Instagram is rolling out a bunch of changes this weekend that will conveniently make it look a lot more like TikTok, which could go dark in the US on Sunday now that the Supreme Court has ruled in favor of the law banning the app if parent company ByteDance doesnt sell it. Those changes include extending Reels to three minutes long and changing the longstanding square grid on your profile to a rectangular layout, as Adam Mosseri announced in an Instagram post and on his Story, respectively. Considering how some users have crafted a specific look for their pages around the square grid, the latter isnt likely to go over well with everyone.Nor is the third thing: theres now a tab in your Reels feed that shows you videos your friends have liked or added Notes to, Mosseri shared on Threads. Which means, of course, that your friends can more easily see what youve been liking and interacting with, too. Didnt we already agree this was kind of invasive back when Instagram had and eventually removed a whole feed dedicated to seeing the activity of the people you follow? In any case, the changes have already begun rolling out. You'll now see a button showing your friends' activity at the top right of the Reels tab, which will bring you to the new feed. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Adam Mosseri (@mosseri) Addressing the switch from the square grid in his Stories, Mosserri chalked it up to aligning with users posting habits. I know some of you really like your squares, and square photos are kind of the heritage of Instagram, but at this point most of whats uploaded both photos and videos are vertical in their orientation, so portrait versus landscape or square, and it just is a bummer to overly crop them, he said. So I know its a change, I know its a bit of a pain, but I think its a transitional pain. He went on to say, I think that people will over the long run be excited not to have their posts appear aggressively cropped.Instagram already had offered a somewhat TikTok-like view of users profiles under the Reels tab, but the latest move gives photos on the main grid the rectangular treatment too (only on the grid though, theyll expand to normal size when you click them individually). On making Reels longer, Mosseri said in a separate post that while Instagram has long focused on short-form video, weve heard the feedback that this is just too short for those who want to share longer stories. Instagram previously only allowed Reels of up to 90-seconds long, though you could work around this by sharing a longer video as a non-Reel post.TikTok, which also began with a focus on short-form, extended its post length to three minutes several years ago, and later upped this to 10 minutes in 2022. If TikTok really does shut down, users are going to be looking for a new home for that type of content.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/instagram-swoops-in-with-3-minute-reels-and-rectangular-profile-grids-as-the-tiktok-ban-gets-real-201316339.html?src=rss

There had been hope that TikTok would be given more time in the US, but a new statement is clear.

Apple and Google have removed TikTok from their respective app stores as U.S. operations shut down.

Diving into the visual splendor of Transformers One with ILMs exclusive VFX breakdown, this mini-series demonstrates the creative mastery behind crafting rich environments for Cybertron and iconic transformations of beloved characters. ILM captures intricate mechanical details, fluid motion, and vibrant visual storytelling using cutting-edge animation techniques. This behind-the-scenes look reveals how artistry and technology merged to bring the animated world of Transformers to life, delivering an immersive experience for fans and audiences worldwide.The post Behind the Magic The Animation of Transformers One appeared first on Vfxexpress.

President Joe Biden called the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) the law of the land, on Friday, backing an effort to enshrine the change into the U.S. Constitution more than a century after the guarantee of gender equality was first proposed.It was unclear what practical impact Bidens comments might have. The White House issued his statement just three days before he leaves office, handing off to President-elect Donald Trump on Monday.The ERA declares that Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.Its supporters say that it is needed to protect against sexual discrimination and would help achieve equal pay, while opponents argue that the original timetable to have it become part of the Constitution has passed and that the amendment is no longer needed.The Senate blocked the Equal Rights Amendment from being ratified into law in 2023, a century after it was introduced, with a 51-47 vote, nine votes shy of the 60 needed to clear the 100-member chambers filibuster hurdle.The ERA was proposed in 1923 and passed Congress until 1972. Under U.S. law, amendments to the Constitution must be ratified by three-fourths, or 38, of the 50 state legislatures and do not require presidential approval.In 2020, Virginia became the 38th state to ratify the amendment, but opponents of enshrining the law said the state deadline to do so had passed. The National Archivist, which is responsible for certifying and publishing new amendments, agrees that it was too late.The National Archivist said on Dec. 17 that the ERA cannot be certified as part of the Constitution due to established legal, judicial and procedural decisions.In 2023, U.S. women working full-time year-round jobs made 84 cents for every dollar earned by a man, according to Department of Labor reports. Black women made 69 cents for every white mans dollar.Susan Heavey and Heather Timmons, Reuters

Architecture office Studio Wok has transformed a disused technical building at QuadroDesign's headquarters in northern Italy into an artist residency, with living and sleeping areas accommodated in its unusually shaped roof.Milan-based Studio Wok redesigned the headquarters for tapware brand QuadroDesign in 2022 and was subsequently asked to oversee this second phase, overhauling an area of the surrounding grounds.Studio Wok has created an artist residency for the QuadroDesign campusThe centrepiece of the project is a small cabin, originally used to house electrical infrastructure for the production facility located near Lake Orta in Italy's Piedmont region.Enrico and Elena Magistro, who inherited the company from their parents, wanted the building to echo the same pared-back style and neutral palette used for their redesigned offices and showroom.The outdoor area consists of a pergola and poolPositioned in a corner of the site, surrounded by greenery, the cabin now contains a flexible space that can be used for commercial events as well as for hosting resident artists.The original shape and structure of the cabin were retained but its dimensions of just three by 9.5 metres were unsuited to the proposed domestic functions.The cabin's shape and structure were retainedStudio Wok proposed extending upwards into the existing roof space, which reaches a height of eight metres and was likely created to allow heat from electrical machinery to escape through a window at the apex."The internal space, narrow and developed in height, is not usual for a home in fact, it was designed to accommodate other functions," architect Nicola Brenna told Dezeen."It was very stimulating to implement a 'domestication' process and make it suitable for living."The ground floor features an open-plan roomThe cabin, which was most recently used as a warehouse and tool shed, was stripped back and internal partitions were removed to create a versatile open-plan room on the ground floor.Openings on this level were reorganised and enlarged to create an enhanced connection with the outdoors, particularly when the newly installed sliding metal doors are retracted.Read: Studio Bua creates "elemental look" for black cabin overlooking Icelandic fjordBuilt-in joinery along the room's rear wall supports a sofa and incorporates two steps that connect with a metal staircase leading to the upper levels.A wall of cabinets at the opposite end of the space conceals a door leading to a shower room and WC that was added so the building can be used for temporary accommodation.Built-in joinery along the wall incorporates steps and a sofaThe two mezzanine levels contain more intimate spaces including a sleeping area located on a newly constructed wooden platform above the kitchen.A second set of stairs leads to a small seating area, housed in an existing concrete walkway near the top of the roof. Here, Studio Wok installed a simple wooden bench that receives natural illumination from the nearby window.A wall of cabinets conceals the door to the bathroomThroughout the interior, the studio utilised a minimal material palette to create what the founders describe as an "almost sacred space".A series of outdoor spaces connected by a concrete slab was introduced as part of the project, with a pergola positioned perpendicular to the cabin housing an outdoor kitchen and dining area.The pergola is made from tubular galvanised steel profilesThe pergola is built from tubular galvanised steel profiles, with five spans spaced 2.6 metres apart from one another. Two of the spans are covered with a lightweight corrugated metal roof that shelters the custom-made stone and metal kitchen counter.The final intervention is a small pool that is partly sunken into the earth. The monolithic construction is clad with anthracite stone to echo the volume of the kitchen and create a seating area that also defines the boundary of the landscaped zone.The pool is partially sunken into the groundStudio Wok was founded in 2012 by Brenna together with Marcello Bondavalli and Carlo Alberto Tagliabue. The studio adopts an artisanal approach to its projects, crafting solutions that respond to each site's unique setting, materiality, light and atmosphere.Previous works by Studio Wok include a bakery and wine bar in Milan featuring a matcha-green counter and the transformation of a neglected barn near Verona into a country home.The photography is by Marcello Mariana.The post Studio Wok converts abandoned electrical cabin into minimalist artist residency appeared first on Dezeen.

Lets face it: many of us would want to grow our own flowers and herbs but are afraid to do so because we dont have a green thumb. In fact, some might even have the opposite of a green thumb, seemingly cursed to kill any vegetative life they handle. Of course, its really just a matter of knowing the right thing to do at the right time, which is harder to accomplish when plants only show visible signs when theyre almost dead.Thats where everyones favorite AI comes in, taking the guesswork out of the equation. Thats the value that this deceptively plain and simple plastic pot tries to bring, making the act of growing indoor plants so easy, that you might even feel youre not the one doing the work at all.Designer: LeafyPodMost of us were probably taught as early as grade school that plants need soil, water, and sunlight to grow. We would only learn too late, like when coming home to a dead plant, that this is an oversimplified explanation. Plants need the right amount of light, temperature, humidity, and soil moisture to thrive, and thats not even considering how different plants will have different requirements.Rather than overwhelming us poor humans with all that data, the LeafyPod simplifies life by utilizing a product that thrives on data: AI. Based on the plant you selected to grow, the smart indoor planter will learn how the plant responds to water, evaluate the quality of the soil, and automatically water the plant as needed to keep it in top condition. All you need to do is to refill the reservoir every month or so.It might almost feel like youve totally automated the act of growing a plant, which in some sense, also takes out the joy from the activity, but there are still some things you do need to do by hand. Youll need to move the plant to a better-lit area when it needs lighting since it doesnt come with its own grow light. Youll also have to replace the filter every few months, but as you might have guessed, the LeafyPod planter will be the one to tell you when to do all these.The AI-powered LeafyPod is definitely a powerful tool that takes out the drudgery of growing plants indoors, but you might also want to ask yourself first why youre trying to grow them in the first place. If all you want is an easy way to have beautiful living foliage or fresh herbs at home, then this indoor planter might be right for you. If, on the other hand, you actually want to experience the adventure of growing plants, this could just be a stepping stone in getting you started on a more earnest learning process.The post AI-powered self-watering indoor planter makes growing greens all too easy first appeared on Yanko Design.

Lemon8, CapCut, and Gauth are among the other victims of the US ban on ByteDance-owned apps.

The party symbolized the euphoria of the tech industry on the cusp of the Trump presidency. The guest list included Mark Zuckerberg, Sam Altman, Miriam Adelson and the vice president-elect, JD Vance.

The divest-or-ban law aimed at TikTok is also taking down other ByteDance-linked apps, including the popular card game Marvel Snap. The app suddenly cut off access Saturday night, seemingly without warning, surprising gamers who werent aware of its connection to ByteDance.The card game battler set in the Marvel universe is developed by Second Dinner, which is based in California. But the game is published by Nuverse, a company owned by ByteDance. As a result, its subject to the same shutdown order. In a statement on X, Second Dinner called the takedown a surprise and said, Marvel Snap isnt going anywhere. Were actively working on getting the game up as soon as possible and will update you once we have more to share.Just before the calendar turned over to January 19th, 2025, the game disappeared from the App Store for iPad and iPhone players and from Google Play for players on Android. For players on PC, the game is still listed in Steam at the moment, but many players are reporting they were signed out and cant sign back in.An in-game message now tells players:Sorry, Marvel Snap isnt available right nowA law banning Marvel Snap has been enacted in the U.S. Unfortunately, that means you cant use Marvel Snap for now. Rest assured, were working to restore our service in the U.S. Please stay tuned!Oddly, unlike TikTok, it doesnt appear that players were given much warning about the laws effect, and many people may not have realized it was even connected to ByteDance, including people who were still spending money on in-game items expecting to be able to keep playing it. Other ByDance apps quickly disappeared from app stores along with TikTok, including Lemon8 and CapCut. The effect on other ByteDance-linked apps is mixed; however, it may take time to remove them. The Lark app that offers a Slack-like collaboration platform was available initially but has now been removed, while other Nuverse-published games, like Earth: Revival - Deep Underground and Ragnarok X: 3rd Anniversary, are still available in the App Store as of this writing, just after midnight ET on the 19th.Update, January 19th: Noted reports that Marvel Snap PC players cant log in and added a statement from game developer Second Dinner.