As fires continue to devastate the Los Angeles area, designers are stepping up to help. UX designer and design writer Hang Xu and writer Lex Roman have created a series of livestream events, running through Friday, to raise money for those who have lost their homes in the fire."Via Hang, these events will share tips 'on how to get hired, promoted and make money as a designer from folks who usually charge top dollars to share their expertise.' Each session will be free, with a suggested donation of $25 to go to families in need affected by the fires (directly, via GoFundMe).You can sign up for the talks here.

Wireless charging didnt just free us from the tyranny of tangles, it also opened the doors to creative charger designs. Especially with the addition of magnetic force, chargers no longer needed to be stuck to walls or power outlets or even lie flat on charging beds. Of course, these still required the presence of often very conspicuous chargers that may look out of place in some situations, no matter how aesthetic they might be.Some furniture makers have started integrating wireless charging into their designs but often end up making the areas too obvious, clashing with the otherwise minimalist and luxurious design of the product. This wireless charging innovation, in contrast, is almost completely invisible, save for a very subtle and elegant halo of light enclosing the charging area. In fact, this technology can be integrated into an equally innovative and sustainable stone-like material that transforms kitchen countertops and luxurious tables into futuristic charging spaces for phones.Designer: Cosentino x FreePowerImagine going to a bar and never having to worry about your phone dying. Simply put your mobile device down in front of you and have it charge while you sip your martini and make connections with the people around you. Or how about placing your phone on the kitchen table while you prepare dinner and listen to your favorite podcast, confident that your phones battery will be full by the time youre done? All of this without a single wireless charger that stands out like a sore thumb.FreePowers technology was already making these James Bond-like scenarios a reality by integrating the wireless charging components in places youd least expect them, specifically materials like marble and stone that youd hardly expect to have embedded chargers. Its partnership with Cosentino, however, adds another twist to that dreamy technology, making it available on materials that are both luxurious and sustainable.Cosentinos Silestone, for example, is a low-silica mineral surface that uses recycled materials to reduce the amount of crystallized silica used. Dekton, on the other hand, mimics the appearance and texture of porcelain while using carbon-neutral materials that also help improve its durability and scratch resistance. Both materials are also produced using sustainable processes that dont sacrifice the planets health in the name of luxury.The collaboration between FreePower and Cosentino opens a new avenue for integrating convenient wireless charging spaces into luxurious but sustainable surfaces that can be used in kitchens, bathrooms, bars, conference tables, and even desks. The only drawback to this ideal situation is that these pieces of furniture have to be custom made, as retrofitting existing counters and tabletops is not yet possible at this time.The post Marble kitchen counters and tabletops will charge your phone while you work first appeared on Yanko Design.

Internal complaints about the design and the process.

With a TikTok shutdown all but inevitable, users are dedicating their final days on the app to fictional agents of the Chinese government.

Mark Zuckerberg, the Meta chief executive, is one of several tech leaders expected to play a high-profile role in celebrating the new administration next week.

Save me from rich, white men who insist they and their kind are being discriminated against. Tech entrepreneur Elon Musk, majority owner (not the founder) of SpaceX, Tesla, and numerous other leading companies, insists that DEI [Diversity, equity, and inclusion] is just another word for racism. He screams, DEI must DIE.The point was to end discrimination, not replace it with different discrimination.Really? Im an older, relatively well-off, straight white man, and I know darn well that I owe a lot of my success to the fact that, except for my age, everything in the US economy has been set up to benefit me.In baseball terms, I started the game on first base. Black men have to get a hit to get on base. Black women step to home plate for their at-bat with two strikes against them.Musk and his ilk? He grew up with a millionaire, emerald-mine-owning father in South Africa and started on third base.It used to be worse in this country. The Equal Pay Act of 1963 and the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibited discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin, while the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 laid the groundwork for equal employment opportunities and non-discrimination in the workplace.The laws were one thing. Making it a workplace reality was another.Over the next few decades, dedicated diversity professionals began emerging within organizations, often holding titles like Chief Diversity Officer. As businesses became more diverse, companies also started recognizing that diversity is good for business.While DEI is also about basic fairness, it turns out that businesses that adopt it tend to do better than their rivals. Dont believe me? How aboutGoldman Sachs would you believe it?The global investment banking giant decidednot to take companies public without diverse board representationin 2000. The financial powerhouse did so because evidence showed that companies with diverse boards outperformed those with all-male boards. Specifically, Goldman Sachs noted that companies with at least one woman on their board performed significantly better in their IPOs than those without women. Since then, the company has increased its minimum number of women board members to two. The company has also continued tosupport black women business ownersfor solid business reasons, not warm fuzzy feelings.This is nothing new. In 2012, the global management companyMcKinseyfoundthat US companies with diverse boards had a 95% higher return on equity.Get the picture? DEI helps businesses do well, and the results are right there in the balance sheets.Facts, even accounting facts, count for little asAmerican technology leaders bow to Donald Trump. For some, like Musk and Meta chief Mark Zuckerberg, its all about rising to power on the right-wing wave. For others, its simply about preserving their billions. Preserving the gains of blacks, gays, older workers whoever is not on their priority list.So,Amazon has halted some of its DEI programs,Meta is killing them, andMicrosoft has quietly shuttered its DEI efforts. While this trend has become more obvious since Donald J. Trump won the 2024 election, its been coming for a while now.Google and Meta have both shut their doors to diverse employeessince 2023.That year, theSupreme Courts Trump-friendly majority struck down affirmative action in college admissions. That decision prompted Republican activists and some state attorneys general to target corporate DEI initiatives as discriminatory. Given a choice between fighting a political battle and quietly shutting down their diversity efforts, all too many businesses have folded their DEI tents.Others, such as Meta where Zuck is suffering from a middle-aged crisis with his gold chain, newly curled hair, and sudden weird fascination with masculine energy appear to be on their way to getting rid of their existing diverse workforce. He says he wants to move out low performers faster. I expect the upcoming 5% cut to come mostly from people of color, older workers, and LGBTQ+ staffers.You get the picture.What it all comes down to is that if youre not a straight white guy, the job market is going to become a lot harder for you. As for companies? Theyll suffer as well. I fear, though, that were stuck with this trend until cold, hard financial facts convince corporate leadership that right-wing politics leads to poor business decisions.

Meta has released a new AI model that can translate speech from 101 different languages. It represents a step toward real-time, simultaneous interpretation, where words are translated as soon as they come out of someones mouth.Typically, translation models for speech use a multistep approach. First they translate speech into text. Then they translate that text into text in another language. Finally, that translated text is turned into speech in the new language. This method can be inefficient, and at each step, errors and mistranslations can creep in. But Metas new model, called SeamlessM4T, enables more direct translation from speech in one language to speech in another. The model is described in a paper published today in Nature.Seamless can translate text with 23% more accuracy than the top existing models. And although another model, Googles AudioPaLM, can technically translate more languages113 of them, versus 101 for Seamlessit can translate them only into English. SeamlessM4T can translate into 36 other languages.The key is a process called parallel data mining, which finds instances when the sound in a video or audio matches a subtitle in another language from crawled web data. The model learned to associate those sounds in one language with the matching pieces of text in another. This opened up a whole new trove of examples of translations for their model.Meta has done a great job having a breadth of different things they support, like text-to-speech, speech-to-text, even automatic speech recognition, says Chetan Jaiswal, a professor of computer science at Quinnipiac University, who was not involved in the research. The mere number of languages they are supporting is a tremendous achievement.Human translators are still a vital part of the translation process, the researchers say in the paper, because they can grapple with diverse cultural contexts and make sure the same meaning is conveyed from one language into another. This step is important, says Lynne Bowker of the University of Ottawas School of Translation & Interpretation, who didnt work on Seamless. Languages are a reflection of cultures, and cultures have their own ways of knowing things, she says.When it comes to applications like medicine or law, machine translations need to be thoroughly checked by a human, she says. If not, misunderstandings can result. For example, when Google Translate was used to translate public health information about the covid-19 vaccine from the Virginia Department of Health in January 2021, it translated not mandatory in English into not necessary in Spanish, changing the whole meaning of the message.AI models have much more examples to train on in some languages than others. This means current speech-to-speech models may be able to translate a language like Greek into English, where there may be many examples, but cannot translate from Swahili to Greek. The team behind Seamless aimed to solve this problem by pre-training the model on millions of hours of spoken audio in different languages. This pre-training allowed it to recognize general patterns in language, making it easier to process less widely spoken languages because it already had some baseline for what spoken language is supposed to sound like.The system is open-source, which the researchers hope will encourage others to build upon its current capabilities. But some are skeptical of how useful it may be compared with available alternatives. Googles translation model is not as open-source as Seamless, but its way more responsive and fast, and it doesnt cost anything as an academic, says Jaiswal.The most exciting thing about Metas system is that it points to the possibility of instant interpretation across languages in the not-too-distant futurelike the Babel fish in Douglas Adams cult novel The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. SeamlessM4T is faster than existing models but still not instant. That said, Meta claims to have a newer version of Seamless thats as fast as human interpreters.While having this kind of delayed translation is okay and useful, I think simultaneous translation will be even more useful, says Kenny Zhu, director of the Arlington Computational Linguistics Lab at the University of Texas at Arlington, who is not affiliated with the new research.

Every Mac mini (Late 2024) is on sale, with exclusive coupon savings in effect on the high-end M4 Pro model equipped with 24GB of memory and 2TB of storage. Plus, get three years of AppleCare for $79.Save on Apple's newest Mac mini release with coupon.Discounted M4 Mac mini prices start at $569 this Wednesday, but we're especially pleased to see inventory begin to appear on M4 Pro models.This particular M4 Pro configuration equipped with 24GB of memory and 2TB of storage is $100 off with promo code APINSIDER at Adorama and at press time, it's expected to ship soon directly from Apple's distribution channel. The same APINSIDER discount code also takes $20 off optional AppleCare, dropping the 3-year extended protection plan to $79. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

A new grant of $558,232 from the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation will go towards the restoration of the historic Matthewis Persen House Museum in Kingston, New York. What is considered to be one of Americas oldest existing residential structures was first constructed by Dutch colonists in 1661 and survived the British Armys burning of the town during the Revolutionary War prior to its turn as a site of refuge for escaped slaves on the Underground Railroad. Preservationists will replace its wood shingle roof and make other exterior repairs to preserve the buildings "historic character." (h/t Hyperallergic)

For more ways to supercharge your workflow, check out more articles in ourTech for Architects series, which includes our recommendations of Top Laptops for Architects and Designers.While Artificial Intelligence (AI) has entered the mainstream conversation, its application in architecture remains mostly unfamiliar to those outside the AEC professional or academic circles. Terms like parametric design and computer algorithms sound like technical jargon, creating a disconnect between these technological processes and the real-world constructions that people interact with. As a result, AIs potential to analyze data, optimize energy use and predict environmental challenges goes unnoticed by the broader public. People engage with architecture daily, yet often without awareness of how these design innovations impact their lives.Iconic buildings are easily recognizable and often admired for their eye-catching aesthetic or shape. However, the connection between these constructions and the AI-powered design processes behind them isnt always clear to the public. People may appreciate a buildings form, size, materials or distinctive features without realizing that many of these elements result from algorithmic design processes that respond to specific parameters. To the average observer, such buildings appear as products of architectural progress, while the role of advanced technologies remains hidden. The lack of visibility of AI tools role in the architectural design process creates a disconnect, leaving people unaware of how these tools are used to create adaptive, efficient and sustainable designs benefits they experience without realizing their origin. This gap between design intent and public perception underscores a broader challenge: bridging the gap between architectural innovation and public understanding, particularly regarding technologies like parametric design and AI tools.The Public Perception Gap in Architectural Innovation170 Amsterdam designed by Handel Architects, New York, New York | Photo by Bruce DamonteArchitects use AI-powered and parametric design tools to create innovative solutions that optimize functionality, efficiency and sustainability, yet these advancements often go unnoticed or are poorly understood by the public. This disconnect limits engagement and appreciation for the transformative role of modern architecture. People may admire or react positively or negatively to visually striking buildings but are often unaware that the parametric design they observe spans beyond aesthetics, responding to site constraints, structural performance, energy efficiency, user behavior and environmental parameters. For example, the 170 Amsterdam residential building in Manhattan, New York, features an exoskeleton that serves structural and shading purposes, addressing functional and environmental challenges. The average passerby, unfamiliar with the designs parametric principles, would interpret it as a bold architectural statement. They would likely recognize the dynamic character of the buildings exoskeleton and the contrast between the robust structure and the expansive glazed surfaces as the buildings most distinctive features. Yet they may be unaware that this design optimizes usable floor area and energy efficiency.Design That Speaks: How Design Features Connect with the PublicSun Shading System designed by Tilt Industrial Design for the University of Technology (UTS) Central building, Ultimo, Australia | Photo by Brett BoardmanWhile the complexities of AI technologies and parametric design often go unnoticed, the rising awareness of sustainability has made some architectural features more recognizable and relatable to the public, especially when they visibly and effectively showcase their environmental purpose. This connection is significant because AI tools and parametric design play an important role in achieving sustainable goals. They enable architects to analyze data, optimize energy efficiency and design thoughtful solutions that respond to environmental challenges. The growing environmental awareness among the general population has made many people more conscious of the efforts in the architectural industry to address sustainability. There might not be a complete understanding of the complex strategies that architects use to achieve sustainable goals. However, when visually striking, some features are more likely to be recognized and associated with sustainability and effectively communicate their purpose to the public. Such features include green roofs and living walls, solar panels, dynamic shading systems and materials such as bamboo or recycled wood. For example, the central building of the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) in Ultimo, Australia, features an automated sun-shading system that regulates solar heat gain and minimizes glare. In addition to playing a critical role in the buildings energy-saving design, the shading system also creates a striking visual impact. At the same time, it informs of its functional purpose as an integral part of the overall architectural design. Even if people are not fully versed in sustainable design principles, the dynamic shading system on the UTS building conveys its purpose through its visible functionality. The movement of the louvers in response to sunlight and their integration into the buildings faade make their role as a solar heat regulator intuitive. This blend of practicality and visual impact allows the shading device to communicate its environmental intent clearly, making sustainability tangible and relatable to the public.Enhancing Public Awareness to Shape User-Centered EnvironmentsThe visibility of sustainability through AI-powered architectural designs can be extended to other areas of the built environment. Improving public awareness of how AI and parametric design tools shape the built environment can help people recognize the positive impact these technologies have on their daily lives. This awareness, in turn, can promote a stronger societal interaction with architecture and greater support for functional, efficient and sustainable development. The benefits can be particularly evident in high-traffic public areas, like open public spaces, transportation hubs, schools, universities and medical facilities, where efficiency and functionality are paramount.AI is a valuable tool for analyzing human movement, usage patterns and parameters to optimize layouts for circulation and accessibility. This strategy ensures that design outcomes are user-centered while optimizing functionality and efficiency.A Public Education Imperative: How AI Shapes the Built EnvironmentThe Airport Typology Reconfigured. Study Area: Des Moines, Iowa. Created by Blake Gallagher at NBBJThe gap between AI-powered design processes in the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industry and the general public is significant. However, it also offers an opportunity for a greater and more productive connection. If the AEC community takes an educational approach to bridge this divide, the interaction between the public and architecture can be transformed. Educational initiatives whether through exhibitions, talks by experts, interactive websites or collaboration with schools and continuous cooperation between architects and the public structured around participatory workshops can demystify design choices, making architecture more relatable. These efforts can showcase how elements like form, materials and layout are thoughtfully considered to optimize functionality, efficiency and sustainability.As AI and parametric tools continue to revolutionize how the built environment is designed and experienced, educating the public about their impact will encourage a deeper connection to architecture. This understanding can lead to more inclusive, adaptive solutions aligned with peoples needs.For more ways to supercharge your workflow, check out more articles in ourTech for Architects series, which includes our recommendations of Top Laptops for Architects and Designers.The post From Algorithms to Architecture: Why Architects Are Turning to AI for Smarter, Greener Designs appeared first on Journal.