I moved to Los Angeles 16 years ago, and then met my husband and had two daughters. While our house wasn't affected by the fire, our lives have been. Many of my friends lost their homes and I wonder if I need to move for my kids. "Are you OK?" is the text I've received every day for the last week. And the answer is complicated. Yes, I'm OK in the sense that while I live in Los Angeles, my family and house are safe from the wildfires.But also, I'm absolutely not OK.I moved to Los Angeles 16 years ago as an aspiring writer. I lived in West Hollywood, which is where I met my husband. Eventually, we moved to the sleepy suburbs of Burbank, where we've been raising our two daughters.Moving to the suburbs, for me, meant a sense of security for our family. The roads here are wide, the trees are ancient and enormous, and the schools are top-notch. We're surrounded by other families and local businesses we love. I recently texted a friend, "This feels like our forever home."The Palisades and Eaton fires, though, have changed not only LA itself, but how I see our future in this cityLast week, my husband and I packed up a suitcase with clothes, birth certificates, and our marriage license as intense winds knocked over those mighty trees on our street. We buckled our daughters into their car seats as ash fell from the sky. We drove out of LA under enormous plumes of smoke to find better air quality. And days later, when the Palisades fire moved East, we could see the glowing flames in the distance, just behind our house. The author worries about her kids' safety. Courtesy of the author Like everyone else, I don't know when the LA fires will be contained. What I know is that many of my friends have lost all of their possessions and sense of safety. What I know is that while we are safe, my daughters can't go outside because of the air quality. What I know is that I'm not the only parent in LA right now trying to both process the heartbreak of all this and maintain life as usual for my kids.I also know that I don't want to do this againI don't want to live every year wondering if the fires will start closer to our house. What if the home we worked so hard to have goes up in flames? Or worse, what if we can't get out in time?Los Angeles is where I began my career as a novelist. My first two books are set in Hollywood. My husband has been lucky enough to be a TV writer for shows that film here in Los Angeles. Our community and work is here.My husband has nervously laughed off my questions of, "Should we stay in LA?" and "No, really, are we staying?" But to ease my anxiety, I've started looking at listings in North Carolina not because I'm from there, but because my best friend lives there. Maybe that could be fun? The author has thought about moving her family to North Carolina. Courtesy of the author But then the practical part kicks in. How would we be able to make a living? There are no TV writers rooms, and I'd have to hope that I got a full-time job that could make enough money for all of us. The idea of moving our family somewhere else is currently very tempting, but financially maybe impossible.And on top of that, I can't imagine another place in the world I'd want to live. I love Los Angeles. My kids love that we can drive to the beach and swim in our backyard pool in the summer. This is our home.As I made my daughter's bed this morning, I silently said a prayer of thanks for the life we have. I imagine each day will be something like that both gratitude that we were spared, and the small knowledge that we were very close to losing everything. But next time if and when there is one will my family be as lucky as we have been?

Vung Tau House / Sanuki Daisuke architectsSave this picture! Hiroyuki OkiArchitects: Sanuki Daisuke architectsAreaArea of this architecture projectArea:139 mYearCompletion year of this architecture project Year: 2024 PhotographsPhotographs:Hiroyuki Oki Lead Architect: Sanuki Daisuke More SpecsLess SpecsSave this picture!Live in the Urban Blank This is a private house in Vung Tau, a provincial city in southern Vietnam. The site is a typical tube house type, with both sides and the rear of the house closed off from the neighboring houses, and no ventilation or lighting can be expected from the side openings. The front facade faces west, subjecting it to intense tropical sunlight in the afternoon, which can create an uncomfortable living environment. Despite these challenges, Vietnamese homeowners desire a home that feels open and lush with greenery.Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!It is said that about 80% of the houses in urban areas in Vietnam are in the nh ng (tube house) style. These structures are typically built on strip-shaped plots measuring 4 to 8 meters wide and about 20 meters deep, often rising 4 to 6 stories without shared walls, resulting in closely packed buildings that create a dense urban fabric. Only the front of the house is open to the street, and the other three sides are closed to the outside air, so the main theme of the tube house design is inevitably how to incorporate natural light and natural ventilation.Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!We have been studying a prototype model of a tube house in Vietnam for many years. We are creating a typology of a cross-sectional model that divides the house into enclosed private volumes and other open common spaces, tailored to the Vietnamese climate to enhance natural light and airflow. In the low-rise, high-density urban areas of Vietnam, we believe that it is very important to consider how to convert the dark and dreary living environment into a bright and open living environment for urban residents in Vietnam.Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!Our idea was simple. We defined the entire site as a "blank" left between the neighboring houses, with the first floor as a platform containing playrooms and private rooms, the open floor slabs inserted above the second floor, and the roof and facade covered with light steel shades. The floor slabs differ in level and depth at each location, and various spaces are created from the overlapping of each. In particular, the facade side, where the slab is cut into a large area, is a three-dimensional front yard with a continuous atrium from the first floor, and together with the atrium in the rear, it creates a pathway for cool ocean breezes to flow into the interior of the house. This idea was developed through the study of tube house prototypes and is the result of our efforts to create an open living space that incorporates outdoor space, a characteristic of traditional Vietnamese residences.Save this picture!Save this picture!A 10m tall White Champak tree is planted in the front yard atrium and is surrounded by a circulation system of stairs and bridges. The trees and the garden can be seen from anywhere in the house, and the living/dining rooms and bedrooms on the second to fourth floors are firmly connected to the front yard through movable partitions such as sliding and folding doors. In other words, rather than having a garden as part of the house, the entire house is a garden, giving the impression of living in a part of that garden.Save this picture!Save this picture!The front yard, covered with trees and shades of various sizes, is a buffer zone from the west faade while allowing light into the building, thus preventing direct light from entering the bedrooms and other rooms. The shades are made up of several different types of angled panels that are stacked to create a variety of patterns that vary with the time of day. Children can run around under the light coming through the shades and enjoy the tropical trees growing day by day and the pleasant breeze. This is a proposal for a house integrated with the outdoors in high-density Vietnam.Save this picture!Project gallerySee allShow lessAbout this officePublished on January 15, 2025Cite: "Vung Tau House / Sanuki Daisuke architects " 15 Jan 2025. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/1025733/vung-tau-house-sanuki-daisuke-architects&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

Discovering 'The Third Door' led to career success at Google and Meta for Andrew Yeung.The concept involves finding unconventional paths to achieve goals and stand out.Yeung used four steps to find the "third door" and launch a successful tech and hospitality career.Up until a few years ago, I thought I was going to have a mediocre career.School was difficult for me. Math, English, and science were hard. I didn't think I was terribly smart, and I had below-average grades all the way from middle school up until the point I graduated from college.It wasn't because I didn't try. In fact, I tried pretty hard. My brain just couldn't grasp basic STEM concepts. Beyond that, I lacked the typical traits associated with success, like charisma, confidence, and genius-level intelligence.No matter how hard I pushed myself, my results were always below average. I'd spend hours studying in school, only to end up with bad grades. This pattern repeated itself throughout college, where I'd spend months applying to jobs without any kind of response.I realized I needed to change things up, or I'd end up with below-average results for the rest of my life. I had to stop doing what everyone else was doing because it wasn't working for me.Everything changed for mein 2019Alex Banayan's book, "The Third Door." It completely transformed how I did everything and eventually helped me land lead roles at Google and Meta.What is "the third door"?Picture yourself trying to enter an exclusive nightclub. There are three doors: one general entrance that everyone goes through, a second door for the VIPs and celebrities, and athirddoorthat nobody tries.After learning about this idea, I made it a habit to solve every problem by finding the third door.I became almost allergic to conformity, ignoring common wisdom. Whenever I saw someone do something a certain way, I would try to do it differently, and I was convinced that there was always an easier, unconventional, non-obvious way of getting things done.Here are the four things I started doing to improve my likelihood of having a fulfilling, high-growth career.1. I started creating magnets to attract the attention of decision-makers.I always had trouble getting into the room, whether it was an interview room with the hiring manager, a private dinner with executives, or a boardroom with decision-makers. To get into the room, you often had to know the right people, have a top-tier rsum, or be exceptionally smart or charismatic. I was none of these, so I realized I needed to create the room myself.Instead of trying to get into the private dinners with CEOs, I hosted my own.Instead of trying to get on stage and grab the attention of business leaders, I created my own stage and invited leaders I wanted to speak alongside.Instead of chasing people, I learned to create valuable things that would attract the attention of those I wanted to meet.2. I started differentiating myself with my speed of execution.Throughout my career, I've used my execution speed as a competitive advantage, and it's always paid off.By replying to her email within 10 seconds, I landed an internship with the CEO of a company with over 20,000 employees.At Facebook and Google, I had the opportunity to work on the highest visibility projects because I was the first person to raise my hand.I've also made introductions within a minute of being asked. Being faster is the easiest way to differentiate yourself.3. I started investing in decadelongIn the last few years, I've interacted with thousands of people, and I've observed that most people take a shortsighted approach to building relationships, especially in fast-paced, metropolitan cities like New York and San Francisco.It makes sense there's a high density of remarkable people, giving you what seems like infinite options for relationships, but in reality, this false sense of optionality can hurt you.Early in my career, I was rejected by dozens of hiring managers. Each time, I accepted the rejection with grace, thanked them for their time, and offered to provide value by introducing them to other candidates. Eventually, it came back around.I graduated from the University of Toronto with a degree in finance and economics. My first job out of schoolcame after I was rejected from a company's internship program. I took this opportunity to build a relationship with their hiring manager and nurtured that relationship for over a year.My path into Facebook was from a cold outreach that turned into a mentorship relationship lasting over three years, and my entry point into Google came from building a long-term relationship with someone I met spontaneously.The strongest professional relationships are built when you think in decades.4. I started giving without the expectation of return.My strategy for gaining access to job opportunities, CEOs, and influential people has always been volunteering my greatest asset: my time. It's been my trojan horse for opening doors, building relationships, and accessing larger opportunities.In my early 20s, I knew nothing about startups and tech, so I pitched myself to the CEOs of early-stage companies, offering my help and suggestions. Eventually, a few people took me on, and it became my method of breaking into the tech world as a non-tech person. This approach helped build my personal brand as a young, helpful, and hungry operator.The third door helped me succeedThese four habits eventually enabled me to get access to opportunities, build relationships with prominent tech leaders, and "break" into tech without good grades or a strong rsum.In reality, I see myself as an average person who isn't particularly gifted or exceptionally smart in a specific area, but I've managed to find some success by discovering the unfair advantages that are uniquely suited to me.Andrew Yeung is a former Meta and Google employee who now throws tech parties through Andrew's Mixers, runs a tech events company at Fibe, and invests at Next Wave NYC.

Unlike a tail, octopus arms are boneless. Credit: NetaDegany via Getty ImagesShareThere are many remarkable things about octopusestheyre famously intelligent, they have three hearts, their eyeballs work like prisms, they can change color at will, and they can see light with their skin. One of the most striking things about these creatures, however, is the fact that each of their eight arms almost seems to have a mind of its own, allowing an octopus to multitask in a manner that humans can only dream about.At the heart of each arm is a structure known as the axial nervous cord (ANC), and a new study published January 15 in Nature Communications examines how the structure of this cord is fundamental to allowing the arms to act as they do. Cassady Olson, first author on the paper, explains to Popular Science that understanding the ANC is crucial to understanding how an octopuss arms work: You can think of the ANC as equivalent to a spinal cord running down the center of every single arm.Olson explains that there are many gross similarities [between the ANC and vertebrates spinal cords]there is a cell body region, a neuropil region, and long tracts to connect the arms and brains in each. This means that an octopuss arms are very different to human limbs, or those of other vertebrates; if anything, Olson says, they are most analogous to the prehensile tails found in some vertebrates: From a movement perspective, Ive [often] thought of the similarities between a vertebrate tail and an octopus arm.However, unlike a tail, octopus arms are boneless. Technically, they are a type of structure called a muscular hydrostat, composed only of muscle, connective tissue, and nervous tissue. (Another example of such a structure, Olson notes, is the human tongue.) This provides them far more freedom of movement than a tail, and allows octopuses to demonstrate remarkable dexterity. And, of course, each arm is studded with suckers, all of which an octopus can control independentlyto the extent of changing individual suckers shape as requiredand all of which can also smell and taste as well as feel.Its no surprise, then, that octopus arms are laden with neuronsindeed, as the paper points out, there are more neurons found distributed across [an octopuss] eight arms than in the brain. This provides each arm with a degree of autonomy, allowing an octopus to use some arms to perform one task while also carrying out another, entirely different activity with other arms. Its not uncommon, for example, to see an octopus using several arms to move itself across the ocean floor while cracking open a shell with two others. Each arm can also react independently to stimuli without involving the central brain. (Theres a rather gruesome demonstration of the latter fact: Amputated octopus arms, Olson says, will still move around on their own without commands from the brain.)The degree of autonomy displayed by each arm, says Olson, indicates that much of the circuitry for basic movements is contained within the ANC itself. Exactly how this circuitry was distributed, however, was unknown, and the key finding in this new study is that the ANC is divided into segments that run lengthwise along the arm.Its this modular structure, Olson says, that allows some of the work involved in controlling the arms movements to be delegated to the neurons in these segments, rather than everything being controlled by the octopuss brain. The segmentation we see in the cell body layer of the ANC can be thought of as repeated processing units along the ANC, she says. This provides the benefit of local processing for arm motor control, subdivided into smaller units, rather than a central command sent from the brain through a bundle of nerve fibers.While such segmented structures arent unique to octopusesworms, for instance, have entirely segmented bodiesOlson says that a key difference between octopus arms and creatures like worms is that the segmentation we describe in cephalopod arms pertains mostly to [the] nervous system.The inner workings of octopus arms might seem a world away from everyday human life, but theres a surprising amount of real-world utility to this research. The field of soft robotics, which involves the construction of robots from soft, pliable substances rather than the chrome-polished steel of popular imagination, has taken plenty of inspiration from octopuses. Designers in this field have often used segmented designs for structures that resemble octopus arms, and Olson says that finding an example of such a plan in nature has the potential to refine and improve such robots: Our research provides a circuit framework for how the octopus ANC controls the arm and suckers which could be used in soft robot design trying to mimic the octopus arm.In particular, she cites the evidence the team found for a so-called suckerotopy, a spatial map of sucker positions created in the ANC by reference to the position of the nerves on individual suckers. The neural wiring for this, she says, is reminiscent of a ring attractor structure, a type of neural structure that acts as a sort of gyroscope, allowing an animal (or a robot) to orient itself in space. These have been used to create biophysical models of the arm and suckers, and a real-life example could provide new ways to refine these designs.There are many more such insights waiting to be had, Olson says, because theres still plenty we dont understand about octopus biologyand its precisely because cephalopods bodies and nervous systems are so different to our own that they have the potential to provide unexpected insights. Olson says that this is what makes these animals both challenging and fascinating to study. Its exciting to study cephalopod nervous systems. Octopuses diverged from vertebrates many million years ago and have a very different body plan, so for nervous system structure and function, its interesting to ask what is still similar and what is different.

Nature, Published online: 15 January 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-024-08567-7Author Correction: An endosomal tether undergoes an entropic collapse to bring vesicles together

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Nature, Published online: 14 January 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-00037-yThe research community has flocked to the social-media platform Bluesky. Tell us about your experience.

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Nature, Published online: 14 January 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-024-04020-xMany US graduates seek short-term positions to enhance their CVs in an increasingly competitive landscape for graduate admissions.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 Steelbook Edition (Walmart Exclusive) $69 Preorder at Walmart Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 Standard Edition $70 Preorder at Amazon Preorder at Walmart Preorder at Best Buy Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 Gold Edition $90 Preorder at Amazon Preorder at Best Buy Preorder at Walmart Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 Collector's Edition $200 Preorder at GameStop The long-awaited sequel to Kingdom Come: Deliverance launches on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC on February 4. If you haven't preordered a copy of the action-RPG yet, you have four different editions to choose from, including a retailer-exclusive Steelbook Edition for PS5 that's only available at Walmart. Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2's Steelbook Edition went up for preorder for $69 on January 14, so you're getting a steelbook case without spending more than the price of the standard edition. There's also a $90 Gold Edition with the season pass available in physical format and the GameStop-exclusive Collector's Edition for PS5 and Xbox Series X.We spent four hours with the sequel at Gamescom and our initial impressions were that the sequel has the chance to please both fans of the original and newcomers to the series.If you plan on playing the RPG on PC, you can save 10% on your preorder of the standard or Gold editions at Fanatical (a GameSpot sister site). The PC version is already $10 cheaper by default, so the price difference between between the PC and console editions is even wider with these deals on Steam keys.Continue Reading at GameSpot