and appealing to children and it nails the execution with no unnecessary frills. The company behind it first made a similar stress relief device for adults, and Moonbuddy simplifies that experience and puts it into a cuter package. Moonbuddy is an egg-shaped device with a soft area that expands and contracts in set rhythms, so kids can follow along and sync up their own breathing. It fits into an animal themed sleeve, so it looks like a toy. There are four different breathing modes, each lasting a few minutes and designed to promote a state of calmness.The whole thing is tactile and screen-free, which is especially good considering many parents may want to incorporate it into the nighttime routine. And as much as I love the little animal outfits as a person who gravitates toward cute things, I also like that if your kid gets to that stage where they reject everything babyish, they can take the sleeve off and keep using it in its more nondescript form. Cheyenne MacDonald, Weekend editorOhSnap MCONOhSnapThe MCON by OhSnap basically transforms any smartphone into a modern Xperia Play, complete with modern conveniences like Hall effect analog sticks, silent buttons, flip-out grips, and a full bumper and trigger layout. Its a mobile gamepad that can slide into your pocket without the sticks or handles getting caught on anything, and it works with pretty much every smartphone on the market today. The MCON uses MagSafe to snap onto the back of any recent iPhone and it comes with an adapter for Android devices to join in on the fun. It even works with the Galaxy Z Fold, and its creator, Josh King, is working on a solution for the Z Flip, too.The mockup that King brought to CES 2025 felt lightweight yet solid and comfortable to hold, and the phone-snapping action was supremely satisfying. After gaining a bit of viral fame with his idea, King partnered with established MagSafe accessory manufacturer OhSnap to push the MCON into full production, and its due to hit the market in August for $150. Jessica Conditt, Senior reporterRoborock Saros Z70RoborockRobot vacuums got a bunch of new and sometimes strange powers at CES 2025. But none made a bigger impression than Roborocks Saros Z70, which comes with a mechanical arm that can pick up socks, lift cords and grab other objects.The OmniGrip arm can pick up objects up to 300 grams (a little more than half a pound) in order to clean under them or deposit them in the location of your choice. Functionality of the arm is controlled via Roborocks app and is extremely customizable so you can program it to pick up loose trash and cat toys, but lift up cords to clean underneath.When we saw it in action at CES, it deftly picked up socks and placed them in a basket. But Roborock promises it can do much more. The vacuum will automatically recognize 108 different objects yes, like seemingly every other gadget we saw at CES, it uses AI but you can also teach it to detect up to 50 additional items so it will know how to handle obstacles its most likely to encounter in your home.Surprisingly, the Saros Z70 wasnt the only robot vacuum with an arm we saw at CES, but it will be the first that you can actually buy. Karissa Bell, Senior reporterTechnics EAH-AZ100 earbudsTechnicsTechnics new Magnetic Fluid drivers have garnered a lot of headlines this week, but all you really need to know about the EAH-AZ100 earbuds is that the sound quality is massively improved. Powered by those new components, theres more clarity, detail and bass, all of which are upgrades from the already impressive AZ80. Technics revised its earbud shape for the AZ100 in the name of comfort and fit, while also making the buds smaller and lighter. Features like touch controls, multipoint connectivity for three devices, spatial Dolby Atmos audio and LDAC support are here as well. And unlike most of what we see at CES, these new earbuds are already available to purchase. Billy Steele, Senior reporter, reviewsUrtopia Titanium ZeroUrtopiaSince the pandemic, e-bikes, not electric cars, have been at the forefront of the EV revolution, and its easy to see why: Electric bikes are a lot more affordable than their four-wheeled counterparts. Plus, here at Engadget, were all for devices that promote healthier living, and for many, getting an e-bike can be transformational.So when Urtopia showed up at CES 2025 with a concept e-bike that features a novel motor design, I was excited. As my colleague Daniel Cooper notes in his writeup, e-bike motors have traditionally come in two form factors, each with their own set of considerations. The custom-designed Quark DMI.2 mid-drive motor Urtopia showed off alongside its Titanium Zero e-bike offers a third path. Its not as powerful as traditional mid-drive motors, but it still features more power output than even the best hub motors. Best of all, the motor is small enough to fit inside a bottom bracket and weighs just 2.6 pounds.Urtopia hasnt said when it will start manufacturing the Titanium Zero, but its easy to see a scenario where the design of the Quark DMI.2 inspires other bike makers and pushes the industry forward. Igor Bonifacic, Senior reporterWeWalk Smart Cane 2WeWalkOf all the products at CES 2025 that had AI stuffed into them, WeWalks Smart Cane 2 stood out. The smart cane for people with visual impairments got an update this year that not only adds AI, but also addresses the originals shortcomings. It brings more advanced sensors, and best of all, still works as a conventional folding cane when these technological features arent engaged. The Smart Cane 2 can detect obstacles and offer turn-by-turn navigation, and it has a ChatGPT-powered assistant that can provide answers to questions while someone is walking, without the need to reach for a smartphone. WeWalk also refined the actual cane by making its handle slimmer, replacing the originals touchpad with tactile buttons and shaving a bit of weight off.Sure, you might not be able to trust ChatGPT to give you correct answers to every question imaginable yet, but at least in this implementation, the product isnt likely to harm users even if the AI fails. Plus, it has useful hardware, including time-of-flight and motion sensors to improve navigation, speakers to provide answers and feedback, as well as a flashlight to make the visually impaired more noticeable at night. And again, if the battery dies, you can still use this as a traditional, albeit pricier, cane. Cherlynn Low, Deputy editor, reviewsYukai Engineering MirumiYukai EngineeringOne of the most memorable robots at CES this year was the one that arguably does the least. We found ourselves powerless against the heart-melting charm of Mirumi, a tiny, fluffy robot made by Yukai Engineering that literally just stares at people and looks around like a baby discovering the outside world. Its small enough to fit in the palm of your hand, but even better than that, it has long posable arms that allow it to hang onto objects. So if you put it on your bag strap, it will stare down everyone you encounter, and maybe become a little shy when they return the attention.Mirumi has no purpose other than to spread joy, and I love it for that. Yukai previously brought us the weird Qoobo pillow (the one with the tail) and the cat that nibbles your finger, and this is another case in which it did not miss with one of its odd creations. Cheyenne MacDonald, Weekend editorBest in show: WeWalk Smart Cane 2WeWalkAt CES this year, AI was unsurprisingly everywhere, often in places it didnt really seem like it needed to be. But the WeWalk Smart Cane 2, a high-tech version of the mobility cane for people who are blind, struck me as an application where it could actually be really helpful. With a new voice assistant thats powered by GPT, users can speak directly to the cane to get detailed navigation guidance and on-demand information, like public transportation options and menu items. The smart cane is also packed with sensors that allow it to alert the users of upcoming obstacles. It does this with haptic feedback in the handle and by calling out a verbal warning.WeWalk co-founder Kursat Ceylan, who is blind, gave a demonstration of the cane in the chaotic environment of the Las Vegas Convention Center, and it was impressive. The voice assistant responded quickly and accurately to his prompts, and the obstacle detection alert was loud enough to be heard over the buzz of the CES crowd. It can also pair with headphones or earbuds via Bluetooth. Since the cane can handle things like turn-by-turn navigation, users dont have to worry about also holding a smartphone while theyre trying to get around.The smart cane takes an existing tool that people are already familiar with and enhances it. Importantly, it also seems like the company heard the feedback of users who had the first version of the cane and improved the design to better meet their needs. It has a slimmer handle than the first model and tactile buttons, and weighs about the same as a traditional white cane. Cheyenne MacDonald, Weekend editorThis article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-best-of-ces-2025-211535752.html?src=rss

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At 4:45 p.m. on Tuesday evening, the first of three municipal water tanks in Los Angeless Pacific Palisades neighborhood ran dry, as emergency responders stretched the system to its limits in combatting the widespread wildfires. The second water tank was empty by 8:30 p.m. that night, followed by the third at 3 a.m. on Wednesday, according to local officials.The depletion of the three tanks, each with a storage capacity of about a million gallons of water, led to fire hydrants in the area ultimately running dry, which, in turn, sparked concern from citizens and public figures over the citys handling of its response to the fires. On X, Elon Musk retweeted a post stating, We pay the highest taxes in California. Our fire hydrants were empty. And in several live interviews, former Los Angeles mayoral candidate Rick Caruso argued that the empty hydrants were a window into a systemic problem of the city.However, according to several experts, the Pacific Palisades fire hydrants were never going to be sufficient to fight a wildfire of this scalenor were they designed to be.Generally, fire hydrants are designed to counteract everyday fires, like isolated incidents from faulty electrical lines, explainsGreg Pierce, director of UCLAs Human Right to Water Solutions Lab. In fact, [L.A.] already overdesigns our water system significantly, purely to have the pressure and the water there when there is an urban fire, adds Pierce, who is also co-executive director of the universitys Luskin Center for Innovation. But that doesnt address even your standard wildfire, much less a wildfire that came this quickly, this ferociously, and in multiple points. The Pacific Palisades neighborhood, specifically, presents several additional challenges to supplying water through the municipal system during an emergency. The whole zone is supplied by the aforementioned three water tanks. And because the area is hilly, water needs to be pumped manually from those three local tanks to fire hydrantsmeaning that power is required to produce the pressure needed to move the supply. During a wildfire, power lines are often destroyed or even purposefully cut off by providers to try to prevent worsening the spread. On top of that, if the nearby tanks cant be replenished fast enough, their pressure levels wont be sufficient to pump water.At a news conference Wednesday, LA Department of Water and Power (LADWP) CEO Janisse Quiones said that 3 million gallons of water were available when the fires began, but the demand greatly outpaced the systems capacity. We pushed the system to the extreme, Quiones said. Four times the normal demand was seen for 15 hours straight, which lowered our water pressurewater pressure needed for the water to travel uphill. I want to make sure that you understand theres water on the trunk line, it just cannot get up the hill because we cannot fill the tanks fast enough. Musk reposted several tweets on X claiming that the LADWP didnt fill the reservoirs, and President-elect Donald Trump took to Truth Social claiming that Governor Gavin Newsom prevented water from entering the state to protect an endangered fish. But L.A.s reservoirs have no bearing on the fire hydrants in the Pacific Palisades region, Pierce explains, given that the immediate water supply is provided by the three nearby water tanks.The larger reservoir water supply stuff that Trump and Musk are talking about is not related and wouldnt have done any good in the really short term where the water was needed, says Pierce. You may have all the water in the world in reservoirs, but if theyre fairly far awaywhich most are, from this neighborhoodyou cant move the water quickly, even if all the infrastructure is working well. Generally, aerial firefighting is the approach for fighting wildfires. Helicopter teams drop water on affected areas (water sourced from reservoirs, not tanks). Unfortunately, high wind and low visibility during the Palisades Fires have grounded most aerial firefighting teams.In the future, Pierce says, the LADWP could look into incorporating more holding water tanks around the Pacific Palisades neighborhood. But even that concept has its downsides.In theory, the region or areas could have more of the infrastructure to hold water itself and to hold power, he says. But thats not been an expectation, historically. Im not sure that would have made a difference in this case. Besides, the cost to rebuild that infrastructure, incorporating more local water tanks, would be prohibitive, Pierce adds. Whos going to pay for that when people cant afford the regular cost of water?

Hundreds of prisoners are battling the devastating Los Angeles wildfires through a longstanding program with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.Currently, 395 incarcerated firefighters are deployed across 29 fire troops in Los Angeles, the CDCR confirmed Wednesday. Theyre working for just dollars a day alongside civilian firefighters to put an end to historical levels of destruction. This program, and others like it, have been criticized for being exploitative, but some former incarcerated people have said that joining firefighting initiatives can be rewarding.Two major wildfires, as well as multiple smaller fires, have ravaged Los Angeles County since Tuesday nightincluding the most destructive wildfire in Los Angeles city history, the Pacific Palisades Fire. Nearly 200,000 people have been ordered to evacuate their homes, with another 200,000 under evacuation warnings. As windstorms and dry conditions fuel the destruction, the city is becoming increasingly strained for resources.Although 9,000 firefighters are based in Los Angeles, L.A. County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said Wednesday that this isnt enough to address a disaster of this scale, according to the L.A. Times. Firefighters from other states are pouring in to help, as are members of the National Guard.Inmate laborIncarcerated firefighters have historically made up around a third of Californias firefighting force. Theyre a much smaller percentage of those on the ground in Los Angeles right now.The CDCR has offered an opt-in program that employs low-level offenders as firefighters since the 1940s. Around 15 other states offer similar programs. The firefighters transfer to minimum-security facilities known as fire camps where theyre trained for eight days to respond to fires, floods, and other natural disasters.Incarcerated fire crew members earn between $5.80 and $10.24 per day; during emergencies, they earn an additional dollar per hour. Sometimes crew members will work 24-hour shifts where the lowest-skill-level firefighter will earn $26.90 for that entire shift, according to the CDCR. Incarcerated firefighters can also earn credits that help them take time off their prison sentence; many can receive two additional days off their sentence for every one day served.The program has been attacked for being exploitative, as it puts incarcerated people in life-threatening situations for a few dollars a day. These firefighters are around four times more likely to be injured than civilian firefighters. At least four California incarcerated firefighters have died as a result of fighting fires in recent years.Fighting fires after prisonWhen released, these same people sometimes struggle to land firefighting jobs. Many fire departments require EMT certification to become a civilian firefighter, but California law prohibits granting this certification to anyone who has been released from prison for a felony offense in the last decade, has been convicted of two or more felonies ever, or has been convicted of two or more drug offenses in the past five years. Any credentials earned during the eight-day training program do not transfer after release. However, many incarcerated firefighters do go on to gain employment at the California Department of Forestry and Fire Prevention (Cal Fire) after being released. Cal Fire partnered with the Anti-Recidivism Coalition to develop an 18-month training and certification program. In 2022, Cal Fire estimated that 229 incarcerated firefighters had gone through the training program and 136 received jobs in the five years prior.Former incarcerated firefighter Royal Ramey created a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping former incarcerated firefighters find work. His nonprofit, the Forestry and Fire Recruitment Program, helps others earn the necessary certifications and navigate the application process for entry-level positions within Californias Forest Service, Cal Fire, or other wildland agencies.The prison firefighting initiatives can be beneficial for the prisoners involved; Ramey told NPR that he fell in love with the job during his service time.Joshua Bligh, a formerly incarcerated firefighter in Oregon, said the states program (which is similar to the one in California) was rewarding and even enjoyable for him. He said it felt like none of the prisoners were in it for money; they enjoyed being able to go out in the community and work instead of sitting in a jail cell. He now works as a civilian firefighter.Having that experience in prison really did a lot for me psychologically, spiritually and physically, Bligh says. You didnt feel like such a dirtbag, because you were able to save peoples homes and their assets.Through a loophole in the 13th Amendment, states like California can allow involuntary work as a form of punishment for criminals. Voters rejected Prop. 6 in November, which would have ended indentured servitude in prison systems. Prison work programs occur in all 50 states and generate billions of dollars in revenue, while workers often earn only pennies per hour.However, firefighting is voluntary work for California prisoners, and they receive the largest compensation of all prison jobs. Incarcerated prisoners do not receive punishment or face disciplinary action if they choose not to serve in a fire camp.

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 more than 1,000 structures and forcing tens of thousands of residents to evacuate as of Wednesday afternoon. Another large brush fire broke out near Pasadena around the same time; at least five people have been killed by the fires. 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 J.P. 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% of their total statewide market sharein other words, if a company controls 10% of the states insurance market, it must control at least 8.5% 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.Lloyd 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 that 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 that 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.This article originally appeared in Grist, a nonprofit, independent media organization dedicated to telling stories of climate solutions and a just future.

Work has begun on the GEM Factory of the Future building in Maine designed by architecture studio Grimshaw and SMRT to integrate technological and robotic advancements with fabrication.Located at the University of Maine, the Green Energy and Materials Factory of the Future (GEM building) is a research facility focused on providing space for students, professors and researchers to integrate developing AR, AI, machine learning and other technological advancements with bio-based manufacturing.A research facility dedicated to bio-based and AI-enabled manufacturing has broken ground at the University of Maine"Construction has officially commenced for the Green Energy and Materials Factory of the Future an innovative research facility focused on revolutionizing manufacturing through AI-enabled, large-scale bio-based additive manufacturing," said the team.Grimshaw designed the building in partnership with architecture studio SMRT and engineers Thornton Tomasetti.The building provides students and researchers with manufacturing spaces with integrated robotics"[The GEM building] is designed to be a nexus for the University of Maine's campus and a hub for bringing manufacturing back into the academic discourse," said Grimshaw New York principal Mark Rhoads.The two-storey building will be made with a mass-timber frame and clad in metallic panels. Renderings show a glazed primary entrance, with slim windows running along the height of the building intermittently.Read: Geodes inform design of Arizona research building by Grimshaw and ArchitektonThe building's interiors will hold laboratories and large open spaces for manufacturing. Images show mobile robots hovering over desks, as well as a large manufacturing bay where two robotic arms are assembling the hull of a ship.According to the team, the building will contain two of these manufacturing bays, each with 40-foot (12-metre) clear heights and 120 feet long (37 metres). The spaces will provide room to fabricate components up to 60 by 100 feet (18 by 30 metres).A double-height lobby clad in windows sits at the entranceThe facility will focus on bio-based additive manufacturing, such as 3D printingwith wood polymers."This revolution in clean technology and advanced manufacturing demands a new generation of highly skilled, tech-savvy makers fluent in the latest innovations," said Rhoads."Higher education must recalibrate its approach, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration and creating learning environments that emphasize experiential learning and cutting-edge research to equip future engineers, architects, and technicians for this dynamic landscape."The building will contain laboratories and manufacturing baysThe building is slated for completion in summer 2026.Recently, Grimshaw completed another research building at the University of Arizona, while teams of students and professors built a series of pavilions on the historic grounds of Woodstock that explored a semi-automatic approach to constructionThe images are courtesy of GrimshawThe post Grimshaw breaks ground on research building in Maine designed to "revolutionize manufacturing" appeared first on Dezeen.