If there is a leader in the aerospace industry, SpaceX is it. The companys Crew Dragon and Cargo Dragon spacecrafts are the current go-to vehicles to deliver astronauts and supplies to the International Space Station.NASA contracts awarded to SpaceX through 2030 alone are worth nearly $5 billion and include research and development for the Artemis mission to return astronauts to the Moon.Over the past decade, SpaceX has also emerged as a key vendor to the U.S. Department of Defense, seen most recently with a $733.5 million contract for projects such as launching defense satellite networks and contributing to other national security space objectives.As a human geographer, Im interested in how commercial space and defense companies affect the local communities where they conduct launches and tests.For instance, I spent more than two years in Kazakhstan researching the privatization of the Soviet space program and the beginning of a global commercial space industry.A mural of Elon Musk in Brownsville, Texas [Photo: Robert Kopack]Elon Musk and SpaceXs influencePolitically, SpaceX is an enormous boon to the United States.As a U.S.-based defense supplier and contractor, the companys technology has helped to nearly end an almost two-decade dependency on the Russian Federation for access to the International Space Station. Its billionaire CEO, Elon Musk, has even expressed plans to colonize Mars.Musks decision to spend $250 million helping Donald Trump win the 2024 presidential election is expected to lead to more support for SpaceX.In the new administration, Musk is poised to lead a newly created advisory agency called the Department of Government Efficiency, which could lead to benefits for his business and widen his space ambitions.Boca Chica, Texas, is home to SpaceXs flagship assembly and test installation, Starbase. Since 2021, I have been conducting research with environmental groups and multigenerational community members of Latino and Indigenous descent in south Texas who see space exploration as a landscape-altering industry that affects their well-being.After watching Starbases development proceed since 2014, locals there told me that there is much unseen and unsaid about what happens on the ground while an aerospace giant shoots for the stars.Breaking eggs to make an omeletStarbase is an industrial installation built by SpaceX to fabricate and test a number of the companys rocket types.The area around it is a unique and delicate ecosystem that includes estuaries and coastal grasslands, mud flats, and more, where falcons, hawks, ravens, gulls, and songbirds live.Since construction began, SpaceX engineers have had to drain water-logged soils, level them and pour concrete to support ground tracking stations, assembly buildings, engine test stands, a nearly 500-foot launch tower, and on-site fuel mixing and storage.In a lengthy response to local environmental groups claims of environmental abuses, the company maintains that it is dedicated to environmental stewardship.But developing rockets is a dangerous and messy business. Sites chosen for this kind of work are often, though not always, remote and highly secured installations.Fiery explosions on the ground or in the air arent unheard of over the past several years. Rocket tests in Scotland, China, and Japan have all ended in accidents.In April 2023, one of SpaceXs prototype Starship rockets exploded over the Gulf of Mexico shortly after liftoff.This is not the only time that a rocket has exploded at places where SpaceX operates.SpaceX runs a compact though growing operation at Boca Chica that has transformed the area. The hamlet was previously known as Kopernik Shores, and SpaceX purchased nearly all the approximately 35 ranch homes in the area. Some residents have reported pressure to sell their property for suboptimal prices following rumors that the county would use eminent domain to seize their residences.I spoke to Rebekah Hinojosa, a local activist and member of the Carrizo-Comecrudo Tribe of Texas, while researching in the area. To many locals, including Hinojosa, it seems like Musk is so well connected that SpaceX is insulated from public criticism.In a 2018 press conference, Musk said, Weve got a lot of land with no one around, and so if it blows up, its cool, referring to a rocket he planned to test at Starbase.Changes to the landscapeAn installation the size of Starbase cannot avoid disturbing the wildlife in the four distinct state and federal wildlife protection areas that surround it.If you walk through the protected areas you may see shrapnel, segments of rocket chassis and other random debris from any number of explosionsthat is, if someone else hasnt picked them up first.In December 2022, I visited a luxury campground near Starbase. It displayed various fragments of rocket debris, which they called memorabilia to the new space age, throughout the site.Within SpaceX, as well as NASA, the explosion of 2023 was celebrated as a crucial step in developing the Starship rocket. The event did produce valuable data on the rockets performanceit has done little to tarnish the companys reputation.There is tremendous support for SpaceX in Texas. The company has promised to drive high-tech industry jobs into a region ranked among the countrys poorest.SpaceX has created about 2,100 jobs. However, reporting shows that local and state politicians have seen more personal gains in their real estate holdings and campaign budgets than the regions economy has overall.A laboratory near the communityAt the end of the day, to develop a rocket, you need a place to test your design.Our local beach is the laboratory, local activist Hinojosa told me.Resident coalitions of Indigenous, Latino and Chicano people as well as conservation groups are suing the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, the Federal Aviation Administration and others to combat SpaceX.These groups argue that SpaceX misled state and federal regulators about Starbases operations. They claim SpaceX changed how frequently it planned to launch tests and built new facilities for several rocket types, which rendered the companys original environmental impact statement for the area inaccurate.Some key issues these groups are fighting against include a bid to expand Starbase into more protected areas. Another point of contention is the deluge system, which creates thousands of gallons of toxic wastewater to cool launch pads and rocket engines after testing.While the EPA and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality have notified SpaceX about violations of the Clean Water Act, claimants in a recent lawsuit contend that these agencies have not held the company accountable for breaking the law. The company has denied any wrongdoing and refutes claims of environmental harms.As we have built up capacity to launch and developed new sites across the country, we have always been committed to public safety and mitigating impacts to the environment, a SpaceX statement reads. The list of measures we take just for operations in Texas is over 200 items long, including constant monitoring and sampling of the short and long-term health of local flora and fauna. The narrative that we operate free of, or in defiance of, environmental regulation is demonstrably false.So, what does the future hold? Many people from conservation agencies, activist groups, and Indigenous communities in Texas want the company out. Given the high public support for space exploration in the U.S. and the burgeoning friendship between Musk and Trump, a SpaceX evacuation from the area seems unlikely.While it may take difficult negotiations that require concessions from each party, I hope that somewhere there is a middle ground on which space exploration and environmental protections can coexist.This article was updated on January 17, 2024, to reflect the amount of money Elon Musk spent helping Donald Trump win the 2024 election as $250 million, and the correct speed of light.Robert A. Kopack is a faculty instructor of human geographies at the University of South Carolina.This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Since 1983, when President Ronald Reagan signed Martin Luther King Jr. Day into law, many Americans have observed the federal holiday to commemorate the life and legacy of the civil rights leader, Baptist minister, and theologian.MLK Day volunteers typically perform community service that continues Kings fight to end racial discrimination and economic injusticeto build the beloved community, as he often said.King does not fully explain the phrases meaning in his published writings, speeches, and sermons. Scholars Rufus Burrow Jr. and Lewis V. Baldwin, however, argue that the beloved community is Kings principal ethical goal, guiding the struggle against what he called the three evils of American society: racism, economic exploitation, and militarism.As a Baptist minister and theologian myself, I believe it is important to understand the origins of the concept of the beloved community, how King understood it, and how he worked to make it a reality.Older originsAlthough King popularized the beloved community, the phrase has roots in the thought of 19th-century American religious philosopher Josiah Royce.In 1913, toward the end of his long career, Royce published The Problem of Christianity. The book compiles lectures on the Christian religion, including the idea of the church and its mission, and coined the term beloved community. Based on his readings of the biblical gospels, as well as the writings of the apostle Paul, Royce argued that the beloved community was one where individuals are transformed by Gods love.In turn, members express that love as loyalty toward each otherfor example, the devoted love a member of the church would have toward the church as a whole.While Royce often identified the beloved community with the church, he extends the concept beyond the walls of Christianity. In any type of community, Royce argued, from clans to nations, there are individuals who express love and devotion not only to their own community, but who foster a sense of the community that includes all humankind.According to Royce, the ideal or beloved community is a universal communityone to which all human beings belong or will eventually belong at the end of time.Beloved diversityTwentieth-century pastor, philosopher, mystic, theologian, and civil rights leader Howard Thurman retrieved Royces idea of the beloved community and applied it to his life and work, most notably in his 1971 book The Search for Common Ground.Thurman first used the term in an unpublished and undated article: Desegregation, Integration, and the Beloved Community. Here, he argued that the beloved community cannot be achieved by sheer will or commanded by force. Rather, it begins with transformation in each persons human spirit. The seeds of the beloved community extend outward into society as each person assumes the responsibility of bringing it to pass.Thurman envisioned the beloved community as one that exemplifies harmonyharmony enriched by members diversity. It is a community wherein people from all racial, national, religious, and ethnic backgrounds are respected, and where their human dignity is affirmed. Thurman was convinced that beloved community was achievable because of the dedication he saw from activists during the struggle for racial integration.During his lifetime, Thurman sought to build this beloved community through his activism for racial justice. For example, he cofounded the Church for the Fellowship of All Peoples, an interracial and interfaith community in San Francisco, which he co-pastored from 1943 to 1953.Thurmans writings and activism deeply influenced King. Burrow argued that it is not entirely clear when and where King first learned the concept of beloved community. Yet King emphasized its importance in much of his writing and political action.Love and actionIn simplest terms, King defined the beloved community as a community transformed by love. Like Royce, he drew his understanding of love from the Bibles New Testament. In the original Greek, the Gospels use the word agape, which suggests Gods self-giving, unconditional love for humanityand, by extension, human beings self-giving, unconditional love for each other.According to Baldwin, however, Kings understanding of the beloved community is better understood against the backdrop of the Black church tradition. Raised in the Ebenezer Baptist Church of Atlanta, King learned lessons on the meaning of love from his parents, Rev. Martin Luther King Sr.Ebenezers pastor, who was also a leader in the local chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored Peopleand Alberta Christine Williams King.One of the distinctions in Kings thought is that he believed the beloved community could be achieved through nonviolent direct action, such as sit-ins, marches, and boycotts. In part, he was inspired by Thurman, who had embraced the nonviolence at the heart of Mahatma Gandhis resistance against the British in India. For King, nonviolence was the only viable means for achieving the United States of Americas redemption from the sin of racial segregation and white supremacy.For King, therefore, the beloved community was not merely a utopian vision of the future. He envisioned it as an obtainable ethical goal that all human beings must work collectively toward achieving.Only a refusal to hate or kill can put an end to the chain of violence in the world and lead us toward a community where men can live together without fear, King wrote in 1966. Our goal is to create a beloved community and this will require a qualitative change in our souls as well as a quantitative change in our lives.Searching for the beloved community todayKings idea of the beloved community has not only influenced people affiliated with the Christian tradition but also people from other faiths and none.For instance, scholars Elizabeth A. Johnson, bell hooks, and Joy James have reflected upon the meaning of the beloved community amid ongoing challenges such as global climate change, sexism, racism, and other forms of structural violence.People around the world continue to draw insight and inspiration from Kings thought, especially from his insistence that love is the most durable power to change the world for the better. Questions remain about whether his beloved community can be realized, or how. But I believe it is important to understand Kings ethical concept and its continuing influence on movements that seek an end to injustice.Jason Oliver Evans is a research associate and lecturer at the University of Virginia.This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Maybe what youre feeling is automation anxietyPublished inThe Medium BlogSent as aNewsletter4 min readJust now-- I swear to God a human wrote thisIssue #250: foraging, pickling, and dead husbands who haunt your dreamsEarly robots were charming. In 1956, artist Irving Block designed Robby the Robot for the movie Forbidden Planet. Robby had a dry wit, was designed to help humans and follow Isaac Asimovs three Laws of Robotics: A robot 1) may not injure a human being, 2) must obey human orders, and 3) must protect its own existence.Then robots started to learn. In 2011, two Jeopardy contestants with impressive winning streaks competed against Watson, an IBM computer. After Watson wiped the floor with them, Ken Jennings, a contestant who won 74 games by just using his squishy, carbon-based brain, wrote on his screen I, for one, welcome our new computer overlords in homage to a Simpsons episode in which a TV anchor welcomes new insect overlords. (Not for nothing, Robby the Robot looks suspiciously like a bug.)How did we get to a place where humans bow to robots on national television? In How to Survive Automation, Sam Brinson explains the trajectory. Early AI, also called symbolic AI, could do algebra, but it couldnt get a feel for tasks without a human programming each step. Then came deep learning. AI first learned to play Go by looking at past games; then it learned how to play when humans fed it the rules and let it play against itself; then it learned several other games like Chess and Atari games without being given rules at all. We just let it loose [and it] learned for [itself] what does what, Brinson writes. And now it kicks our ass, and the asses of its AI predecessors.And now it kicks our ass. Im not a fan of that sentence, because that makes it sound like robots are breaking the rules. Drones (flying robots) have gone to war over the last several decades, breaking Asimovs first rule. But its the second rule theyve really tossed out the window. We no longer flinch at the phrase the computer wont let me and instead just find workarounds.To wit: My insurance company canceled my umbrella policy because my father wasnt on my auto insurance. Apparently, the insurance robot decided that my dad was driving my car because he gets mail at my house. The thing is, my dad is dead. Luckily, a human customer service rep convinced the insurance robot that a dead person could still get mail. This was harder than it should have been, and it bugged me for days. I started to hear myself ask people whether we will ever escape the robots? Clearly, if I was asking this question, the robots were following rule number three just fine.You have automation anxiety, one of my smart friends said. Brinsons cure for this, at least for people afraid of losing their jobs, is to develop skills that complement machines instead of competing with them. He cites economist Tyler Cowen, who writes, Ever more people are starting to fall on one side of the divide [complement or compete] or the other. Thats why average is over.But, because I have a sense of humor, I went to Google to find even more advice. In an impressive move to protect its own existence (Rule #3), Google coughed up a BBC article that told me I should just lean into the idea of automation. But all is not lost: In an ultimate self-own, Google also led me to How to Survive a Robot Apocalypse which had some helpful tips. (Paint your door knob the same color as your door, go upstairs, stand on a table.)I laughed, which Im beginning to think is the only way out. A good place to start, if you want to laugh too: Kalle Georgievs story about robots taking over an office.Spoiler alert: They miss the humans. Im also readingMelanie Weird, who describes herself as that weird plant lady living in the wilderness of Appalachia explains that foraging is the antidote to our frantic lives. Foraging, she writes, teaches us to be still, to observe, and to reconnect with the moment were in. Among other things, Weird forages pretty purple mushrooms that she transforms into mushroom salt.Its easy to conflate purpose with your 95, but purpose is less about what you do than why you do it, as recruiter Dali Chabaane explains. If you notice yourself defining yourself by your title or place of work, ask: What brings me joy, regardless of recognition?As someone who recently lost a loved one, I was moved by Brandy Nicole Hammocks story about her deceased husband showing up in her dreams. I loved the plot of it all; Im sure there was a deeper meaning to each dream, but that wasnt what held my interest. I just wanted to see when her husband would show up next. Your daily dose of practical wisdomTrust me on this: Its very fun to pickle things, because it only requires a very simple equation. A vegetable + vinegar + salt or sugar or both + aromatics (or not!). From the archives, our cup runneth over with Tenderlys column In a Pickle by Laura Vincent who serves up recipes for pickled eggplant, pickled scallions and pickled apples and pears.

On This Day in HistoryOn This Day in 1793, Revolutionaries Executed the King of France by Guillotine, a Deadly Machine They Saw as a Symbol of EqualitySupporters of the French Revolution killed Louis XVI and his wife, Marie Antoinette, with the same apparatus used to execute common criminals The guillotine became Frances official method of capital punishment in spring 1792. Public domain via Wikimedia CommonsThe execution of Louis XVI on January 21, 1793, is one of the French Revolutions most iconic moments. That morning, the French king made his last procession to the Place de la Rvolution. An hour-and-a-half-long coach journey through the streets of Paris brought the monarch to the guillotine and a raucous crowd of thousands of spectators.When his executioners led him up the stairs, according to one republicans account, Louis declared, I die innocent. I pardon my enemies, and I desire that my death should serve the French people and appease the wrath of God.It was a dramatic scenemany artists, both for and against the revolution, would depict that fateful day. And the machine that brought about Louis death would ultimately become just as iconic as the revolutions act of mob violence.The guillotines story in France had begun just a few years prior. In late 1789, during a discussion about reforming the French penal code, physician Joseph-Ignace Guillotin proposed a standard system of capital punishment for all. At the time, execution methods tended to vary based on the class or rank of the criminal in question, which also led to marked differences in suffering.Highwaymen were broken on the wheel, witches burnt at the stake and thieves hung, wrote Eamonn Carrabine, a sociologist and criminologist at the University of Essex in England. Aristocrats, on the other hand, were usually beheaded with a sword, a privilege that was not extended to most commoners, who were decapitated by an unwieldy heading axe that bludgeoned its way through the neck, often requiring several attempts.History of the GuillotineWatch on Guillotin, himself opposed to capital punishment, proposed a decapitation machine that would kill its victims as quickly and painlessly as possible. Though the device was named after Guillotin, he was not its inventor; similar machines had already been employed in Europe.The guillotine became Frances official method of capital punishment in spring 1792. Its first victim was a common thief, Nicolas Jacques Pelletier.As revolutionaries geared up for the execution of the king at the end of 1792, Maximilien Robespierre, the revolutionary who would soon go on to play a key role in the Reign of Terror, proclaimed that the kings punishment necessitated the solemn character of a public vengeance.Employing the same machine that hadliterally taken the lives of common criminals proved to be an important symbol for the revolution.The death of the king thus invested the guillotine with a solemnity and grandeur commensurate with its function as the instrument of the peoples justice, wrote historian Daniel Arasse in The Guillotine and the Terror.By destroying the sanctity and inviolability of the king, the guillotine had become sacred in its own right, Arrasse explained.The machines grisly status as a king-killer lived on. Representations of events like the October 1793 execution of Louis wife, Marie Antoinette, and British counter-revolutionary propaganda in the 1790s and 1800s helped popularize the idea that aristocrats were martyrs and the main victims of revolution executioners, wrote historians Claire Rioult and Romain Fathi for the Conversation. Even today, the guillotine is a common symbol at protests against inequality.However, these narratives often overlook a crucial fact. Though the guillotine claimed the life of Frances king and queen, the majority of its estimated 15,000 to 17,000 victims werent aristocrats, but rather commoners.Get the latest stories in your inbox every weekday.Teresa Nowakowski|| READ MORETeresa Nowakowski is a print and multimedia journalist based in Chicago. They cover history, arts and culture, science, travel, food and other topics.

EA Origin to shut down in April 2025Decision follows Microsoft ceasing support of 32-bit softwareImage credit: Electronic Arts News by Sophie McEvoy Staff Writer Published on Jan. 21, 2025 EA Origin will shut down on April 17, 2025, as a result of Microsoft no longer supporting 32-bit software.Players that use Origin will need to download and install the EA app, available from EA's website, which requires a 64-bit version of Windows.Games from Origin will transfer to the EA app automatically when players log in with their Origin account. If cloud saves are enabled save games will transfer. However, users will need to manually transfer data of titles that don't support cloud saves.If players are upgrading to a new operating system, they won't need to redownload games. If they are upgrading their PC, data transfer is needed.EA Origin launched in June 2011, followed by the EA App in October 2022. At the time of the EA app's release, the firm said it would slowly phase out Origin.

Meal kits make cooking easy, and these kitchen must-haves make the process even easier.

The Brambell Laboratory at Bangor University has been Grade II-listed, while the Grade I listing for the universitys 1911 Main Arts Building has been expanded to include its New Arts wing, which was added in 1963.Completed in 1971, the Brambell Laboratory was dubbed Eyesore of the Year by a local newspaper in 1970, according to The Twentieth Century Society (C20).The still-operational building in Deiniol Road was designed in the 1960s for Bangor Universitys Zoology department by Welsh architecture practice Sir Percy Thomas and Son.AdvertisementIt formed part of a wider masterplan for Bangor University, unveiled by the architects in 1962, during a period of rapid expansion in higher education provision across the UK.Sir Percy Thomas and Sons masterplan for Bangor involved rebuilding the universitys science campus in modern orthogonal blocks between five and 10 storeys tall.C20 describe the Brambell Laboratory building as possessing a Brutalist sensibility [] based on a clear expression of structure and materials to create a memorable, almost temple-like image. Source:Jonathan ViningIt features a redbrick core, hugged by a colonnade of bush-hammered concrete columns, beneath an inverted ziggurat of upper levels.The building was named after Francis WR Brambell, Bangor Universitys head of zoology from 1930 until his death in the 1960s, whose scientific research and discoveries focused on how immunity is passed from mothers to their young as embryos.AdvertisementAlthough Brambell was heavily involved in the design of the building, he died during its construction and a decision was subsequently made to name the building after him.It continues to be used by the university for zoology and biology teaching and research and has been the home of Northwest Cancer Researchs Bangor Institute since 2004.Meanwhile, Bangor Universitys New Arts building, also by Sir Percy Thomas and Son, is described by C20 as a flat-roofed, concrete-framed Modernist cuboid. It was a 1960s addition to the universitys previously listed, early 1900s Main Arts Building, designed by Henry Hare in the Collegiate Tudor style with Arts and Crafts influences.The two freshly listed Bangor buildings become the first two post-war buildings to be listed in 2025 acrossEngland and Wales.

The finalists include emerging talent Freehaus, which was among the last cohort of AJ 40 under 40 practices in 2020; Paris and Brussels-based New South, which was shortlisted in last years AR Emerging awards; and Office Sian, which featured in the Architecture Foundations 2021 publication, New Architects 4. Selected by the independent Grenfell Tower Memorial Commission, the list is completed by George King Architects, which designed the 2023 Sheffield Covid memorial sculpture, and education and community specialists Curl La Tourelle Head Architecture.The five were chosen from 28 multidisciplinary design entrants into the competition, launched in July last year, which aims to find a bold, fitting and lasting memorial to remember the 72 victims who lost their lives in the 2017 tragedy.AdvertisementAn exact timeline for developing the west London memorial depends on factors beyond the control of the commission, such as the governments decision about the future of the 24-storey Grenfell Tower itself, which is expected next month.However, a final team is expected to be announced in summer this year, ahead of a planning application in late 2026.The shortlisted teams will now face a second round of evaluation, which will include meeting the bereaved families, survivors and the community around Grenfell Tower.According to the competitions backers, significant due diligence checks were carried out on all the shortlisted practices to make sure that any team, organisation or individual potentially working on the memorial did not bear any potential responsibility for the tragedy.Over the next six months, the teams will be asked to show their relevant professional and specialist expertise, including architecture, landscape architecture and structural and mechanical engineering.AdvertisementThe organisers said the designers must also present their strong experience of working collaboratively with communities.The shortlistCurl La Tourelle Head ArchitectureFreehausGeorge King Architects with Grow to KnowNew SouthOffice SianSpeaking today (21 January), the Grenfell Tower Memorial Commission said: Having a shortlist of teams brings us another step closer to turning the Grenfell communitys memorial vision into a physical reality.Through this process, we intend to identify and appoint a specialist and worthy design team, one that has proven experience of working on sensitive and community-focused projects, and who can leave no doubt in our minds about the integrity with which they will approach the vital task of designing a beautiful and fitting future memorial.Our 72 loved ones, and our community, deserve nothing less.Thelma Stober and Paul Boateng, co-chairs of the Grenfell Tower Memorial Commission, said: We have given our word, from the outset, that the voices of the entire Grenfell community must take priority in the memorial decision-making process, both now and in the future.The voices of the Grenfell community must take priority in the memorial decision-making processWe hope that bereaved families, survivors and those living close to Grenfell Tower will feel able to participate in the selection of a design team and, later on, contribute to the co-design of the memorial, in whichever way feels appropriate and meaningful for them.They added: This will ensure that the final design embodies a profound tribute to the 72 lives lost and provides a lasting place for loved ones to pay their respects, mourn, and feel connected to their memories.Each of the shortlisted teams is expected to receive a 20,000 honorarium to participate in the competitions second round.In 2021, survivors and relatives of those who died in the fire accused the government of trying to demolish the tower blocks remains without consulting them. Three years later, frustrated at the lack of progress, survivors and representatives of family members of victims criticised the years-long wait for a resolution, with the tower remaining under wrapping. The 340 million cost of maintaining the structure and delivering a memorial, as revealed in a government report published in 2022, was also slammed.Q&A at the launch of the contest in July 2024Paul Boateng, co-chair of the Grenfell Tower Memorial CommissionPaul BoatengWhy are you launching an open search for a design team to work with the Grenfell community to create a new memorial?At the heart of this international design team selection process is a desire to acknowledge the catastrophic events of the Grenfell Tower tragedy and to remember the lives of those that were lost. Through the power of design, our wish is to create a place where people can gather. Where together, or individually, they can reflect on the tragedy, gain strength, and honour the memories of their loved ones.Whether you are from London, from across the United Kingdom or based overseas, the Commissions community representatives, Thelma [Stober] and I strongly encourage you to consider building a team. Please describe your motivation for submitting your expression of interest to design a respectful, bold and lasting memorial to those who lost their lives. We are hopeful that prospective teams will feel honoured and inspired to submit an initial proposal for this highly significant and sensitive design commission.What is the commissions and Grenfell communitys vision for the future form the memorial could take?Our fundamental pledge, from the outset, has been to prioritise the voices and wishes of the entire Grenfell community in the memorial decision-making process, both now and in the future. The Grenfell communitys most frequently-mentioned suggestion is for a landscaped garden to be the memorials central element. This will also be complemented with a building or structure that provides shelter and space for reflection. Additionally, there is a hope to include a monument or artwork.The physical memorial must prominently display and incorporate: the names of the 72 victims; a sense of height; light, and water. We also need to see reflections of the diverse mix of faiths and cultural backgrounds to which those taken from us, and those who survived, belong.Together, these physical features will enrich the memorial to make it truly meaningful, bold and fitting for Grenfell. This must be a place where respect and remembrance resonate in every aspect and detail.What sort of teams would you like to see step forward for this important opportunity? This community deserves, and should get, nothing but the best. Grenfell was a unique tragedy and the memorial, and the successful design team, must be equally unique. Prospective teams should be multi-disciplinary, sensitive, and diverse. We absolutely want to see demonstrable previous experience of working collaboratively with communities. The required professional expertise includes lead design consultancy, landscape architecture, and structural and building services engineering. You may also consider including other areas of expertise such as artists and lighting specialists.This is an opportunity for the successful team to create a globally significant memorial of lasting beauty and impact, which faithfully incorporates the aspirations of a too-often neglected community for a place of remembrance, reflection and restoration.We do hope that the design profession will seize this moment to play a part in healing the wounds of a deadly and systemic failure, brought about by those responsible for the construction and management of the built environment at Grenfell.2025-01-21Richard Waitecomment and share

In my estimation, Disney and Ravensburger have made one of the best games of the last year, overtaking even Magic: The Gathering for the most fun you can have with trading cards. At the London Toy Fair on Tuesday Ravensburger didn't just announce set seven, it also gave us a sneak peek at sets eight and nine.Set seven is called Archazia's Island and features the first original character made for Lorcana. We don't know a lot about Archazia except they have a very cool bird mask and live on an island, but the fact that Disney has created an entirely new character for the trading card game is exciting. I'm looking forward to finding out more about Archazia and their realm in March when set seven is released. RavensburgerAlong with a new character and location set seven brings the standard collection of new starter packs, card sleeves, play mats and troves for you to buy. The play mats show art from Big Hero Six and Tigger, while the card sleeves are Cinderella and Ursula.The Starter decks for set seven are a Ruby/Sapphire, showcasing Belle and Beast, and a Steel/Amethyst set featuring Jafar and Iago. The artwork for "Inventor Belle" and "Beast with a Monocle" are so good, it makes me want to get the Ruby/Sapphire immediately.A glimpse at the future Reign of Jafar looks good but Fabled is giving me all of the happies Ravensburger Upgrade your inbox Get cnet insider From talking fridges to iPhones, our experts are here to help make the world a little less complicated. Ravensburger also gave us a sneak peek at what to expect from seasons eight and nine, titled Reign of Jafar and Fabled respectively. "His Crown, His Realm" is the tagline for Reign of Jafar with Ravensburger telling us that Jafar takes over Archazia's Island and tries to make it his kingdom. I'm happy to see that Archazia will be a running theme throughout Lorcana even after set seven is over.Fabled only has the poster to go by but it already looks like classic Disney mixed with the carousel from the Disney Parks. Could it be fantasy land-themed? We don't know but I'm already swooning the old-world look.Archazia's Island will be released in March, followed by Reign of Jafar in June and Fabled will follow along sometime in quarter three of 2025. If you have yet to get into Lorcana now might be the right time. Pick up the Lorcana Gateway game if you've never played, as it's the simplest way to get started.

Our Experts Written by James Bricknell Our expert, award-winning staff selects the products we cover and rigorously researches and tests our top picks. If you buy through our links, we may get a commission. Reviews ethics statement Why You Can Trust CNET 16171819202122232425+ Years of Experience 14151617181920212223 Hands-on Product Reviewers 6,0007,0008,0009,00010,00011,00012,00013,00014,00015,000 Sq. Feet of Lab Space How we test CNETs expert staff reviews and rates dozens of new products and services each month, building on more than a quarter century of expertise. What to consider What material type do you need? Filament (FDM) is best for large useful prints, while resin is great for tiny details. How big do you want to print? If you want to make large cosplay items, a bigger print area is best. 220x220 or more should be the goal. What's your budget? A smaller budget doesn't have to mean a worse machine, but you should expect to tinker. Table of Contents Our Picks Best overall 3D printer Bambu Lab A1 Combo View details $489 at Bambu Lab View details Best 3D printer for quality Prusa MK4S View details $999 at Prusa View details Best enclosed 3D printer Bambu Lab P1S View details $599 at Bambu Lab View details Best budget 3D printer Anycubic Kobra 3 Combo View details $399 at Anycubic View details Best 3D printer for beginners Bambu A1 Mini Combo View details $349 at Bambu Lab View details Best resin 3D printer Elegoo Saturn 3 Ultra View details $300 at Elegoo View details Best 3D printer for big projects Anycubic Kobra 2 Max View details $469 at Anycubic View details Best 3D printer for educators Flashforge Adventurer 5M Pro View details $469 at Flashforge View details Best 3D printer for miniatures Anycubic Photon Mono 2 View details $149 at Anycubic View details Best budget 3D printer for exotic filaments Qidi Q1 Pro View details $499 at Amazon View details Best 3D printer for small business (mass production) Creality CR-30 View details $799 at Amazon View details Table of Contents Best 3D printers of 20253D printers have come a long way in the past few years, making it easier than ever to bring your ideas to life. But with hundreds of options on the market, choosing the right one for your needs and budget can be tough. I've been testing and reviewing these machines for years, and I've put together this guide to help you find the perfect one for your needs.I started my 3D printing adventure a decade ago by trading my smartphone for a basic printer. Those early days were filled with endless adjustments and experiments, which eventually led me to selling my designs on Etsy. Over the years, I've even bought new machines to try out, testing out all of their strengths and weaknesses. Despite testing hundreds of models since then, I still get a thrill every time I see a finished print emerge from the print bed.After hundreds of hours testing a wide range of printers, I've put together this guide to help you find the right model for your projects and budget. The two most important factors to consider are print speed and accuracy, but if you're looking for more creative options, also consider features like multicolor printing or the ability to use different materials. Whether you're looking to create detailed miniatures for your Dungeons & Dragons game, build large cosplay pieces, or prototype functional parts, here are the best 3D printers you can buy in 2025. This guide also features considerations you might not have considered, such as print speed, build plate size, material costs, print head type and other essential details.Which 3D printer is the best?I've spent almost a decade and countless hours testing 3D printers in as many ways as possible to bring you the best 3D printers in every class. Right now, the Bambu Lab A1 Combo is our frontrunner: It's fast, can produce excellent detail and it's well priced at $489. It also comes with an excellent color system, allowing you to print in four different colors.