I know what it's like when the thought of looking at your personal finances makes your stomach churn. The first step to getting control of your spending is to take a hard look at where your money actually goes. Now, I've previously lamented how many sources like to overstate the impact of small purchases, like your morning iced coffee, on your long-term finances. At the same time, you really shouldnt be spending more than you earn, which makes it difficult to pay off debts and save money for the future. If you dont know where to get started making a budget, or your current one doesnt seem to work for you, a spending audit is a great way to get the right numbers and make a plan that works for you. Because whether you deliberately ignore certain bad spending habits or youve fallen prey to a larger trend of lifestyle creep, its easy to lose track of where some of your cash is going. Heres how to perform a spending audit and position yourself to make better financial decisions in the future.What is a spending audit?An audit is a review, not a budget. Many people choose to look forward and create a budget without being honest about their current spending habits. But the goal of cutting back on spending is abstract and hard to achieve. Better to figure out what youre actually spending first, and go from there.Think of your spending audit as the sometimes painful, but definitely necessary, first step to creating a budget that actually works for you. Review all of your transactions from a certain amount of timefor our purposes, lets say three months of spending. Then, consider what the results say about your spending habits and what you can change.How to conduct your spending auditHere's how to conduct an effective spending audit that will help your spending habits going forward.Gather all your numbersKick off your audit by collecting around three months' worth of financial statements from all your accounts, including:Credit card statementsBank account transactionsDigital payment services (PayPal, Venmo, etc.)Cash expenditures (tracked through receipts)I find that three months provides enough data to identify patterns while remaining manageable to analyze. Having all this information in one place helps create a complete picture of your spending habits.Categorize your transactionsCreate meaningful categories that reflect your lifestyle. Common categories include:Housing (rent/mortgage, utilities, maintenance)Transportation (car payments, fuel, public transit)Food (groceries, dining out)Entertainment (streaming services, hobbies, events)Healthcare (insurance, medications, appointments)Personal care (haircuts, gym memberships, clothing)Debt payments (student loans, credit cards)Go through each transaction and assign it to a category. Be honest with yourselfthat coffee shop visit might be "food" or "entertainment," depending on your perspective and habits.Start looking for pattensNext, look for patterns that illuminate your spending behavior. One way to do this is to mark each item on your bank statements. Place a star next to necessary purchases, a check next to discretionary purchases that you feel good about, and an X next to ones that are more questionable. Once youve marked all the expenses that you regret or want to change going forward, group them together and ask yourself some questions to identify your problem areas. Think: Is your coffee habit out of control? Are you spending too much on a gym membership you rarely use? Have your monthly subscriptions gotten out of hand? Are your debt payments higher than you can afford right now? You might be surprised to find how many expenses youll be able to eliminate, whether because they were unintentional or were motivated by stress.Create a budget that suits your lifestyleFinally, at the end of the audit, add up all these problem areas to get a rough approximation of how much money you could route into savings if you changed your habits. Calculate percentages for each category relative to your total spending. Compare these to common financial guidelines, such as the 50/30/20 rule (50% needs, 30% wants, 20% savings).A spending audit is a simple exercise that lets you spend a little more consciously now, before things get out of control later. And now that youve conducted your audit, here are some ways you can get started actually putting together a budget.)

The seven-year wait is finally over. Nintendo has officially revealed its next console, the Switch 2. Now that the reveal has actually happened, after months of speculation, we can all move onto something else, right? Not so fast. The short introduction video actually created more questions than answers. Theres a whole lot we dont know about Nintendos forthcoming hybrid console, so lets get into it.When will it come out?We dont know! Nintendo has a Direct livestream planned for April 2, in which well probably get that information. Itll be sometime after that, but during 2025. Maybe theyll do a quick turnaround and have it ready for sale by the end of April, but a summer release is far more likely. Its also possible the company will wait until the beginning of the lucrative holiday season. Folks will be able to play it in the near future, however, as Nintendo is holding in-person events throughout the world in April through June.What are the internal specs?This is another mystery. The introduction video merely showed the exterior of the console, along with the updated controllers. There was no mention of internal specs. Of course, there are plenty of rumors regarding the power of Nintendos next console, but nothing concrete. Some analysts predict the console will include an eight-core Cortex-A78AE processor, 8GB of RAM, and 64GB of internal eMMC storage, while others say itll be powered by an NVIDIA-produced Tegra239 SoC (system on a chip). Most people seem to agree that the system will include some version of NVIDIAs DLSS deep learning supersampling" upscaling tech.What about the screen?NintendoWeve seen the screen in action, likely running some version of an upcoming Mario Kart game. The video gave us some insight into the size of the display, as it looks to be around 30 percent larger than the current model. This tracks with rumors indicating an 8-inch screen. However, we dont know the type of display that accompanies the console. Rumors vary here. Some analysts predict a Mini-LED screen, while others expect a traditional LCD. It probably wont be an OLED, as the company will likely save that for a future upgrade.Whats the battery life?There arent even any credible rumors on this one, but there was some speculation last year regarding the companys adoption of a performance mode feature with the Switch 2. Nintendo likes to hit that mass market sweet spot, so Id be very surprised if the battery life didnt match the Switch OLEDs 4.5 to nine hours of playtime per charge. The console will be more powerful than the OG Switch, certainly, but its also bigger. That extra room can house a beefy battery.How much will it cost?This is yet another unknown. Nintendo will likely reveal pricing information on April 2. The original Switch launched at $300, as did the Wii U. However, inflation is real and supply chains are rickety. Rumors have been circulating that the price could shoot up to $400, or even higher. Nintendo does tend to increase base level console prices every couple of generations. The GameCube originally cost $200 and the Wii was $250.Do the controllers feature optical sensors?Nintendo Theres been a long-standing rumor that the Switch 2 will incorporate mouse-like functionality via optical sensors on the Joy-Cons. We dont have exact confirmation on that, but the introduction video sure seems to imply it. Eagle-eyed viewers probably spotted a segment that featured the Pixar-like controllers moving around a table like, well, two computer mice. If true, Nintendo will likely develop some wacky software that combines mouse and controller inputs. In any event, this addition will certainly make stuff like Civilization VI easier to play. It could also hint at a new Mario Paint.Whats that unmarked button on the right side?NintendoViewers also likely spotted a new button on the bottom of the right Joy-Con. This was previously rumored to be a C button, but it's unmarked in the introduction video. We dont know what it does, so your guess is as good as ours. Maybe it calibrates controllers or initiates voice chat. Well probably find out on April 2.Whats the deal with backwards compatibility?NintendoYes, the Switch 2 is backwards compatible with original Switch games. This is fantastic news, but the intro video did note that "certain Nintendo Switch games may not be supported on or fully compatible with Nintendo Switch 2." We dont exactly know what that means or how many titles it will impact. Its a fair bet that it refers to some of the wackier stuff from the previous generation, like Nintendo Labo or Mario Kart: Home Circuit.Will stick drift be a problem?Well have to wait and see on that one, but the reveal video did take some time out to show a joystick doing cute little full circles. Previous leaks have indicated that Nintendo has learned its lesson regarding stick-drift and the new console will include Hall effect joysticks. We sure hope so.What will the UI be like?The Switchs user interface, for better or worse, is extremely minimal and bare-bones. This carries over to the online shopping experience. We dont know if the Switch 2 will incorporate some Nintendo-grade wackiness when it comes to the UI. My hope is that it brings back its long-forgotten social network Miiverse. It was silly and fun. Modern social media apps are a lot of things, but I wouldnt exactly call them silly or fun.Will there be any Nintendo weirdness?From the headache-inducing 3DS to the, well, equally headache-inducing Virtual Boy, Nintendo has always marched to the beat of its own drum. The Switch 2, however, seems to be an extremely conservative release for the company. It's a more powerful and slightly bigger Switch.Will there be any of that Nintendo weirdness that saved the company in the age of the Wii and nearly ruined it during the Wii U era? We don't know yet. It's entirely possible the aforementioned optical sensors or "C" button could lead to wild and wacky gameplay experiences. It's also possible that there are features yet to be announced. This is Nintendo we are talking about here.What are the launch games?NintendoThis is a total unknown, though fans hoping for a new Mario Kart certainly got a jolt by that reveal video. It included a fair amount of footage from what looked to be a brand-new Mario Kart, complete with revamped character designs and the potential for 24-person races.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/everything-were-still-dying-to-know-about-the-nintendo-switch-2-195606756.html?src=rss

Multiple groups are using the same infection chain to deliver different infostealers, including 0bj3ctivityStealer and VIP Keylogger.

Digital Currency Group, the crypto firm founded by Barry Silbert, is paying the SEC $38.5 million for misleading investors.

As a nationwide TikTok shutdown looms, over 100,000 full-time TikTok content creators are scrambling to figure out the best way to reconcile their primary source of income.Among them are CareerTok creators, a group of influencers who offer workplace and job-hunting advice in the form of short videos. As the platform disappears, so will their followings and years of past content.Last year, Congress passed a bill that required TikToks parent company, ByteDance, to sell its U.S. assets or go dark this Sunday Jan. 19. Although the future remains uncertain, as of today, no sale has been approved and the Supreme Court upheld the ban. Both viewers and creators are bracing for an impending shutdown and figuring out next steps.We spoke to Hanna Goefft and Courtney Johnsontwo CareerTok creators with around 300,000 followers eachabout how theyre preparing for the ban and their thoughts on the future of career advice on social media. The interviews have been edited for length and clarity.I would not be where I am right now without TikTokHanna Goefft: Hands down, I would not be where I am right now as a full-time content creator without TikTok. From my own career journey, I gained a lot of career-related job-search-strategy knowledge that seemed like common sense to me. But from talking with my friends, I started to see that it wasnt. I saw an opportunity to start sharing this base of knowledge that I had a great handle on, so I posted my first TikTok. My videos got so much traction and I realized there is a real appetite for this kind of career advice content. In 2024, I left my corporate career to pursue this full-time.Courtney Johnson: I had worked at a bunch of marketing agencies building brands for other people, and I realized it was time to start building my personal brand. So I started posting consistently about marketing and career first on LinkedIn and then TikTok, and everything has taken off over the past few years. TikTok is my biggest platform, and if TikTok is banned, I will lose revenue, opportunities, and so much of my audience.De-risking and diversifyingHG: As soon as the ban came under discussion, a big focus of mine became de-risking and diversifying my platform. Ive really focused on Instagram growth over the past year, just as a way to immediately make available my brand partnership opportunities that I rely on for income. Im also thinking about other channels: LinkedIn is getting a lot of traction and is top of mind for career-related creators. YouTube also increased their Shorts limit to three minutes. But its a totally different strategy to be creating content across all these different platforms. I also now have a goal to build my revenue in a way that lessens my reliance on brand partnerships. In the career-advice space, coaching and online courses seem like obvious offerings to explore.CJ: Immediately when I heard the ban might happen, I downloaded and saved my TikToks for the future. I had only started posting on Instagram a year ago, but now Ive really doubled down on my Instagram. I started posting more Reels and more Threads. Im optimistic that my pivot can help me focus on whats important and be successful. About a third of my income comes from my coaching, and another large portion comes from courses and online materials that I create for others. I probably get around half of my coaching customers from TikTok, and Im sad to see that go.Unlike any other platformHG: TikTok has such a unique content culture that I have not seen anywhere else. Instagram is focused on connecting you with people you already know, and on Youtube you have to go and seek out any short-form content. Nothing else has TikToks authenticity or that highly curated algorithm that knows exactly what you want to see. There are so many full-time creators with no protection; this shutdown is kind of like doing a mass layoff with no severance.CJ: I think every creator is worried right now that their audiences will shake up. TikTok is so unique in that the discoverability is unlike any other platform. It sends you people that align with your values and the topics youre interested in, in a way other platforms just cannot do.

American studio ASAP has integrated a century-old brick facade into a residential and retail building called Allen Apartments in Buffalo, USA.Located in Buffalo's Allentown neighbourhood, the building occupies an urban site near a light rail system and medical campus.ASAP has completed Allen Apartments in upstate New YorkIt also sits within a historic district known for its eclectic mix of 19th- and 20th-century architecture, including a concert hall by Eero and Eliel Saarinen and a park designed by Frederick Law Olmsted. The district is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.The project involved partly preserving a dilapidated, two-storey retail building that was mostly beyond repair.The original brick-and-stone front facade was preservedASAP, or Adam Sokol Architecture Practice which relocated from Buffalo to Los Angeles in 2018 conceived a scheme that preserved the original brick and stone facade, yet allowed for a 3.5-storey structure to rise behind it.According to the studio, the design represents a "distinctive mixture of historic and contemporary construction"."The massing respects the historic structure by gradually increasing in size as it recedes from the street," said the studio.Each side of the building has a different lookRoughly rectangular in plan, the building looks different on each side.The original front facade was preserved yet mostly rebuilt with new brick that matched the old structure. The east wall, which faces a vacant plot, was made of concrete masonry, as is the rear wall.Read: Studio Other Spaces encloses Buffalo museum courtyard in "canopy of glass and mirrors"The western elevation is staggered and overlooks a communal courtyard. Walls are clad in dark grey steel panels.The building contains a retail space and two ADA-compliant apartments on the ground floor, with additional apartments on the upper levels.The building's western elevation is staggered and overlooks a courtyard. Photo by Alexandro SeverinIn total the build contains 10 homes, with a combination of one- and two-bedroom units along with two loft-style duplexes. Units are accessed via an orange-painted stairwell.The units have large windows and high ceilings to create a feeling of spaciousness. Interior finishes include light-toned wooden flooring and white cabinetry.The team incorporated "a variety of outdoor spaces of differing scales, giving each unit a unique experience".Dark grey steel panels were used for the exteriorThe building is among the first all-electric buildings in Buffalo. Eco-friendly elements include high-efficiency heat pumps and solar-generated hot water.The project received historic tax credits, following approval of the design by the state preservation office and federal park service.The apartments feature large windows, wooden flooring and white cabinetryOther projects in Buffalo include the adaptive reuse of an insane asylum into a boutique hotel by Deborah Berke Partners, and a sculptural, glass-enclosed addition to the AKG Art Museum by OMA's New York office.The photography is by Brett Beyer unless stated otherwise.The post ASAP incorporates historic facade into mixed-use building in Buffalo appeared first on Dezeen.

A startup called HEYii claims they've developed infinitely reusable tracing paper. Called HEYtrace+, it's not actually paper at all, but a 0.5mm-thick silicone sheet with some type of proprietary coating; the company says it's nontoxic and allows you to erase the sheet using water (though they say 75% alcohol does a better job). You are somewhat limited to what you can draw with: The surface doesn't react well with pencils or oil-based markers. You can use alcohol-based markers like Copics, dry-erase markers, ballpoint pens, and water-based ink pens. The sheets come in A4 (8.3 x 11.7 inches) and A3 (11.7 x 16.5 inches). Oddly, both are priced the same: $35 each, with discounts available if you buy multiples ($99 gets you a 4-pack, for instance). The sheets come with a cleaning cloth and a piece of test material, if you want to try out a writing utensil to see if it will erase, without ruining the actual sheet.HEYtrace+ has been successfully Kickstarted, and there are nine days left in the campaign. They expect to start shipping them this April.

Most children have probably built a fort or hut or shelter in their living bedroom or bedroom and engaged in playful shenanigans inside and around it. Most of the time though its just several pillows and bedsheets propped up by chairs and tables and we have to dismantle them when the adults say we need to clean up the room. What if there was a more permanent kind that kids can keep and stay in whenever they want?Designer: Valeria OrlovaShelter is a concept for a permanent hut to add to your kids room. Well, probably permanent until they outgrow it or destroy it, whichever comes first. It is made from a box-like material and is shaped like the silhouette of a mountain with a cave-like opening. The outside is decorated with various constellations so in the evening the child can have a starry view from outside the hut. On the side of the mountain are through the wall storage spaces with hinged systems so they can just throw in toys inside (or hide them quickly in case they need to). Inside the cave, the back wall is covered with paint slate so the kids can draw on it with chalk, creating their own artwork or codes and ciphers. There are also some stones and other materials outside to give the feel of a mountain (or a gingerbread house, but with stones instead of gingerbread).Part of the joy of creating forts is using whatever material you have lying around but also part of the heartbreak is getting them down. So a permanent structure like this may be the next best thing for the child and the child at heart. It can remove a bit of the imagination that goes into makeshift huts but theres still plenty to do inside and outside anyways. The post Shelter concept creates fun, permanent fort for kids first appeared on Yanko Design.

I think this is as close as we've gotten to smartphones being able to replace digital cameras.

Honors latest flagship phone is a refined marriage of hardware and AI-infused software.