The fires, in their destructive rage, have highlighted the spectacular architectural legacy of Los Angeles one that is often taken for granted, or even ignored. They remind us that the city has long been one of the worlds great laboratories for residential architecture, and that its best buildings are vaunted pieces of art, and equally vulnerable to the ravages of nature.Writing for The New York Times, architectural journalist Sam Lubell laments the many architectural gems already consumed by raging fires in Los Angeles. Among those destroyed are the Will Rogers House (1926), which a colleague of Lubell previously described as magical. The fires have also claimed Ray Kappes Keeler House (1991) which, for Lubell, typified Kappes bravery and intuitive craft.The Will Rogers House before its destruction in January 2025. Image credit: Wikimedia Commons user Los Angeles licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0Beyond the Palisades, Lubell also notes the destruction of the Mediterranean-style Zane Grey Estate (1907) and the Andrew McNally House (1887), both in Altadena. Now comes the anxious waiting, to find out what else has fallen, and may still, Lubell writes. We refresh fire maps, whose red outlines inch ever closer to beloved landmarks. Some of the worlds great architecture sits helplessly on the edge.You can follow Archinects ongoing coverage of ho...

The latest edition of Architizer: The Worlds Best Architecture a stunning, hardbound book celebrating the most inspiring contemporary architecture from around the globe is now available. Order your copy today.The grey tsunami. A demographic timebomb. The aging crisis. Alarmist headlines like these make it sound as though one of humanitys greatest achievements people living longer and healthier lives is some sort of disaster waiting to happen. But, heres the truth: aging populations arent the problem. The real issue lies in how unprepared our cities and communities are for this demographic shift.We often think of the future as a tech-driven haven built for the young. Yet today, global life expectancy has reached an unprecedented 73 years. By 2050, over two billion people will be aged 60 or older, outnumbering children under 15 for the first time in history.Cities, home to more than half the worlds population, are at the epicenter of this demographic transformation. Urban areas are aging faster than their rural counterparts, with the older urban population growing by 68% between 2000 and 2015, compared to just 25% in rural areas. The implications for the built environment and its architects are fascinating. While cities promise opportunity and innovation, their design often excludes the very people who helped shape them. Streets become impassable, homes unsafe and public spaces unwelcoming as urban environments prioritize speed and efficiency over accessibility and inclusion.41st and 43rd Street Pedestrian Bridges Chicago by Cordogan Clark & Associates, Chicago, IllinoisThe World Health Organization (WHO) offers a roadmap for change. Its eight interconnected domains for age-friendly cities outdoor spaces, transport, housing, social participation, respect and inclusion, civic engagement, communication and community support each present a more inclusive vision for cities to support and celebrate aging populations. These principles, together, suggest redefining how we live, work and age.It begins with the streets. In many cities, uneven pavements, poorly timed pedestrian crossings and a lack of seating turn a summer stroll into a frustrating obstacle course. Falls are now the leading cause of injury among older adults globally, costing healthcare systems billions 1 billion in the UK each year. Yet these are not unavoidable accidents; they are failures of urban design. Streets and outdoor spaces must prioritize safety and usability for people of all ages. Features like tactile paving, well-lit walkways, appropriate surface materials, easy, readable navigation and regular seating create environments that encourage mobility and support traveling on foot. Research has indeed shown that improving urban walkability can lower rates of depression and dementia.Hangzhouxi Railway Station by CCTN Design, Hangzhou, China | Image by Aoguan Architectural Vision.Transport, the second domain, is equally crucial. Inaccessible public transport systems can trap older adults in their homes, cutting them off from essential services and social opportunities. As we know, mobility isnt all about movement. It allows individuals independence and agency at any age. In Japan, where over 28% of the population is aged 65 or older, cities like Tokyo have retrofitted metro systems with elevators and clear signage to accommodate their aging demographic. Similarly, many cities have begun integrating mobility-friendly public transport, like buses with lowered floors and bus stops with dropped curbs. These are simple considerations that allow residents to navigate their city with confidence.Housing, the third sector, anchors the experience of aging. Globally, the majority of older adults express a desire to age in place, remaining in the homes and communities they know and feel comfortable in. Yet, most housing stock is ill-equipped to meet this need. In the United States, only 3.5% of homes are fully accessible, while in India, rapid urbanization has led to housing shortages that disproportionately affect older residents. Universal design principles incorporating step-free entrances, adjustable countertops and single-level layouts are vital. Multigenerational flats and co-housing communities offer innovative models that combine private living with shared spaces to foster intergenerational interaction and built communities that offer mutual support.But housing extends beyond four walls. Neighborhoods must be designed to encourage social participation. Loneliness, often described as a silent epidemic, is linked to higher rates of depression, dementia and cardiovascular disease. In South Korea, silver towns integrate housing with recreational and cultural facilities, creating vibrant communities. Meanwhile, community hubs combining libraries, activity centers and healthcare facilities are a way in which public spaces can combat isolation.One Green Mile Public Space and Streetscape Design by StudioPOD and MVRDV, Mumbai, India | Photo by Suleiman MerchantSafety is a huge problem for many adults as they age. Respect and social inclusion are vital in challenging the widespread ageism that often affects older adults and discourages them from participating in their communities. In many cultures, aging is viewed as a decline rather than an opportunity and the design decisions we make for our spaces can either reinforce or dismantle these stereotypes. Intergenerational projects and spaces show how design can celebrate the contributions of older residents and educate others.Civic participation and employment builds on this foundation. Our older generations are often seen as passive dependents, yet more than any other demographic, they contribute significantly outside the workforce. In the European Union, people over 55 account for 25% of all volunteer hours, supporting everything from local schools to disaster response initiatives. Societies that prioritize accessibility and inclusion in their spaces, such as polling stations or civic centers, ensure that these adults can continue to engage in public life and contribute to the communities they inhabit for much longer.The seventh domain, communication and information, is becoming increasingly critical amid the rapid digitalization of our world. For many older adults, navigating online services can be daunting, and this digital divide only becomes more exacerbated as technology speeds forward. Initiatives such as smart city kiosks for sharing wayfinding, travel, weather and community information demonstrate how technology can bridge this gap. Simple interventions clear signage, intuitive interfaces and public Wi-Fi can make cities more navigable and inclusive for all.Kia Lab by Davood Boroojeni Office, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran. | Photo by Parham Taghioff.Finally, community support and health services, the eighth domain, are the backbone of age-friendly cities. In places where traditional caregiving structures are under strain, mobile and pop-up health centers bring essential services directly to the people who need them. Integrated care facilities combine medical services with community spaces, ensuring that health support is embedded within daily life. Access to healthcare is a prerequisite for aging well, and decentralizing it or including services in public buildings not only allows patients to get the care they need but also allows older practitioners to continue utilizing their vast experience in positions and locations that might be more appealing in later life.The WHO framework is not a set of abstract ideals. It is a practical, actionable vision. Each domain is interconnected, reinforcing the others. Well-designed streets encourage mobility, which supports social participation and reduces reliance on healthcare services. Accessible transport enables older adults to remain active in civic life. Inclusive housing fosters respect and connection. Together, these elements create cities that work not just for older residents but for everyone.As urban populations continue to age, the question is not whether we can afford to implement these changes but whether we can afford not to. To design for aging is to design for the future that is already on its way. With thought and consideration, architects can help build a future where we embrace our oldest citizens with the same energy and ingenuity we reserve for the young.The latest edition of Architizer: The Worlds Best Architecture a stunning, hardbound book celebrating the most inspiring contemporary architecture from around the globe is now available. Order your copy today.The post Century-Long Lives: The Architecture of Longevity appeared first on Journal.

Publisher CI Games has revealed that work on a sequel to Lords of the Fallen has already begun, and the game will feature a more westernised story than its predecessor. In a recent investor Q&A, CI Games marketing director Ryan Hill spoke about how the next title, currently codenamed Project 3, will incorporate player feedback when it comes to gameplay as well as story.Project 3 will address all core player feedback from Lords of the Fallen (2023) while also doubling down on the features players loved most, said Hill. It will take a quality over quantity approach, with greater appeal to a wider addressable market with improved onboarding, a more inviting visual style, and westernised storytelling.While it is unclear what Hill means when he refers to the sequels storytelling to be westernised, we can assume that the distinction is with regards to FromSoftwares titles, which feature more esoteric storytelling methods involving copious amounts of reading, digging through item descriptions and interpreting strange NPC dialogue. Hill might be referring to the idea that the Lords of the Fallen sequel might end up having cutscenes with more accessible storytelling.In the same Q&A, CI Games also revealed that it has no plans on slowing down on the post-launch support for Lords of the Fallen. In fact, the company plans on continuing releasing not only updates and bug fixes, but new content as well throughout 2025. With the game currently being on version 1.7, CI Games has stated that it wants to support the game at least until it hits version 2.0.Hill stated that this was thanks in large part to the positive reception the game got for its several updates since the games launch. Since this long-term support has led to positive feedback from players, the company plans on continuing its support of the game.Lords of the Fallen was originally released back in 2023, and saw critical and commercial success. The game quickly sold more than 1 million copies in its first month alone, and sales have gone up thanks to the continued support offered by its developers.For more details on Lords of the Fallen, check out our review from back when the game first came out.

Metas best decision with the Quest 3S? It comes with Batman: Arkham Shadow. Yes, the Quest 3S is Metas step-down headset from the Quest 3, but it can play all of the same games. Meta mostly made the right tradeoffs with its newer and cheaper headset, so being Batman will ultimately feel pretty similar across both devices. The Quest 3 is a better headset, to be clear. Its also $499.99. At $299.99, the 3S is the better buy.So if you dont already own a Quest 3 but want to dabble with VR, save $200, get the Quest 3S, and hop into Gotham. And then check out everything else you can play. Theres more to do than you might think.8Verge ScoreMeta Quest 3S$299The GoodSame chipset as the Quest 3Lots of games to play$299.99The BadIts still a VR headsetThe lenses and display arent quite as good as the Quest 3Its a touch heavier than the Quest 2How we rate and review productsThe Quest 3S itself is more or less the body of the Quest 2 and the guts of the Quest 3, including the same Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 processor, the same cameras for full-color passthrough, and the same Touch Plus controllers. Like other Quests, its a standalone device that doesnt need to be plugged into anything to work, which I think gives it a leg up on the PSVR 2.At 514 grams, the Quest 3S is essentially the same weight as the 515-gram Quest 3. But the Quest 3S is noticeably bulkier than the Quest 3 because of the two places Meta found to save money: the lenses and displays.The Fresnel lenses make the Quest 3S thicker than the Quest 3.The Quest 3S, like the Quest 2, uses Fresnel lenses, whereas the Quest 3 uses pancake lenses. Not only are pancake lenses thinner, but they can also have better image quality and bring the headset closer to your face, which makes it feel more balanced. The Quest 3S also has the same resolution (1832 x 1920 pixels per eye) and field of view as the Quest 2, meaning you wont see quite as much in front of you as you would with the Quest 3s 2064 x 2208 resolution and slightly wider field of view.That said, Ive always felt that the Quest 2s display was perfectly fine for playing games and general web browsing, and I think its still acceptable for the 3S, especially at this price. And its been fine in Arkham Shadow. Sure, the graphics arent anywhere near as good as a PS5, but on the Quest 3S, everything looks good enough to make skulking through sewers and ducts and taking out waves of bad guys a total blast.A closer look at the lenses.Of course, the Quest 3Ss graphics arent as good as a PS5s, for a lot of reasons other than just the lenses one is a giant home console and the other is a face computer, you know? but the Quest 3S is more than serviceable. If you want Quest games to look as good as possible, you should get the Quest 3, and thats fine. But I dont think you lose all that much opting for the 3S and saving $200.I should say here that if you have a Quest 2, the Quest 3 will feel like more of an upgrade. Yes, the hardware on the Quest 3S is much improved, meaning things are generally snappier and that you can play better-looking games. But, at least for the moment, there are only a handful of games that you can only play on the Quest 3S and Quest 3 one of which is Arkham Shadow and the Quest 3 also has a visibly better display and field of view.Batman: Arkham Shadow. Image: Oculus StudiosThe best argument for the Quest 3S, and maybe for VR as a whole right now, is Arkham Shadow, which is free with the headset until the end of April. No matter which headset you play it on its bundled with both the Quest 3 and 3S theres something really cool about playing as Batman in VR. Hiding in the rafters and swooping down on a baddie is Batmans whole thing, and this game lets you do it from the first-person perspective of the Caped Crusader. Meta is bundling the game for a reason: beyond just the Arkham lineage, the game is that good. Weve been waiting for a truly great VR game for a long time, the one that sells the whole setup all by itself. Arkham Shadow might be that game.If caped crusading isnt your jam, though, youll also have access to the huge library of Quest VR games, like Beat Saber and Resident Evil 4. I really enjoyed Maestro, a recently launched music game where you conduct an orchestra. As of last year, you can also wirelessly stream VR games on Steam from a PC to your Quest headset.Being able to use multiple windows in VR is novel, but I dont actually find it practical. The passthrough is much improved over the Quest 2, though. Screenshot by Jay Peters / The VergeThe VR app situation is getting pretty good on the Quest. But while Meta has also pushed hard on the augmented reality and passthrough elements of the Quest 3 and Quest 3S headsets, I havent seen any mixed reality games or apps that seem worth playing over something thats fully immersive VR.Passthrough which lets you view the world around you while you have the headset on using its cameras still seems like a small feature to me. While I love the action button on the Quest 3S that lets you easily switch between passthrough and immersive modes, its something Ive only used to type a note about a game I was playing or check Slack on my laptop before pressing it again to go back into VR. The ability to put windows wherever you want in space is nice (and is something you can do with other Quest headsets, too), but I dont do any Serious Work in a headset that would require that level of organization.And sure, you could hang out and play games in Metas Horizon Worlds. But every game Ive played in Horizon Worlds has been terrible, so I wouldnt recommend it. I could maybe give Meta a pass here if Horizon Worlds was brand new. But Meta has been pecking away at Horizon Worlds for years, and I still dont think there is any point to using it.The charging port looks like the old Oculus logo, which I think is clever. The Quest 3S doesnt fix some of the problems inherent to VR: youre still putting on a big headset that covers your eyes and largely shuts you out from the world around you. Hand tracking is just okay youre probably still going to want to use the controllers to actually interact with things while wearing the headset. After spending 45 minutes or so playing a game like Arkham Shadow, I start to feel the weight and need to pull up the headset to give my head and neck a break. The Quest 3S, at least, comes with Metas Y-shaped top strap, which is more comfortable and more configurable than the Quest 2s standard strap.I also noticed that I was largely only picking up the Quest 3S for the purposes of writing about it for work; after work or on the weekends, I preferred to play games on my Steam Deck or PS5. I think there are a few reasons for this. One is that those other devices let me more easily chat with my wife while I play, instead of shutting her out. We have a new baby crawling around, so when I get some time to play a game while the baby is asleep, Im tired enough that Im not looking for the physicality of VR. And the games, for the most part, dont interest me like the games I can play on my non-VR gaming devices. (If you read my article about regretting buying the PSVR 2, these arguments may sound familiar.)The cheaper Quest 3S doesnt solve VRs inherent tradeoffs and limitations. And if you already have a Quest 2, youre not missing out on too many games. But $299.99 for the same chipset as the Quest 3 but with slightly worse displays makes the Quest 3S the best headset to buy right now. Even if its just an Arkham Shadow machine, its probably worth it.Agree to continue: Meta Quest 3SEvery smart device now requires you to agree to a series of terms and conditions before you can use it contracts that no one actually reads. Its impossible for us to read and analyze every single one of these agreements. But we started counting exactly how many times you have to hit agree to use devices when we review them since these are agreements most people dont read and definitely cant negotiate.In order to use the Quest 3S, youll need a Meta account, which is the cross-platform account the company uses to unify your presence from Facebook to Instagram to the Quest. If you dont have or dont want a Meta account, you cant use this device.In addition to all the things you agree to when you set up a Meta account, you also agree to:Metas health and safety warningsMetas privacy settingsAn optional Share additional data to improve Meta Horizon? promptMetas hands and body privacy noticeIndividual apps also requested approvals for things like storage access, access to information about scanned rooms, and more.Final provisional tally: four agreements.

With the release of the Nintendo Switch 2 very clearly on the horizon, were starting to wonder what well be playing on it come launch day. So, in the absence of an official day one lineup, why dont we have a good ol guess? Nintendo has a well-stocked stable of reliables, and so some of our predictions such as the arrival of a certain mustachioed plumber in one form or another are more likely than not. But were also hopeful for the re-emergence of some previously announced new projects from beloved indie studios.Genki Nintendo Switch Mockup Images from CES 2025Now, we know its too much of a dream to think that all of these games will hit the Switch 2 on day one, but even if we get half of them we think were in for a great time when we pick up those new joy-con. Heres what we think (or more accurately, hope) Nintendo has in store for us when the Switch 2 launches.Mario Kart 9Over a whole decade has passed since Mario Kart 8 was released for Wii U, and in that time it has morphed into the most complete and essential karting game ever created, thanks to the Switchs deluxe edition and several DLC additions boosting the track count up to a whopping 96 circuits. Mario Kart 8 has proved so successful, in fact, that its both the Wii U and the Switchs best-selling game. So, its fair to say that a new one would be pretty popular.PlayWhile it was reported to be in development back in 2022 and designed with a new twist, Nintendo is yet to officially confirm the existence of Mario Kart 9. As such, at this stage, we can only guess at what this new twist is, but were hoping to find out very soon. If Mario Kart 8s decade-long service was a celebration of the entire history of the series, then its successor will hopefully look to the future and introduce fresh, innovative ideas that will fuel Mario Kart for another decade. Of course, alongside those new ideas, wed love a release date that coincides with the launch of Switch 2. If theres such a thing as a system seller, then Mario Kart has proven over the years to be exactly that.New 3D Super MarioConsidering the importance of games like Super Mario 64 and Mario Galaxy, youd have thought the Switch would have had more than a single, solitary 3D Mario game. But, besides a re-release of Wii Us Super Mario 3D World, the only 3D Mario platformer on Switch has been Super Mario Odyssey, which was released way back in 2017, the same year as the Nintendo Switch. We didnt even get any substantial DLC for Odyssey, despite the idea of adding a world or two seeming an uncontestable slam dunk at the time.After such a long wait, then, surely the launch of the Switch 2 is the time for a new plumbing platformer full of wacky abilities, inventive level design, and endless collectibles? While it may be greedy of us to hope for both this and a new Mario Kart on the same day, it would be a fantastic statement of intent from Nintendo to show us the future direction of arguably its two most significant Mario series. Failing that, wed of course take one of them coming a few months after the other. Just please, please dont keep us waiting. Its been over seven years since we saw that cap and mustache in three beautiful dimensions Metroid Prime 4: BeyondMetroid fans have been waiting for what seems like an eternity for Metroid Prime 4. First announced as part of the E3 2017 Nintendo Direct, fans suffered many years of radio silence until its surprise reemergence in 2024. During that time, development of the project had reportedly passed from Bandai Namco Studios to Retro Studios, the original creators of the Metroid Prime series. PlayNow titled Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, its gameplay reveal trailer excited many fans, and even had some questioning if what they were seeing was running on the Switchs successor, so smooth was the action. Well, it looks like the Switch 2 will likely be what well be playing it on, after all, and were hoping the long wait for it will end on the consoles launch date.The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom EnhancedTwo of the original Switchs biggest hitters (not to mention two of the greatest games ever made), The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom will likely find their way onto the new console. Were hoping that backward compatibility will allow for this by default, and keeping our fingers crossed for some kind of automatic boost mode for older games, but we also wouldnt say no to specially enhanced versions of Links open-world adventures that take full advantage of the rumoured extra power the Switch 2 possesses. Hyrule in crisp 4K with no framerate drops? Yes, please.Ring Fit Adventure 2Nintendo always likes to throw a quirkier game into the mix around its console launches. Just take one look at the Switch and its trio of 1-2 Switch, Snipperclips, and Arms to see what I mean. One such experiment that came a little later on in the hybrid consoles lifetime was Ring Fit Adventure, a spiritual successor to the colossally popular Wii Fit that took advantage of the Joy-Cons motion controls to create a turn-based RPG that was also a fun workout, all in the comfort of your own home (or on the bus, if youre really into bold acts of public display).PlayWhat could so easily have been palmed off as a gimmick went on to sell over 15 million copies and become one of the Switchs most in-demand games. With no sequel anywhere to be seen, maybe the launch of the Switch 2 is the perfect place to showcase whatever new unconventional tricks the console and its controllers might have up their sleeve.Resident Evil 4 RemakeThe original Switch may not have possessed the graphical horsepower to power Capcoms stunning Resident Evil 4 remake, but maybe the Switch 2 can provide a home for Leon Kennedys glossy Spanish nightmare. One of 2023s best games perhaps wouldnt set the world alight with a launch date arrival, but it would be an impressive flex that proved the consoles capabilities. More importantly, though, there would be something undeniably poetic about one of the greatest horror games of all time returning to Nintendo many years after its long legacy began back on the GameCube.Doom: The Dark AgesOkay, maybe this one is a little out there. But with both Doom (2016) and its sequel Doom Eternal having made their way to the original Switch, plus Microsofts ever-increasing willingness to launch their games on anything that isnt an Xbox, Doom: The Dark Ages on Switch 2 might just happen. Weve so far seen very little of id Softwares new shooter outside of a short gameplay trailer, but were set to learn plenty more at the upcoming Xbox Developer Direct. Will a release date be revealed, and could it align itself with the Switch 2s? Were ready to rip and tear on the go, again. PlayThe Haunted ChocolatierOne of the greatest indie game success stories of all-time, not many games made outside of Nintendos walls left a bigger footprint on the Switch generation than Stardew Valley. So, what better place is there than the Switch 2 to launch Stardew developer ConcernedApes upcoming chocolate shop sim, The Haunted Chocolatier? In development since 2020, weve had just one gameplay trailer and little else. But the confectionary simulator with action-RPG elements and added ghosts seems like the perfect game to eat up hours and hours of handheld time, especially if it were to launch with the Switch 2.Admittedly, a launch day release may be unlikely. Solo developer Eric Barone revealed a few months ago that he hadnt been working on The Haunted Chocolatier for a long time, so perhaps a launch year window may be slightly more realistic. But it being there on Switch 2s launch day would make the world taste good. Look, I just want to be able to play the creepy Willy Wonka game, okay?EarthbladeMy final pick is another follow-up to a beloved indie cult classic that found a home on Switch, Celeste. Studio Extremely OK Games is working away on its successor, Earthblade, a 2D explor-action game with gorgeous pixel art. While updates have been few and far between, its not outside the realms of reality that we could see this arrive on the Switch 2 at launch. Last year, developer Maddy Thorson revealed that it would be released in 2025 at the earliest, so who knows, maybe it is just waiting to be unleashed alongside some new Nintendo hardware.PlayThose are my nine picks for what games we hope (and, admittedly, dream) might launch with the Switch 2 later this year. What do you think will make the launch lineup? Let us know in the comments below.

Is there a dream space you have always secretly wanted for your home? A screening room worthy of a media mogul? A wellness zone where you can exercise and then relax in a sauna or steam room? A wine "cellar" that's nowhere near the basement, where you can properly entertain your friends over a rare bottle?Now's the time to make it happen. And you don't have to start from scratch. There are excellent options available that make customization and quick installation easier than ever, but the real payoff is in the joy they'll bring you. Below, you'll find ideas for seven creative spaces that will make you happier at home.A Truly Stunning Entryway Pictured above: Getting exterior details right is the key to a house that makes your heart skip a beat. A sexy entry, like the Custom Grid Arched Pivot Door from Maiden is a modern showstopper.A Hollywood-Worthy Media RoomCourtesy of Elite HTS Say goodbye to crowded bars and sticky-floored movie theaters forever. The best movie-watching experience is made even better with a luxurious place to sit. Elite HTS offers customized seating specifically designed for home cinemas and can be configured for any space you can carve out. Their selections include Sectionals, Recliners, Theater Beds (shown here), and Cuddle Couches, with multiple arm styles, upholstery options, and, of course, discreet (but necessary) cupholders. Configure your pieces directly on their site.WHAT YOU NEED TO BUILD A SCREENING ROOMWhether you choose a 98" QLED 4K SamsungTV or a classic projector and drop-down screen, dont skimp on a great surround sound system.Comfy seating is non-negotiable. Choose options that allow you to lean back and prop up your feet. Add in storage for extra pillows and blankets toooh, and dont forget the popcorn.If you have the space, ask your contractor to build different levels, so no ones view is obstructed. The Ultimate Wine Tasting RoomCourtesy of Heritage WineIf you love to entertain over a bottle (or case) of vino, a dedicated wine cellar might be just the thing to lift your spirits. Brands like Heritage Vine can turn any area into an ideal environment for wine storage (like this space that houses over450 bottles). Add a bar table to complete your Napa-esque tasting room.A Complete Wellness ZoneCourtesy of Iron House DesignIf you currently trek down to a basement tread-mill, why not give your home a proper makeover with a home gym and spa? Iron House Design specializes in creating holistic spacescomplete with high-end workout equipment, lounge seating, and recovery zones (often with a massage area or steam room)meant to match each clients fitness and health goals. Ideally, youll want to dedicate at least 500 square feet to all the kettlebells and whistles.Complete your retreat by adding a little heat therapy to your post-workout (or post-workday) recovery routine.Courtesy of ArisoThe Ariso sauna comes with everyelement youd expectfrom tempcontrol to benches and headrestswith a whisper-quiet heater that wont disrupt your zen.Courtesy of BrizoFor a fully immersive shower experience, the Mystix Steam System regulatestemperature and evenly disperses steam. Add their digital interface for aroma-, chroma-, and audio therapy integrations.BEFORE YOU GO ALL INSteam showers and even ready-made saunas require a bit of extra reinforcement, from waterproof enclosures to cement floors, so check with a contractor first.A Swanky Backyard Villa Villa A 800This open-concept, one-bedroom, one-bathroom plan is the Villa A 800.If youre lucky enough to have the extra outdoor space, choose an addition (in this case an Accessory Dwelling Unit, or ADU) that feels special. Rost Architects offers fully customizable Villa plans, ranging from 360 to 1,200 square feet, for studios to three bedrooms with one to two bathrooms. Whether its for a home office, guest suite, pool house, or studio space, these builds are a home away from home in your own backyard.An Instant Outdoor KitchenCourtesy of TrexGet cooking with an Oasis layout in Champagne finish. Trex, a well-regarded source for low-maintenance decking, offers an outdoor kitchen constructed with 304-grade stain-less steel. The Trex Ready series lets buyers choose from seven design layouts in six ready-to-ship, powder-coated finishes. For a fridge, youll need a GFCI outlet with a surge protector. If you opt for a sink, youll need to call a plumber. Otherwise, place it wherever you want and fire up the grillnoone will ever know its not a built-in. A Private Plunge PoolMURPHY FOTO IMAGERYOccupying no more than 13' x 7' at their largest size, Soake Pools petite styles make them ideal for most spaces. They come standard with LED lighting and a fully tiled interior, and you can add heating, cooling, spa jets, a waterfall feature, and a static swim system. Get one of these and your friend group will expand exponentially.FIND YOUR STYLEThese pools come in five sizes; can be installed flush, partial, or above ground; and have four cover options.Follow House Beautiful on Instagram and TikTok!

Apple is facing tougher export checks by Chinese authorities as part of a claimed crack-down on technology with potential military applications.While the increased scrutiny is said to be for security reasons, many believe the real reasons are both economic and political Apples attempts to reduce its dependence on ChinaThe need for Apple to lessen its dependence onChinaas a manufacturing center has beenclear for many years,and the company has been gradually growing production in India, Vietnam, and elsewhere.Apple has long targeted India as its primary second manufacturing home, with ambitious-sounding reports thata quarter of all iPhones could be made in India by 2025, and thatthis could rise to half of all iPhones by 2027.Progress has so far been relatively slow, but a new milestone was reached last year when production of the iPhone 16 began in India just weeks after launch the first time a flagship phone has been mader in India so early in the lifecycle. Its believed Apple is aiming for iPhone 17 production to begin simultaneously in China and India.Claimed crackdown on military techBecause so many iPhone components are manufactured in China, Apple needs to export these parts to India and elsewhere. Nikkei reports that these exports have been slowed by the implementation of a new law introduced by China last month.China is increasing its scrutiny of exports by Apple and other American tech companies, hampering their efforts to expand production in Southeast Asia and India, according to multiple people familiar with the matter.The tighter customs checks are related to dual-use technology export controls Beijing introducedin early Decemberand have resulted in delays of days or even weeks on shipments of production equipment and materials to Vietnam and India.The term dual-use refers to technology the Chinese government claims could have both civilian and military uses.Likely economically and politically motivatedThe reality is that the measures were motivated by economics and politics.Economics because China obviously wants to make it as difficult as possible for Apple to shift manufacturing capacity out of the country. Politics because president-elect Trump has threatened to impose an additional 10% tariff on all Chinese goods imported into the US, and China wants to highlight its potential for retaliatory action.That threat has already seen other US tech giants like Dell and Microsoft to accelerate their own efforts to diversify production out of China.From my observation, Trumps threats of a tariff war and the deterioration of the Chinese economy are the main drivers behind the increasing Chinese customs checks, tech supply chain analyst Chiu Shih-fang told Nikkei Asia.One source said that even components not on the dual-use list are being affected.What bothers us more is that some items and tools are not even on the dual-use list but are also facing stricter reviews at the customs just because they have similar HS codes, said a person at another American company with knowledge of the situation. Even some speed testing equipment for smartphones, they [Chinese customs] can argue it could be related to military use.The report lists examples of other materials and equipment affected by the checks.Photo byNational Cancer InstituteonUnsplashAdd 9to5Mac to your Google News feed. FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.Youre reading 9to5Mac experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Dont know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel

Jan 14, 2025Ravie LakshmananVulnerability / Network SecurityThreat hunters are calling attention to a new campaign that has targeted Fortinet FortiGate firewall devices with management interfaces exposed on the public internet."The campaign involved unauthorized administrative logins on management interfaces of firewalls, creation of new accounts, SSL VPN authentication through those accounts, and various other configuration changes," cybersecurity firm Arctic Wolf said in an analysis published last week.The malicious activity is believed to have commenced in mid-November 2024, with unknown threat actors gaining unauthorized access to management interfaces on affected firewalls to alter configurations and extract credentials using DCSync.The exact initial access vector is currently not known, although it has been assessed with "high confidence" that it's likely driven by the exploitation of a zero-day vulnerability given the "compressed timeline across affected organizations as well as firmware versions affected."The firmware versions of devices that were impacted ranged between 7.0.14 and 7.0.16, which were released in February and October 2024 respectively.The campaign has been observed going through four distinct attack phases that commenced around November 16, 2024, allowing the bad actors to progress from vulnerability scanning and reconnaissance to configuration changes and lateral movement."What stands out about these activities in contrast with legitimate firewall activities is the fact that they made extensive use of the jsconsole interface from a handful of unusual IP addresses," Arctic Wolf researchers said."Given subtle differences in tradecraft and infrastructure between intrusions, it is possible that multiple individuals or groups may have been involved in this campaign, but jsconsole usage was a common thread across the board."The digital break-ins, in a nutshell, involved the attackers logging in to the firewall management interfaces to make configuration changes, including modifying the output setting from "standard" to "more," as part of early reconnaissance efforts, before making more extensive changes to create new super admin accounts at the start of December 2024.These newly created super admin accounts are said to have been subsequently used to set up as many as six new local user accounts and add them to existing groups that had been previously created by victim organizations for SSL VPN access. In other incidents, existing accounts were hijacked and added to groups with VPN access."Threat actors were also observed creating new SSL VPN portals which they added user accounts to directly," Arctic Wolf noted. "Upon making the necessary changes, threat actors established SSL VPN tunnels with the affected devices. All of the client IP addresses of the tunnels originated from a handful of VPS hosting providers."The campaign culminated with the adversaries leveraging the SSL VPN access to extract credentials for lateral movement using a technique called DCSync. That said, there is currently no visibility into their end goals as they were purged from compromised environments before the attacks could proceed to the next stage.To mitigate such risks, it's essential that organizations do not expose their firewall management interfaces to the internet and limit the access to trusted users."The victimology in this campaign was not limited to any specific sectors or organization sizes," the company said. "The diversity of victim organization profiles combined with the appearance of automated login/logout events suggests that the targeting was opportunistic in nature rather than being deliberately and methodically targeted."Found this article interesting? Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn to read more exclusive content we post.SHARE

The artificial intelligence evolution is well underway. AI technology is changing how we communicate, do business, manage our energy grid, and even diagnose and treat illnesses. And it is evolving more rapidly than we could have predicted. Both companies that produce the models driving AI and governments that are attempting to regulate this frontier environment have struggled to institute appropriate guardrails.In part, this is due to how poorly we understand how AI actually functions. Its decision-making is notoriously opaque and difficult to analyze. Thus, regulating its operations in a meaningful way presents a unique challenge: How do we steer a technology away from making potentially harmful decisions when we dont exactly understand how it makes its decisions in the first place?This is becoming an increasingly pressing problem as artificial general intelligence (AGI) and its successor, artificial superintelligence (ASI), loom on the horizon.AGI is AI equivalent to or surpassing human intelligence. ASI is AI that exceeds human intelligence entirely. Until recently, AGI was believed to be a distant possibility, if it was achievable at all. Now, an increasing number of experts believe that it may only be a matter of years until AGI systems are operational.Related:As we grapple with the unintended consequences of current AI application -- understood to be less intelligent than humans because of their typically narrow and limited functions -- we must simultaneously attempt to anticipate and obviate the potential dangers of AI that might match or outstrip our capabilities.AI companies are approaching the issue with varying degrees of seriousness -- sometimes leading to internal conflicts. National governments and international bodies are attempting to impose some order on the digital Wild West, with limited success. So, how ready are we for AGI? Are we ready at all?InformationWeek investigates these questions, with insights from Tracy Jones, associate director of digital consultancy Guidehouses data and AI practice, May Habib, CEO and co-founder of generative AI company Writer, and Alexander De Ridder, chief technology officer of AI developer SmythOS.What Is AGI and How Do We Prepare Ourselves?The boundaries between narrow AI, which performs a specified set of functions, and true AGI, which is capable of broader cognition in the same way that humans are, remain blurry.As Miles Brundage, whose recent departure as senior advisor of OpenAIs AGI Readiness team has spurred further discussion of how to prepare for the phenomenon, says, AGI is an overloaded phrase.Related:AGI has many definitions, but regardless of what you call it, it is the next generation of enterprise AI, Habib says. Current AI technologies function within pre-determined parameters, but AGI can handle much more complex tasks that require a deeper, contextual understanding. In the future, AI will be capable of learning, reasoning, and adapting across any task or work domain, not just those pre-programmed or trained into it.AGI will also be capable of creative thinking and action that is independent of its creators.It will be able to operate in multiple realms, completing numerous types of tasks. It is possible that AGI may, in its general effect, be a person. There is some suggestion that personality qualities may be successfully encoded into a hypothetical AGI system, leading it to act in ways that align with certain sorts of people, with particular personality qualities that influence their decision-making.However, as it is defined, AGI appears to be a distinct possibility in the near future. We simply do not know what it will look like.AGI is still technically theoretical. How do you get ready for something that big? Jones asks. If you cant even get ready for the basics -- you cant tie your shoe --how do you control the environment when it's 1,000 times more complicated?Related:Such a system, which will approach sentience, may thus be capable of human failings due to simple malfunction or misdirection due to hacking events or even intentional disobedience on its own. If any human personality traits are encoded, intentionally or not, they ought to be benign or at least beneficial -- a highly subjective and difficult determination to make. AGI needs to be designed with the idea that it can ultimately be trusted with its own intelligence -- that it will act with the interests of its designers and users in mind. They must be closely aligned with our own goals and values.AI guardrails are and will continue to come down to self-regulation in the enterprise, Habib says. While LLMs can be unreliable, we can get nondeterministic systems to do mostly deterministic things when were specific with the outcomes we want from our generative AI applications. Innovation and safety are a balancing act. Self-regulation will continue to be key for AI's journey.Disbandment of OpenAIs AGI Readiness TeamBrundages departure from OpenAI in late October following the disbandment of its AGI Readiness team sent shockwaves through the AI community. He joined the company in 2018 as a researcher and led its policy research since 2021, serving as a key watchdog for potential issues created by the companys rapidly advancing products. The dissolution of his team and his departure followed on the heels of the implosion of its Superalignment team in May, which had served a similar oversight purpose.Brundage claimed that he would either join a nonprofit focused on monitoring AI concerns or start his own. While both he and OpenAI claimed that the split was amicable, observers have read between the lines, speculating that his concerns had not been taken seriously by the company. The members of the team who stayed with the company have been shuffled to other departments. Other significant figures at the company have also left in the past year.Though the Substack post in which he extensively described his reasons for leaving and his concerns about AGI was largely diplomatic, Brundage stated that no one was ready for AGI -- fueling the hypothesis that OpenAI and other AI companies are disregarding the guardrails their own employees are attempting to establish. A June 2024 open letter from employees of OpenAI and other AI companies warns of exactly that.Brundages exit is seen as a signifier that the old guard of AI has been sent to the hinterlands -- and that unbridled excess may follow in their absence.Potential Risks of AGIAs with the risks of narrow AI, those posed by AGI range from the mundane to the catastrophic.One underappreciated reason there are so few generative AI use cases at scale in the enterprise is fear -- but its fear of job displacement, loss of control, privacy erosion and cultural adjustments -- not the end of mankind, Habib notes. The biggest ethical concerns right now are data privacy, transparency and algorithmic bias.You dont just build a super-intelligent system and hope it behaves; you have to account for all sorts of unintended consequences, like AI following instructions too literally without understanding human intent, De Ridder adds. Were still figuring out how to handle that. Theres just not enough emphasis on these problems yet. A lot of the research is still missing.An AGI system that has negative personality traits, encoded by its designer intentionally or unintentionally, would likely amplify those traits in its actions. For example, the Big Five personality trait model characterizes human personalities according to openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism.If a model is particularly disagreeable, it might act against the interests of humans it is meant to serve if it feels that is the best course of action. Or, if it is highly neurotic, it might end up dithering over issues that are ultimately inconsequential. There is also concern that AGI models may consciously evade attempts to modify their actions -- essentially, being dishonest to their designers and users.These can result in very consequential effects when it comes to moral and ethical decision making -- with which AGI systems might conceivably be entrusted. Biases and unfair decision making might have potentially massive consequences if these systems are entrusted with large-scale decision making.Decisions that are based on inferences from information on individuals may lead to dangerous effects, essentially stereotyping people on the basis of data -- some of which may have originally been harvested for entirely different purposes. Further, data harvesting itself could increase exponentially if the system feels that it is useful. This intersects with privacy concerns -- data fed into or harvested by these models may not necessarily have been harvested with consent. The consequences could unfairly impact certain individuals or groups of individuals.Untrammeled AGI might also have society-wide effects. The fact that AGI will have human capabilities also raises the concern that it will wipe out entire employment sectors, leaving people with certain skill sets without a means of gainful employment, thus leading to social unrest and economic instability.AGI would greatly increase the magnitude of cyber-attacks and have the potential to be able to take out infrastructure, Jones adds. If you have a bunch of AI bots that are emotionally intelligent and that are talking with people constantly, the ability to spread disinformation increases dramatically. Weaponization becomes a big issue -- the ability to control your systems. Large-scale cyber-attacks that target infrastructure or government databases, or the launch of massive misinformation campaigns could be devastating.Tracy Jones, GuidehouseThe autonomy of these systems is particularly concerning. These events might happen without any human oversight if the AGI is not properly designed to consult with or respond to its human controllers. And the ability of malicious human actors to infiltrate an AGI system and redirect its power is of equal concern. It has even been proposed that AGI might assist in the production of bioweapons.The 2024 International Scientific Report on the Safety of Advanced AI articulates a host of other potential effects -- and there are almost certainly others that have not yet been anticipated.What Companies Need To Do To Be ReadyThere are a number of steps that companies can take to ensure that they are at least marginally ready for the advent of AGI.The industry needs to shift its focus toward foundational safety research, not just faster innovation. I believe in designing AGI systems that evolve with constraints -- think of them having lifespans or offspring models, so we can avoid long-term compounding misalignment, De Ridder advises.Above all, rigorous testing is necessary to prevent the development of dangerous capabilities and vulnerabilities prior to deployment. Ensuring that the model is amenable to correction is also essential. If it resists efforts to redirect its actions while it is still in the development phase, it will likely become even more resistant as its capabilities advance. It is also important to build models whose actions can be understood -- already a challenge in narrow AI. Tracing the origins of erroneous reasoning is crucial if it is to be effectively modified.Limiting its curiosity to specific domains may prevent AGI from taking autonomous action in areas where it may not understand the unintended consequences -- detonating weapons, for example, or cutting off supply of essential resources if those actions seem like possible solutions to a problem. Models can be coded to detect when a course of action is too dangerous and to stop before executing such tasks.Ensuring that products are resistant to penetration by outside adversaries during their development is also imperative. If an AGI technology proves susceptible to external manipulation, it is not safe to release it into the wild. Any data that is used in the creation of an AGI must be harvested ethically and protected from potential breaches.Human oversight must be built into the system from the start -- while the goal is to facilitate autonomy, it must be limited and targeted. Coding for conformal procedures, which request human input when more than one solution is suggested, may help to rein in potentially damaging decisions and train models to understand when they are out of line.Such procedures are one instance of a system being designed so that humans know when to intervene. There must also be mechanisms that allow humans to intervene and stop a potentially dangerous course of action -- variously referred to as kill switches and failsafes.And ultimately, AI systems must be aligned to human values in a meaningful way. If they are encoded to perform actions that do not align with fundamental ethical norms, they will almost certainly act against human interests.Engaging with the public on their concerns about the trajectory of these technologies may be a significant step toward establishing a good-faith relationship with those who will inevitably be affected. So too, transparency on where AGI is headed and what it might be capable of might facilitate trust in the companies that are developing its precursors. Some have suggested that open source code might allow for peer review and critique.Ultimately, anyone designing systems that may result in AGI needs to plan for a multitude of outcomes and be able to manage each one of them if they arise.How Ready Are AI companies?Whether or not the developers of the technology leading to AGI are actually ready to manage its effects is, at this point, anyones guess. The larger AI companies -- OpenAI, DeepMind, Meta, Adobe, and upstart Anthropic, which focuses on safe AI -- have all made public commitments to maintaining safeguards. Their statements and policies range from vague gestures toward AI safety to elaborate theses on the obligation to develop thoughtful, safe AI technology. DeepMind, Anthropic and OpenAI have released elaborate frameworks for how they plan on aligning their AI models with human values.One survey found that 98% of respondents from AI labs agreed that labs should conduct pre-deployment risk assessments, dangerous capabilities evaluations, third-party model audits, safety restrictions on model usage, and red teaming.Even in their public statements, it is clear that these organizations are struggling to balance their rapid advancement with responsible alignment, development of models whose actions can be interpreted and monitoring of potentially dangerous capabilities.Alexander De Ridder, SmythOSRight now, companies are falling short when it comes to monitoring the broader implications of AI, particularly AGI. Most of them are spending only 1-5% of their compute budgets on safety research, when they should be investing closer to 20-40%, says De Ridder.They do not seem to know whether debiasing their models or subjecting them to human feedback is actually sufficient to mitigate the risks they might pose down the line.But other organizations have not even gotten that far. A lot of organizations that are not AI companies -- companies that offer other products and services that utilize AI -- do not have aI security teams yet, Jones says. They havent matured to that place.However, she thinks that is changing. Were starting to see a big uptick across companies and government in general in focusing on security, she observes, adding that in addition to dedicated safety and security teams, there is a movement to embed safety monitoring throughout the organization. A year ago, a lot of people were just playing with AI without that, and now people are reaching out. They want to understand AI readiness and theyre talking about AI security.This suggests a growing realization amongst both AI developers and their customers that serious consequences are a near inevitability. Ive seen organizations sharing information -- there's an understanding that we all have to move forward and that we can all learn from each other, Jones claims.Whether the leadership and the actual developers behind the technology are taking the recommendations of any of these teams seriously is a separate question. The exodus of multiple OpenAI staffers -- and the letter of warning they signed earlier this year -- suggests that at least in some cases, safety monitoring is being ignored or at least downplayed.It highlights the tension that is going to be there between really fast innovation and ensuring that it is responsible, Jones adds.