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.

Imagine stepping into a home where everything feels just right; clean air, pristine clothing, and a space that radiates calm. Welcome to the world of VESTA, a revolutionary approach to clothing care that transforms not just your garments but also the environment they live in. Inspired by Hestia, the Roman goddess of home, Vesta embodies warmth, elegance, and the promise of a harmonious living space.Clothing care has never been so effortless or so sophisticated. Vesta redefines how we manage our garments by addressing challenges like dust, humidity, and storage inefficiencies. With features designed to clean, ventilate, and dehumidify, this product takes on the burdens of garment care and turns them into moments of ease. Whether its safeguarding your favorite jacket from mold or ensuring your wardrobe remains dust-free, VESTA does it all with a quiet elegance.Designer:Subin Kim andYU IDBut it doesnt just stop at clothing care, it takes on the entire environment around it. Equipped with integrated humidifiers and air conditioners, it keeps the air clean and pleasant, shielding your living space from fine dust and allergens. Its sleek, horizontally long design fits seamlessly into spaces ranging from 7,500mm to 9,500mm, including compact areas like door entrance closets. Wherever it goes, VESTA elevates the room, both in function and in form.And then theres the magic of technology. With the VESTA app, managing your clothing care is as easy as a tap on your smartphone. Register the device, choose the functionality you need, be it dehumidification or dust removal, and let Vesta work its magic. Maintenance? Simple. Just dry the reusable silica gel when its full, and youre ready to go. Its smart, sustainable, and tailored to fit seamlessly into modern lifestyles.Need to hang a few garments? Its got room for up to eight, making it perfect for both everyday storage and special care. Its automated dust removal feature ensures your clothes are always clean and fresh, no matter how busy life gets. Its more than just a tool, its your partner in creating a space where clothing care and environmental health go hand in hand.What makes VESTA truly special is its vision. Its not just about maintaining your clothes; its about creating an atmosphere of dignity and peace. Proper ventilation and humidity control dont just protect garments, they contribute to better health and well-being. By integrating these elements, VESTA turns the mundane task of clothing care into an experience of elegance and care for both you and your home.The name VESTA says it all. Meaning gentle west wind, it captures the essence of the products soft yet effective functionality. This is not just a device; its a lifestyle shift, one that brings elegance to your home, care to your garments, and peace to your everyday routines.So, why settle for the ordinary when you can have the extraordinary? With VESTA, your clothes stay flawless, your space feels serene, and youre free to enjoy life with a little more elegance and ease.The post Vesta Cleanses The Air In Your Home And Wardrobe Sustainably first appeared on Yanko Design.

The Spiral Lamp, a creation born of innovative thinking and reverence for everyday design, is a striking example of how simplicity and creativity can elevate modern lighting. This hanging pendant lamp is more than a mere light source; it is an artistic exploration of assembly, modularity, and the understated elegance of everyday materials.At the heart of the Spiral Lamp lies a simple yet ingenious construction. The lamps power cable is not just a means of delivering electricity, it also serves as the primary structural element. Binding the outer shade and internal tube together, the cable eliminates the need for fixings, screws, or adhesives. This unique design choice allows for effortless assembly and disassembly, making the lamp not only repairable but also highly customizable. Whether for residential or commercial spaces, the Spiral Lamp can adapt in size, color, and finish to suit any environment.Designer:BLOND LTDThe Spiral Lamps main body is crafted from a laser-cut aluminum tube and pressed sheet metal, showcasing a thoughtful balance between durability and simplicity. These materials can be easily adjusted in length to cater to different applications, from high ceilings in commercial spaces to cozy living rooms. This straightforward manufacturing process ensures cost-efficiency and scalability, making the Spiral Lamp a prime candidate for large-scale production and potential expansion into a cohesive family of lighting products.The design of the Spiral Lamp finds its roots in BLOND Artefacts, an internal studio initiative dedicated to drawing inspiration from offline, real-world objects that have faded from mainstream production. The studios extensive archive of artifacts includes forgotten treasures from charity shops, attics, and even street finds. The inspiration for the Spiral Lamp specifically came from a vintage timber basket, whose structural integrity was achieved by weaving rope through flat timber sheets. This clever use of material informed the Spiral Lamps playful construction, transforming a practical concept into an elegant design statement.The BLOND Artefacts initiative culminated in the BLOND LABORATORY exhibition during Milan Design Week 2024, where the Spiral Lamp was proudly showcased. The exhibition celebrated the creative potential of overlooked objects, breathing new life into traditional construction techniques and celebrating low-tech ingenuity.The Spiral Lamps aesthetic is both iconic and understated. Its silhouette echoes the vintage timber basket that inspired its design, with the cable wrapping tonally matched components into a unified whole. The interplay between the internal tube and external shade highlights the elegance of the cables dual role as both a structural and functional element. This seamless integration of form and construction pays homage to the designs origins while offering a fresh perspective on contemporary lighting.In the Spiral Lamp, every element respects and complements the other. The cable suspends, powers, and binds the lamp into a single harmonious object, subtly celebrating its often-overlooked structural capabilities. This approach transforms a mundane element into a central feature, blending humor with practicality in a design that is as thoughtful as it is beautiful.The Spiral Lamp is a testament to BLONDs commitment to innovation, sustainability, and the enduring relevance of everyday design. By embracing simple materials, playful construction methods, and inspiration from the past, it offers a fresh, adaptable, and scalable lighting solution for the modern world.The post How BLONDs Spiral Lamp Redefines Lighting with Everyday Materials and Ingenious Design first appeared on Yanko Design.

A hack of location data company Gravy Analytics has revealed which apps areknowingly or notbeing used to collect your information behind the scenes.

Texas has become a leading enforcer of internet rules. Its latest probe includes some platforms that privacy experts describe as unusual suspects.

MacworldIf you are struggling with not enough storage and trying to make more space on your Mac, Apple helpfully outlines ways to save space and shows some mysteriously named elements taking up storage space. In macOS Ventura and later, If you click on the Apple logo > About This Mac > More Info > General > Storage Settings (or in macOS Monterey and older: Apple logo > About This Mac > Storage), you will see lots of information about what is taking up space on your Mac as well as tips to help you manage it.Among some mysteriously named elements taking up storage space you may see the likes of System, System Data, macOS and Other and wonder if you can delete them. We address how to delete Other on a Mac in a separate article. Here we will be addressing System and System Data. Note: Apple has made various changes to the way it displays this information, most recently naming it System Date in macOS Ventura and later. As a result, you will see examples that wont pertain to your Mac. To find out more, read How Apple has revamped System Preferences in macOS Ventura.PROMOTIONMac Black Friday-ready CleanMyMac is 30% off now!Get the latest version of CleanMyMac, freshly released in 2024. With just a few clicks,its intelligent Smart Care module initiates a thorough scan of your system, clearingoff the unneeded files from the System Data. Reclaim your disk space withCleanMyMac.Get 30% OFFWhat is System Data on the Mac?First, well address whats contained System Data and whether you should delete it from your Mac. System Data is a catch-all title for various elements that are spread across your Macs drive. Essentially these are all the same thing: files that dont fall into the other categories, usually data and files used by macOS, caches, temporary files, downloads, backups, plug-ins, and so on.Its also the operating system files, which you obviously cant delete. But there are aspects you can delete including old Time Machine snapshots, iOS backups, cache files, any downloaded disc images for upgrading apps or macOS, and, if youve enabled the FileVault encryption feature, files associated with that. We also have an article that explains how to delete cache on a Mac.If your Mac is low on storage it can cause problems. You might see a message that your start-up disk is almost full, for example, and if you ignore that you might find you cant even start up your Mac. Low storage can also slow your Mac down and cause other issues that stop it from running at its best. You may also find that you cant install an update to macOS if you dont have enough free storage. If you arent sure how to see how much disk space your Mac has read: How to check how much disk space you have.The question of whether you can reclaim any of the space given over to this class of storage is complicated somewhat by the fact that Apple seems to give it a new name with every version of macOS, as you can see from the images below:macOS Ventura and later: System Data (and macOS)In Ventura, you can see how much space is being taken up by System DataFoundrymacOS Monterey: macOSIn Monterey what was previously System is labeled as macOS. Its essentially the same thing. FoundrymacOS Big Sur and earlier: System (and Other)Older versions of macOS labeled certain types of storage as System or Other. Regardless of the version of macOS you are running, those graphs indicate how much of your storage is attributed to certain types of files on your Mac. As you can see from the image above, System was using up 19.63GB on our Mac in Big Sur, but the number is a little more concerning in Ventura at almost 47GB. For each user, the System size is different so its possible it can be even bigger.Whether its referred to as System, System Storage, macOS, or something else, you can reduce the amount of space taken up by this section of storage, but you will need to identify what is being attributed as Storage (or whatever Apples named it in your version of macOS). Follow the steps below to find out whats in System or System data so you can free up some space on your Mac. How to delete System Data on a MacApple offers up various ways to delete data from your Mac. How you access them depends on the version of macOS you are using.macOS Ventura and laterIn macOS Ventura or later, you no longer see these Recommendations in an easy-to-navigate list (it seems that some people may still see these if they havent already implemented them). Instead, if you go to Apple logo > About This Mac > More Info > General > Storage you will need to click on the (i) beside the various storage categories. Then you can do things like Empty Trash, erase Documents, and delete Messages attachments, for example.In Ventura, you can work through the various categories to reclaim storageFoundryHowever, what Apple doesnt grant you access to is exactly what we are in interested in here: System Data and macOS. Click on System Data in Ventura and you see nothing. Similarly, System and macOS are both grayed out in older versions of macOS.Theres a good reason for this, of course, if you delete things from System, System Data and macOS you are much more likely to damage your Mac. That is why Apple doesnt make it simple to delete anything from System, System Data or macOS. But you can. There is no Clear System or Delete System button available in macOS, so youll have to manage the storage yourself. In the sections below we will explain how to delete each type of System file.While its possible to manually delete the various files included in the System category, wed recommend that you only do so if youre confident you know what youre doing. Its easy to accidentally delete an important file, only to discover it causes problems later on. If disaster does strike, try some of the tips in how to recover deleted files on Mac.Another option is to use Terminal, but this is one for more advanced users. We explain the process here: How to delete files and folders using Terminal.Before removing anything at all, wed suggest running a full backup of your Macs storage, just so you can return it to the previous state if any problems arise. Read how to backup a Mac and best Mac backup software for more details.Alternatively, the safer option would be to use a system clean-up app like MacPaws CleanMyMac X, Software Ambiences Daisy Disk, or Nektonys MacCleaner Pro. You can find reviews of those tools, along with several more, in our roundup of the best Mac cleaner software and optimisation utilities. These apps can safely delete the files you dont need so you dont have to worry about finding and identifying files that are safe to delete.macOS Monterey and earlier Before Apple launched Ventura you could click on the Apple logo > About This Mac > Storage > Manage and then work through Apples Recommendations (which included things like Optimize Storage, empty Trash automatically, Reduce Clutter). You could also peruse the sidebar on the left and click on each category to open a new window with details of what you can delete. Apple offered various Recommendations to help you clear space but stopped short of granting System accessFoundryHow to clear space in System Data on a MacFollow these steps to delete the various things that make up System storage or System data.Step 1: Remove Time Machine snapshotsFoundryOne of the main culprits for taking up space in System is the local snapshots Time Machine creates each day. You might think that Time Machine backups are only saved to an external disk, but Apple also creates local snapshots on your startup volume. The company says that these snapshots will only be saved if there is plenty of free space and old snapshots will automatically be deleted when new ones are made.This is great if you accidentally save in correct changes to a document, or delete something you didnt mean to, but it can take up space on your Mac that you might prefer to have access to.Luckily there is an easy method for removing local snapshots from your storage. You can simply turn off the Time Machine feature itself, which will remove all of the local snapshots stored on your Mac. There is also a slightly more complicated method using Terminal. We explain both in our step-by-step guide for removing these space-stealing artefacts, so read how to delete Time Machine backups on Mac to find the easy way to remove them.Step 2: Remove old iOS backupsFoundryAnother System space hog are old backups of your iPhone or iPad. These can use unnecessary space on your Mac, so its a good idea to clear them out once in a while. Depending on which version of macOS youre using, heres how to quickly dispense with them.If you have iPhone back ups on your Mac (and you are running macOS Catalina of later) you will find them in the Finder (older versions of macOS used iTunes).Open the FinderClick on your iPhone in the left-hand menuSelect Manage BackupsHighlight the ones you no longer needClick Delete Backup then confirm your choiceIf you dont see your iPhone here you probably dont have any back ups on your Mac, probably preferring to back up your iPhone via iCloud instead.If you are using macOS Mojave or earlier then youll need to use the now defunct iTunes for this:Open iTunesSelect iTunes (in the top left corner) then PreferencesChoose the Devices tab from the window that appearsHighlight the backups you no longer needClick Delete backupStep 3: Delete data from the System folderFoundryThats taken care of two of the biggest users of System storage on the Mac, what about everything else?Everything else you might want to delete from System is hidden away in the Library folder(s). Apple likes to keep the Library folders hidden, presumably to prevent users from accidentally moving or deleting essential files. But if you want to access that part of your storage, then its possible via a menu option in Finder.Whats important is that you know what you are doing and dont just delete things willy nilly.There are actually multiple ways to make the hidden Library folder visible, read how to show hidden files on Mac for more details about finding hidden files.To grant yourself temporary access to the Library folder follow these steps:Open a new Finder windowGo to your Home folder (press Command + Shift + H)Right click and choose Show View Options from the menuEnable the option to Show Library FolderNow you have access to the Library folder youll able to open the Library folder and look for the files that you suspect are taking up room on your drive.At this stage it is really important to exercise caution and only delete things that you know are superfluous. If you arent sure that you should delete something dont. Our advice is that if you dont feel comfortable doing this yourself you should use a specialist app to do it for you.Best apps for deleting System filesThe best option in our opinion really is to use a dedicated optimisation utility, so take a look at our guide to the best Mac cleaner software and optimisation utilities as it provides the easiest method for keeping your Mac in tip-top condition. Our best Mac cleaner solutions include the following, among others: MacPaw CleanMyMac XNektony MacCleaner ProSoftware Ambience Daisy DiskParallels Toolbox (Read our review of Parallels Toolbox)MacBoosterWhen we wanted to recover storage space when we were attempting to install macOS Big Sur we relied on CleanMyMac X which has a tool for clearing System Junk. CleanMyMac X is $29.95/29.95 right now if you buy the plan for one Mac. There is also a free trial. Download from developer MacPaw here.You can also reduce the amount of wasted storage on your device by following the tips in how to free up space on Mac. For more advice read our tips for cleaning up your Mac to make it run faster.

Researchers at Google Deepmind and Stanford University have concluded that a two-hour interview is sufficient to create a realistic AI copy with the same personality as the interviewee.In an experiment,1,052 people were interviewedusing a questionnaire that addressed everything from personal life events to opinions about society. A digital AI copy was then created and when a new round of questions was asked, it answered the same as its human counterpart in 85% of cases.According to the researchers, AI copies of real people can be used in a wide range of contexts, but there are also risks with the technology. For example, they can be used for scams.