This past weeks cold and windy weather inspired me to stay inside. A lot. I think I left my home one time and I hated it so much. By the end of the week, I didnt have many ingredients left to make any particular dish. I peered around my kitchen and rummaged through my fridge to find five forgotten baby potatoes, two chicken sausages, and a single zucchini. Split between two people, this alone is not a meal to get excited aboutbut as giambotta, it could be a winter meal to look forward to.Giambotta is also spelled ciambotta (and if youre in my partners family then you pronounce it something like jom-both), and it hails from Southern Italy. This hearty vegetable stew is one of those gorgeously flexible dishes that can be modified depending on what you have on hand, and how your family prefers to eat it. Although I only started eating it when my partner started making it for me, I already know how I prefer it. Personally, there needs to be zucchini involved and I like the veggies chunky. He likes a less watery broth, but I dont mind it. Credit: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann All that to say, you can modify this soup a bit to your liking. Your giambotta might have a barely tomato-tinged broth that looks more yellow; your neighbor might prefer a thicker, bright, tomato-forward sauce. The consistent ingredients I always see are potatoes, onion, some sort of tomato addition, and zucchini.Beyond that, you can add sliced chicken, sausage, a can of chickpeas, wilted greens, or chopped carrots. Basically, whatever you have on hand. I love this soup for a Thursday or Friday night when Im using up the bits and bobs that never made it into something earlier that weekthe small zucchini, the five baby potatoes, the frozen tomato sauce that lives in my freezer. Its the best soup to make when you need to buy time between grocery store runs. I didn't have fresh tomatoes for the sauce, so I broke off clumps of the frozen sauce I often keep in the fridge. Credit: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann This soup is absolutely delicious served as-is, over a scoop of rice, or with the addition of short, wiggly pasta shapes. The zucchini has a tendency to over-soften when reheat the next day, so I prefer to finish the entire batch without leaving any leftovers.Giambotta Recipe Ingredients:1 tablespoon olive oil small onion, minced1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed4-6 baby potatoes, halved4 button mushrooms, chopped2 chicken sausages, halved lengthwise and sliced1 zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced teaspoon salt cup seasoned tomato sauce2 cups chicken, beef, or veggie broth1. In a medium pot, heat the olive oil and add the onion, potatoes, and garlic. Cook over medium low heat until the onions begin to sweat, the potatoes are coated in oil and its fragrant. This should take about three minutes.2. Add the mushrooms, chicken sausage pieces, and zucchini. Stir occasionally for another three minutes to start cooking them and gain some color.3. Add the salt, tomato sauce, and broth. Stir and then cover the pot with a lid. Let the soup simmer until the potatoes are cooked tender. This should take about five minutes, depending on the size of the pieces.Note that I dont have additional dry seasonings in this recipethats because my tomato sauce was homemade. I suggest using a pre-seasoned sauce, or add some dry seasonings (like garlic powder, onion powder, or dry chili flakes) to suit your taste.

I think its safe to say that most humans on this planet are growing, how can I put this lightly, weary of the current billionaire stewards of our social media ecosystem. X is a hateful mess. Meta is trying to become a hateful mess. TikTok is likely on its way out. Social media is just not that fun or useful anymore.However, a cadre of celebrities and notable ex-Twitter users are trying to save social media from billionaire capture by creating something called FreeOurFeeds. These folks want to build a new social media ecosystem, one that is focused on the public good instead of profit-driven incentives, as reported by User Mag.So thrilled to be working with folks like @audreyt, @doctorow, @shoshanazuboff, @Moonalice and @jimmy_wales on #FreeOurFeeds.Weve got a chance here: Blueskys open protocol is an incredible opportunity to reimagine social media and take it back from fickle billionaires. https://t.co/QSjbg6MAIV Eli Pariser | @elipariser@mastodon.social (@elipariser) January 13, 2025 Some of the big names behind this project include actor Mark Ruffalo, actor/director Alex Winter and sci-fi writer/journalist Cory Doctorow. Brian Eno is involved, as is Jimmy Wales (the founder of Wikipedia.) The plan involves building new social media apps on top of the pre-existing AT Protocol, which is a decentralized framework that Bluesky runs on. This would ostensibly give users significant control over their data, algorithms and the entire online experience.The last two decades have seen the world sleepwalk into a situation where a handful of companies dictate our entire social media experience. Now, for the first time we have an opportunity to rewrite the rules. Blueskys underlying technology, the AT protocol, could offer a new pathway for the social web. said Sherif Elsayed-Ali, Executive Director of the Future of Technology Institute.There are a couple of major hurdles here. Bluesky is still backed by venture capital, so the team has to raise money to ensure the underlying technology is put on an independent pathway, so that the future of social media can be freed from the whims of any one company or group of billionaires.The foundation also requires money to start building critical infrastructure. All told, the organization hopes to raise $30 million over the next three years. Theres a GoFundMe right now, with the intent to raise an initial $4 million. Initial funds will be spent to launch a public interest foundation that will attempt to make Blueskys underlying tech fully resistant to billionaire capture.Before you dismiss this notion as a bunch of rich celebrities holding out a donation can, lets remember that even the wealthiest celebrity doesnt hold a handle to the billionaires that control the levers of power. Mark Ruffalo, likely the most notable member of the group, is worth around $30 million and Alex Winter is worth $4 million.Elon Musk is worth $416 billion and Mark Zuckerbergs worth is creeping up on $220 billion. Musk is worth, wait for it, around 14,000 times more than Ruffalo. The difference between million and billion is pretty serious.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/celebs-and-tech-luminaries-including-mark-ruffalo-want-to-create-a-fully-open-social-media-ecosystem-174641161.html?src=rss

AGI is now on track to arrive in 2025.

General Catalyst's portfolio companies, starting with Aidoc and Commure, will use AWS' services to build new artificial intelligence solutions.

Goodbye Kansas breaks down their Secret Level episode called The Company We Keep.The post Behind the scenes of The Company We Keep appeared first on befores & afters.

Reddit cant stop building shiny new advertising tools. First it was dynamic product ads, then it was AI copy tools. Now, theyre premiering custom Ask Me Anything-themed ads.The changes have accelerated Reddits sales, with most analysts predicting the company reached $1 billion in 2024 ad revenue. That figure has been elusive for Reddit, which only began meaningfully investing in their ad business in 2018. But its also far off from the competition, with companies like LinkedIn, Snapchat, and Pinterest more than doubling their ad load.Reddits advertising innovationsReddit is on an advertiser courting spree. In their Q3 2024 earnings call, COO Jen Wong pointed specifically to advertising revenue as a point of growth, noting that the company brings on thousands of new advertisers every quarter. She called them seeds that are planted for the future, where current smaller investments in Reddit ads beget future, bigger ones. (Reddit declined to comment.)At CES, Reddit debuted two new products for brands, on top of the litany of other 2024 features meant to sweeten the ad deal. One was a fully integrated, customizable Ask Me Anything-type ad. The second was a new Pro Trends tool, where businesses can see rundowns of whats being talked about on Reddits forums. Jeremy Goldman, senior director of client briefings at eMarketer, was most excited about the latter.You get brands to spend more time on the platform, Goldman says. When TikTok launched things that were similar, it helped brands that were on the fence get more comfortable with the platform, and then they started to spend money.The tools have been working; in that Q3 report, Reddit noted 56% year-over-year growth in advertising revenue. EMarkerter reported a growth rate of 50.5% for Reddit last year. This year, that number is projected to tick down to 30.9%. Goldman still finds that demoted rate impressive, and thinks Reddits smaller status could actually be a boon for advertiser growth.Advertisers are getting a little bit wiser to know that they dont necessarily care about, Am I getting the most impressions possible? Goldman says. They want to have a consumer that they can convince to do something. When you have a really strong contextual ad like Reddit has been really focused on, you might get it in front of fewer people, but one of those people is going to take action.Can Reddit catch up to the competition?While Reddits projected $1 billion in ad sales is internally significant, it pales in comparison to its competitors. Pinterest cracked $3 billion in 2023, while LinkedIn neared $4 billion. Snapchat pushes past $4.5 billion annually. Reddit regularly has more monthly active users than all three of these apps, but pulls less than half of their ad revenue.Some of that may have to do with cultural cach. Goldman contends that the platform is niche, and that they struggle to turn infrequent visitors into long-term users. Reddit also has some sustained brand safety worries, with most online forums being stained by the mark of seedier platforms like 4chan. Many remember Reddit as the platform that spurred off the term inceleven if theyve since taken the subreddit down.But most of the advertising gap has to do with timing. For years, Reddits ad programs were entirely self-serve. They only added display ads four years after the companys founding, and added in-app ads two years after the app itself premiered. Relatively speaking, Reddits ad business is still nascent. Youre not going to be able to [grow] 300% year-over-year, no matter how amazing your advertising is, Goldman says.But Reddit needs revenue, both to sustain the company and to keep the stock price up following their 2024 IPO. For this, theyre finding creative ways to bring in additional funds, like a sprawling, $60 million content licensing deal with Google. While Goldberg worries what will happen to Reddits stock price when these AI deals dry up, he recognizes their value. The more they can do that, the less pressure they put on their ad business to grow, he says.

Local studio HEMAA has completed the narrow, 13-storey Ferrocarril de Cuernavaca 780 with steel, concrete and glass on a skinny, post-industrial lot in Mexico City.Located between a street and the remnants of the Ferrocarril de Cuernavaca Railroad, the 9,465 square metres (101,874 square feet) Ferrocarril de Cuernavaca 780 building was designed as a skinny wedge on an underutilized property in the Polanco neighbourhood.HEMAA has completed the narrow Ferrocarril de Cuernavaca 780 building in Mexico City. Top photo by Rory Gardiner"It required an act of imagination to envision the emergence of a graceful tower that would deftly adapt to the challenging terrain," the HEMAA team said."Comparable to tenacious plants thriving amidst adversity, this tower would unfold, defying expectations."In addition to the site constraints, the narrow form resulted from a reinterpretation of classical architectural elements, incorporating the golden ratio in multiple places and dividing out into a base, shaft and capital through modulations and windows.It sits on a narrow plot next to a former railroadThe use of a black structural steel facade selected as a nod to the area's industrial history that has risen from a peripheral service neighbourhood to a vibrant area accommodates Mexico City's seismic regulations while allowing the floors to be free of columns.Glazing wraps almost entirely around the building, bringing in natural light from every angle and connecting the spaces to their surroundings.The materials reference the industrial history of the area"Depending on the viewer's vantage point and the time of observation, its shape gracefully metamorphoses, offering a myriad of unique interpretations," the team said. "Its unequivocal identity creates an ideal backdrop for the tower to assume a vibrant existence once it becomes inhabited."The skyscraper includes a ground-floor commercial space ideal for a coffee shop on the east corner of the building two glazed entries that create a see-through enfilade between the north and south facades, and a circulation core complete with a glazed robotized pallet system and elevators on the west side of the building.Two glazed entries create a enfilade for the ground floorEmbracing its responsibility toward public space, the design dedicates the southern portion of the site to public space, connects to the adjacent park and encourages interaction with the envisioned ground floor commercial space. This footprint reduction narrows the width of the building even further, rather than maximizing the available land.Below ground, 13 subterranean levels house storage and maintenance spaces while a robotic parking system accommodates 126 parking spaces in two parking cabins.The insides of the structure were left relatively sparseAbove, the typical floors are reduced to include only the essential egress and restroom facilities. The remainder of the glazed space is available for future tenant build-outs.On the 13th floor, the exterior wall steps back to form a roof terrace that offers panoramic views of the Mexico City skyline and Chapultepec Park.Read: Seven narrow New York townhouses making the most of urban spaceThe LEED-certified building includes advanced insulation and HVAC systems, high-efficiency lighting, rainwater harvesting and efficient plumbing fixtures, to ensure optimal energy usage, reduce carbon emissions and conserve water."Indoor environmental quality is a top priority, with ample natural lighting and effective air replacement promoting occupant health and well-being," the team said."The building's design encourages a connection to nature, with large windows, a rooftop garden, and outdoor gathering areas that enhance the overall user experience."It features a rooftop gardenHEMAA recently completed a nuanced steel structure of a lakeside gathering pavilion outside Mexico City, as well as a pair of stone houses in the Jardines del Pedregal neighbourhood and the renovation of a mid-century Augusto H lvarez house in Mexico City.The photography is Csar Bjar unless otherwise noted.Project credits:Architecture: HEMAADesign and construction team: Santiago Hernndez Matos, Alejandra Tornel Cahue, Jos Miguel Fainsod Castro, Jos Pedro Lpez Gonzlez, Alonso Snchez Toscano, Adriana Aguirre Becerra, Andrea Motilla Chvez, Daniela Parra Orozco, Jos Miguel Santivaez Gmez, Juan Octavio Ferreira, Mnica Garca Cruz, Patricio Salgado RodrguezStructural engineer: PESAElectric engineer: DECPlumbing engineer: Garza MaldonadoHVAC engineer: CYVSASpecial engineer:TecnoBuildingsLandscape design: DLC ArchitectsLEED certification comissioning: Alejandro Trillo + Gabriel MoralesArchitectural model: Taller Cuatro CuartosOthers: Omar Sad / Augusto lvarezThe post HEMAA uses black steel for narrow skyscraper in Mexico City appeared first on Dezeen.

Two years ago we spotted this gimmicky-looking MagicH chair, an "ultra adaptive support home office chair" by Chinese manufacturer Newtral. People went bonkers for it on Kickstarter; it landed $1.8 million. Now the company's back with a new offering, the Freedom-X, a "multi-position chair" with a built-in desk and cupholder, as well as swing-down armrests. The video gives you a better look at the product, where you can see that the build quality and upholstery stitching isn't exactly Herman Miller quality:Does anyone have any faith that this chair will last? If you read through the comments on the MagicH's campaign page, you'll find some brutal feedback. Let's just say you won't be passing that chair down to your grandkids; multiple buyers report mechanical failure around the six-month mark.That said, the Freedom-X has once again captured the crowdfunding masses. While Newtral was seeking just $10,000 to get this thing going, at press time they were at $780K-plus, with over a month left to pledge. Caveat emptor.

A step-by-step guide to drawing the female form from reference.

The next new thing doesnt have to cost as much as next months paycheck.