At the London Toy Fair, award-winning publisher Ravensburger announced three major updates to its Villainous franchise in 2025, a series of board games based on iconic Disney properties. The announcement includes a new all-ages board game, Disney Villainous Unstoppable!, an expanded international tournament circuit, and new Villainous games including one set in the Star Wars universe.We know people love Villainous, but one of the most common things we hear from our fans is that they love the games immersion, artwork and style and wished there was an easy way to bring that joy to kids or families who might not have time to play a longer strategy game, said Lysa Penrose, Head of New Games Marketing at Ravensburger in a statement provided to Polygon. Disney Villainous Unstoppable! is designed with that in mind, and brings that storytelling to a new, more traditional gaming experience that feels at home with other game night classics.Unlike the original game, which features asymmetrical rules for all players, Unstoppable! utilizes a shared gameplay board, adapting the design of the original into a fast-paced, easy-to-learn game. Designed for 2-4 players, each of the games four Disney villains Hades, Ursula, Scar, and Maleficent have a distinct Realm with original artwork as they work against classic Disney heroes (and each other) to take actions and collect tokens to complete their unique evil plan. Unstoppable! is slated for release this summer.Also announced at the London Toy Fair is an expanded global tournament and retail event circuit. The added events will take place in France, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands and Australia, alongside the already existing North American tournaments at Gen Con and PAX Unplugged. Ravensburger will also be offering the Disney Villainous Night Out organized play kit for friendly local gaming stores who want to bring the game to their communities.The final announcement includes some standalone expansions, which includes the first live-action Disney villain (though the company did not specify which one) and a new game featuring characters from the Star Wars universe. More details about that game are slated to be revealed later this year.

After months of slow updates, the Apple Intelligence picture is starting to clear up. We are nowhere near the watch-as-Siri-does-things-for-you future that we were promised in June last year. But a lot of the fundamentals are now in place. And it's a lot.As Apple tries to find its footing, iOS 18 is bombarded with so many AI features that it's sometimes hard to remember which new feature is where. In the past couple of months, as soon as I had access to the beta, I've tried every feature I could access, and while some features are still clearly undercooked, there are some features that I keep coming back to.If you've been on the fence about Apple Intelligence, or if you simply find it confusing, there are ways to ease into it. Of course, to use Apple Intelligence, you'll need a compatible iPhone, and you'll need to enable the feature from Settings > Apple Intelligence & Siri > Apple Intelligence.Clean Up your Photos Credit: Khamosh Pathak Clean Up is one Apple Intelligence feature I've used many times over the past couple of weeks, and it's one I've recommended to my friends. It's helped me remove people from the background of my beach vacation photos, and it even helped save one of my favorite engagement photos: A simple swipe of the finger and I was able to remove an eyesore of an electric outlet from the photo.You'll find the Clean Up feature in the Photos app. Choose a photo, tap the Edit button and go to the Clean Up tab. Here, you can circle, highlight or color over any object you want to remove. If the feature recognizes something is out of place, it will offer to get rid of it for you. Sometimes the auto-detection doesn't work, but I've found that zooming in and highlighting manually does the trick. For more, check out our detailed guide on using the Clean Up feature.Type to Siri (and ChatGPT) Credit: Khamosh Pathak Apple Intelligence brings a new glowing, colorful Siri to the mix. Right now, it's nothing more than a fresh coat of paintbut one thing I've genuinely found useful is the new Type to Siri feature. You tap the Home bar twice and up pops Siri with a keyboard. You can now write any command and send it along.This becomes even better when you integrate ChatGPT. If you start the sentence with "Ask ChatGPT" (this works with voice too), Siri will skip its own knowledge base and will go directly to ChatGPT for help. You can then have a conversation with ChatGPT in the same window, and you can copy out the ChatGPT response.When to use the Writing Tools Credit: Khamosh Pathak I'm not a big fan of using AI writing tools for any type of professional writing, but I do like using Apple's Writing Tools feature in the Notes app for things like creating a concise list out of a long-winded note, or to summarize lengthy research. (Parents might want to look into blocking Writing Tools on their kids' computers, though.)You'll find the Writing Tools icon in the Notes app's toolbar, and you can also find it in the pop-up menu by selecting text in any text-based app like Mail.Summarize all the things Credit: Khamosh Pathak Apple Intelligence can summarize all kinds of things. You'll find a Summary button in the Reader view to get a summary of a web page, and the Mail app will provide you with a summary up top as well. But the most in-your-face part of this feature are the Notification Summaries.Here, Apple will take a bunch of notifications from the same app or conversation or thread, and will summarize it for you in just a sentence. If you're the kind of person who's part of countless iMessage groups, you might like to try it.The jury is out on just how useful Notification Summaries are, though. Because these are generated using LLMs, there is the potential for hallucinations and misinterpretation. This becomes an issue when it's trying to summarize various headlines from news app (the BBC already has beef about this, and it might lead to Apple adding warning labels to the notification summaries).Like with all things AI, my suggestion is that you stay vigilant. I have the feature enabled for messaging apps because I do find the summaries useful; if there's anything even slightly important, though, I'll go in to manually to read it. And I suggest you disable Notification Summaries feature for things like the news app and banking apps. You can do this by going to Settings > Notifications > Summarize Notifications.Here's a hidden one: Apple Intelligence extends the new call recording feature in an interesting way. The feature is available to all phones running iOS 18.1. But if you have Apple Intelligence enabled, your iPhone will live-transcribe the call for you, and it will offer to generate a summary. Upgrade to a dynamic Focus mode Credit: Pranay Parab We've wanted a smart Do Not Disturb mode for ages, and now with Apple Intelligence, you get a new focus mode called Reduce Interruptions. This focus mode acts as a smart filter, where notifications that it deems as important (like a message from your bank, or a call from your boss) come through even when you're in Do Not Disturb mode. Like a regular Focus mode, this feature is also fully customizable: Go to Settings > Focus > Reduce Interruptions.Apple Intelligence still needs workYou might have noticed that many Apple Intelligence features like Image Playground, Genmoji, and Visual Search did not make it to the list. That's because those features, while live in Beta, are still very much works in progress.

As part of sweeping plans to change immigration in the United States, the Trump Administration has removed functionality from the CBP One app, a US Customs and Border Protection app used by asylum seekers to pursue legal admission into the US along the southwest border. As of January 20, 2025 the app can longer be used to schedule an appointment for admission, and any existing appointments have been cancelled, according to the CBP website.The CBP One app was introduced in 2020, and was expanded into a tool for asylum seekers in 2023, quickly becoming the only way migrants could "preschedule appointments for processing and maintain guaranteed asylum eligibility," according to the American Immigration Council. The app "allowed 1,450 migrants a day" to schedule an appointment for admission, The New York Times writes, and has helped more than 900,000 people to enter the country since it was launched in 2023 through the end of 2024.No warning was given to asylum seekers that the program was ending on January 20, and the Trump Administration hasn't outlined what could replace it. Engadget has contacted US Citizenship and Immigration Services and US Customs and Border Protection for more information and will update this article if we learn more.CBP One was revealed to be an issue for the new administration during the Vice Presidential debate, when now Vice President JD Vance claimed that there was an app that let illegal immigrants schedule an appointment and be granted legal status in the US. That's not how CBP One works, and in fact the Biden Administration's use of the app has been criticized for how dramatically it's slowed down and complicated the process, leading some asylum seekers to wait up to six months for an appointment.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/the-trump-administration-is-no-longer-letting-asylum-seekers-make-appointments-with-the-cbp-one-app-204004060.html?src=rss

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The independent Italian fashion brand Simon Cracker denounced the luxury fashion system with an upcycled collection previewed during Milan Fashion Week on Sunday that riffed on what they see as bygone days of quality and creativity.The coed looks created from recovered and deadstock garments, materials and accessories included a tongue-in-cheek swipe at Hermes highly prized Birkin bag, with the designers drawing the telltale hardware on leather bags or screen-printing images of the coveted bag on sweaters.Co-creative directors Simone Botte and Filippo Biraghi were delighted that Walmart came out with what was widely seen as a Birkin knockoff while they were working on this collection.People have lost interest in fashion, Biraghi said. They have been taken for a ride for 20 years. And with 50 wars in the world, climate change, we all are getting poorer. There is no longer a connection between price and value. At a certain point, you cant go on.Collection hallmarksThe collection pokes fun at the typical Milanese signora, known in dialect as sciura, sending her up with funky tweed separates, a foulard and even a tiny dog. Each silhouette is unique, constructed from garments the pair recover from dry cleaners and other sources, and models slide into character with insouciant slouches and exaggerated catwalk strides.The brand extended its collaboration with Doc Martens, decorated with trompe loeil ballerina shoes. At times, skirts, collars and decorative fringe were fashioned out of shiny tinsel packing material, and ribbons covered shoes.The show closed with a garment completely concealed by luxury tags from Biraghis own wardrobe collected over the years. We are making fun of wealth, he said.Luxury sector slumpingThe Simon Cracker runway critique hits the sector when its down and analysts say in need of reform.A new study by McKinsey consultancy and The Business of Fashion said that top brands are facing a significant slowdown this year, after a four-year period of exceptional growth from 2019-2023 that allowed the sector to grow by a compounded 5% a year despite the pandemic.Most of that expansion a full 80% was due to price increases that outpaced innovation, the McKinsey-Business of Fashion report said.TheBain consultancysimilarly has forecast a contraction of 2% for 2025, the first since the Great Recession, not including the 2020 pandemic year. It cited a crisis in creativity along side global turbulence.The findings are of no surprise to Botte and Biraghi.If a garment is not interesting, it it doesnt tell a story, if there is nothing creative, who cares, said Biraghi. We all have lots of clothes, too many. We dont need more.Creating communityItalian singer Chiara Galiazzo was in the front row dressed in a pinstripe and plaid jacket painted in sky blue and worn with royal blue Bermuda cutoffs and matching painted boots. She said she was drawn to the brand by its authenticity.I feel like I am part of a community, she said after the show. I think this is something that is important, and a lot of fun.Colleen Barry, AP fashion writer

The next instalment in our 21st-Century Architecture: 25 Years 25 Buildings series looks atBosco Verticale, the first "vertical forest".Greenwashing gimmick or much-needed urban vegetation? Plants and trees on buildings evoke strong opinions and Bosco Verticale is the poster child for the trend, which gained significant traction in the second decade of the 21st century.Described by Italian architect Stefano Boerias a "home for trees that also houses humans and birds", the development was his first in a series of "vertical forests".Stefano Boeri's Bosco Verticale was the most significant buying of 2014. Photo by Dimitar HarizanovCompleted by Boeri Studio Boeri, Gianandrea Barreca and Giovanni La Varra, the project was not the first building to incorporate planting into its facade. It followed a growing movement aimed at increasing the amount of vegetation in urban areas by planting vertically on buildings.This began with green walls literally walls covered in shrubs and planters supported by hydroponic systems, and continued with more ambitions projects incorporating larger plants.The most significant of these was the 10-storey Tower Flower completed by Edouard Franois in 2004, which was surrounded by 380 oversized concrete plant pots containing bamboo.Bosco Verticale took the trend to its extreme. The two towers are covered in 800 trees, along with 15,000 perennials and 5,000 shrubs.The pair of skyscrapers are covered in 800 trees. Photo by Giovanni NardiBuilt as part of the redevelopment of an industrial area in the Porta Nuova district of Milan, the pair of residential towers are two of 20 built in the new business district. The 19- and 27-storey towers contain 111 luxury apartments.Although the development includes Italy's tallest building the Unicredit Tower by Csar Pelli Boeri's is by far the most distinctive.Read: Zaha Hadid's Bergisel Ski Jump was the most significant building of 2002The towers themselves are simple rectangular blocks clad in black ceramic panels. What defines them is the trees.Covering every facade, the trees and plants grow out of planters incorporated into balconies that extend 3.35 metres from the buildings.The planting shades the building in summer months. Photo by Dimitar HarizanovThis year is the 10th anniversary of Bosco Verticale and despite many people's doubts, the trees are still very much alive and thriving.To ensure they could thrive, Boeri and engineering studio Arup carried out a detailed botanical analysis to determine species that could grow successfully within the limited space of the planters while not over-burdening the structure.The trees are planted into the balconies. Photo courtesy of Boeri StudioPlanting was specified on a floor-by-floor basis, with over 60 varieties of tree including cherry, olive and oak, and 90 varieties of plants used.As well as increasing the biodiversity of the area and benefitting the health of residents, the planting has a practical purpose.It deserves to exert significant influence on the development of tower design in the decades to comeEllis Woodman in the Architect's JournalThe deciduous trees provide shading for the full-height glazing in the summer, while in winter the bare trees allow more sunlight and heat into the apartments.Along with the botanical analysis to ensure the plants survived, a detailed wind assessment was carried out for safety. The larger trees are secured with a safety cable along with a steel cage to enclose the root ball to ensure they are not ripped out in heavy winds.Ten years after the project completed the planting is thriving. Photo by Iwan BaanOverall the towers include the equivalent of 30,000 square metres of woodland and undergrowth, according to Boeri.Although the planting was successful, many simply do not believe that trees should be placed on the sides of building primarily for financial and resource reasons.The trees and the soil needed to support them add weight to the building, requiring a more and more complex structure to be built, which uses more resources in this case, concrete and steel. Complex systems are also required to keep the planting alive, with an increased maintenance cost.Climate journalist Tim De Chant, now senior climate writer at TechCrunch, was one of those who was sceptical. In a piece written in 2013, he calculated that for the cost of adding trees to the skyscrapers (believed to have increased construction costs by five per cent) 860 times more forest could have been planted at ground level.The towers were described as a "pioneering project". Photo by Iwan BaanDespite a fair amount of scepticism, on its completion Bosco Verticale won numerous architecture awards including the International Highrise Award in 2014 and the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat Award for the best tall building in the world in 2015.Critics also approved, with Ellis Woodman writing in the Architects' Journal that the building should "exert significant influence" on future skyscrapers."Il Bosco Verticale demonstrates that possibilities remain for architects operating in such environments to deliver something richer than self-referential forms in off-the-shelf technology," he wrote.Read: Stefano Boeri covers social housing tower with 10,000 plants"A pioneering project, it deserves to exert significant influence on the development of tower design in the decades to come," he added.As Woodman predicted, Bosco Verticale influenced numerous buildings that followed, with tree-covered buildings since built in cities across the world from Shanghai to Athens.From the start Boeri referred to Milan's Bosco Verticale as a prototype and has since designed numerous vertical forests around the world as he refines the concept.The development was the first in a series of vertical forests. Photo by Dimitar HarizanovAmong the numerous vertical forest skyscrapers set to be built are towers in Egypt's New Administrative Capital, Albania's capital Tirana, Lausanne in Switzerland, Nanjing in China and even Dubai.Perhaps most impressively, the concept has recently been adapted for the Trudo Vertical Forest social housing tower in Eindhoven. Covered in 10,000 plants, the 18-storey tower contains 125 social-housing units.In total eight vertical forests have been completed, with a further eight under construction and 24 more currently being designed.Did we get it right? Was Bosco Verticale the most significant building completed in 2014? Let us know in the comments. We will be running a poll once all 25 buildings are revealed to determine the most significant building of the 21st century so far.This article is part of Dezeen's 21st Century Architecture: 25 Years 25 Buildings series, which looks at the most significant architecture of the 21st century so far. For the series, we have selected the most influential building from each of the first 25 years of the century.The illustration is byJack Bedford.21st-Century Architecture: 25 Years 25 Buildings2000: Tate Modern by Herzog & de Meuron2001: Gando Primary School by Dibdo Francis Kr2002: Bergisel Ski Jump by Zaha Hadid2003: Walt Disney Concert Hall by Frank Gehry2004: Quinta Monroy by Elemental2005: Moriyama House by Ryue Nishizawa2006: Madrid-Barajas airport by RSHP and Estudio Lamela2007:Oslo Opera House by Snhetta2008:Museum of Islamic Art by I M Pei2009:Murray Grove by Waugh Thistleton Architects2010:Burj Khalifa by SOM2011: National September 11 Memorial by Handel Architects2012: CCTV Headquarters by OMA2013: Cardboard Cathedral by Shigeru Ban2014: Bosco Verticale by Stefano BoeriThis list will be updated as the series progresses.The post Boeri Studio's Bosco Verticale was the most significant building of 2014 appeared first on Dezeen.

Details on the Amber case are scarce, but it comes from an AI startup looking to revolutionize how writers use AI. The startup responsible for the case is Amber.Page, an AI-powered writing assistant that works to analyze writing styles and replicate them using powerful online as well as offline AI. The service is available for early-access, and from the looks of it, writers might even get the opportunity to turn their phones into makeshift laptops thanks to this case.The case renders were published by Justin Mitchell, founder of Amber, on Threads. Weve seen smartphone keyboard cases like the Clicks case for the iPhone; but unlike the Clicks which gives you a Blackberry-style vertical-mode keyboard, the Amber case turns your phone into a laptop screen of sorts. Highly reminiscent of the Nokia 9300 and other Symbian phones of the early 2000s, the Amber case was built for writers who want to ditch their laptops and tablets for something even more portable.Designer: Amber.PageFrom the looks of it, the case isnt the kind you can permanently keep your phone in. Its designed to dock your phone just when you want to get some typing done. When docked, the phones capabilities are severely limited you cant use the main camera, you cant use the phone to make regular phone calls but what you can do is type like a wizard. The high-travel mechanical keyboard at the bottom gives you as much of an analog writing experience as possible. It comes with a 60% layout, sporting all the keys youd need to really get some hardcore typing done.The hinge is adjustable just like a laptop, the keyboard has ports for charging it, but I doubt theres any pass-through charging for your phone. The keyboard itself is highly tactile, but from the looks of it, it isnt backlit, so youre limited to typing in well-lit settings. Still, once the muscle memory kicks in, it really makes typing articles and messages easy something I still cant do with my regular touchscreen keyboard.Like I said, details on the keyboard case are scant for now. Justin says his companys bootstrapped and is looking to roll the hardware out soon, although these renders are just a visual indication of what the device may look like. Its the kind you stash away in a bag and open it just when you need to type. Like I mentioned, the phone isnt meant to sit perpetually inside the case, but it docks in perfectly when you want to get some serious writing down.Justin hinted at a price tag of under $250, and if/when the clamshell keyboard launches, itll primarily be targeted towards writers, journalists, editors, and anyone who could use their phone as a makeshift laptop. Besides, Ambers AI service should come in handy with writers blocks, allowing you to truly use modern hardware and software to make writing more effortless.The post This Clamshell Keyboard Case turns your iPhone into an AI-Powered Laptop first appeared on Yanko Design.

Creatives share their tips on using BlueSky and Threads

The updated White House website now features a Donald Trump hype video complete with helicopters, saluting, fighter jets, and a bald eagle.

MacworldApple Intelligence arrived on the Mac in October 2024, and if youve been looking for it on your Mac and cant find it, youre probably not alone. Its not as if theres an app called Apple Intelligence on your Macits a set of features and services throughout macOS. Heres how you can turn on Apple Intelligence on your Mac and tap into the new features.What you need for Apple IntelligenceAn M-series Mac. Apple Intelligence does not run on Intel-based Macs.macOS Sequoia 15.1 or later. Apple has released new Apple Intelligence gradually, so youll need to update to the latest version of macOS to get the latest features. For example, Sequoia 15.1 includes the first set of features; Sequoia 15.2 added Image Playground and ChatGPT support.Apple Intelligence currently supports only localized English. Apple plans to add more language support beginning in April 2025, inlcuding Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish, and Vietnamese. Also, the language you use on your Mac and the language you use with Siri must be the same.What countries can run Apple Intelligence?Apple Intelligence works in these English-speaking countries:AustraliaCanadaIrelandNew ZealandSouth AfricaU.K.U.S.If you travel to a non-English speaking region, Apple Intelligence will still work, so long as English is the language your Mac is set to use. In the European Union, M-series Macs running macOS Sequoia 15.1 or later can run Apple Intelligence while using a currently supported language.Apple Intelligence does not work on Macs purchased in mainland China. If the Mac was bought outside of mainland China, your Apple Account Country/Region cannot be set to mainland China if you want Apple Intelligence to work.How to turn on Apple IntelligenceTo have Apple Intelligence features appear, it needs to be turned on. You can repeat this process to turn it off if you dont want to use the features.Click on the Apple menu and select System Settings.In the left column, look for Apple Intelligence & Siri and click it.In the main section of the window, a switch for Apple Intelligence appears at the top. Click it once to turn it on.FoundryHow to turn on ChatGPTChatGPT is a chatbot developed by OpenAI, a third-party company, and it can create responses that are human-like. Apple and OpenAI entered a partnership last year and ChatGPT support was introduced in macOS Sequoia 15.2. Apple may release its own chatbot in macOS 16, but for now ChatGPT is the only option.To use ChatGPT, the ChatGPT extension needs to be activated. You can also turn it off whenever you want. Heres how.Click on the Apple menu and select System Settings.In the left column, click on Apple Intelligence & Siri.In the main section of the window, look for the Extensions section at the bottom (you may have to scroll). Click ChatGPT.At the top, flip the switch for ChatGPT.If you have a ChatGPT account, you can log into it by clicking on the Sign In button in the ChatGPT Account section. This is not required to use ChatGPT features on the Mac but will open more advanced features.At the bottom of the main window, you can toggle a Siri setting for Confirm ChatGPT Requests. When enabled, it will ask you if its OK to send information to ChatGPT every time it needs to fulfill a Siri request.FoundryWe have a guide on how ChatGPT is implemented and how it can be used. The guide is written for iOS, but the information applies to macOS Sequoia, as well.What are the Apple Intelligence features on the Mac?Many Apple Intelligence features dont require you to do anything, such as summaries in Messages, Mail, and Notifications, as they appear automatically. As for features you can use on an as-needed basis, heres a quick list.Image Playground (macOS Sequoia 15.2)Image Playground is a standalone Apple intelligence-powered app that is installed on your Mac when you upgrade to macOS Sequoia 15.2. The app creates illustrations based on descriptions based on text prompts. You can also upload photos of people as the basis for a new illustration. However, Image Playground does not create deepfake photo-like images or modify existing photosit only creates illustrations.The Image Playground app is part of macOS Sequoia 15.2FoundryMail (macOS Sequoia 15.1)There are a couple of new features in Mail powered by Apple Intelligence. A new Show Priority feature will display time-sensitive emails at the top of your inbox. Additionally, short summaries will appear under each email so you can see whats inside at a glance, and when you open an email, a Summarize button can be used to generate a synopsis. Also, when composing messages, Mail has suggested replies as well as Writing Tools to help you clean up replies and refine the language of what youve written. And ChatGPT can compose text if you enable it above.Photos Clean-up tool (macOS Sequoia 15.1)In the Photos app, when editing a photo, youll find a Clean-Up button. With this tool, you can erase unwanted items, and Photos will fill in the background with its best guess about what would have been there. In the before and after images below, the Clean-up tool was used to remove objects and a sign in the background. Use the slider to see the difference.Siri (macOS Sequoia 15.1)Siri has a new wrap-around look on the edge of your Macs display, and it does a better job of understanding natural speaking, like if you stumble or restate when you are saying. Later in 2025, a new update will make Siri smarter and more screen-aware.Writing Tools (macOS Sequoia 15.1)In Mail, Pages, and other Apple apps, youll find new tools to help improve your writing. It can proofread, revise, and even offer rewrite suggestions. With ChatGPT enabled, you can also compose messages from scratch. FoundryAlso read: Where is Apple Intelligence on an iPhone?