A wall of timber louvres references traditional wooden beach shacks at this house in Byron Bay, Australia, completed by local architecture practice Son Studio.Named Bangalow Road House after the road that connects the town of Bangalow to Byron Bay and the coast, the three-bedroom family home occupies a compact corner plot.Son Studio's design aims to allude to the area's traditional beach houses while responding to the site's challenges, including its size constraints and the need to balance a desire for views with privacy.Son Studio has completed Bangalow Road House in Byron Bay"The client was aware of the significant challenges posed by the narrow 360-square-metre corner block, including its two street frontages, adjoining laneway and stringent height and side boundary constraints," Son Studio director Scott Jackson told Dezeen."They were interested in exploring how to challenge conventional building forms and notions of how a home should look and operate to achieve their programmatic goals on this compact site," Jackson added."By wrapping the house in a locally sourced timber and incorporating modern detailing, we created a structure that blends the raw tactile qualities of traditional beach houses with a modern interpretation."Bangalow Road House is formed of three volumesTo ensure a low profile, Bangalow Road House comprises three volumes, two of which sit at ground level. These contain a garage and the home's living areas, above which the first-floor bedroom block is perched on diagonal wooden supports.On the ground floor, privacy is achieved with a series of trees planted around the site's perimeter and a variety of timber screens, while the elevated bedroom volume is shielded to the north by a projecting screen of timber louvres.The timber louvres reference traditional wooden beach shacksThis separation of volumes and the screening between them creates what Son Studio calls a "fluid spatial experience" through Bangalow Road House."The project not only provides privacy by shielding residents from street view but also creates a fluid spatial experience that emphasises the progression of time through the ever-shifting light that filters throughout the home," Jackson said.Read: Anthony Gill Architects screens Australian house with fibreglass and plants"Moreover, the careful curation of vistas via these screens transforms the act of observation into a poetic encounter with the surrounding environment," he added.In the living spaces, the language of beach cabins is referenced through exposed wooden beam ceilings and a central fireplace, while the bedroom spaces above adopt a more minimal feel with plastered walls and ceilings.The interior is intended to evoke beach shacksFull-height windows and doors on the ground floor overlook a concrete patio and swimming pool that surrounds Bangalow Road House, sheltered beneath the wooden volume of the bedrooms above."Timber was selected as the primary material as it references the weathered, sun-bleached boards of traditional coastal beach shacks, a direct nod to the architectural vernacular of coastal living," explained Jackson."Beyond its aesthetic resonance, timber's adaptability enabled the design of screening elements that form a threshold between the street and the home, allowing the building to optimise its extended northern aspect while simultaneously crafting intimate and protected internal spaces."A concrete patio and swimming pool are sheltered by the upper volumeElsewhere in Byron Bay, interiors studio YSG recently updated a seaside home with "eccentric" and retro finishes and fittings that are intended to evoke the 1970s.Other Australian homes recently featured on Dezeen include Clifton House by Anthony Gill Architects, which is screened with fibreglass and plants, and an all-grey dwelling by Adam Kane Architects.The photography is by Rory Gardiner.The post Son Studio draws on "sun-bleached" shacks for Bangalow Road House appeared first on Dezeen.

Inspiration often emerges from unexpected sources. A walk in a forest can have you stumbling on fungi that become the inspiration for a new kind of sustainable material. Watching a crowded concert could give you an idea for the next big social media app. Those aha! moments often lead to interesting designs, even for the most mundane household items.One such innovative fusion is the Grip Hanger, a clothes rack that draws its design from the unique forms found on sport climbing walls. These walls mimic the natural rock formations climbers encounter, yet they are crafted with intentional shapes to enhance grip practice and skill development. Its almost a very loose and random association between two uses of the word hang, and yet it yields quite a stunning implementation that can add a bit of joy to your everyday life.Designer: Junho KangUnlike the randomness of natural rocks, the holds on climbing walls are meticulously designed to challenge and train climbers. The Grip Hanger cleverly incorporates this concept, with its Hold component mirroring the playful shapes of climbing holds. Their seemingly deformed shapes hide a deeper meaning to them, something you might not realize unless you take a closer look.This whimsical design gives the hanger itself a distinctive personality, Its hook mimics the way climbers hands grasp these holds, with thin metal fingers trying to grip those stone-like holds. This subtle design adds a touch of sport climbing flair to any room, or at least makes you pause and wonder why a hanger would look that way.Constructed from bent sheet metal, the clothes rack itself mirrors the angular, rugged aesthetic of artificial climbing walls. Its raw, brutalist design speaks to the architectural style often seen in urban landscapes, making it a bold statement piece. This edgy design goes beyond mere looks and provides sturdy support and a unique visual appeal that catches the eye.The Grip Hanger stands out with its modular functionality, featuring perforations that allow for the attachment of detachable shelves. This adaptability makes it not only a stylish addition but also a practical solution for organizing clothes and accessories. The design invites users to think creatively, transforming a simple clothes rack into an engaging, interactive piece of home decor.This innovative design challenges the conventional view of everyday objects, infusing them with creativity and fun. The Grip Hanger encourages us to look beyond traditional designs and embrace the unexpected, turning a mundane item into something extraordinary. Its playful yet functional approach serves as a reminder that inspiration can be found anywhere, even in the most unexpected places.It also demonstrates how anything can be a source of inspiration and ideas, even the ones you least expect. Its blend of sport climbing elements and practical functionality makes it a standout piece, adding character and charm to any space. The Grip Hanger is a testament to the endless possibilities that arise when creativity meets everyday utility.The post Sport Climbing Meets Design: The Playful Hanger for Active Homes first appeared on Yanko Design.

The Hellboy creator's new comic book, Bowling With Corpses, is steeped in myth and folklore.

The Chinese social media app, popular in the United States a week after being flooded by TikTok users, has added language translation features.

MacworldThere are lots of reasons why you might find that your MacBook wont turn on, or your Mac wont start up, but you probably just want to get it working again. Well run through the various checks and changes to make to get your MacBook Air or MacBook Pro, iMac, Mac mini, or other Mac to turn on so you can start using it again.Read on for some simple tips that should get your Mac working, from the obvious stuff like checking the power connection, to performing a power cycle, starting in Recovery mode, and checking the file system. And if your Mac really is dead, well also tell you where to turn next.The fixes in this article apply to most recent versions of macOS. The menus and interfaces may look slightly different depending on which OS you are running, but their functions are in essence the same. Similarly, M-series Macs perform certain functions in a different way to older Intel-powered Macs, for example, the method for starting up the computer in Safe mode or Recovery will be different on an older Mac, well cover both methods where required.1.Check your Mac turns onFoundryFirst, lets find out if the problem is that your Mac wont start up, or that it wont turn on those might sound like the same thing, but theres actually a big difference.Press the Power button on your Mac. If you dont hear a startup chime, you dont hear any fan or drive noise, and there are no images, video, or visuals of any sort on your display, then your Mac isnt turning on at all. Youre not even getting to the point where it refuses to start up.A Mac that doesnt turn on calls for a different approach to one that doesnt start up. If your computer doesnt turn on then you need to do the following:i) Check your power connectionDont be the clich: check that the power is on and the Mac is plugged in correctly. Or if its a laptop, be sure that the battery isnt dead and if it needs charging give it a while to attempt to charge before concluding that it isnt going to work. If your MacBook wont charge read this.ii) Try a different power cable or adapterIt may be that the fault resides with the power cable. If youve got a friend with a Mac power cable that fits your machine, try it to see if that solves the problem. If it does, it could be a simple fix that involves getting a new cable. We advise against buying third-party power cables that arent made by Apple, as they are much more likely to be faulty and possibly dangerous, unless we have tested them in our Best USB-C and Thunderbolt charging cables.If you recently had a power cut, that could be responsible: your power adaptor could have been damaged in a power surge and you may need a new one.Finally, its possible that the cable is loose, and pulling it out and plugging it in again will solve the problem. But we doubt it will be that easy.Apple sells various cables for charging Apple Macs and laptops. You should find the one you need here: Apple power adaptors.Also read: Which MacBook charger do I need?iii) Disconnect all accessoriesUnplug all the accessories (such as printers and USB hubs) attached to your Mac. It could be that one of your peripherals is causing problems with the startup sequence.If you recently installed new RAM or a new hard drive in your Mac (both of which are something you can only do with old Macs), make sure they are correctly installed and compatible. (If possible, reinstall the old memory or hard drive and see if that helps.)If none of those steps work then its time to move onto the next stage.2.Perform a Power CycleFoundryIf you arent hearing any signs of life, you could perform a power cycle, which involves forcing your Mac to restart after killing the power to it.On a MacBook you hold down the power key for ten seconds. Youll usually hear a squeak as the Macs power is forcibly cut. Hopefully after waiting ten seconds and restarting, all will be well.If your Mac is a desktop you will need to unplug it and leave it unplugged for at least ten seconds before plugging it back in and attempting to restart.If performing a power cycle on your Mac doesnt help there are a few other simple things to try out before moving on to the more complicated steps.3.Check your displayFoundryIf youre using a desktop Mac such as a Mac Pro or Mac mini this could apply to you. If you dont have a separate display plugged in, you can skip this step.You could have a problem with the display you have plugged in, rather than the Mac itself. Have a listen to your Mac to see if its making any sounds during boot-up.It is possible that your Mac does turn on, but doesnt boot up because it cant access the display if thats the case you are most likely having trouble with the display hardware (rather than a broader startup issue).If you think its a problem with your monitor, then take a look at this Apple Support document for advice on troubleshooting a display. If your display isnt working the advice is to:Check the power supply to the Mac (and the power to the display if using a separate unit).Confirm that all cables are connected securely.Remove all display extenders and switches, and any other devices between the Mac and monitor.Unplug the video cable (if using a separate monitor) and plug it back in.If using more than one monitor in a daisy chain, unplug all monitors and test using just one.If possible, try to use a different display, or a different adapter (use DVI instead of VGA, for example).Apple also advises adjusting the screen resolution in System Settings (known as System Preferences in older versions of macOS.4.Boot up your Mac in Safe BootFoundrySafe Boot limits what checks and functionality your Mac focuses on during startup, and performs certain diagnostics. Its rare, but sometimes you can get your unhappy Mac to start up successfully with a Safe Boot, and then restart it normally, and everything returns to hunky-doriness. If you want more help with this step read: How to start a Mac in Safe Mode.To enter Safe Mode on an M-series Mac: Press and continue to hold the power button until you see the startup options appear on the screen. Choose the startup disk (Macintosh HD). Now press and hold Shift and then click Continue in Safe Mode. Then release the Shift key. You will see the words Safe Mode in menu at the top right of your screen.To enter Safe Mode on an Intel-powered Mac: Start your Mac up while holding down the Shift key. Safe Boot can take a while to start.To get more feedback about whats happening, you could start up an Intel-powered Mac while holding down Shift, Command and V: that enters both Safe Boot and something called Verbose Mode, which spits out some messages about what Safe Boot is actually trying to do as it goes.Now you are in Safe Mode we will discuss how to use Safe Mode to fix your Mac start up issues.While you are Safe Mode the interface will look very slightly different, with blocks of colour rather than transparency. The biggest giveaway is the Dock at the bottom of the screen, such as in the image below, for example.Once in Safe Mode you may be able to run certain checks (well run through these below) and make changes that could fix your Mac. For example you could reinstall macOS or update other software.If you find you can start up in Safe Mode it is probable that the issue is related to one of your startup items, in which case you should go to: System Settings > Users & Groups and remove all the items (click on -). You could use trial and error to work out which startup item is causing the problem.5.Reset the PRAM / NVRAMFoundryIn the pre-Intel, PowerPC, days, we talked about resetting the PRAM. On Intel Macs, the term is resetting the NVRAM. The NVRAM in M-series Macs is reset automatically, but there is a way to reset NVRAM on the M-series Mac we discuss that here: How to reset NVRAM.The name refers to special memory sections on your Mac that store data that persists even when the Mac is shut off, such as volume settings and screen resolution.Resetting that data isnt harmful, but quite frankly its also rarely genuinely useful. But it cant hurt.You might need to grow an extra finger or two for this one, or have a friend help you out. Heres how to reset the PRAM/NVRAM on your Intel-powered Mac:Hold down all of these keys: Command, Option (Alt), P and R, and turn on the Mac (its the same keys to reset the PRAM).Keep holding the keys down until you hear the Mac restart again.Listen for a second reboot, and then release the keys.On M1/M2 Mac resetting the NVRAM means using Terminal, the method is discussed in the article linked above.In some cases, after performing this step, your Mac will restart normally. In other cases, you might instead see a progress bar on startup. If the progress bar fills up and then the Mac starts up, youre probably good to go. In some cases weve seen, however, the Mac shuts down at around the halfway point in the progress bar.6.Reset the SMCFoundryIn some situations, you may need to reset your Macs SMC(System Management Controller). This is largely a last-ditch attempt to fix the current version of macOS before attempting to recover the data and moving on to reinstalling the OS.SMC is absent from M-series Macs so you cant reset it. However you can change the settings that the SMC used to look after. We discuss how to do this here: How to reset a Macs SMC. We also discuss How to reset the NVRAM, PRAM, and SMC on any Mac.Heres what to do if you want to reset the SMC (Intel Macs):On a Mac laptop:Shut down the MacBook.Unplug and then reconnect the power cable.Press Shift + Ctrl + Option/Alt keys and the power button at the same time.Now release all those keys and the power button at the same time.You may see the light on the power cable flicker.Restart your MacBook.On a Mac desktop:Shut down the Mac.Unplug it.Press the power button for 5 seconds.Plug the Mac back in.Turn on your Mac.7.Run Disk Utility in Recovery ModeFoundryIf your Mac is booting, but the operating system isnt loading up, you may have a corrupted drive. Luckily it is possible to fix this in Recovery Mode. We have a detailed tutorial on using Recovery Mode here, but well run thorough the basics below.Yet again, accessing Recovery Mode is a little different on an M-series Mac (read about the different ways of doing things on M-series Macs).The first step is to run Disk Utility. On a Mac running Mountain Lion or later, which will be the vast majority of Macs, you can run Disk Utility by booting into Recovery Mode.On an M-series Mac press and hold the Power button until the Mac starts up and eventually shows the start up options. Select Options > Continue. You will now enter Recovery.On an Intel Mac you need to make sure the Mac is turned off. If its not responsive because its stuck on a grey, blue or white screen, just hold down the Macs power button for several seconds until it gives up and shuts off. (Heres what to do to fix a Blue Screen of Death on a Mac.) Hold down the Command and R keys, and power the Mac back up again. Keep pressing Cmd + R while your Mac is booting up until you see the Apple logo.Now you are in Recovery mode heres what to do:Once your Mac starts in Recovery Mode you will gain access to Utilities. Click on the Disk Utility option. Locate your Macs drive probably Macintosh HD, select it.Click First Aid. If there are errors with your disk, Disk Utility should find them and will either repair them automatically, or will ask if you would like to repair them. Click Repair Disk if this is the case.In Recovery Mode you can also do the following:Restore from a Time Machine backup.Get help online.Install or reinstall macOS (we discuss this below).8.Revive an M-series Mac with ConfiguratorFoundryIf you have an M-series Mac and you still havent been able to revive it, the next option to try is to use a second Mac running Apples Configurator 2 to update the firmware.You will need a second Mac, a USB to USB cable, a web connection and Apples Configurator 2 software.Connect the two Macs with a USB-C to USB-C or USB-C to USB-A cable.Open Configurator 2 software on the working Mac.Now on the non-working Mac press and hold the power button while also pressing the following key combination: Right shift, Left Option/Alt, Left Control. You will need someone to help you unless you have gigantic hands because you also need to be pressing the Power Button at the same time.After about 10 seconds let go of the keys, but keep pressing the Power button. Hopefully the M-series Mac will appear in the Configurator app on your second Mac by this point (the M-series Mac still wont show any screen activity though).The process is a little different for an M-series desktop, like the Mac mini, iMac, Mac Studio.In this case you need to unplug it and wait for about 10 seconds.Press and hold the power button.Plug it in again, while still holding the power button.Release the power button.How to use the Configurator software to revive an M-series Mac.The M-series Mac should be showing in the Configurator software on the other Mac. Select the Mac you want to revive.Click on Actions > Advanced.Select Revive Device.This will revive the firmware on the M-series Mac.9.Back up if you havent already or copy what you can FoundryThis step should be taken prior to reinstalling macOS and it depends on your backup situation. You do make regular backups, or at least sync important documents, music and photos to the cloud, right?If youre not sweating at the moment, and are confident in your Time Machine or other backup solution, then skip to Step 10 below. But if you wish youd backed up your Mac then now is the time to see what you can salvage from the machine.For this, youll need a second Mac. If you havent got one then ask a friend. Follow these steps to use Target Disk Mode on an Intel Mac, or Mac Sharing Mode on an M-series Mac.Connect both Macs together. Youll need a USB-C to USB-C cable, or an older Thunderbolt or Firewire cable depending on the Macs being connected. Shut down your Mac (assuming youd been able to turn it on at all).Start up your Mac while holding down the T button on the keyboard.Keep holding the T button down as you hear the startup chime and keep it pressed until the Thunderbolt icon appears on your screen.This places your Mac in Target disk mode. In Target Disk mode your Mac acts like an external drive. You should now hopefully see the hard drive for your faulty Mac on your second Macs Finder.You should be able to grab the files you need from your unresponsive Mac, or even clone the entire hard drive to another external drive. Good luck!You may also like to try one of these options to recover data from a damaged Mac: Best Mac data recovery software we include our top choices: Wondershare, Data Rescue and Stella Data Recovery for Mac. 10.Reinstall macOSFoundryThis is pretty drastic, but if you have tried everything else, then reinstalling the operating system could remove the issue that is stopping the Mac from starting properly.Remember macOS Recovery from step 7 above? You can use it to reinstall macOS too.Boot into Recovery mode as above (hold the Command and R keys while you start up, or press and hold the power button if you are on an M-series Mac).Once in Recovery click to install the latest OS and follow the onscreen prompts.Our article on resetting a Mac to factory settings has more information on wiping a Mac and reinstalling macOS.11.Make a Genius Bar appointmentAppleIf youve made it this far and your Mac still doesnt work, youll need to take it to an Apple Genius Bar to see if they can help you fix it (or arrange for a repair under warranty). Hopefully you have got enough data from your Mac so as to be able to back up, or continue working on a new Mac.Wondering how many years your Mac should last for? Read: How long do Macs last? To recover lost data you could try the following apps we have reviewed: Wondershare RecoveritRead our reviewData RescueRead our reviewStellar Data Recovery for MacRead our review

Microsoft began 2025 with a hefty patch release this month, addressing eight zero-days with 159 patches for Windows, Microsoft Office and Visual Studio. Both Windows and Microsoft Office have Patch Now recommendations (with no browser or Exchange patches) for January.Microsoft also released a significant servicing stack update (SSU) that changes how desktop and server platforms are updated, requiring additional testing on how MSI Installer, MSIX and AppX packages are installed, updated, and uninstalled.To navigate these changes, the Readiness team has providedthis useful infographicdetailing the risks of deploying the updates.Known issuesReadiness worked with both Citrix and Microsoft to detail the more serious update issues affecting enterprise desktops, including:Windows 10/11: Following the installation of the October 2024 security update, some customers report that theOpenSSH(Open Secure Shell) service fails to start, preventingSSHconnections. The service fails without detailed logging; manual intervention is required to run the sshd.exe process. Microsoft is investigating the issue with no (as of now) published schedule for either mitigations or a resolution.Citrix reported significant issues with its Session Recording Agent (SRA), causing the January update to fail to complete successfully. Microsoft published a security bulletin (KB5050009) that says: Affected devices might initially download and apply the January 2025 Windows security update correctly, such as via the Windows Update page in Settings. Once this situation occurs, however, the update process stops and proceeds to rollback to the original state.In short, if you have the Citrix SRA installed, your device was (likely) not updated this month.Major revisionsFor this Patch Tuesday, we have the following revisions to previously released updates:CVE-2025-21311: Windows Installer Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability. Microsoft has released an updated group policy (SkuSiPolicy.p7b) to better handle security related issues with VBS scripts included in the knowledge note, Guidance for blocking rollback of Virtualization-based Security (VBS).CVE-2025-21308: Windows Themes Spoofing Vulnerability. Microsoft recommends disablingNTLMfor desktop systems to address this vulnerability. Guidance on theprocess can be found here:Restrict NTLM: Outgoing NTLM traffic to remote servers.Microsoft also releasedCVE-2025-21224to address two memory related security vulnerabilities in the legacy line printer daemon (LPD), a Windows feature that has been deprecated for 15 years. I cant see things improving for these print-related functions (given the problems weve seen for the past decade). Maybe now is the time to start removing these legacy features from your platform.Windows lifecycle and enforcement updatesThe following Microsoft products will beretiredthis year:Microsoft Genomics: Jan. 6, 2025Visual Studio App Center: March 31, 2025SAP HANA Large Instances (HLI): June 30, 2025Of course, we dont need to mention the elephant in the room. Microsoft will end support for Windows 10 in October.Each month, we analyze Microsofts updates across key product families Windows, Office, and developer tools to help you prioritize patching efforts. This prescriptive, actionable, guidance is based on assessing a large application portfolio and a detailed analysis of the Microsoft patches and their potential impact on the Windows platforms and apps.For this release cycle from Microsoft, we have grouped the critical updates and required testing efforts into different functional areas including:Remote desktopJanuary has a heavy focus on Remote Desktop Gateway (RD Gateway) and network protocols, with the following testing guidance:RD Gateway Connections: Ensure RD Gateway (RDG) continues to facilitate both UDP and TCP traffic seamlessly without performance degradation. Try disconnecting RDG from an existing/established connection.VPN, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth Scenarios: test end-to-end configurations and nearby sharing functionality.DNS Management for Operators: Verify that users in the Network Configuration Operators group can manage DNS client settings effortlessly.Local Windows file system and storageFile system and storage components also get minor updates. Desktop and server file system testing efforts should focus on:Offline Files and Mapped Drives: Test mapped network drives under both online and offline conditions. Pay close attention toSync Centerstatus updates.BitLocker: Validate drive locking and unlocking, BitLocker-native boot scenarios, and post-hibernation states with BitLocker enabled.Virtualization and Microsoft Hyper-VHyper-Vand virtual machines receive lightweight updates:Traffic Testing: Install the Hyper-V feature and restart systems. Monitor network performance and ensure no regressions in virtual network traffic or virtual machine management.Security and authenticationKey areas for security-related testing include:Digest Authentication Stress Testing: Simulate heavy loads while using Digest authentication to uncover potential issues.SPNEGONegotiations: Verify Secure Negotiation Protocol (SPNEGO) functionalities in cross-domain or multi-forest Active Directory setups.Authentication Scenarios: Test applications relying onLSASSprocesses and ensure that protocols like Kerberos, NTLM, and certificate-based authentication remain stable under load.Other critical updatesThere are some additional testing priorities for this release:App Deployment Scenarios: Install and updateMSIX/Appxpackages with and without packaged services, confirming admin-only requirements for updates.WebSocket Connections: Establish and monitor secureWebSocketconnections, ensuring proper encryption and handshake results.Graphics and Themes: TestGDI+-based apps and workflows involving theme files to ensure UI elements render correctly across different view modes. Some suggestions include foreign language applications that rely on Input Method Editors (IMEs).Januarys updates maintain a medium-risk profile for most systems, but testing remains essential especially for networking, authentication, and file system scenarios. We recommend prioritizing remote network traffic validation, with light testing for storage and virtualization environments. If you have a large MSIX/Appx package portfolio, theres a lot of work to do to ensure that your package installs, updates and uninstalls successfully.Each month, we break down the update cycle into product families (as defined by Microsoft) with the following basic groupings:Browsers (Microsoft IE and Edge)Microsoft Windows (both desktop and server)Microsoft OfficeMicrosoft Exchange and SQL ServerMicrosoft Developer Tools (Visual Studio and .NET)Adobe (if you get this far)BrowsersThere were no Microsoft browser updates for Patch Tuesday this month. Expect Chromium updates that will affect Microsoft Edge in the coming week. (You can find the enterprise release schedule for Chromiumhere.)Microsoft WindowsThis is a pretty large update for the Windows ecosystem, with 124 patches for both desktops and servers, covering over 50 product/feature groups. Weve highlighted some of the major areas of interest:Fax/TelephonyMSI/AppX/Installer and the Windows update mechanismsWindows COM/DCOM/OLENetworking, Remote DesktopKerberos, Digital Certificates, BitLocker, Windows Boot ManagerWindows graphics (GDI) and Kernel driversUnfortunately, Windows security vulnerabilitiesCVE-2025-21275andCVE-2025-21308both affect core application functionality and have been publicly disclosed. Add these Windows updates to your Patch Now release schedule.Microsoft OfficeMicrosoft Office gets three critical updates, and a further 17 patches rated important. Unusually, three Microsoft Office updates affecting Microsoft Access fall into the zero-day category withCVE-2025-21366,CVE-2025-21395andCVE-2025-21186publicly disclosed. Add these Microsoft updates to your Patch Now calendar.Microsoft Exchange and SQL ServerThere were no updates from Microsoft for SQL Server or Microsoft Exchange servers this month.Microsoft Developer Tools (Visual Studio and .NET)Microsoft has released seven updates rated as important affecting Microsoft .NET and Visual Studio. Given the urgent attention required for Office and Windows this month, you can add these standard, low-profile patches to your standard developer release schedule.Adobe and third-party updatesNo Adobe related patches were released by Microsoft this month. However, two third-party, development related updates were published; they affect GitHub (CVE-2024-50338) andCERTCC patch (CVE-2024-7344). Both updates can be added to the standard developer release schedule.

IMacncoming President Trump says he has met with Apple CEO Tim Cook, who reportedly committed the company to a greatly increased investment in the US.Tim Cook (left) with Donald Trump in a meeting during the latter's first presidential termAhead of the inauguration ceremony, Trump held a victory rally in which he talked of business leaders promising to invest in the US. According to Fox Business, he named SoftBank, DAMAC, and Apple."I spoke with Tim Cook of Apple," said Trump. "He said they're going to make a massive investment in the United States because of our big election win." Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

Following our previous visit toStudio MM, we are moving ourMeet Your Next Employer seriesto Los Angeles this week to explore the work ofBunch Design.From their office in La Caada Flintridge, the firm has built a portfolio of thoughtful, creative, and unique projects with a strong emphasis on the inventive use of materials, the qualities of light, use of structure, and the relationship between the space and its users. Recently, the firms Hollywood ADU project was honored at the 2024 AIA|LA Residential Architecture Awards.Over on Archinect Jobs, the firm iscurrently hiringfor a Senior Architect to join their Los Angeles team. For candidates interested in applying for a position or anybody interested in learning more about the firms output, we have rounded up four ADU projects in the city by Bunch Design that exemplify the firms ethos.Hollywood ADU. Image courtesy: Bunch DesignHollywood ADU, Hollywood, CAThe Hollywood ADU was designed to accommodate retired parents on...

The Monster Hunter Wilds team at Capcom has revealed its thought process when it decides on a roster of monsters for a Monster Hunter game. In an interview with IGN, director Yuya Tokuda spoke about the studios processes for coming up with the upcoming titles roster of monsters.Tokuda spoke about how, when deciding a monster for a game, the team first tries to answer questions like where the monster would live in an areas ecosystem and hierarchy. Giving the example of Arkveld, Tokuda talks about considering its place in the ecological pyramid of an area.We first consider what we want players to experience when facing major monsters like Arkveld, as well as the setting, ecosystem and so on of the world, unique to each title, Tokuda explained. We then think about the kind of monsters needed to do that. In a way, we start by putting puzzle pieces together, like, If this monster exists in this place, how does the ecological pyramid work here?Tokuda also explained that the team doesnt take any ratios of brand new monsters versus returning ones from previous titles into consideration when coming up with a roster. More important for the team, according to Tokuda, is the player experience, and how it would feel to hunt these monsters.We dont focus too much on the proportion or number of new versus old monsters, said Tokuda. Whats important at the end of the day is the overall level design and order of monsters across the entire game, as well as the balance of ecological pyramids in each area. We take this multifaceted approach to decide which monsters to include.To that end, even the decision to further fill out a new games monster roster with returning monsters and fan-favourites largely comes down to whether it makes sense to bring the monster to the new games environments. Current technological advancements in game development also plays into this.So even when were selecting old monsters to put in the game, part of that involves making sure to stay true to that monsters concept while thinking about how much room each monster has to grow when theyre reborn using current-day technology and game design, he said.Capcom recently revealed that, alongside Congalala, Gravios will also be one of the returning monsters in Monster Hunter Wilds. The announcement was made with a new gameplay showcase, giving us our first look at Gravios with the games current engine. While Rise and Sunbreak players got to fight against Basarios essentially a juvenile Gravios the grown-up version of the monster is capable of doing quite a bit of damage to hunters thanks to an array of moves, ranging from fire, sleep and poison gases, as well as a fire beam.Monster Hunter Wilds will be available on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S with it comes out on February 28. In the mean time, players will get the chance to experience the games beta releases between February 6 and 9, and then again on February 13 and 16.

html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd"DNEG Senior Creature TD Mengya Zhang has released the Houdini Skin Slide Deformer: a GPU-accelerated Houdini add-on for creating skin sliding effects in character animation.The hardware-agnostic tool, which can be downloaded for free, generates realistic skin sliding without the need for a full tissue simulation, preserving the volume of the character.A high-performance volume-preserving skin slide deformer for VFX and animation workThe deformer generates realistic skin sliding without the need for underlying tissue simulation.The video above shows the results when applied directly on top of the Point Deform skin mesh from a recent muscle simulation project.Unlike Delta Mush deformers, available in DCC apps like Maya and Houdini to smooth out unwanted artefacts in character animations, it maintains the volume of the character mesh.It supports both triangle- and quad-based meshes, and provides fast results on meshes of reasonable density.Zhang developed the deformer as part of R&D work on OpenCL, the hardware-agnostic parallel programming framework supported in Houdini for GPU-accelerated simulation.On LinkedIn, Zhang noted that she had also created the tool using VEX, Houdinis CPU-only expression language, and that OpenCL is just way much faster in this case.Now available on Gumroad along with Mengya Zhangs Houdini Wrinkle Deformer HDAZhang has now released the skin slide deformer on Gumroad, using a Pay What You Want model for individual artists: you can download it for free, or donate to support the work.As well as the HDA files for the deformer itself and its OpenCL wrapper, the download includes a .hip file for a demo scene.You can also download one of Zhangs previous projects, the Houdini Wrinkle Deformer HDA, which generates jitter-free skin-like wrinkles on animated geometry, on a similar basis.License conditions and system requirementsMengya Zhangs Houdini Skin Slide Deformer is compatible with Houdini. GPU acceleration requires an OpenCL-compatible graphics card, which includes both AMD and NVIDIA GPUs.The tool is available for non-commercial use under a Pay What You Want model. The license agreement prohibits claiming authorship, including of derivative works, in demo reels.For studios, commercial licenses start at $200.Download Mengya Zhangs Houdini Skin Slide Deformer HDA from Gumroad(Enter a figure of $0 to download it for free, or make a voluntary donation)Have your say on this story by following CG Channel on Facebook, Instagram and X (formerly Twitter). As well as being able to comment on stories, followers of our social media accounts can see videos we dont post on the site itself, including making-ofs for the latest VFX movies, animations, games cinematics and motion graphics projects.