Starting off the year with the tech overload of the CES trade show has been a CNET tradition for decades, and CES 2025 was no different, as our editors stalked the floors and booths looking for the most innovative products, culminating in our official Best of CES awards.This year's CES tech extravaganza served scads ofAItools, tech for yoursmart home, slick newTVs, groundbreaking EVs, powerfullaptops, ingenioushealth techand a bounty of robots.Scroll down for some of the most interesting products at CES 2025. For more CES coverage, check out all of the delicious (and gross) food created by CES kitchen tech or read about the top seven biggest disappointments at CES. Lisa Eadicicco/CNET Nike x Hyperice Tech-filled "shoes" that soothe your aching feet with topical warmth and compression. Nike partnered with fitness recovery tech company Hyperice to make a tech-filled boot that can help sore feet recover. First deployed at last year's Paris Olympics, the Nike x Hyperice boot (no more official name) slips around your foot and applies heat and compression with buttons to adjust either. It's technically a "system of dual-air Normatec bladders bonded to warming elements," but there was only one word when our CNET Senior Reporter Lisa Eadicicco wore them on the Vegas show floor: relief. Nike's Prototype Shoes Squeezed and Heated Our Weary Feet at CES 2025. Here's What They Feel Like. CNET Kirin Electric Salt Spoon Soup too bland but lowering salt intake? Use this spoon to add flavor... through electric shocks. The pitfall of salt is that it tastes so good, but many of us are on low-sodium diets for our health. Rather than use an untasty alternative, why not turn to science? Japanese appliance company Kirin has a new experimental soup spoon. It's large and requires an awkward grip to engage the sensors, so you kinda look like a toddler using it. But pull it off and weak electrical current will simulate the taste of salt (varying per person), making it an imperfect but promising piece of dinnerware tech. We Tested an Electric Salt Spoon That Might Help You Stick to Your Low-Sodium Diet. James Martin/CNET LG G5 OLED TV Hey, good looking After seeing the picture quality, TV expert David Katzmaier singled this out as one of his favorite TVs of the show; he traditionally finds LG's OLED quality best-in-class (as do I for its monitors), and this year's is brighter with better contrast in ambient light. New LG OLED TVs Boost Brightness, Load Up on AI and Flirt With Going Wireless. Watch this: Best TVs of CES 2025: Among So Many New Screens, I Pick 4 05:35 Katie Collins/CNET Flint Paper Battery Sustainable, affordable, scalable power Singaporean startup Flint's technology hopes to solve the problems inherent in today's widely-used lithium-ion batteries with cellulose, a natural material that promotes ionic transfer between the positive and negative terminals of a battery. Which is another way of saying "electricity!". Cellulose, the stuff of leaves and other greenery, is flexible, compressible and possibly more important, biodegradable; the paper battery can be shrunk small enough embed in a smartwatch strap. It's one our picks for Best of CES 2025, too. These Paper Batteries -- Yes, Paper -- Are Coming For Your Tech. LG LG UltraGear 45GX990A Bend it, game it The flagship of LG's new GX9 line of UltraGear gaming monitors announced at the show is the most feature-laden of the group and more interesting than a lot of other offerings -- it's relative high resolution (5,120 x 2,160), has support for multiple picture sizes and refresh rate configurations (dual mode) and a curved-to-flat bendable screen (like theCorsair Xeneon). The Monitors of CES 2025 I Can't Wait to Try. Honda Honda 0 series EVs From prototype to production We first saw Honda's 0 ("zero") series last yearas a concept, and this year Honda has shared a closer-to-final version of the sleek line, which goes into production in 2026. It's now running Asimo OS, an operating system named after its Asimo robot of yesteryear.These EVs look like what you'd expect a future car to look like; still with some wedginess to their shapes, and referred to as "gorgeous" by automotive reporter Antuan Goodwin. Honda's Gorgeous 0 Series EVs Begin Production Next Year. Geoffrey Morrison/CNET Xgimi Ascend A roll-up projector screen on the cheap-ish It's not the LG OLED rollable screen of your dreams, but the Ascend may be more within your grasp. It's a retractable, ambient light-rejecting screen with built-in speakers and an ultra short-throw projector that looks like a piece of furniture when the screen withdraws. TV tech guru Geoffrey Morrison has been an ultrashort throw skeptic, but thinks this pair may solve some of the issues he's had with them. There's no pricing yet for the screen (the projector is $2,700), but it's bound to be less than models like the LG. Finally, A Roll-Up Projector Screen of Your Budget TV Dreams. Humetrix Humetrix AI app An upgrade that will voice-to-voice translate your symptoms and meds in the local tongue. Humetrix's AI-powered translation technology already assisted aid workers at last summer's Paris Olympic Games, but soon it'll expand to help individuals seeking medical aid in places where they don't speak the native tongue. Humetrix's advantage lies in its database of 4 million medications and info on 67,000 medical conditions; using GPS location, Humetrix will translate and speak symptoms, medications and other health info into the local language (of 25 available for now) -- just speak into your phone and the Humetrix app will explain in the right lingual and medical terminology. CES 2025: This AI Tool Lets Doctors and Traveling Patients Converse, Despite Language Barriers. AC Future AC Future AI-THu, AI-THt and AI-THd Tiny homes with big tech When you're ready to go small -- or don't have the budget to go big -- a tiny home can be an appealing alternative, especially when it's luxurious and packed with the latest smart tech. Our favorite of AC Future's designer mini residences is the AI-Thu, a modular build (as small as 400 square feet) packed with smart technology that helps control lighting, heating, cooling and appliances, plus solar panels, a water recycling system, atmospheric water generation and a lot more. Would You Pay $100,000 for a Mini Smart House? We Saw the Details at CES 2025. Antuan Goodwin/CNET Top of mind for every potential EV buyer is how inconvenient charging is -- but the Aptera Solar EV is wrapped in solar panels to recharge while you drive. Forget the cockroach-looking solar-powered cars of yesteryear, as this EV is a svelte three-wheeler with a swooped design that looks like it's about to take off into the sky (that achieves 70% less drag than EV's on the road today). Aptera expects to start producing the $40,000 vehicle later this year, so start planning if a constantly-recharging two-seater EV would fit your lifestyle. I Took a Ride in an EV That Doesn't Need to Plug In. See at Aptera Read more: We Love These Ground-Breaking EV Solutions at CES 2025 James Martin/CNET Dreame X50 Ultra A robot vacuum with tiny legs to get up ledges or cross door gaps. Roombas and other robot vacuums have been a big hit, but their little wheels can be defeated by the tiniest ledge or threshold between rooms. Enter Dreame's X50 Ultra, which has two short wheeled legs it can deploy to surmount very modest obstacles. No, it won't climb stairs, but we saw it conquer small ledges a couple inches high. This advancement comes at the steep price of $1,699 when it starts shipping in mid-February (preorder it for $390 off). Dreame's Robot Vacuum Won't Be Climbing Stairs, but We Saw It Summit a Small Ledge at CES 2025. Read more: Home Tech Gadgets at CES 2025 Impressed More Than Last Year Katie Collins/CNET Delta Concierge Delta's AI-powered app aims to reduce travel woes. Delta has a new feature for its phone app, and yes, it's AI-powered. Coming this year, Delta Concierge will help out with the most annoying parts of travel, like reminding you about passport renewal and visa requirements, suggesting what to pack for your destination's weather and general tips on getting around while you roam. Like other new AI-powered features, you'll be able to ask questions through text or speech in natural language and have the app respond. Anything that makes travel less painful -- and for free -- is a big help these days. Delta Concierge Will Anticipate Your Every Travel Need Like an AI Trip Butler. Josh Goldman/CNET Lenovo Legion Go S New with added Steam! In addition to a prototype version of the update to its current Legion Go, the company's additions to its Go line of handheld gaming consoles include a couple of brand-new Go S models -- one of which is the first to run SteamOS natively, in addition to the Windows version. Yes, that's right: A Steam Deck alternative! Both models have identical hardware, and the Go S has a more traditional design compared with its somewhat overcomplicated sibling. It's pretty cool, but makes us wonder: where's our Xbox handheld, Microsoft? Lenovo Legion Go S Offers a Welcome, Less Complicated Design Than the Original. Zoltux Zoltux Instant Solar Kit "Balcony solar" 800-watt panels that can be installed in as little as five minutes. Zoltux's $1,199 Instant Solar Kit has a lot of promises and a few roadblocks, but it's still an intriguing Kickstarter product. It's an 800-watt solar panel you can hang anywhere, using an inverter to feed back into your home energy setup. You'll theoretically need an interconnection agreement and permission to operate from your local energy company, and there are concerns about just plugging one into any old 120-volt home outlet, but it's promising to get a plug-and-play solar panel to start harvesting your own energy without expensive installation -- assuming Zoltux works out the kinks. CES 2025: Could Zoltux's Instant Solar Kit Be the Answer to Hassle-Free Solar Power?. Watch this: See Lenovo's Gesture-Controlled, Rollable ThinkBook Laptop in Action 01:45 Lenovo Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 Rollable A clever take on dual-screen laptops It's still only a concept, but Lenovo's new laptop extends the screen upward rather than folding it (or folding two screens together) like almost every dual-screen laptop we've seen. We've got no pricing or available for it yet -- it's a real product, not just a concept or prototype -- but being able to turn a laptop screen from 14 to 16.7 inches in a press of a button sounds like something I want. Wild Displays: Lenovo Shows Off Dual-Screen Yoga Book and Rollable ThinkBook. Read more: Check Out These Mind-Blowing Concept Products From CES 2025 James Martin/CNET Housing renters who want to mount their TV but are wary of drilling into their walls, your ship is about to come in. The Displace TV uses suction cups to stick to the wall and runs off batteries, meaning you can stick it pretty much anywhere in your home or office. It comes in varying sizes, starting with a $1,499 27-inch model and going up to a $4,999 55-inch TV, which will ship in spring 2025. I Suction-Cupped Displace TV's Wireless OLED to a Wall. I'll Never Be the Same. See at Displace Watch this: Displace TV's 55-Inch Television Hangs From a Wall Using Suction Cups 03:15 Read more: Nvidia Hands-Down Won AI at CES 2025, And Also The Show Itself. Here's Why That Matters Matt Elliott/CNET Nvidia GeForce RTX 50 series graphics cards Bigger on the inside? The new Nvidia cards just jumped more than a generation's worth in their power to render games and perform complex AI image generation, among a lot of other things. And they still fit into the box on your desk and cost about the same as before. The Wait Is Over: Nvidia's Next-Gen RTX 50-Series GPUs Are Here. Watch this: Everything Announced at Nvidia's CES Event in 12 Minutes 11:47 Celso Bulgatti/CNET Samsung stretchable screen concept Horror movies just gained a dimension You know that horror trope where something scary stretches the screen towards you and something awful enters the world? Samsung's turned the stretching screen of our nightmares into reality -- though it could be flowers as much as the undead pushing through. The screen bulges in the middle to produce a 3D effect; it's a little hard to see, according to editor Lisa Eadicicco, but it's there. Samsung's Wild Stretchable Display Concept Turns 2D Into 3D. Lisa Eadicicco/CNET Swippitt A fast way to fill up your phone's charge. And empty your wallet Swippitt's added a twist to the phone battery case: a box that swaps external batteries when you stick your phone in the slot. But it's not for everyone: At $450 for the hub and $120 for the Link case, the Sippitt is more expensive than aPlayStation 5and almost as pricey as an iPhone 16. I Watched a Printer-Size Gadget Add More Battery Life to a Phone in Seconds.

In BriefPosted:3:36 PM PST January 11, 2025Apple board opposes proposal to abolish DEI programsApples board of directors has come out in opposition to a proposal seeking to end the companys Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs.In a proxy filing, the company said the National Center for Public Policy Research (a conservative think tank) is submitting a proposal for Apple to consider abolishing its Inclusion & Diversity program, policies, department and goals.The think tanks proposal claims that DEI programs could make companies vulnerable to lawsuits, citing the recent Supreme Court ruling against race-based affirmative action in colleges and noting that other companies have eliminated or scaled back similar programs. (Most recently, Meta eliminated its DEI programs, and Amazon is reportedly pulling back as well.)Apple, however, said the proposal is unnecessary because the company already has a well-established compliance program that would presumably keep it out of legal trouble. The filing also criticizes the proposal because it inappropriately seeks to micromanage the Companys programs and policies.The company also said it strives to create a culture of belonging where everyone can do their best work.TopicsGovernment & Policy

Hello everyone! I want the particles to leave a mark on the texture, but for that, I need to somehow determine where the particles are located in UV space. Heres an example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3TkzRwzptYI. Currently, I am using a sample texture for this, but the problem with this method is that the particles stop being dynamic; they just appear and disappear, so this method doesnt work for me. However, I learned that a similar method is used in TLOU2 and found this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_bbPeCwNxAU timecode: 13:00. From this video, I understood that I need to create a custom module that will allow me to convert particles into UV space using barycentric coordinates, but I dont know how to do this. I would be very grateful if someone could help me write such a module.

During the nineteenth century several small, rural settlements dotted the landscape of Cornwall, Connecticut. The hamlet of Cornwall Hollow this building, the Baptist Church, and contained a tannery, store, gristmill, sawmill and cemetery. The church at Cornwall Hollow was erected following dissolution of the Baptist congregation at nearby Cream Hill in 1843. A new church constitution was adopted in 1844 and this new meetinghouse erected the following year. At its height the congregation included 100 members. The Greek Revival style church once had a belfry, but it was removed sometime in the 20th century, likely due to repair costs. The interior included a curved ceiling, and windows line the side elevations. The congregation saw dwindling numbers and closed in the early 20th century. It is now privately owned, but lovingly preserved.

The Walking Dead (Left) American Primeval (Right)Credit: AMC / NetflixPost updated 01.11.25. See updates below.There are many things about AMCs The Walking Dead and its litany of spinoffs that bother me, but one thing that irks me like no other is the fact that so many of the characters on these shows look so clean and put-together.Just look at Maggie (Lauren Cohan) in the above picture. Shes wearing a nice, clean denim jacket. Her hair is perfectly styled. If you saw that picture without knowing it was The Walking Dead, youd have no idea she was in a zombie apocalypse.Heres Carol (Melissa McBride) from the recent Daryl Dixon: The Book Of Carol:The Walking DeadCredit: AMCAgain, nice hair, brand-new leather jacket. Some jewelry. This doesnt look like a woman in a zombie apocalypse who just got into a scrap with a guy, locked him in her truck and then drove off on a motorcycle. A normal person going about their day doesnt look this put-together.Check out Rick (Andrew Lincoln) and Michonne (Danai Gurira) in The Ones Who Live, currently on the run from the powerful CRM:Michonne and RickCredit: AMCMORE FOR YOUThey sure look clean and well taken care of with those stylish outdoors clothes and perfect hair! And Ricks beard sure is nice and trimmed. I swear, Rick/Lincoln looks years younger in the spinoff than he did way back in Season 5!Rick Grimes Season 5 (Left) Rick Grimes The Ones Who Live (Right)Credit: AMCWhat all of this doesalong with the ease by which characters happen upon electricity and fuel and working vehicles and all the myriad conveniences of modern lifeis break immersion for viewers. Yes, the actors all get to look good with their wavy stylized hair and trimmed beards and designer clothing, but audiences are robbed of the one thing that made The Walking Dead so good in the beginning: Realism.Im dirtier and more beat-up looking after a few days of camping than these hardened survivors of a deadly world, where civilization has collapsed entirely and shambling undead lurk around every corner. Scarcity matters in stories about the end of the world. Scarcity of water, food, safety, supplies, gasoline. Living by a fire means youre covered in smoke. Living without running water makes it harder to bathe as often. Living with constant threat of death means your priorities shift away from things like nice hairdos and swanky outfits.Even Daryl (Norman Reedus) who is by far the most reliably dirty, ragged and shaggy of the bunch manages to always make it look intentional.Daryl DixonCredit: AMCWell call this Hobo chic and its probably Daryl at his worst in recent years. Normally hes more svelte:Isabelle and DarylCredit: AMCOf course, in the spinoffs there are plenty of the same or slightly different problems with later-day The Walking Dead. In Dead City, there are bars with neon signs. No shortage of power there. In The Ones Who Live, our heroes encounter a completely powered and secure apartment, completely randomly, still untouched by the end of the world a decade plus into the apocalypse. In Daryl Dixon, all the French people dress like theyre in pre-war Europe, and all their fashionable, homespun attire is clean and pressed.Totally accurate clothes for modern-day France.Credit: AMCIt wasnt always this way. In the earlier seasons of the show, characters were often filthy, caked with dirt and blood, clothes tattered. In Fear The Walking Dead, Frank Dillanes character Nick often looked something like this:Nick ClarkCredit: AMCBy the end of that show, even at her lowest point, Nicks sister Alicia (Alycia Debnam-Carey) looked like a total smokeshow, just a little worse for wear at deaths door:AliciaCredit: AMCAmerican PrimevalI recently reviewed the brand new Netflix Western limited series American Primeval, and one of the things that jumped out at me about that show was just how dirty everyone and everything was, from the costumes to skin. One character (pictured above) who survives a scalping, constantly has blood all over his grimy face. Nobody can escape the dirt. Everyone is scarred and ragged. The American frontier was a brutal place, but no more brutal than a zombie apocalypse. But just imagine if The Walking Dead paid this much attention to detail! Imagine if that translated not just into sets and costumes and makeup, but into the writing and story.AMERICAN PRIMEVAL. (L to R) Preston Mota as Devin Rowell and Taylor Kitsch as Isaac in Episode 102 ... [+] of American Primeval. Cr. Netflix 2024Courtesy of NetflixThe head of makeup on American Primeval told The Salt Lake Tribune some of the demands made by the shows director, Peter Berg: Howard Berger, the head of makeup on American Primeval, a Netflix limited series, thought he had achieved the optimal level of grime. He prepared a makeup test muddied necks, blackened fingernails, dirt painted inside an actors ears and showed it to Peter Berg, the series director. Berg was unsatisfied. More! More! Berger recalled him saying. Come on, man. Cover him in dirt, like he hasnt bathed in a year. Berger did. We went ahead, Berger said, and just kept making it more and more grungy.Berg himself noted the importance of realism in creating a powerful story. Its important that we represent the world as it truly was good, bad, indifferent, ugly, he said. Once you cheat that, it doesnt land the same.The six-episode show built an exact replica of Fort Bridger. 1,300 garments were made along with hundreds of pairs of moccasins. Artisans aged and dyed the costumes over and over again, relentlessly pursuing verisimilitude in all things. Over 3,500 indigenous itemsincluding teepeeswere constructed by Native Americans for the show. The effect is powerful. American Primeval is far from perfect, but what it gets right it does in stunning fashion.The denizens of Fort Bridger are all covered in dirt and grime. Black smudges mar every visage. From clothing to fingernails, everything is soot and mud and ash and blood. What a welcome sight! If only The Walking Dead would pay such close attention to this level of gritty realism. I have said before and Ill say it again: If AMC paid half as much attention to its writing and characters as it did to creating cool-looking zombies, it would be a masterpiece instead of wallowing in endless mediocrity.P.S. I should note that not everyone in The Walking Dead needs to be filthy all the time. They don't need to look like bums. But costumes should look worn, lived-in, like they've seen some action, not like they're straight out of a department store. It's these details that make a fictional world feel real.Update: The Importance Of Verisimilitude I wanted to expand on this post a little bit because I often get pushback from fans of various showsThe Walking Dead chief among themwhen I argue that realism and plausibility matter. This brings us to a very useful, difficult to spell, word: Verisimilitude.This is, put simply, the appearance of being true or real. You create that sense, even in shows about shambling undead or massive dragons, by setting some in-universe rules that allow audiences to accept the fiction. For instance, we all accept that zombies are A) not part of the real world but B) a believable aspect of shows like The Walking Dead. This, however, does not give the writers of The Walking Dead free reign to do whatever they want. For example, if in an upcoming season of one of the spinoffs, people started using superpowers like flight and inhuman strength, or using futuristic laser guns, audiences would rightly be confused and thrown for a loop. Superpowers and science-fiction arsenals have not been established in this universe. In another fictional settingone in which the zombie apocalypse was accompanied by the discovery of superheroesit might work just fine.Often, the thing that breaks verisimilitude, however, isnt something quite as radical as having Jon Snow fly in with his jetpack to fight the White Walkers. Its either lazy, convenient writing or radically implausible scenarios. Sometimes these are controversial: The inclusion of a black, female Viking jarl in Vikings: Valhalla, for instance, is an ahistorical detail that can break verisimilitude. Less controversial, the events of the fifth season of Fear The Walking Dead, which saw our heroes fly a plane to rescue total strangers despite not knowing how to fly a plane, then crash the planesurviveand spend the rest of the season trying to fix it, despite being in a land-locked area they could simply drive or walk out of (and dont get me started on the beer bottle balloon).Verisimilitude helps the audience accept these elements by creating an internal logic that feels consistent and believable within the story's world. In a zombie apocalypse, if the outbreak has realistic societal consequences, like shortages of resources or political collapseor dirty fingernails and worn-out clothesit makes the concept of a zombie apocalypse more credible.Strong verisimilitude reinforces the coherence of any given fictional world, whether thats Westeros or the United States after an undead uprising, ensuring the audience understands how it operates. Even in magical worlds, the fantasy only endures if the magic itself has some set of clear rules (or is low-fantasy enough that magic is rare and mysterious). If you start using magic to solve every problem, you kill both tension and plausibility.This, in turn, helps audiences connect more to the characters and the story. The realness of this fictional world allows audiences to immerse themselves into the story and the stakes of that story. If a character reacts to danger, loss, or triumph in a way that aligns with how people might act in those circumstances, viewers are more likely to care about their journey.Ultimately, especially when it comes to genre fiction that deals with outrageous or paranormal concepts, verisimilitude grounds the fantastical in the relatable. The best zombie stories are actually about survival. The best fantasies are stories that would work just as well without any magic or dragons. Strip the fantasy out of Game of Thrones and you still have a damn good Medieval political drama, for instance.Verisimilitude doesnt mean adhering to real-world logic. It simply requires maintaining internal consistency and authenticity within the story's framework. I was told by a reader on X/Twitter that nobody should care about dirty skin or worn out clothes. My belief is that many people dont, but they can tell when something feels off. We arent necessarily supposed to notice these details, true, but when theyre not there we absolutely sense their absence. The devils in the details, as they say.You can read my review of American Primeval right here. If youre a Netflix subscriber, The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live lands on the streaming service next Monday, January 13th.

With the imminent TikTok ban just days away, the future for creators is at a critical juncture. Heres what to do next.FILE - The TikTok logo is seen on a cell phone on Oct. 14, 2022, in Boston. Canada is banning TikTok ... [+] from all government-issued mobile devices and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said it might be a first step to further action. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer, File)Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reservedThe TikTok ban and legal challengeIn April 2024, President Joe Biden signed the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, known as the TikTok ban. In short, the law bans TikTok and other applications owned by its Chinese-based parent company, Byte Dance Ltd., from operating in the United States unless Byte Dance divests its interests in TikTok by January 19, 2025.Last year, TikTok, Byte Dance, and several creators submitted a petition to the Circuit Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C., challenging the validity of this law on several grounds, including that it violates the First Amendment rights of TikTok and its 170 million American users. The Government defended the validity of the ban, citing national security concerns. The D.C. Circuit Court ruled in favor of the ban on December 6, 2024. You can read that decision here.TikTok submitted a petition to the Supreme Court to review the Circuit Courts decision and to pause the ban before the imminent January 19th deadline. On December 18, 2024, the Supreme Court declined to pause the ban but decided to hear the case on an expedited timeline. The petition, briefs, and other Supreme Court filings are here.On January 10, 2025, lawyers for TikTok, TikTok creators, and the U.S. government argued before the panel of nine Supreme Court justices, which you can listen to the arguments (or read the transcript) here.MORE FOR YOUNow that the parties have submitted their cases, the Supreme Court will decide TikToks fate.Access to the TikTok app after the January 19th deadlineIf the ban takes effect, our access to and use of the TikTok app will be on borrowed time. Following the D.C. Circuit Courts decision, around December 16, 2024, Googles parent company Alphabet and Apple received a letter from lawmakers instructing them to prepare for the January 19th deadline. Under the law, the TikTok ban prohibits app stores and web hosting services from hosting or distributing TikTok as of January 19, 2025. Effectively, the ban prohibits new users from downloading the app and prevents access to the TikTok website via desktop. Existing TikTok users will continue to have access to the app. They will no longer have access to future updates or access it on their desktops. Without updates, the TikTok app will eventually be rendered useless for creators. In its court filings and during oral arguments before the Supreme Court, TikTok stated the app would go dark if the Court upholds the ban.How to download your TikTok account dataCloseup hand of woman with Cloud download on mobile smartphone, copy spacegettyTikTok enables its users to retrieve their account data by submitting a request through TikTok. Once TikTok provides users with their data, they have to engage in the most tedious copy-and-paste activity, navigating a dense RTF file to retrieve and download their posts one by one without the TikTok watermark. And do the same exercise again for any content they may request, such as likes, comments, messages, or saved videos. I found this creators video showing people how to do this helpful. However, other creators have mentioned automation tools or apps that help users download their content for them, such as Faves.Your rights in your TikTok contentEven though creators can download their data, their rights in their content are not as clear-cut as they may believe. Copyright law protects original works of authorship fixed in a tangible medium like a video or photo. However, this is limited to creators original worksnot outside elements they may incorporate into their content.Content and copyright law considerations no longer occur in a vacuum. Creators incorporate music, put their spin on viral trends using popular sounds, and use other features native to TikTok to create engaging content.As owners, copyright law protects creators right to control where their content is published and to license their content to third parties (among other things). TikToks Terms and Policies acknowledge that creators own their original content but grant TikTok and its user base a range of permissions (a license), including the right to access, modify, and share their content on third-party platforms. Although TikToks Terms provide a lot of flexibility around the use of user content, it does not grant any licensing rights in the catalogs of music or sounds available on the app, which is a critical component of most creators content.Aside from the copyright risks, creators must also consider the terms of other platforms. Meta, for example, prohibits users from sharing unoriginal or infringing content. While there is a lot of overlap across other social platforms in music, popular sounds (give or take a few days after its gone viral on TikTok), and content, content creators should be mindful of the limitations in the case of a gap. Ultimately, it is up to the original owners of a viral sound, music, or video to enforce their rights.Where do you direct your audience?Tyumen, Russia - January 21, 2020: TikTok and Facebook application on screen Apple iPhone XRgettyNot Lemon8.Some of the most significant consequences of this ban is the loss of the platform and communities they worked so hard to build on TikTok. As creators come to terms with the reality of this ban, its crucial to retain as much of their audience as possible. Some creators have already taken steps by directing them to alternative apps, but not the right ones.Although the law has been dubbed the TikTok ban, do not let the label fool you. The Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act impacts all social apps owned by Byte Dance Ltd., including Lemon8. So Lemon8 will likely suffer a similar fate under this ban.Some creators (myself included) are directing their audiences to Instagram or YouTube. Theres also been some chatter about other TikTok alternatives like Neptune and FanBase.Another consideration: TikTok brand partnershipsCreators in the middle of a TikTok-specific partnership should review their agreements and reach out to their contacts to discuss a path forward. This looming deadline could impact a creators ability to fulfill their contract obligations if theyre specifically required to create and publish content on TikTok and a brands ability to amplify it through paid media efforts. Some contracts may not be affected by this pivot. Still, it is worth exploring and getting ahead before the January 19th deadline.

My family would drive from Canada to Florida every March to spend time with my grandparents. I have some of the best memories of spending time at their condo. It was a privilege to be able to spend so much time with my family. For most 8-year-olds, waking up at four in the morning would be an unwelcome experience. But for me, waking up on a frigid March morning in 1998, I was ready to go. It was our first family road trip, and we were headed down to my grandparents' Condo in Marco Island, Florida. And, in what was probably a bid to keep me quiet, my parents had bought me a brand new Gameboy with Pokmon I was raring to go.I didn't know it yet, but this was the first step in what would become one of the most significant annual events of my entire life.We would drive from Canada to FloridaEach year, March Break became defined by heading from our home in Ottawa, Canada, down to "The Condo" (it achieved proper noun status in my family long ago) the year-round balmy Florida weather a welcome and almost magical contrast to the iced-over roads and gray skies of Ottawa in March. My grandparents bought the condo after they retired in the early 90s, and my childhood winters became punctuated by two weeks of glorious heat each year.Our first day often ended in Roanoke, Virginia, an infamous place in our family lore. This was mostly because we were all motion sick from our first day spent in a car, inevitably throwing up on our only night in town. Day two usually ended in Orlando or Tampa Bay, staying over so we kids could exhaust ourselves at Disney World, Universal Studios, or, eventually, the Kennedy Space Center.Over the years, the story remained the same, even if the details changed: early start, sick in Virginia, hours lost on a Gameboy, and spending a couple of days at theme parks before heading to the Condo.It felt like the place just belonged to usFor me, Marco Island was a place that felt as personal as someone else's secret family recipe. It was a place only for us: nobody outside our family had ever even heard of it. A small retirement community on the shores of the Gulf of Mexico, today there are still fewer than 20,000 residents.In the years since our first trip, Marco Island has been at the center of dozens of core memories: few were more iconic than splashing around in the pool as thickly-accented Bostonian snowbirds scowled their way through calisthenics sessions at us. Inevitably, we were the only kids in the complex aside from a couple of others who were visiting their grandparents too we'd quickly make and forget our new friends each year, united in our days' long-shared experience of being under five feet tall.Countless embarrassing photos have been taken (and hopefully lost), including my spot-on imitation of a pelican loitering around our favorite restaurant, the aptly-named Pelican Bend. The first time I was ever allowed to stay up until midnight was at the Condo on Y2K, watching the NickelodeonIt was a privilege to have that time with my familyI didn't know it then, but each early morning wake-up and afternoon spent on the beach was a privilege to be able to form such a strong connection to my family, my grandparents, and, eventually, my love of travel.A couple of months ago, my parents told me that Hurricane Milton was headed straight toward Marco Island, and we held our collective breath for its landfall. While the hurricane left more knocked-over lawn chairs than serious damage, we were all relieved something so central to us couldn't simply get washed away, could it?Today, I live in the humidity of South Africa, having moved here a few years ago, with scents on the breeze reminding me of Marco Island. Travel, especially road trips, became a central feature in my adult life. And for years, I really couldn't explain the powerful, almost irresistible urge to download the most recent version of Pokmon whenever I had a trip lined up.I think I've figured it out now.

Why I think Rockstar Games has the best video game villains Readers FeatureGameCentralPublished January 12, 2025 1:00am Rockstar do write a good bad guy (Rockstar Games)A reader complains that video game villains lack depth and proper reasons to hate them, while praising the bad guys in Rockstars GTA 4: The Lost And Damned.I dont think video game villains hit as hard they should. Many of them appear to be evil for the sake of being evil and to give the protagonist an almighty foe to face off with, come the endgame. The best antagonists are irredeemable pieces of excrement, who you longingly wish to shut up and vanquish from ever invading your eyesight and ear lobes.Sometimes though, its the secondary antagonists that can be more entertaining in how they obediently carry out their masters bidding, and their personalities can be so smug and righteous, that they make a bigger impact than the main antagonist.Of all the video game villains Ive encountered in my 25+ years of video-gaming, Brian Jeremy from GTA 4: The Lost And Damned has to be the most snivelling brown-noser of a secondary antagonist I ever saw. The right-hand man to central antagonist Billy Grey, Brian Jeremy is quick to take sides with Billy anytime protagonist Johnny Klebitz has a problem with the way Billy is running The Lost biker gang.Brian Jeremy is a tremendously arrogant, goofy little wretch, who may as well be Billys pet because he is nothing more than a subservient ass, who waddles along like the nerd Algie from another of Rockstar Games mega hits Bully. Brian is proof positive that some of the most despicable characters in games are unflinchingly loyal pests who always side with their masters no matter what.I suppose one little complement Brian should have, if anything at all, is that he is extremely loyal, even if hes treated like a piece of mud gripped to one of Billys biker boots hell still slavishly agree and follow his lead.I think you can tell from my descriptions thus far how loathsome I find Brian Jeremy to be, and thats a testament to how unbelievably strong Rockstars characters are. Ive never felt the way I do about a video game villain before, and Rockstar gives us all the reasons in the world to keep us yearning to track him down and finish him off.Billy Grey might be a psycho, who at one point smashes a hammer into a bike mechanics face after the latter had his face grated against the moving wheels of an otherwise stationary bike while under interrogation, but hes just a ruthless and delusional boss the way a main villain ought to be and he doesnt quite make me froth with disdain as much as Brian does.Brian Jeremy is a constant nuisance youve no choice but to put up with, until you get the chance to silence this subordinate little weasel which makes it more satisfying when you get the chance to punish him. Nothing is worse than someone who blindly follows somebody else, regardless of what is right and abandoning all pretences of individual thought and opinion.One amusing little moment comes in a cut scene where Johnny Klebitz remarks that Brian is dumber than he thought, before Brian mocks what he said with a goofy face and voice, which actually proves Klebitz right. Again, youve got to give it up to Rockstar for creating a secondary antagonist like Brian because he is nothing but an obedient tool. He reminds us of the inherent toxicity of unquestioning followers, which in a deeper way demonstrates what our culture is reduced to when we dont question things.I dont often find video game villains interesting enough, but Brian Jeremy is one that is so incessant and boot-licking that hes so easy to despise. He typifies for me why Rockstar is my favourite video game developer, because he forces me to pay attention to him, even though his sliminess forces me to go and wash my hands.More TrendingNo other developer besides Rockstar makes an impact on me like them, because they always develop games that they want to make. In a video game landscape that constantly chases trends, Rockstar has always had faith in themselves due to the legions upon legions of fans who play their games.By reader James Davie Brian Jeremy is a real piece of work (Rockstar Games)The readers features do not necessarily represent the views of GameCentral or Metro.You can submit your own 500 to 600-word reader feature at any time, which if used will be published in the next appropriate weekend slot. Just contact us at gamecentral@metro.co.uk or use our Submit Stuff page and you wont need to send an email.GameCentralExclusive analysis, latest releases, and bonus community content.This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Your information will be used in line with our Privacy Policy

BT5 Villa / APDISave this picture! Trieu ChienHousesHani, VietnamArchitects: APDIAreaArea of this architecture projectArea:400 mYearCompletion year of this architecture project Year: 2024 PhotographsPhotographs:Trieu ChienMore SpecsLess SpecsSave this picture!Text description provided by the architects. The BT5 Villa project is situated in the Lakeside Splendora area, a villa complex surrounded by water features and natural landscapes, ideal for modern living.Save this picture!Save this picture!Design Philosophy -Save this picture!Ground Floor: The open-plan design connects the living room, kitchen, and dining area with the garden and a covered patio. The interior boasts clean, sophisticated lines and high functionality.Second Floor: Features a master bedroom and children's bedroom, both extending to a landscaped rooftop garden. The design creates a relaxing atmosphere surrounded by greenery, offering a serene retreat.Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!Natural Light: The villa is designed to maximize natural light through large glass windows, ensuring 100% of spaces receive ample daylight and natural ventilation. Evening lighting is meticulously planned with high-standard fixtures and adaptable lighting scenarios for different activities across various functional spaces.Save this picture!Save this picture!Personalized Experiences: The villa's owner, a professional in audio and lighting, has invested in a dedicated personalized experience space. The third floor features a multipurpose area tailored for activities like movie watching, music listening, or "chilling" with friends. The minimalist interior design focuses on optimizing the audio experience, with excellent soundproofing achieved through high-quality materials and multi-layered walls. The ceiling design includes a starry sky effect, serving as an artistic centerpiece, complemented by RGB LED ambient lighting. This system allows for customizable colors and intensity, creating versatile lighting scenarios for different moods and events.Save this picture!Project gallerySee allShow lessAbout this officeAPDIOfficePublished on January 12, 2025Cite: "BT5 Villa / APDI" 11 Jan 2025. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/1025543/bt5-villa-apdi&gt ISSN 0719-8884Save!ArchDaily?You've started following your first account!Did you know?You'll now receive updates based on what you follow! Personalize your stream and start following your favorite authors, offices and users.Go to my stream

submitted by /u/ratgir1 [link] [comments]