In a corner of the bustling showroom floor at CES 2025, I felt like an orchestra conductor. As I subtly waved my arm from side to side, notes rang out on the cello displayed on the giant screen in front of me. The faster I moved my arm, the faster the bow slid across the strings. I even earned a round of applause from fellow booth attendees after a particularly speedy performance.This is what it felt like to use the Mudra Link wristband, which lets you manipulate devices using gesture controls. Motion controls aren't new; I remember using touchless controls as far back as 2014 with devices like the Myo armband. What's different now is that gadgets like these have a bigger reason to exist thanks to the arrival of smart glasses, which were seemingly everywhere at CES 2025.Startups and major tech firms alike have been trying to make smart glasses happen for more than a decade. However, the arrival of AI models that can process speech and visual inputsimultaneously has made them feel more relevant than ever. After all, digital assistants could be much more helpful if they could see what you're seeing and answer questions in real time, much like the idea behind Google's Project Astra prototype glasses. Shipments of smart glasses are expected to grow by 73.1% in 2024, according to a September IDC report, further indicating that tech-equipped spectacles are starting to catch on.Read more: Nvidia's CEO Explains How Its New AI Models Could Work Future Smart Glasses Watch this: These New Smart Glasses Want to Be Your Next AI Companion 02:31 Last fall, Meta demonstrated its own prototype pair of AR glasses, called Orion, controlled by gestures and a neural-input wristband. At last year's Augmented World Expo conference for AR, other startups showed similar experiments.At CES, it became clear that companies are putting a lot of thought into how we should navigate these devices in the future. In addition to the Mudra Link bracelet, I came across a couple of other wearables meant to work with glasses.Take the Afference Ring, for example, which applies neural haptics to your finger to provide tactile feedback when using gesture controls. It's intended for devices like smart glasses and headsets, but I got to try a prototype of it paired with a tablet just to get a feel for how the technology works.In one demo, I played a simple mini golf game that required me to pull my arm back to wind up and then release to launch the ball. The more I pulled back, the stronger the haptics on my finger felt. The experience of toggling brightness and audio sliders was similar; as I turned up the brightness, the sensation on my finger felt more prominent. Afference's ring provides haptic feedback on your finger. Nic Henry/CNETIt was a simple demo, but one that helped me understand the type of approach companies may take to applying haptic feedback to menus and apps in mixed reality. Afference hasn't mentioned any specific partners it's working with, but it's worth noting that Samsung Next participated in Afference's round of seed funding. Samsung launched its first health tracking smart ring last year and announced in December that it's building the first headset to run on the newly announced Android XR platform for upcoming mixed reality headsets.The Mudra Link wristband works with the newly announced TCL RayNeo X3 Pro glasses, which are launching later this year. I briefly tried the Mudra Link wristband to scroll through an app menu on the RayNeo glasses, but the software wasn't finalized yet.I spent most of my time using the wristband to manipulate graphics on a giant screen used for demo purposes at the conference. The cello example was the most compelling demo, but I was also able to grab and stretch a cartoon character's face and move it around the screen just by waving my hand and pinching my fingers.Halliday's smart glasses, which were also unveiled at CES, work with an accompanying ring for navigation. Though I didn't get to try the ring, I used the glasses briefly to translate language in real time, with text translations instantly showing up in my field of view even on the noisy showroom floor. TheHalliday smart glassesput a small screen in your field of view, and you can navigate the device with a companion ring. James Martin/CNETWithout gestures, there are generally two primary ways to interact with smart glasses: touch controls located on the device, and voice commands. The former is ideal for quick interactions, such as swiping through a menu, launching an app or dismissing a call, while the latter is useful for summoning and commanding virtual assistants.Gesture controls could make it easier to navigate interfaces without having to bring your hand up to your face, speak out loud or hold an external controller. However, there is still a degree of awkwardness that comes with using gestures to control a screen that's invisible to everyone but the person wearing the glasses. I can't imagine waving my hands around in public without any context.Meta is already moving toward gesture-controlled glasses, and its CTO, Andrew Bosworth,recently told CNET that gestures would most likely be needed for any future pair of display-enabled glasses.If CES is any indication, 2025 is shaping up to be a big year for smart glasses -- and gesture control will undoubtedly play a role in how we navigate these new spatial interfaces in the future. CES 2025: See the 35 Coolest Tech Products We Can't Shake See all photos

Apple'siPhone 16 series boasts a set of new features, like improved cameras and deep integration with Apple Intelligence, but the company's rumored foldable iPhone Flip is still nowhere to be seen. Most makers of Android phones, including Samsung, Google, Motorola, OnePlus, Xiaomi and Honor, have been selling folding devices for years now, and it's beginning to feel like Apple is late to the party. That might be a problem.Apple dominates in the premium phone category, but foldables -- which fit into the premium space in terms of price -- are already nipping at its heels, with Motorola telling CNET that 20% of customers buying its Razr foldable jumped ship from Apple. Meanwhile, Samsung is in the sixth generation of its Flip and Fold series. As CNET's Lisa Eadicicco found out during a visit to Seoul, "foldables are everywhere" in Samsung's home country of South Korea. Would Apple go with a smaller format like the Galaxy Z Flip series? Amy Kim/CNETWith almost all the major Android phone manufacturers getting in on the foldable game, Apple runs the risk not just of losing out on potential customers but also of allowing a rival like Samsung to become the go-to name for the category, which could make it harder for Apple to have an impact if it eventually launches its own folding product. Furthermore, customers who've become early adopters of a foldable, attracted by the fancy bending tech, may be too entrenched in the Android ecosystem by the time Apple's phone arrives to want to switch to iOS.Apple is unlikely to be worried. It's estimated that around 20 million foldables from all manufacturers were sold worldwide in 2023, while Apple reportedly sold 26.5 million iPhone 14 Pro Max handsets in the first half of that year alone. Clearly, Apple feels it has yet to miss the boat. The iPhone 15 Pro Max is a superb phone. But what if it could bend? Andrew Lanxon/CNETApple has always found success in biding its time, observing the industry and launching its own take on a product when it's ready. Apple didn't invent phones, tablets, smartwatches or computers, but it found ways to take existing products and make them more useful, more valuable in day-to-day life and -- dare I say -- more exciting. It's why the iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Mac lines dominate the market today. For me, I need to see Apple's take on the foldable phone. I've written before about how disappointed I am in foldables. I've been a mobile reporter for over 13 years and phones have become increasingly dull as they've converged to become slight variations on the same rectangular slab.Read more: Best Flip Phone for 2025Foldables promised something new, something innovative, something that briefly sparked some excitement in me, but several years in, that excitement has dwindled to the point of being extinguished. They are fine products and while I like the novelty of a screen that bends, they're not a revolution in how we interact with our phones. Not in the way that the arrival of the touchscreen was when we were still pushing buttons to type out texts.I did hope that Google's Pixel Fold would be the phone to catapult the foldable forward, and while the new Pixel 9 Pro Fold -- the second generation of Google's foldable -- does offer some great updates, it still doesn't offer any kind of revolution. Instead, it feels more like a "me too" move from Google. Ditto for the OnePlus Open. So I'm left instead to look toward Apple, a company with a track record for product revolutions, to create a new take on the genre that genuinely drives forward how we use our phones. Google's Pixel Fold is a decent phone, but it doesn't drive the category forward in any meaningful way. James Martin/CNETThat innovation won't just come from the product design. Apple works closely with its third-party software developers, and it's that input that would help a folding iPhone become genuinely useful. My biggest complaint around foldables right now is that while the hardware is decent, the devices are essentially just running standard versions of Android with a handful of UI tweaks thrown in. They're regular phones that just happen to bend.Few Android developers are embracing the folding format, and it's not difficult to see why; the users aren't there in sufficient numbers yet to justify the time and expense to adapt their software across a variety of screen sizes. The multiple folding formats already available mean Android foldables face the same fragmentation issue that has plagued the platform since the beginning. Android-based foldables are simply a more difficult platform for developers to build for than regular phones. Apple would be able to change that, as it proved with the iPhone and iPad. Apple didn't invent tablet computers, but its iPad line revolutionized the category. Scott Stein/CNETGiven Apple's close relationships with top-tier developers -- not to mention its own vast developer team -- I expect an eventual Apple foldable to offer innovations that make it more than just an iPhone that folds in half.And I truly hope it does. I want to look forward to tech launches again. I want to feel excited to get a new gadget in my hands and feel that "wow" moment as I do something transformative for the first time.In short, I don't want to be bored by technology anymore. Apple, it's over to you. I Took 600+ Photos With the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. Look at My Favorites See all photos

Marvel Rivals update kills mods, removing cheats, skins, and 19-inches of VenomAssault rival.Image credit: NetEase News by Vikki Blake Contributor Published on Jan. 11, 2025 Yesterday's Marvel Rivals update has seemingly wiped the ability to use mods on PC.Marvel Rivals has been in Season 0 since its release last month, and yesterday the online hero shooter's first season launched, bringing significant balance changes and the heroic Fantastic Four team: Mister Fantastic, the Invisible Woman, the Human Torch, and the Thing.Since the update rolled out, however, players are reporting that asset hash checking has stripped the ability to use mods, such as custom skins or FPS boosts.Season 1: Eternal Night Falls Official Trailer | Marvel Rivals.Watch on YouTubeAsset hash checking compares what you're running on your PC to what the servers believes your code should be running, and if it finds any differences - mods, in other words - the account could be banned. To see this content please enable targeting cookies.Whilst some lament the loss - including a lot of talk about Venom's "19-inch stalk" - others are more ambivalent about the changes, pointing out that Marvel Rivals is a free-to-play game that relies on battle pass and skin sales to generate profit.Others noted that this decision could also help ameliorate cheats and hacks.Let's not pretend this is a bad thing. Cosmetics are literally their only form of profit to keep this FREE game running byu/Jtneagle inmarvelrivalsTo see this content please enable targeting cookies.Marvel Rivals has proven incredibly popular since its launch. Its opening weekend saw 10 million players join online to take part in the fray."NetEase's spin on the hero battler is complex and moreish, but rarely much actual fun," our Chris wrote in Eurogamer's Marvel Rivals review. "Its biggest impact is a renewed appreciation for the rivals that do it better." He awarded it two out of five stars.

Ill spare you the experience of listening to one of the richest men in the world whine and just tell you straight out: Mark Zuckerbergs interview on The Joe Rogan Experience is full of lies.Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebooks parent company Meta, sets the tone at the very beginning: I think at some level you only start one of these companies if you believe in giving people a voice, right?Unfortunately I wasnt born yesterday, and I remember Zuckerbergs first attempt at getting rich: FaceMash, a clone of HotOrNot where he uploaded photos of his fellow female students to be rated without their consent. Giving people a voice is one way of describing that, I suppose. Personally, Id call it creep shit.If you can get away with the small bullshit, you can get away with the big bullshit, right?Early on in the interview, Zuckerberg tests out the water to see how much pushback hell get; Rogan is a notoriously soft interviewer its like listening to your dumbest stoned friend hold a conversation but he does occasionally challenge his guests. So Zuckerberg says that there are limits on the First Amendment by saying, Its like, all right, you cant yell fire in a crowded theater.Fire in a crowded theater makes every lawyer I know foam at the mouth because its flat out wrong. It is not the law, and it never has been. And, obviously, you can yell fire in a crowded theater especially if, you know, the theater is on fire. Rogan says nothing in response to this, and Zuckerberg knows hes got a willing mark. If you can get away with the small bullshit, you can get away with the big bullshit, right?For his part, Rogan serves up Zuckerberg a series of softballs, setting his own tone by referring to content moderation as censorship. The idea that the government was forcing Zuckerberg to censor news about covid and covid vaccines, Hunter Bidens laptop, and the election is something of a running theme throughout the interview. When Zuckerberg isnt outright lying about any of this, hes quite vague but in case you were wondering, a man who was formally rebuked by the city of San Francisco for putting his name on a hospital while his platforms spread health misinformation thinks that on balance, the vaccines are more positive than negative. Whew!Misinformation on Facebook started well before the 2016 election as early as 2014, scammers were spreading Ebola lies on Facebook. Shortly after the 2016 election, Adam Mosseri then Facebooks VP of product management said in a statement that Facebook was combating fake news but theres so much more we need to do. Facebook did receive criticism for spreading fake news, including misinformation that benefitted President Donald Trump, but even then, Zuckerberg wasnt having it. I do think there is a certain profound lack of empathy in asserting that the only reason someone could have voted the way they did is they saw some fake news, Zuckerberg said.Its something out of like 1984.Still, in the 2020 election, Facebook along with other social media networks took a harsher stance on fake news, making it harder for Macedonian teenagers to make a profit off Trump supporters. During his Rogan interview, Zuckerberg now characterizes this intervention as giving too much deference to a lot of folks in the media who were basically saying, okay, theres no way that this guy could have gotten elected except for misinformation.Facebook implemented a fact-checking program, one that involved partners such as the conservative online magazine The Dispatch, Reuters, Agence France-Presse and USA Today. In a concession to Donald Trumps second presidency, implemented before Trump even took the oath of office, Zuckerberg has said Facebook will end the program. Were going to get back to our roots and focus on reducing mistakes, simplifying our policies and restoring free expression on our platforms, Zuckerberg said in the video announcing the move.On the Rogan show, Zuckerberg went further in describing the fact-checking program hed implemented: Its something out of like 1984. He says the fact-checkers were too biased, though he doesnt say exactly how.The problem wasnt that the fact-checking was bad; it was that conservatives are more likely to share misinformation and get fact-checked, as some research has shown. That means conservatives are also more likely to be moderated. In this sense, perhaps it wasnt Facebooks fact-checking systems that had a liberal bias, but reality.The biggest lie of all is a lie of omissionWell, Zuckerbergs out of the business of reality now. I am sympathetic to the difficulties social media platforms faced in trying to moderate during covid where rapidly-changing information about the pandemic was difficult to keep up with and conspiracy theories ran amok. Im just not convinced it happened the way Zuckerberg describes. Zuckerberg whines about being pushed by the Biden administration to fact-check claims: These people from the Biden administration would call up our team, and, like, scream at them, and curse, Zuckerberg says.Did you record any of these phone calls? Rogan asks.I dont know, Zuckerberg says. I dont think we were.Many of the controversial moderation calls Facebook made in the pandemic were during the Trump administrationRogan then asks who, specifically, was pressuring Facebook. And Zuckerberg has no answer: It was people in the Biden administration, he says. I think it was, you know, I wasnt involved in those conversations directly, but I think it was.But the biggest lie of all is a lie of omission: Zuckerberg doesnt mention the relentless pressure conservatives have placed on the company for years which has now clearly paid off. Zuckerberg is particularly full of shit here because Republican Rep. Jim Jordan released Zuckerbergs internal communications which document this!In his letter to Jordans committee, Zuckerberg writes, Ultimately it was our decision whether or not to take content down. Emphasis mine. Like I said to our teams at the time, I feel strongly that we should not compromise our content standards due to pressure from any Administration in either direction and were ready to push back if something like this happens again.Those emails also reveal Zuckerberg wanted to blame the Biden White House for how Facebook chose to moderate the lab leak conspiracy theory of covid origins. Can we include that the WH put pressure on us to censor the lab leak theory? he asked in a WhatsApp chat. His former president of global affairs, Nick Clegg, responded, I dont think they put specific pressure on that theory.Joel Kaplan, the former George W. Bush advisor who has now replaced Clegg, said that blaming the White House for Facebooks behavior would supercharge conservatives who believed the social media giant was collaborating with the Biden administration. If theyre more interested in criticizing us than actually solving the problems, then Im not sure how its helping the cause to engage with them further, Zuckerberg wrote. This doesnt seem to show that the Biden administration successfully censored anything.Facebook was widely and obviously targeted by Republican lawmakersIn fact, many of the controversial moderation calls Facebook made in the pandemic were during the Trump administration. Take, for instance, the Plandemic video hoax: Facebook removed the video in 2020. Joe Biden took office in 2021. If Zuckerberg was dealing with an administration pressuring him about this, it was the Trump administration. The Biden White House may well have engaged in similar outreach, but it was joining what was already an active discussion about Facebook moderation.Facebook was widely and obviously targeted by Republican lawmakers, including Jordan, Senator Ted Cruz, Florida governor Ron DeSantis, Texas governor Greg Abbott, Senator Marsha Blackburn, and incoming Vice President JD Vance. It was mostly conservatives who threatened him during the interminable and pointless Congressional hearings Zuckerberg sat through for years often asking him to comment directly on conspiracy theories or demand that individual trolls be reinstated to his platforms.But Zuckerberg didnt mention any of that to Rogan. Instead, he was upset that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau started investigating him for improperly using financial information to target ads. What does Zuckerberg say about this? Well, let me give it to you straight:They kind of found some theory they wanted to investigate. And its like, okay, clearly they were trying really hard, right? To like, to like, find, find some theory, but it, like, I dont know. It just, it kind of, like, throughout the, the, the, the, the party and the government, there was just sort of, I dont know if its, I dont know how this stuff works. I mean, Ive never been in government. I dont know if its like a directive or its just like a quiet consensus that like, we dont like these guys. Theyre not doing what we want. Were going to punish them. But, but its, its, its tough to be at the other end of that.This is a compelling demonstration that jujitsu and MMA training (or hunting pigs in Hawaii or making your neck real thick or whatever) isnt going to help you act aggressive if youre constitutionally bitchmade. Blaming the CFPB for a witch-hunt when weve all watched Republicans target Facebook really is something! Thats what this whole performance is about: getting Trump, Vance, Jordan and the rest of the Republican party to lay off. After all, the Cambridge Analytica scandal cost Facebook just $5 billion chump change, really. If Zuckerberg plays ball, his next privacy whoopsie could be even cheaper.In fact, Zuckerberg even offers Republicans another target: Apple. According to Zuckerberg, the way Apple makes money is by basically, like, squeezing people. Among his complaints:Apples 30 percent commission on App Store salesAirpods work better with Apple phones than all other headphonesApple wouldnt let Zuckerbergs Meta Ray-Bans connect to iOS using the same quick-setup protocol Airpods useiMessage is a walled garden, and groupchats go wonky if theres a person with an Android phone in thereI mean at some point I did this like back of the envelope calculation of like all the random rules that Apple puts out. If you know, if they didnt apply, like I think you know, its like and this is just Meta, I think wed like, make twice as much profit or something.At least some of these Apple issues actually matter there is a legitimate DOJ antitrust case against the company. But that isnt whats on Zuckerbergs mind. The last point is the important one, from his perspective. He has a longstanding grudge against Apple after the company implemented anti-tracking features into its default browser, Safari. Facebook criticized those changes in newspaper ads, even. The policy cost social media companies almost $10 billion, according to The Financial Times; Facebook lost the most money in absolute terms. You see, it turns out if you ask people whether they want to be tracked, the answer is generally no and thats bad for Facebooks business.Zuckerberg wants us to believe this isnt about politics at allBut Zuckerberg wants us to believe this isnt about politics at all. Getting Rogans listeners riled up about Zuckerbergs enemies and finding Republicans a new tech company target is just a coincidence, as are the changes to allow more hate speech on his platforms happening now, changes that just happen to pacify Republicans. All of this has nothing to do with the incoming administration, Zuckerberg tells Rogan. I think a lot of people look at this as like a purely political thing, because they kind of look at the timing and theyre like, hey, well, youre doing this right after the election. he says. We try to have policies that reflect mainstream discourse.And did this work? Did Zuckerbergs gambit to talk about how social media needed more masculine energy win over the bros? Well, Barstools Dave Portnoy isnt fooled by this shit.I dont know. I did think it was pretty funny that after all these complaints about government censorship, Zuckerberg didnt say a word about Trump and the Republicans efforts at it.After all, Trump, the incoming president who has on occasion threatened to put Zuckerberg in prison, was recently asked if the Facebook changes were in response to his threats.Probably, Trump said.

White Fortress | Fernando Guerra | FG+SGLocated in the coastal landscape of Al Khiran, Kuwait, the White Fortress is a modern residence designed by TAEP/AAP. Completed in 2023, the house reinterprets Northern Gulf architectural principles of privacy, discretion, and climatic adaptability in a contemporary framework. With a built-up area of 1,045 sqm, the White Fortress harmoniously integrates traditional elements with innovative design, creating a sanctuary that celebrates spatial diversity, serenity, and a profound connection to its surroundings.White Fortress Technical InformationArchitects1-8: TAEP/AAPLocation: Al Khiran, KuwaitArea: 1,045 m2 | 11,250 Sq. Ft.Completion Year: 2023Photographs: Fernando Guerra | FG+SGEmbodying the architectural attributes of Northern Gulf architecture of privacy and discretion, the White Fortress is enveloped by towering, thick walls that offer protection from the harsh climate and arid surroundings, while enclosing a serene and inviting interior. TAEP/AAP ArchitectsWhite Fortress Photographs Fernando Guerra | FG+SG Fernando Guerra | FG+SG Fernando Guerra | FG+SG Fernando Guerra | FG+SG Fernando Guerra | FG+SG Fernando Guerra | FG+SG Fernando Guerra | FG+SG Fernando Guerra | FG+SG Fernando Guerra | FG+SG Fernando Guerra | FG+SG Fernando Guerra | FG+SG Fernando Guerra | FG+SG Fernando Guerra | FG+SGArchitectural Design and Spatial OrganizationThe White Fortress is defined by its towering, thick exterior walls, which serve as protective barriers against the harsh Kuwaiti climate while ensuring privacy and seclusion. These walls reflect traditional Gulf architectural values and establish a bold, monumental presence within the arid landscape.Inside, the dwelling is organized around a series of patios that anchor the spatial arrangement. Each courtyard serves a distinct purposegreeting, resting, and celebratingproviding diverse experiences within a cohesive framework. The central green oasis divides service areas from private and social spaces, fostering a sense of tranquility and balance. Generously proportioned rooms open onto oval-shaped patios and small gardens, connected by meandering paths that enhance spatial fluidity and discovery.The design employs non-linear pathways and axial corridors to create a rhythmic play of depth and shadow. These circulation strategies encourage movement through successive gardens and patios, culminating in the private family spaces. The seamless transition between interior and exterior spaces exemplifies thoughtful spatial connectivity.The integration of glazed facades in social areas allows natural light to permeate the interiors, balancing the solidity of the walls with transparency and openness. The interplay of light and shadow across textured surfaces enriches the sensory experience of the space, creating a dynamic yet calming atmosphere.White Fortress Relationship with Site and ContextThe White Fortress demonstrates a sophisticated response to Kuwaits harsh climate. The thick walls provide insulation, while the shaded patios and green spaces mitigate the effects of the intense heat. These strategies ensure a comfortable and sustainable living environment.Positioned along the Gulf Sea, the residence establishes a strong dialogue with its surroundings. An open semi-covered paved space frames views of the seascapes horizontality, blurring the boundaries between land and water. The houses private beach access enhances this connection, making the seashore an extension of the homes social spaces.The landscaping, which includes small gardens and native vegetation, complements the architectural language. Sand dunes and greenery are seamlessly woven into the design, reinforcing the homes connection to its natural environment. The gardens serve as visual and sensory buffers, enriching the overall living experience.Rooted in the regions cultural traditions, the design respects and reinterprets Gulf architectural values. The emphasis on privacy, the use of courtyards, and the integration of natural elements reflect a deep understanding of local heritage, ensuring the projects authenticity and relevance.Iconic Features and Design LegacyAt the heart of the central oasis is a tall cylindrical volume reminiscent of a seacoast lighthouse. This architectural centerpiece serves as a meditative space, offering solitude and serenity. From its rooftop, the structure provides panoramic views of the house gardens, the dunes, and the endless horizon of the sea, transforming into a contemplative walking area.The design capitalizes on its coastal location, framing views of the Gulf Sea and integrating the horizon into the living experience. These vistas enhance the aesthetic appeal and establish a profound sense of place.The White Fortress sets a benchmark for contemporary Gulf residential architecture. By blending tradition with modernity, the project offers a fresh perspective on how privacy, spatial hierarchy, and environmental considerations can coexist harmoniously. It is a compelling case study for architects exploring innovative approaches to regional design challenges.White Fortress PlansFloor Plans | TAEP/AAPSection | TAEP/AAPAxonmoetric View | TAEP/AAPSketch | TAEP/AAPWhite Fortress Image GalleryAbout TAEP/AAPCredits and Additional NotesLead Architects: Abdulatif Almishari, Rui VargasDesign Team: Carla Barroso, Alba Duarte, Telmo Rodrigues, Carlo Palma, Duarte Correia, Elvino Domingos, Emanuel Grave, Hassan Javed, Joo Costa, Lionel Estriga, Pedro MirandaStructural Engineer: R5 EngineersMEP Engineers: Mohammed Hassan, Rben RodriguesInterior Designers: Leonor Barata Feyo, Carolina GraveLandscape Designers: Susana PinheiroGraphic Designers: Mariana Neves, Aquilino Sotero, Diogo Monteiro, Federica Fortugno, Nelson Ferreira, Lus EstevesSite Supervision: AsBuilt Team: Lcio Silva, Ricardo Janeiro, Vando Beldade

One of the most attractive railroad depots in Connecticut, the Cornwall Bridge Railroad Station exists in almost complete originality. Its siding is board and batten and its slate roof with a wide overhang supported by the original brackets, showcases the attention to detail railroad companies paid to design and appoint these important landmarks. Built in 1886, the building can be classified as Stick Style and is one of a few buildings in town of the style, adding to its significance. The station was built by theHousatonic Railroad to replace an earlier station on the site. The Housatonic line was acquired by theNew York, New Haven and Hartford Railroadin 1892 and later by thePenn Central Railroadin 1969, which went bankrupt by 1970. This station was subsequently sold to private ownership and listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a tool to bring awareness to its significance and threatened status. Luckily, the building was preserved and has been converted to a private residence.

All images courtesy of LFZ Studio, shared with permissionAn Enormous Fractured Acorn Seeds Meditation Among the TreesJanuary 11, 2025DesignNatureGrace EbertIn a lush, wooded pocket in Rouen, France, a meditation space rests on the forest floor. Designed by Linfeng Zhou of Vancouver-based LFZ Studio, Le Monde dans un Gland, or The World in an Acorn, invites visitors into its shell to have a seat and reflect.Diamond-shaped, interlocking panels of marine plywood nest together to create the scaled cupule of the nut, which allows light to pierce through and cast dappled sun spots around the interior. The entrance mimics a crack in the shell before the root appears, which asks visitors to step inside and embrace the perspective of an awakening tree.Set atop concrete blocks and lined with weather-resistant materials, the immersive acorn is designed to withstand the wet, rainy climate without disrupting the forest ecosystem. Utilizing minimal nails and screws emphasizes a more natural building approach that relies on perfectly cut interlocking components rather than additional hardware.Find more from LFZ Studio on its website. (via designboom)Next article

Nvidia is developing real-world robots that are equipped with artificial intelligence capabilities. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) Welcome to Fox News Artificial Intelligence newsletter with the latest AI technology advancements.IN TODAY'S NEWSLETTER:- Tech industry leaders urge Biden not to cement rule they say could diminish US global leadership on AI- Sam Altman responds to lawsuit, allegations of abuse from sister- As a Berkeley professor, I see the impact H-1B visas and AI have on students' job opportunities- Top tech stealing the show at CES 2025PUSH BACK: The new rule, which industry leaders say could come as early as the end of this week, effectively seeks to shore up the U.S. economy and national security efforts by adding new restrictions on how many U.S.-made artifical intelligence products can be deployed across the globe. Jensen Huang, co-founder and chief executive officer of Nvidia Corp., speaks during the Nvidia GPU Technology Conference (GTC) in San Jose, Calif., on Monday, March 18, 2024. (David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images)'UTTERLY UNTRUE': Open AI CEO Sam Altman on Tuesday responded to a lawsuit in which his sister accused him of sexually abusing her for nearly a decade. Altman, along with his mother and two brothers, issued a joint statement denying the claims of his sister, Ann Altman. Sam Altman, chief executive officer of OpenAI, speaks during the Bloomberg Technology Summit in San Francisco on Thursday, June 22, 2023. (David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images)LOW COST LABOR: The H-1B visa program was intended to bring in specialized talent from abroad, but instead it has become a tool for employers to hire lower-cost labor for ordinary jobs. Illustrative picture showing an application for the United States of America work visa H1B with a pen. BEST OF CES: Get ready for some pretty cool innovations that are lighting up CES 2025, the world's biggest annual tech event. From AI-powered smart glasses to revolutionary TVs and mind-blowing gadgets, this year's show is proving that the future isn't just knocking. It's bursting through the door. Samsung Food app. (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)FOLLOW FOX NEWS ON SOCIAL MEDIASIGN UP FOR OUR OTHER NEWSLETTERSDOWNLOAD OUR APPSWATCH FOX NEWS ONLINEFox News GoSTREAM FOX NATIONFox NationStay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future with Fox Newshere. This article was written by Fox News staff. Related Topics

The Roborock Saros Z70 robot vacuum, unveiled at CES 2025, features an arm that grabs toys, socks, and other small obstacles to clean your floors more thoroughly.

ZDNET's key takeaways The OnePlus 13 is a snappy, nearly no-compromise phone that starts at $899. A Snapdragon 8 Elite, paired with a 6,000mAh battery and 80W fast charging, is a recipe for endurance success. IP69 is almost excessive, but you'll appreciate it when least expected. more buying choices It's not often that I review a smartphone in the first few weeks of January and feel confident in calling it a "Phone of the Year" contender. But the OnePlus 13 is almost as good as it gets. Whether Samsung launches an Ultra phone with a 300-megapixel camera at Unpacked later this month, or Apple releases a thinner iPhone in the fall, the OnePlus 13 will likely still be on my mind when the year-end nominations are due.Also: World's first 500W charger unveiled at CES 2025 - for all you super power usersThere's a lot going for the latest flagship phone, from the more secure (and reliable) ultrasonic fingerprint sensor to the IP69 rating to the 6,000mAh Silicon NanoStack battery. It's also one of the first phones in North America to feature Qualcomm's new Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, which promises improvements to performance, efficiency, and AI workloads.Over the past few weeks, I've been testing the OnePlus 13 alongside my iPhone 16 Pro Maxand Google Pixel 9 Pro XL to see exactly how the new Android stacks up against one of the best phones from 2024. In a few ways, the OnePlus 13 falls short. In many ways, it puts the iPhone and Pixel to shame. details View at OnePlus When I first unboxed the OnePlus 13 and held it in hand, my reaction was audible. Allow me to geek out here: The slightly curved glass, slimness of the phone, and overall appearance made my four-month-old iPhone look and feel outdated. It's as if OnePlus made the iPhone 17 Air before Apple did.However, what sells the OnePlus 13 design for me is the new Midnight Ocean colorway, which flaunts a vegan-leather backing that makes the phone visually distinctive and more comfortable to hold than its glass-only predecessors. The texture isn't as rough and grippy as actual leather though, so I'd be interested in seeing how it ages over the year. Kerry Wan/ZDNETIf you were hoping the first major Android phone of 2025 would feature Qi2 wireless charging, I have good news and bad news. While the OnePlus 13 doesn't have an in-body Qi2 charging coil, meaning MagSafe (and similar) accessories won't attach directly to the back of the device, OnePlus has embedded magnetic guides within its protective covers, enabling users to take advantage of the accessories so long as the OnePlus 13 is encased. It's a burdenless workaround, but one that hopefully won't be necessary with the next model.For years, one aspect that's held OnePlus phones back is the water and dust resistance rating or lack thereof. With the OnePlus 13, the company is finally taking a stronger stance on the endurance standard, certifying the phone with an IP69 rating. It's a step above the IP68 ratings we commonly see on competing devices, and allows the OnePlus 13 to withstand high-pressure, high-temperature water jets, and humidity changes.Also: One of the most innovative Android phones I've tested isn't made by Samsung or GoogleIn practice, this means the OnePlus 13 can function properly even if you leave it in your washer and dryer, dishwasher, or a pot of boiling soup. The IP69 rating feels very much like a flex, but it's a benefit that users will appreciate when they least expect it. Kerry Wan/ZDNETPowering the device is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite chip that, from my weeks of usage, has some noticeable strengths and weaknesses. For day-to-day usage, such as bouncing between productivity apps, definitely not scrolling through TikTok, and taking photos and videos, the processor handles tasks gracefully. It helps that OxygenOS 15, based on the latest version of Android, has some of the smoothest animations I've seen on a phone.Also: The best Android phones to buy in 2025But once you fire up graphics-intensive applications like Adobe Premiere Rush and Honkai Star Rail, you'll notice some stuttering as the higher heat development leads to throttling performance. This isn't a dealbreaker, per se, as the nerfs are only apparent when you're using the device for a prolonged time.I've actually been using the OnePlus 13 quite liberally, as the 6,000mAh Silicon NanoStack battery has kept my review unit running for at least a day and a half per charge. That's unseen with any other mainstream phone in the US market, and I fully expect more manufacturers to adopt silicon batteries for their greater energy density. If not that, copy the 80W fast charging or 50W wireless charging; they're quite the revelation. Kerry Wan/ZDNETOn the camera front, the OnePlus 13, with its triple camera setup (50MP wide, ultrawide, and telephoto), has been a reliable shooter throughout most of my days. While the Sony LYT-808 sensor isn't on par with the one-inch sensors I've tested on international phones, it does an excellent job of capturing details and finishing the output vividly. If you're a fan of sharp, bright, and slightly oversaturated imagery (read: more colorful than how the actual subject appears), then the OnePlus 13 will serve you well.Also: 5 hidden Android features that can simplify your lifeWhere the camera sensors fall short is in post-processing and AI-tuning features. For example, the phone leans heavily on computational photography to contextualize details when taking far-distance shots. This sometimes leads to images with an artificial, over-smoothening filter. But when the backend software works, it's able to reproduce details that you probably didn't think you'd capture in the first place.ZDNET's buying adviceFor a starting price of $899, the OnePlus 13 delivers some seriously good value -- possibly the best of all the major flagship phones I've tested lately. The company has improved the device in almost every way, from the design to the performance to its accessory ecosystem.I just wish OnePlus offered more extensive software support, as the OnePlus 13 will only receive four years of Android OS updates and six years of security updates. Samsung, Google, and Apple offer at least seven years of OS support.If you're interested in the OnePlus 13, the best deal I'm currently seeing is on the OnePlus website, as the company is offering a free OnePlus Watch 2 (valued at $299), a free storage upgrade (valued at $100), and at least $100 off when you trade in any phone in any condition.Featured reviews