Captain RK Smithley flies McDonnell Douglas DC-10 fire bombers for New Mexico-based 10Tanker.Smithley dropped red fire retardant over the Palisades and Eaton fires in Los Angeles.Mountainous terrain, winds, busy air traffic, and drones have complicated the mission.This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Captain RK Smithley, a pilot flying McDonnell Douglas DC-10 widebody airliners converted into tanker planes for a New Mexico-based company called 10Tanker. The DC-10 is one of dozens of aircraft assisting in fighting the California wildfires near Los Angeles. His words have been edited for length and clarity.I'm a third-generation ground firefighter who ended up in the air fighting fire, so my career has come full circle.Starting at age 16, I spent 16 years as a volunteer firefighter in southwest Pennsylvania, where I'm from, before I became a pilot. I flew for World Airways in these same McDonnell Douglas DC-10s for 10 years and another 15 years in the MD-11, which is basically a modern version of the DC-10.We're the biggest tanker fighting the California wildfires 10Tanker DC-10 Ship 912 dropping red fire retardant over the Eaton Fire near Los Angeles. China News Service/China News Service via Getty Images To fight the California fires, 10Tanker has four DC-10s and two ships 912 and 914 here in San Bernardino at the old Norton Air Force Base. I'm on Ship 912. The DC-10 is a capable airframe for our size, at 420,000 pounds. We're dropping 85,000 pounds of fire retardant on our target.It's a very good airplane for what we're doing we're the largest tool in the Forest Service's arsenal because we're the biggest tanker out here.January is an odd time for wildfires in CaliforniaThis fire is unprecedented. In 10 years of doing this, I've never flown fire in the United States in January. Working fires in January usually means we're in Australia, Mexico, and Chile.We're in the off-season. That's why all four of our DC-10s aren't here; the other two are in maintenance. Typically, we park our airplanes in October or November, and we'll do recurrent annual training in February and March before the first airplanes go out on contract in mid to late March.We're one part of a large teamThere are different contract tankers that fight fires. We're all on the same team, from the little single-engine tanker carrying 700 hundred gallons to us big ones carrying 9,400 gallons, and all the stuff in between.I can't stress enough how much of an orchestrated team effort it is. We work as a team with the tanker base, with the mechanics who keep us rolling, the air traffic controllers to get us out there, the guys fueling the airplane, and all those retardant loaders. Some airplanes out here are what they call "initial attack qualified," which means they can go out with just aerial supervision orbiting over top, but we in the DC-10 have to have lead aircraft that we follow to guide us on the drops.But at the end of the day, the real heroes are the guys and gals we're helping the firefighters on the ground. They're the ones that we're there to support to the best of our ability so that they can help protect lives and property. A 10Tanker DC-10 drops fire retardant over Topanga Canyon near Los Angeles. Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images The 10Tanker flies a very specific missionIt's not as simple as flying over the fire and pushing a button and all the stuff comes out.Helicopters are generally dropping water to directly attack the fires, but air tankers or fire bombers as I like to call them are designed to carry fire retardant, which is designed to build walls around fires to stop or at least slow down the fire so that the ground firefighters can get in there and get things under control. The retardant is colored red so that we can see it build lines and change angles on it.We start our days at 7 a.m. basically sunrise at which time the airplane is prepped, ready, and fueled to go. How many flights we can wedge in between 7 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. depends on how far the fire is from the base, and how much daylight you have.We flew four missions on Friday to the Palisades and six on Saturday. The record for 10Tanker is about 11 runs in a day, with a 20-minute reload time in between flights.LA's weather and geography have been a challengeThese fires have been bad not only because of the destruction and the wind, but also because we're fighting fire while wedged into tight air space between the LAX, Van Nuys, Burbank, and Santa Monica airports.The Palisades fire is around 24,000 acres; I've worked 300,000 and 400,000 acre fires that were massive compared to this one. But the destruction and air space and the 60 to 80 MPH winds kind of made this a cataclysmic event. Entire neighborhoods and towns burned until the winds died down enough for us to get in there and get to work. It's been a terrible situation.We're threading needles, like going straight down the side of a mountain. The DC-10 is very capable; we yank and bank it around like a fighter. If we were flying passengers, these maneuvers would be considered an emergency descent.If drones fly, we can'tDrones have been a big problem here in California. "If drones fly, we can't" is an axiom we use in aerial firefighting. Normally a drone will shut down an aerial firefighting effort.At one point, we moved to a different section of the fire to get away from them so that we could continue to help save lives and property, along with the work that firefighters on the ground are doing to get this thing under control. We had a drone come sailing past our left wing on Saturday; the Super Scooper air tanker from Montreal got a hole punched into its wing because a drone ran into it.The drones have to stop because they're jeopardizing our lives and safety in the fire traffic area. It's unacceptable. Get the drones out of there so we can do our jobs.

The Palisades and Eaton fires in Los Angeles have destroyed over 10,000 structures homes, businesses, and everything inside from bathroom cleaner to electrical wiring. Naturally, people in the Los Angeles area are reaching for their phones to see what the Air Quality Index (AQI) says about the air around them. But to the surprise of most people, the AQI has been good or moderate across Los Angeles, even in neighborhoods that have been most impacted by the fires. In Pasadena, the AQI went from a high 293 (a rating of very unhealthy) on January 11 to a low of 30 (a good rating) the next day. How can that be?Throughout the week, concerned residents attended calls run by leading organizations like the Coalition for Clean Air and local NRP station KCRW asking more questions, like: When entire neighborhoods full of buildings and cars burn, whats released into the air? How far do they have to be from the fires to be safe from these pollutants? And how do they protect themselves from bad air?Air pollution is a silent killer that no one is immune to. Every year, 7 million people all across the globe die prematurely from the effects of air pollution. In the United States, exposure to air pollution is associated with 100,000 to 200,000 deaths annually. Long-term exposure can lead to a range of health effects in almost every organ system of the body, says Ed Avol, professor of clinical medicine at the University of Southern Californias (USC) Keck School of Medicine.Wildfires play natural, important roles in their ecosystems, particularly in western states like California. But human-caused climate change is causing these blazes to become more severe and more frequent. This means that more humans will be exposed to bad air.But just how bad is that air? Unfortunately the answer isnt as straightforward as you might think. But heres what we do and dont know about air quality, and how to think about lowering the risk to air pollution.The Environmental Protection Agency developed the AQI to give the public a tool to understand how good or bad the air is throughout the day. Using data collected by 5,000 air monitors placed all across the country, it tracks the levels of specific pollutants in the air, assigns it a number, and that number corresponds with a color-coded category to help people understand the quality of the air and what activities are safe to do in the outdoors. You can find the latest AQI on the EPAs AirNow website or through its AirNow app. They also offer a fire and smoke map, which shows the AQI and what neighborhoods are under smoke outlooks.As former Vox reporter Rebecca Leber explained:The AQI is calculated based upon five criteria pollutants regulated by the Clean Air Act: fine particulate matter known as PM2.5, ozone, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide. When you look at the AQI on your phone or on a website, the number it shows you represents the primary pollutant. The pollutants that drive the AQI number tend to be PM2.5 and ozone.In the case of the California wildfires, the pollution source is exposing millions of people in the greater Los Angeles area to smoke. And that smoke contains some pollutants that are outside of the scope of the AQI. Its correct that when all these things are burning, theres a lot more toxic compounds in the air, says Rima Habre, a professor of population and public health sciences at USCs Keck School of Medicine. As fires burn down houses and buildings, the blazes can release certain volatile organic compounds, toxic metals, and toxic gases into our air all of which the AQI does not account for. Thats causing people to worry about the air, and whether their health will be impacted in the long-term as it was for first responders in the 9/11 attacks. Ash from the wildfires, which can irritate your skin or lungs, falls out of the air and settles onto the ground and therefore is not accounted for in the AQI, Habre says. So the AQI could say that the air is good, even if theres visible ash on your house or street.There are ways to measure the potential harmful pollutants and chemicals in the air that are outside of the AQI thats how we know they exist in the first place, Avol says. But we dont routinely measure all of these things, all the time, everywhere because that would be unfathomably expensive, he added.Is the AQI still useful in the context of wildfires? Yes and no. Its still an important resource, but it simply wasnt designed for situations like these unprecedented mega wildfires burning down thousands of buildings and structures. But there are ways to help make choices around safety and risk, even when the AQI cant tell us the full picture.When I attended air quality information webinars this week, I heard Los Angeles residents ask a lot of the same questions: How far do they have to be from the wildfires to be safe from bad air? How can they keep their families safe?The uncomfortable truth is that there isnt a one-size-fits-all answer to these questions. You could live several miles away from the fires, but if the wind is moving in the direction of your home, you could be at risk for exposure to bad air. But both Avol and Habre say you can analyze your risk, and make decisions on how to lower your risk from exposure to bad air.First, take into account your own personal health and the health of your family. Does anyone have respiratory conditions, like asthma? Is anyone immunocompromised? If so, these are extra reasons to stay cautious of the air, Habre says.You can then check the AQI and observe your environment. If the AQI says the air is good, but it smells like smoke or theres a lot of ash present, or if the wind is blowing in your direction while fire is present, take precautions: Limit your time outside, wear a well-fitting N95 mask, which can help filter out PM2.5. And, when you do have to go outside, make sure your shoes and clothes arent tracking in ash when entering your home. Its also a good idea to run air purifiers indoors while keeping windows and doors shut.Understandably, its a difficult and scary time for Los Angeles residents. On top of losing entire homes and neighborhoods, the wildfires have forced us to face an uncomfortable truth, which is that life is not risk-free and that there is no way to completely protect ourselves from the consequences of disasters like these. But it doesnt mean were totally powerless in lowering our risk to short and long-term health consequences. Theres a lot of agency here, Habre says. Making informed choices, even imperfect ones, may be the best way to move through this uncertain period.Youve read 1 article in the last monthHere at Vox, we're unwavering in our commitment to covering the issues that matter most to you threats to democracy, immigration, reproductive rights, the environment, and the rising polarization across this country.Our mission is to provide clear, accessible journalism that empowers you to stay informed and engaged in shaping our world. By becoming a Vox Member, you directly strengthen our ability to deliver in-depth, independent reporting that drives meaningful change.We rely on readers like you join us.Swati SharmaVox Editor-in-ChiefSee More:

Were at least four months from an official Nintendo Switch 2 release, but the peripheral makers are beating Nintendo to the punch. Judging by the latest trailer, Nintendos next-gen dockable handheld will likely feature a new Mario Kart game, and one maker wants you to drive with your JoyCons in style. On Friday, Nintendo Life first hit upon accessory maker Nacons early peripherals. These include a steering wheel with docks for the new JoyCons. The 29.90, or approximately $30 steering wheel uses suction cups to stick to your table or desk when you take intense turns in a yet-to-be-announced mascot-themed cart racer. It has two modes, one standing and one flat, a unique feature you dont normally get with many similar steering wheels. Still, its not something we havent seen before with the original Switch, which also included motion controls in its JoyCons. The early renderings of the Switch 2 controllers dont look like Nintendos recently revealed device, especially the joysticks, which lack the large overlapping bezel. This is likely another device designed around specs sent to peripheral makers before Nintendo could announce its Switch sequel. Nacon also has a few silicon-inserted JoyCon covers, some external Switch 2 covers, and a carrying case. Nacons peripherals fuel fans suspicion that were finally due a sequel to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. Even though the games footage appeared for a bare few seconds in the Switch 2 reveal trailer, fans have already spotted there could be up to 24 racers on the track at once. Fans have also noted that Donkey Kongs character modelresembles how he appeared in theSuper Mario Bros. Movie thanin the nearly 8-year-old cart racing game.Thanks to their own leaks, we know Dbrand, Genki, and likely plenty of other small brands plan to share their own Switch 2 accessories. DBrands Killswitch case includes a cover and an additional kickstand to go along with the Switch 2s U-shaped stand.Genkis original images seem especially interesting, considering it revealed early mockups of the new JoyCons, which were practically identical to what Nintendo revealed on Jan. 16, down to the blue and red accents around the joysticks. Genki also shared a charging dock big enough to fit two pairs together. Switch 2 Leakers Take Flak From Devs Images of DBrands Switch 2 Killswitch case went online long before Nintendo debuted the new console Image: DBrand We already know of plenty of third-party cases thanks to the obscene number of early device mock-up leaks. However, we dont have anything that suggests new capabilities for the Switch 2 JoyCons or the console itself. Based on Nintendos video, we can only speculate that the controllers could work like a mouse when slid along a table. We would also like to know if the Switch 2 dock adds any graphical capability to the handheld. Rumors and leaks suggest the Switch 2 could support 4K resolution when docked.Unknowns continue to drive the collective wild, not some ill-considered idea that these brands ruined the surprise. On Friday, Bayonettas original director and current lead on an upcoming Okami sequel, Hideki Kamiya, wrote on Twitter how much he despised the leakers. According to a machine-translated post, he said, I hope that all those who leaked Switch 2 information will be cursed for the rest of their lives to have poo on the soles of their shoes whenever they go home. He continued, Now that Ive enjoyed the surprise announcement of Okami with all the users, I truly believe that all those damn leakers should be cursed The shitty leaker only acts for his own pleasure and self-satisfaction, not only is he not contributing to anyones benefit, he is incurring all sorts of opportunity losses, and has done nothing to be proud of in front of others.Former Nintendo PR manager Krysta Yang spoke a very similar sentiment on her YouTube channel alongside fellow ex-Nintendo staffer Kit Ellis. She said she was 100% sure that Nintendo was really mad very, very, very upset by the leaks, saying that Nintendo would have a harder time surprising fans. Ellis said Nintendos regular processes to control the spread of information did not work, and the leaks were made worse by [Nintendos] mindset that they could control everything. Nintendo had been working on the Switch 2 for years and offered only the barest shreds of information at that time. The companys corporate accounts had to eventually confirm the consoles existence for the sake of investors, not fans. Nintendos own closed-mouth attitude created this salivating sense among anybody who wasnt directly in the know. If anybody should have to scrape poop off their shoes, Nintendo should look at its own soles first.

BudexHUB Administrative Building / Studio PerspektivSave this picture! Studio FlusserArchitects: Studio PerspektivAreaArea of this architecture projectArea:2300 mYearCompletion year of this architecture project Year: 2024 PhotographsPhotographs:Studio FlusserManufacturersBrands with products used in this architecture project Manufacturers: Novatop, Verti Lead Architects: Martin Stra, Jn Antal, Eva Schilhart Faberov More SpecsLess SpecsSave this picture!Text description provided by the architects. The investors of the BudexHUB project have a strong personal and business interest in sustainability, innovation and design. They are pursuing their businesses in areas that are directly related to the topic, such as photovoltaic panels or robotic agriculture, and are die-hard fans of electromobility. From our point of view, there was no doubt that using a solid wood panel construction was the right decision. The BudexHUB office building reached the maximum height limit in the Czech Republic and was completed in the second half of 2024 as the tallest Czech wooden administrative building.Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!The client originally approached us only with a request for an interior solution for its office space in a building that was to be built from prefabricated wooden parts. Together, we discussed their original concept and agreed on the brand-new construction, which should underline the company's importance and representativeness of its headquarters. As the main working tool for creating documentation, we used Autodesk Revit, which allowed us to control the development of the project transparently. Using BIM technology, we have effectively managed all processes and construction phases.Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!The design of the BudexHub was conceived as a passive four-story wooden building, whose height reaches the maximum permitted limit for this type of building in our country. We have designed the complex so that the client can apply his interest in the development of technology and the generation and storage of clean energy. Accordingly, the operation of the building draws on renewable resources. The BudexHub timber office building and its structural design consists of a concrete core, a timber chamber ceiling structure and NOVATOP wall systems as well as CLT panels. We analyzed the budget and considered how the client wanted to influence their surroundings. Sustainability proved to be important, which is also a focus of the business. Timber structures excel in this regard as they have the lowest carbon footprint and are created from renewable resources. The advantage of creating a rough construction, which is faster in the case of timber buildings, was also a certain parameter for decision-making.Save this picture!To harvest solar energy as efficiently as possible, we chose the latest technology of bifacial solar panels forming the canopies over the car park. The supply of thermal energy for cooling or underfloor heating of the building is primarily provided by geothermal wells and heat pumps. We enshrined the project in all its phases. As a general architect, we oversaw all the planning and design processes. We allowed the client to enter the project on a real scale using a model created in virtual reality (VR) to orientate better in spatial relations, perceive dimensions, and depth. Thanks to this, the client saved time during comments and design approval. Completion of the construction happened during the second half of the year 2024.Save this picture!Project gallerySee allShow lessProject locationAddress:Plan, Czech RepublicLocation to be used only as a reference. It could indicate city/country but not exact address.About this officeStudio PerspektivOfficePublished on January 18, 2025Cite: "BudexHUB Administrative Building / Studio Perspektiv" 18 Jan 2025. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/1025862/budexhub-administrative-building-studio-perspektiv&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

Stack CommerceShareWe may earn revenue from the products available on this page and participate in affiliate programs. Learn more Smartphones keep getting bigger and bigger, but who really wants to carry around something that feels like a tablet? Some of these iPhones and Androids hardly even fit in our pockets anymore, and we think thats why so many people are infatuated with this mini smartphone thats smaller than a credit card.You can pick one up for only $99.97 with free shipping for a limited time (reg. $199.99). Some people use them as a primary device, others for travel, sports, or as a backup phone. Its easy to switch devicesjust pop in your current phones SIM card and instantly have a phone thats a far more convenient size for your activity.Meet the NanoPhoneEven though the NanoPhone may look like an iPhone mini, it runs on Android 10 OS. If youre new to an Android smartphone, this version is easy to navigate and download familiar apps like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and WhatsApp.The NanoPhone can do almost anything as a standard smartphone: send texts, talk on the phone, and hop on video chats with its 2MP front camera. There are also 5MP rear cameras for capturing photos.Do I need a new mobile plan for the NanoPhone?That depends. If youre hoping to use the NanoPhone in addition to your current smartphone, the answer is yes. However, if you dont need to use both devices at the same time, theres no need. Heres what thatll look like:Pop the SIM card out of your current phone with the included ejector.Put the SIM Card into the NanoPhone.Your mobile carrier plan will work on the NanoPhone, but not your smartphone.Get one of these NanoPhone tiny smartphones for $99.97 with free shipping while theyre still on sale until February 2 at 11:59 p.m. PT (reg. $199.99). No coupon is needed for this 50 percent discount.StackSocial prices subject to change.NanoPhone A Miniaturized Smartphone Packed with Mega Features! $99.97See Deal

Nature, Published online: 15 January 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-024-04150-2An interdisciplinary analysis of ancient DNA obtained from 722 individuals who lived in the region during the Avar period (between about ad 650 and ad 800) shows that two neighbouring communities had strikingly different genetic ancestries. Two family trees comprising six generations and some 500 related individuals reveal that different marriage networks kept these communities genetically distinct despite their shared culture.

Research suggests that alcohol causes cancer through at least five different mechanisms.

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Diablo 4 Season 7 arrives on January 21, and as is usually the case with patch notes for Blizzard's ARPG, the list of changes and bug fixes is very, very long.The game's latest season, Season of Witchcraft, is all about players concocting new builds to take advantage of a plethora of Witchcraft powers, many themed after Diablo 3's Witch Doctor. But even for those who aren't planning on diving into the game's new seasonal mechanics, there are plenty of major updates to the game's base systems and classes that are worth paying attention to. At the top of that list are Runewords. The powerful socketable items are exclusive to owners of Diablo 4's Vessel of Hatred expansion, and they are getting some major buffs going into update 2.1. The amount of Offering generated by many Ritual Runes is going up significantly, while the cost of activating Invocation Runes is going down. Invocation Runes that didn't previously have Overflow bonuses will now have one, overall making Runewords even better than before.Continue Reading at GameSpot

One Piece has always been a series that focuses on dreams, showing the audience just how far a driven individual will go to make their goals a reality. In fact, many characters in the series are willing to undergo intense physical and mental anguish if it means inching one step closer to realizing their dreams. It makes sense as well that no other character represents this principle of self-sacrifice to achieve a greater goal than the One Piece protagonist himself, Monkey D. Luffy.