I appreciate you taking the time to provide some feedback JoeJ

As a longtime tabletop role-player, watching Dimension 20s Dungeons and Drag Queens is the same experience as introducing a friend to a favorite television show you know theyll dig. All the joy of watching your beloved show, and the joy of watching someone else learn to love it as well.The actual play setting, helmed by game master Brennan Lee Mulligan with players and RuPauls Drag Race stars Alaska Thunderfuck, Bob the Drag Queen, Jujubee, and Mont X Change, returned for a second season this week. Hot off the success of their season 1 adventure, the Questing Queens found out what comes after you become famous heroes.Youre called to more adventure, is the answer, but Dungeons and Drag Queens season 2 is deepening and broadening its mandate, and in doing so adding yet another great facet of sharing your favorite with your friend: You can see the twist coming and they cant.[Ed. note: This story contains light spoilers for Dungeons and Drag Queens first season, and lighter still spoilers for the first episode of season 2.]From the beginning, Dungeons and Drag Queens has straddled the audience of experienced and knowing TTRPG players/actual play watchers and the audience of folks whove never engaged with the hobby or the medium at all. You only have to look at the comments on any Dungeons and Drag Queens YouTube clip to see it. Theyre full of Drag Race fans who started watching to get more of their faves, and stayed subscribed because of how effectively the first season presented the appeal of TTRPGs and the actual play medium (and, it should be said, vice versa).The brilliance of DaDQs first season what makes it more than just the thrill of two things that dont usually go together were the subtle ways Dimension 20 adjusted itself on the expectation of an audience new to the actual play medium and even the TTRPG hobby itself. The season featured a more straightforward (but still twisty) story than other seasons, bringing enough rule-explaining back into the edit so that non-TTRPG players could get a sense of the stakes. And Mulligans own improvisational chops got a real workout from a set of players in the process of discovering in what ways they liked to engage with a TTRPG world, hatching capers like deciding on a whim to, for example, steal from a high-level shopkeeper and unsuccessfully trying to run.It was delightful to watch the queens challenge Mulligan in ways that his usual casts dont, and season 2 is already continuing that theme. Instead of long-form improv comedians drilled in yes, and and playing in the space, Alaska et al. are improvisational performers from a more adversarial, lets say tit for tat tradition, and it gives the seasons some of their best metatextual moments. As in this weeks episode, where Jujubee described her character Twyla pulling a length of fae-twine from around a package, saying, And I keep the twine because I think its going to come in handy later. Then she locked eyes with Mulligan and snapped, Right?!Its not the classic moment when a player focuses too hard on an immaterial detail, but a player inventing the importance of a detail whole cloth, pointing right at their DM, and declaring that they better make it important later if they know whats good for them. A gauntlet clearly thrown.And to a seasoned fan of Dimension 20 and a seasoned TTRPG player its clear what Mulligan is doing in this first season 2 episode. Now that the characters and their players have the basics down, he takes them right to a masquerade ball (every TTRPG player should know the pleasure of taking your character to a fancy party instead of a forbidden dungeon) and introduces a smorgasbord of plot threads. Suitors, shifty returning NPCs, secret messages you might not be able to trust, new revelations about the drawbacks of your sudden fame.Dungeons and Drag Queens season 1 was about establishing the appeal of TTRPG gameplay, and season 2 is showcasing exactly how that gameplay can deepen and broaden once there is a foundation of characters, world-building, and plot elements to call back to.And thats where the dramatic irony comes in.Like any creative, Mulligan has themes to which he is consistently drawn, and longtime viewers will be hip to them. An NPC whos building beachfront-ready property on the top of a mountain range while letting coastal mansions go for a song? Mulligans gotta wake up real early in the morning to get that foreshadowing past me. But have the Questing Queens noticed? Will they notice? When will they notice?Theres still plenty for them to discover, and for me to enjoy watching them discover, as theyre introduced to one of my favorite hobbies.

When Karim El-Ishmawi was a child he often visited a home located in a small town in Bavaria, Germany. The memorable residence, integrated into the mountainside, was designed by Hans Ziegler. Spacious and multilayered on the inside, the structure is barely visible from the outside, and to the young El-Ishmawi it was comparable to a cave. As he explored it, his interest in architecture was ignited.As a teenager, Karim El-Ishmawi experimented with different forms of expression, from graffiti and film to installations. The former East Berlin during the 1990s was a place where his imagination was allowed to flourish.Karim El-Ishmawi \\\ Photo: Sebastian DorkenWith his pals (and co-founders) Chris Middleton and Martin Jacobs, El-Ishmawi was able to experiment and explore in new ways. My passion has always been creativity in a collective, he says. Simply putting ideas into practice seemed to be a natural phenomenon in this constellation. I am firmly convinced that these two people unleashed my drive and creativity more than my parents or anyone else ever could have.El-Ishmawi never had a set career path, but in 2005 the trio founded Kinzo. Noted for a holistic and participatory design approach, the team conceives new living and working environments. Responsible for project management and strategy, El-Ishmawi plans every facet from the perspective of future users.No matter what he dreams up, the end result is better because of his collaboration with Jacobs and Middleton. We do what comes along and is interesting, El-Ishmawi notes. It is certainly easier to cast a team of experts with clearly defined skills, and a business plan within an existing network of parents and acquaintances. But the feeling of doing something like this with friends is unbeatable.Today, Karim El-Ishmawi joins us for Friday Five!Photo: Karim El-Ishmawi1. Alvaro Siza Boa Nova Tea Pavilion (1963)My partner Chris and I often go on vacation together with our families. Most recently we were in Portugal in the Porto area. For architects, it is a place of pilgrimage, and for the family, simply an outstanding experience. Sizas projects in and around town are as well integrated into everyday life as they are into the landscape. Take the Boa Nova Tea House or the pools in Lea da Palmeira, for example: They are remarkably scenographic and yet somehow feels benevolent and modest.Photo: Karim El-Ishmawi2. Salone I The Saunarider (2022)This is such a Berlin collaboration! Together with fashion/art project BLESS, architect Sam Chermayeff furnished a classic Mercedes-Benz with an interior made of wooden beads and a stove in the trunk to create a mobile sauna The Saunarider was last seen in the Salone in Milan in 2023. Hot shit!Photo: Karim El-Ishmawi3. Boston City Hall (1968)In 2015, I spent some time in Boston, as I was a visiting professor at the Wentworth Institute. My first tour of the city took me straight to the brutalist icon. I am amazed of how close the ugly and the sublime can be.Photo: Karim El-Ishmawi4. Your Rainbow Panorama (2011)What started as a pretty standard business trip to Aarhus quickly turned into the epitome of aesthetic sensory modulation: a visit to Olafur Eliassons spectral circle atop the ARoS art museum.Photo: Andrea Bonso5. Salone II | Interna_Mente by Materica (2023)I saw this installation in the Alcova during Milan Design Week 2023: The interior of a former cold storage room was entirely covered with metallized sheets, and due to the oxidation and coloration the reflection of light made me feel like I was in a kaleidoscope. The guys from design studio Materica applied real-metal coating to every material to great effect. Shiny and mesmerizing!Works by Kinzo:Photo: Sebastian DrkenAdmiralspalast (2023)The Admiralspalast on Berlins Friedrichstrae, an iconic building since 1911, has been transformed by Kinzo Architekten into the headquarters for a digital service provider. This project merges the buildings rich history with a forward-looking workspace. Originally featuring an ice skating rink, bowling alleys, a cinema, and a Roman-Russian spa, the Admiralspalast embodied the opulence of Berlins Golden Twenties. Kinzo Architekten preserved and integrated historical elements like Art Nouveau mosaics and Art Deco windows into the new design, creating a unique blend of past and present. The redesigned office spans three floors, offering spaces for collaboration, retreat, and individual work, aiming to bring employees back from remote work. Highlights include a communal area with a bench modeled after the former ladies pool, a relaxation room adapted for modern use, and a large hall with a circumferential gallery and various themed rooms.Photo: Schnepp RenouDas Center Potsdamer Platz (2024)Kinzo Architekten revitalized the Sony Center at Potsdamer Platz, transforming it into a dynamic hub for community and participation. The holistic placemaking concept enhances Potsdamer Platz as a vibrant meeting place for visitors and an attractive location for businesses, retailers, and restaurants. The project involved developing target-oriented usage formats for commercial and public spaces to seamlessly re-integrate the site into the urban fabric. Lobby D, once merely a transit space, now offers two floors of work and meeting areas, including a separate workshop room. The renovation involved dismantling the interior faade and raising the mezzanine ceiling. Additionally, the Passerelle was converted into a bicycle parking area with space for over 200 bicycles, connecting the Potsdamer Platz subway and S-Bahn station with the Sony Center Forum.Photo: Sebastian DrkenNike One Central HQ (2020)The Nike Central HQ, located in Berlin-Friedrichshain, seamlessly integrates into the urban fabric of the neighborhood, creating a diverse office campus for up to 300 employees. It features flexible work areas, influencer and athlete spaces, showrooms, and sports facilities. The building, a blend of an old carpentry workshop and new constructions, transitions from an intact old structure to a partially new middle section and a completely new third part that matches the original faade. The campus includes the City Hub, a central caf and reception area next to an outdoor basketball court, and a roof terrace with urban gardening. Only 30% of the space is standard office area, emphasizing a dynamic and agile working environment. Recycled materials and finishes reflect the brands origins and philosophy, with distinct branding for Nike and Converse.Photo: Schnepp RenouPostfuhramt (2022)Following various interim uses by Berlins art, culture, and club scene, the Kaiserliches Postfuhramt, a former post office, was acquired by a new owner in 2012 and has since been renovated. Transformed both architecturally and as a historic preservation project by Kinzo iit now serves as an innovation center for a medical technology company, featuring exhibition, conference, and training rooms. Kinzos role extended beyond interior design to exploring and mapping the buildings layers, which were meticulously restored by conservators to integrate historical fragments into the overall design. New elements emphasize the use of steel, either raw or matte black, reflecting the industrial heritage of the Postfuhramt. The redesigned workspace aims to support flexible team and project structures, exemplified in the attics iLofts, which offer versatile office spaces, meeting rooms, lounges, retreats, and a library. The historical fragmentation is both felt and partially visible, harmoniously blending with contemporary interventions.

Clerkenwell Design Week, the UKs premier design festival celebrated for its dynamic community of creatives and architects, is unveiling an exciting new chapter with the CDW 2025 Product Awards. This landmark initiative, in partnership with SANDOW DESIGN GROUP, will honor the most groundbreaking and imaginative interior design products shaping the future of the industry.The awards are set to spotlight innovation across a broad spectrum of categories, including furniture, lighting, flooring, kitchen & bath, textiles, and more. Special recognition will also be given to products pushing boundaries in sustainability, technology integration, accessibility, and modular design.For exhibitors, this program represents a unique chance to elevate their brand on a global stage, leveraging the expansive reach of SANDOWs renowned platforms, such as Interior Design, Metropolis, and Design Milk.Finalists and winners will gain unparalleled industry exposure, from prominent features on digital platforms to a celebratory event at Clerkenwell Design Week 2025. Entry submissions open on January 20, 2025, with an early bird option available through February 14, 2025. All entries must be submitted no later than March 28, 2025.For full details, including categories and submission guidelines, visit clerkenwelldesignweek.com.

A company operates in an ecosystem of opportunities, where competitive advantage can be won by seeing what others are not even aware of(1).Examples of three different types of maps: AIDA, Journeys and Systems. Illustration by theauthor.Common customer insight models reduce an organizations ability to take advantage of its own unique experience, knowledge and competencies simply because when adding our own insights onto a map we tend to make the brutest simplifications:Reducing the customer to a manageable objectwithout external influence, tobeshuffled down a predictable linearpathtowards an unavoidable goalignoring everything that doesnt fit into the models one-dimensional view.Ive observed a fewthings:The customer does not operate in a vacuum. They are one part of a larger system. A system with many levers organizations can choose to influenceif we can seethem.We usually do. We usually see them and know them. But fail to choose maps of our environment (e.g. market) that allow us to include them limiting our decision-making, strategies, and execution.Success can be determined by our awareness of the situation we operate in (2). Our ability to work together as an organization on the same map (3). Set strategy, plan, and execute. The map we make will limit or expand the opportunities we see, enabling us to make better decisions than our competition (5), and delivering better outcomes to our customers and ourselves.Success can be determined by our awareness of the situation we operatein.And this is where the opportunity lies: the better we are able to map out what leads to what we want, the better we will be able to outperform our competitors and over-deliver to our customers and ourselves.If we make a map of the worldthat:Removes all internal expertise and competencies (what makes us unique)(6) andpaints the same picture of the world as everyone else has (including our competition)then we will make the same decisions as everyone else, offering the customer the same value as everyone else, competing on price or efficiency alone ( a race to the bottom ). Or to repeat the David Ogilvy quote: if you got nothing to say, sing it(7).If we are in a race to the bottom because of our focus on price or efficiency, then its not because thats the only choice we could make. Its because its the only choice we couldsee.But if we make a map of the world that nobody else has, which captures nuances, influences and levers our organization is fit to take advantage of. Then we can set our strategy, plan and execution based on our own strengths, offering the customer relevant value nobody else does, winning in the marketplace (6)(8).Lets compare threemapsThe first map is the AIDA-model. Its designed for a media environment anno 1898 and as with other linear or hierarchical models it has been thoroughly debunked (4) as a poor predictor of human behavior. The AIDA model is a reflection of what the organization wishes the customer would do in a simplified universe that only includes theproduct.Illustration of AIDA-model.The second map is the customer journey. Another linear model that is most efficient at removing information. It pretends that people are on journeys towards purchasing products. Models like these not only removes vast amounts of insights from understanding what creates a customer, they also tend to silo thinking to only one or a few types of influences coming from only one area of the organization (9).The third map is a causal diagram (10). Not perfect, but more inclusive and representative than the others. Its main weakness is that it can only represent known insights and relationships (11), but this goes for allmaps.With a Causaldiagram:Everyone can add their insights to themap.It manages to represent the most significant known forces of influence from across the entire organization and ecosystem (12).It is a shared map. It manages to connect different areas of the organization through the same view of the ecosystem they together are trying to influence.It helps the organization find a shared narrative and language which leads to shared discussions about their purpose, role, and goals(13).An illustrative causal diagram mapping out influences on the decision making of a physician. Made by the author with input from Perplexity.The immediate challenge with a system map is that people balk at the first impression. But a system map is far easier to understand and use than a statistical or linear model. Because the latter is a distortion: its a simple, clean model, but it represents a version of the world that nobody is familiar with and everyone has to learn as an alternative to what they alreadyknow.A causal map in contrast represents the relationships and influences we already see and recognize, even as small children (11). It doesnt create an alternative narrative, it visualizes our own narrative. Once we learn how to read it, understanding it, sharing it, and collaborating on it becomesnatural.The simplest possible way to read a system map / causal diagram. Illustration by theauthor.Ps. if you want to make your own system map this is the simplest place tostart.Now Imagine!Which of these three maps best captures and represents the true environment our offering operatesin?And if we wanted to use a map to identify our best opportunities to have influence, which map would wechoose?Winning is not about making better decisions than everybody else, its routed in our ability to see what nobody elsesees.Our decisions follow our insights, not the other wayaround.Using the same methodology, models, and simplifications as everyone else sets us up for expensive failure from the start. It narrows our opportunities, removes our unique competencies, and puts us in a competitive space where we are not competing based on our strengths but on universal commodities (hygiene factors) like price or efficiency.We win by the quality and strength or our strategies, planning and execution. But its all rooted in our ability to see (14). Having a map of the world nobody else has helps us see opportunities nobody else does and the possibility to coordinate and compete based on our own unique expertise and strengths.Having the right map is the springboard to the rest of what we do to win(2).Sources / furtherreading:(1). Gary Hamel, source unkown, https://www.garyhamel.com/(2). Simon Wardley, Situation Normal, Everything Must Change, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ty6pOVEc3bA(3). IBM C-Suite Study, IBM Study: C-suite Leaders Look to Customers to Steer Business Strategy, https://www.ibm.com/blogs/think/nl-en/2013/10/07/ibm-study-c-suite-leaders-look-to-customers-to-steer-business-strategy/(4). AIDA-Model, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AIDA_(marketing)(5). Helge Tenn, Customer as Competitive Advantage, https://uxdesign.cc/customer-as-competitive-advantage-19a6ede62852(6). David J. Collis and Michael G. Rukstad, Can you say what your strategy is, https://hbr.org/2008/04/can-you-say-what-your-strategy-is(7). David Ogilvy, behance, https://www.behance.net/gallery/1625743/If-You-Have-Nothing-To-Say-Sing-It(8). Mark Lipton, Walking the talk (really!): why visions fail, https://iveybusinessjournal.com/publication/walking-the-talk-really-why-visions-fail/(9). Based on conversations with the CustomerC-community in Norway, https://www.linkedin.com/posts/helgetenno_customerexperience-customer-business-activity-7276133041905766400-n7EW/(10). HBR Faculty, Causal Diagrams: Draw Your Assumptions Before Your Conclusions, https://www.harvardonline.harvard.edu/course/causal-diagrams-draw-your-assumptions-your-conclusions(11). Judea Pearl and writer Dana Mackenzie, The book of why, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Book_of_Why(12). Donatella Meadows, Dancing with Systems, https://donellameadows.org/archives/dancing-with-systems/(13). Clayton Christensen, unkonwn reference, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clayton_Christensen(14). Christian Madsbjerg, Look, https://madsbjerg.com/Competitive advantage comes from seeing what nobody else can was originally published in UX Collective on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

You can relinquish fact-checking responsibilities but can you ever be neutralagain?Photo sourceIn recent years weve developed increasingly complex systems to manage content across our platforms, partly in response to societal and political pressure to moderate content. This approach has gone too far. As well-intentioned as many of these efforts have been, they have expanded over time to the point where we are making too many mistakes We want to undo the mission creep that has made our rules too restrictive and too prone to over-enforcement.- Excerpt from Metas press release on January 7, 2025 (emphasis mine)Is it possible for a post to be so wrong but also kind of right at the same time? Of course it is. Nuance is a dying art. But thats the challenge with deciding whats right and wrong: things can be completely true, partially true, or not true atall.Unfortunately, when youve claimed the word meta from our lexicon and then you announce that youve done a bad job deciding whats right, so youve decided to stop deciding whats right, but you get that decision wrong, were out of words to describe theirony.Thats effectively what Meta has done in their announcement this week to stop using independent fact-checkers on their platforms and instead shift to a crowdsourced community notes model, similar to Twitter Xs approach. The public response has been palpable. In the same week that the incoming president-elect repeatedly trolls about wanting to annex Canada, a culture war is brewing over raw milk consumption, and conspiracy theories about California wildfires are spreading as fast as the fires themselves, this seems like the absolute wrong time to step away from fact-checking.At the same time, I can empathize with Metas statement. I design technology for a living. I have to make tough ethical decisions. I encounter scope creep and mission creep all the time. I, too, have approached a problem with good intentions only to find an adverse unintended consequence. In their own words, we didnt want to be the arbiters of truth and I wouldnt want to entrust them with that responsibility either.Many product decisions are unidirectional. Ive had to shelve some of my riskier design ideas because consumer trust is a delicate matteronce you release a feature to the public you cant always pull it back. But then again, Im not usually the type to move fast and breakthings.Not every ethical dilemma carries the same weight, and this one is heavy. I cant blame Meta for initially wanting to stay neutral, but when they decided in 2016 to use third-party fact checking to moderate content across their platforms, they altered the social fabric of the internet in a way they can never fully takeback.Once youve had a finger on the scale of truth, any omission of fact-checking becomes a permission to lie. The misinformation is already out there and you cant put that toothpaste back in thetube.You used to be able to lie on theinternetDoes it make me sound old to say the internet used to be a different place? In the halcyon days of the early 2000s, the internet still felt largely like the Wild West. People werent constantly online, identities were still mostly anonymous, and communities were spread thinner across esoteric websites and interests. You almost expected anything you read online to be a lie, and sometimes that was half of thefun.Im pretty sure I posted this on MySpace and thought it was hilariousSo what changed? For one thing, as we began to spend more time online, we moved more of our IRL social lives to the internet, which made it beneficial for everybody to be in the same few places. Aggregators began to distill the best content from corners of the internet into just a few destinations. Memes transformed from inside joke shibboleths to a shared cultural identity. And going viral went from an innocent, seemingly random phenomenon to a carefully calculated, focus-grouped, business proposition.In other words, we became a captive audience and people learned that they could profit off our attention.The internet became too legit toquitBy the early 2010s, things on the internet began to matter. By then, seemingly everyone had a digital presence; if you werent there you were probably missingout.People started to take notice when online movements proved they could mobilize people and ideas in powerful ways. 2011s Arab Spring revolutions proved that Twitter X was more than just a place to talk about your lunch. Similar movements around the world followed. Even fringe phenomena like Twitch Plays Pokemon demonstrated that the internet hivemind was more than just a theory or a joke. But any scenario where that could be used for good meant that it could also be used forbad.The timeline followed pretty swiftly from Facebooks 2012 social experiment about manipulating emotions to Cambridge Analyticas social media influence in the 2016 election. In the same blink of an eye, fake news entered our everyday vocabulary and desensitized us while sites like InfoWars lost all touch withreality.Lying on the internet was no longer fun. By the late 2010s you were more likely to be pulling your friend out of a pyramid scheme or worrying that your parents would fall for a cryptoscam.We wanted the truth. We couldnt handle thetruth.Can any one entity really be an unbiased judge of the truth? In hindsight, you might wonder why anyone would willingly step into the morass of content moderation, but in the context of the 2010s you can understand why Metaand its peershad to step in. Since 2016, Meta has had mechanisms in place to proactively flag content thats known to be false or bury content that aligns with hoaxes. Facebook automatically flags and removes posts and comments that share similarities with hate speech. While the policies were in place, Meta claimed that they were working as intended, but this weeks announcement contradicts that. (See how the truth canchange?)Then again, its now 2025, content moderation policies have been in place for nine years, and anecdotally Im not sure that I feel any more insulated from fake news than I did before. But I can assume that Im already in a media-literate bubble and not likely to encounter as much fake news in the first place. Those outside my bubble might see more flagged content, but that only fuels the fire among those who believe that content moderation is biased against their point of view. Conspiracy theories are only strengthened by the idea that they dont want you to see them. At the end of the day, how effective is fact-checking among the willfully ignorant?Omission becomes permissionWhether the previous fact-checking mechanisms were effective or not, you cant simply remove the mechanisms without creating a vacuum. It would be different if there had never been a moderation playbook in the first place, but thats not the case. Since, by declaration, these new rules are relaxed, then that becomes a vulnerability to anyone who would want to exploit it. A community notes approach can only do so much when fake news proponents can now kick down all the doors that used to hold them atbay.Worse yet, by relaxing these rules, Meta has redefined its Community Standards and, in the process, explicitly defined new forms of hate speech that are acceptable. Again, it would be one thing if these examples of hate speech were never defined in the first place, but by walking back from one moral stance to another, it provides a list of socially permissible ways to bully or harass a formerly protected class of people. Among that list, ethnic groups can now be called filth, women can be referred to as household objects, and LGBT individuals can be called mentally ill (and are notably the only exception among disallowed mental condition insults).If youve ever met a bully or troll, you already know that when a boundary is (re)drawn, they will crowd that line as much as they can get awaywith.What now?The sociologist in me reminds me to have faith in both humans and academia.If I can set aside my cynicism, I can remember that most people are not bad-faith actors. Most people are not willfully ignorant. Most people do want the real news. Those are the people who usually sort things out for themselves pretty well. In the absence of independent fact-checkers it becomes even more imperative that we do our own research and call out the bullshit when we see it. I dont agree that community notes are the best approach, but they work better if good people contribute to them. And if youve read this far into this essay then youre probably one ofthem.And now, more than ever, I appreciate the important research of Professor Kate Starbird at the UW Center for an Informed Public, which has been studying, tracking, and understanding the spread of false information long before it was cool. Theres always a strong source of truth in peer-reviewed research, even if you have to seek it out for yourself.The Meta decision: you cant put the toothpaste back in the tube was originally published in UX Collective on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Small-scale, hyper-efficient living has always appealed to me, so I was overjoyed to step into numerous examples of sustainable tiny homes this week at CES 2025. There were EV RVs, trailers geared for camping and deliverable, turn-key, self-sustaining living pods. I want one of each to create a little eco village somewhere, preferably within walking distance to a bakery, coffee shop and Thai food. While none of these are cheap, some actually fall under what I would expect, compared to the market at large. And the suite of features employed represent some of the best sustainability capabilities available at the moment solar power, gray water recycling, atmospheric water generation and boss-level insulation. Plus they're all very pretty. The camping/recreational bent of these models is great but the fact that most wouldn't require a permit could help address a small corner of the housing crisis, especially as more cities loosen restrictions on additional dwelling units (ADUs). One of these could easily set up in a backyard or driveway as a studio apartment for a college student, aging parent and happily single folk. I've got some planning to do. After CES. And a long nap. Haus.me microhaus Pro Amy Skorheim / Engadget I'll get this out of the way: the Haus.me Microhaus Pro was my favorite of the bunch. It's a deliverable, ready-to-use, 120 square-foot pod that's capable of setting up on any flat surface grass, concrete, sand, dirt, atop cinderblocks, you name it. If it's flat, it fits. It can suck water out of the air (and I was assured that includes low-humidity locales). It plugs into a standard extension cord, so the power can come from the grid, a solar setup or something else entirely and the integrated battery will run everything for four days without being hooked up to power. Inside, it's posh and lovely with every space maximized. A queen-sized Murphy bed flips up to reveal a table and two bench seats. It has a small fridge, microwave and sink in the kitchen, a full-sized shower in the bathroom, and a TV in the living space. The Pro model is fully appointed, complete with Siri Homepod voice control, fancy dishware, linens and includes the aforementioned battery. That model is geared towards Airbnbs and rentals and goes for just under $90,000. The Lite knocks thirty grand off the price as it foregoes the battery, dishes and a few other features and is intended for personal use. All models of the microhaus are available to order now. AC Future Ai-THd The most tony unit I saw was from AC Future. The AC Future Ai-THd is a full-sized EV RV on display at the Las Vegas convention center. This is one of three models the company will make. There's also the Ai-THt, a trailer version and the Ai-THu which, like the microhaus, is a deliverable unit. That last one is the cheapest of the three models and the one that intrigued me the most. All three are based on the same transformable design (TH stands for transformable home) that expands three ways from 120 square feet to a 400 square-foot one bedroom apartment. Each model will be customized to order and the available tech is impressive. Solar panels will generate 25 kWh of power daily and it also comes with atmospheric water generation to the tune of up to 15 gallons per day. There's a full-sized fridge, a washer/dryer, dishwasher, stand-up shower and, because 2025, a whole-home AI assistant called Futura to manage things on your behalf. Pre-orders opened up at CES and AC Future plans to start production as soon as the madness of CES is behind them. RollAway I only got to peek inside the RollAway, but my colleague Jessica Conditt got to fully tour the rentable EV RV. It combines high-end hotel luxuries, from plush linens to Malin+Goetz toiletries. There's a convertible queen-sized bed, dual-burner stovetop, shower, panoramic roof and an included projector. The RV itself has a range of more than 270 miles and a fast-charging option. Sustainability tech includes rooftop solar panels, a waterless toilet, and low-waste water systems. That should allow for some off-grid trips but the RollAway is also compatible with standard RV site hookups. To complete the hotel-like vibes, a 24/7 concierge is on hand to help plan your trip, give you directions, make side quest suggestions and keep your space equipped on the road. RollAway just started booking trips and is nearly fully reserved for 2025. Reservations go for around $400 a night and for now is just available around San Francisco Bay, but more cities are coming soon. Pebble Flow My colleague Sam Rutherford saw the prototype Pebble Flow EV trailer at last year's CES (and his pictures are always much better than mine). I checked out the production model the company brought to the show this year. The differences are slight but meaningful. Basically, Pebble asked prospective customers to tour the prototype and tell them what they should change. One directive was "more windows" so a skylight was added, along with a larger window at the back. The cupboards are now easier to access. And the overall shape is now more aerodynamic, which should make pulling the trailer easier even easier. Being easy to pull was already one of the Flow's selling points. The 24-foot trailer can be outfit (for a price upgrade) with a dual-motor drivetrain that helps propel itself to reduce drag on the towing vehicle. That upgrade also includes a remote control option that lets you park and hitch the trailer via the app. Again, there's a Murphy queen bed that becomes a workspace and the dinette table folds down to accomodate two more sleepers. There's a full kitchen, a shower/bath stall with glass doors that change from opaque to clear with a button push. There's a 45 kWh battery and 1.1 kW solar array. It starts at $109,500 and bumps up to $135,500 with the motor upgrade. The first deliveries should be available in spring of this year. Lightship AE.1 Cosmos Fun fact: Lightship is the only not-exclusively California company on this list. The California and Colorado-based company makes the AE.1 Cosmos, another solar-powered all-electric trailer that also with a motor-assist feature. In addition to the motor, the Cosmos also collapses down by four feet when it's in "road mode" to reduce drag. Inside there's a full kitchen with dishwasher, refrigerator, microwave, convection oven and induction cooktop. Two sleeping areas accommodate up to four and both convert to living areas (a dinette and a daybed/couch). Everything is powered by a 1.8 kWh solar array and battery banks. Lightship had the Cosmos set up in the lot just outside the convention center. The space was decked out with a pebble gravel floor complete with scrubby desert plants and a starry night backdrop that blocked out the convention center itself. If I squinted, I could pretend I was out in the desert somewhere, with everything I needed just over there. It was a bit of a downer to leave it and return to the chaos that is CES. But now the sad bit: Only 50 will be produced. Each one will be manufactured in the company's Broomfield, Colorado facility and will sell for $250,000 each, with units shipping this summer. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/the-sustainable-tiny-home-trend-at-ces-2025-revived-my-dream-of-building-a-compound-140057385.html?src=rss

CES 2025 is almost over, but if you're wondering if some of the products showcased there are available, you're in luck. Many of them are up for pre-order, if not already on store shelves. CES is known for setting the stage for the forthcoming year in tech, with lots of prototypes on display and always a few pieces of vaporware that never materialize. But this year, there are wireless headphones, smart glasses and even a baby bouncer and bassinet combo that you can pick up right now if you're keen on becoming an early adopter. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/18-ces-gadgets-you-can-actually-buy-right-now-170544225.html?src=rss

X is further aiming to clamp down on impersonation by rolling out a label for parody accounts to help make them distinct from the real deal. Users will now start seeing the label on posts as well as profile pages.The company says that the goal of the label is to improve transparency, but there's a fatal flaw in how X is going about that. As it stands, the label is not yet mandatory. And as TechCrunch notes, operators of parody accounts have to apply it manually (by going to the "your account" section" in settings, then to "account information" and enabling Parody, commentary and fan account option)."Were rolling out profile labels for parody accounts to clearly distinguish these types of accounts and their content on our platform. We designed these labels to increase transparency and to ensure that users are not deceived into thinking such accounts belong to the entity being parodied," X wrote in an announcement. "Parody labels will be applied to both posts and accounts on X to clearly demonstrate the source of the content youre seeing. Well share details soon on when the label will become mandatory for parody accounts."Were rolling out profile labels for parody accounts to clearly distinguish these types of accounts and their content on our platform. We designed these labels to increase transparency and to ensure that users are not deceived into thinking such accounts belong to the entity Safety (@Safety) January 10, 2025 The company added that parody accounts still have to adhere to the platform's rules, including those related to authenticity. "Parody, Fan, and Commentary (PCF) labels are selected by people on X to indicate that the account depicts another person, group, or organization in their profile to discuss, satirize, or share information about that entity," the label's description reads. "This label distinguishes these accounts to ensure they do not cause confusion for others or incorrectly imply any affiliation."Since X isn't applying the label to accounts itself (seemingly relying on the community to flag impersonators rather than take a more active approach to moderation) and the fact it isn't mandatory yet, it's unlikely to meaningfully target the problem of impersonation.Scammers who impersonate, say, X owner Elon Musk in an attempt to squeeze some bitcoin out of other users won't exactly be inclined to put the label on their accounts. And those who simply don't care about having their account banned by imitating a legitimate news outlet, brand or celebrity to spread misinformation are unlikely to either. It's almost as if the entire concept of authenticity on X has been a mess ever since the company allowed anyone to buy a blue checkmark for their profile.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/xs-new-parody-labels-wont-fix-its-impersonation-problem-134514427.html?src=rss

Together with a new headquarters, Lenovo will manufacture millions of PCs and servers at a new facility.