The atriums trunkscape installation by OMA.Photo: Courtesy of Louis Vuitton.They also wanted to convey history. The trunk is the core and gene of the brand, reflects Shigematsu. That is where all the innovations started to be visible. Those breakthroughs, well known to any student of fashion, began when a young French cabinetmaker by the name of Louis Vuitton pioneered a marvelous malleforgoing curved lids in favor of stackable flat tops and engineering a specialty waterproof canvas. As the mode of travel changed from ship to train to plane to automobile, Louis Vuitton always adapted the idea of efficient packing, says Shigematsu, referring to the subsequent expansion into custom wardrobes. Patterns too evolved, with the advent of the red stripe of the 1870s, the Damier check in the late 1880s, and the classic monogram at the turn of the 20th century.The caf.Photo: Courtesy of Louis Vuitton.

In Giorgio de Chiricos 1927 painting Mobili nella Valle, an arrangement of furniture is dropped, rather surrealistically, into a desert landscape. Some 40 years after its creation, this strange, metaphysical scene would inspire Italian sculptor Mario Ceroli to realize the three objects from the artworka cabinet, an armchair, and a tall-backed seatin planks of Russian pine.The throne-like Sedia Alta, Italian for High Chair, swiftly became the most recognizable piece of the bunch, making its debut as part of the scenography Ceroli developed for performances of Shakespeares Richard III at Teatro StabilediTorino in 1968. By the early 1970s it was put into production by the radical Italian design brand Poltronova.Mario Cerolis Sedia Alta at a Paris home by Pierre Yovanovitch.Photo: Jrme GallandFor me, furniture is a sculpture created to be touched, to be used, says the artist, who lives with several iterations of the chair in his own Rome studio and home, which will open to the public as a museum at the end of 2025. Placed in a domestic context, the unusual form delivers the same uncanny effect that it does in de Chiricos painting. Take, for example, Ico Parisis space-age-y 1970s Casa Fontana, in Lake Como, where the chairs gather round a slick, lacquered dining table like objects from another time and place. Meanwhile in a Paris house by AD100 designer Pierre Yovanovitch, a single Sedia adds a dreamlike quality to a bedroom-office.The Ico Parisidesigned Casa Fontana, circa 1972.Photo: Courtesy of Archivio del Design di Ico Parisi.

Meta's engagement is steady after the company cut fact-checking and diversity programs.A potential TikTok ban might've overshadowed concerns about the policy changes.Meta's in-app revenue increased, with global downloads rising.In the days after Meta said it was eliminating fact-checking and scaling back diversity programs, thousands of users reportedly voiced their intention to leave the company's platforms.The data tell a different story.Engagement on Meta's core platforms is similar now to what it was earlier this month before the company announced it would replace third-party fact-checkers with community notes and roll back its DEI initiatives. New data from multiple analytics firms show a slight decline in engagement following the policy changes was reversed after news of a TikTok ban, which prompted users to return to Mark Zuckerberg's platforms."The data especially the number of daily active users (DAUs) tells the story that usage started to fall after all the headlines came out about the changes Meta was making," Thomas Grant, vice president of research at market intelligence firm Apptopia, told Business Insider. "But, then the news about the potential TikTok ban changed that trend and people started engaging with the [apps] more again."Meta declined to comment when reached by BI.Gen Z users support Meta doing away with fact-checkingAccording to Apptopia data, Facebook's daily active users, which had been down about 2% year-over-year for most of January, began showing year-over-year growth on January 18, as speculation intensified ahead of a Supreme Court decision on TikTok.Instagram saw an even stronger rebound, with DAUs rising on January 18 and continuing to grow above previous year's levels on both January 19 and 20."It seems like people did start leaving the app as all the headlines about changes in policies hit, but then that whole movement got swamped by the TikTok ban news," Grant said.Leading up to the initial TikTok ban, Meta's Instagram Reels, its short-form video platform, was named as an alternative to TikTok by some users. "TikTok refugees" also flocked to RedNote, a China-based social media app.Notably, a CivicScience survey of 1,346 Americans found that 36% of participants support Meta's move to kill fact-checking in favor of Community Notes, compared to 32% who oppose it (the remaining 32% were neutral). Support was particularly strong among Gen Z users ages 18-24, with 53% backing the changes.Meanwhile, download and revenue data from market intelligence firm App Figures tells yet another story.Meta's in-app purchase revenue is upWhile US downloads for Meta's apps did decline slightly after the policy changes Facebook downloads were down 8% and Instagram downloads were down 5% the revenue that Meta earns from in-app purchases on Facebook and Instagram increased during the same period (Threads, Meta's X-clone, does not offer in-app purchases yet)."After looking at the download and revenue data for Meta's social apps, I was unable to detect any substantial or out-of-the-ordinary decline," Randy Nelson, head of insights at App Figures, told BI. "In fact, in some cases there were increases," he said.App Figures' comparison of the 13 days before and after Meta's announcement to put an end to fact-checking shows that US in-app purchases on Meta's platforms grew to $1.9 million for Facebook and $3 million for Instagram, representing increases of 5% and 3%, respectively.The company saw similar gains worldwide, with Facebook's in-app revenue reaching $5.2 million and Instagram's hitting $8.9 million. However, these figures, don't include Meta's primary revenue source: advertising.Globally, the download numbers are favorable for Meta.Instagram's worldwide downloads increased by 5% after the changes were announced, while Facebook saw a modest 1% uptick, according to App Figures.More data from market intelligence firm Sensor Tower reinforces these findings. The firm found that user activity across Meta's apps has remained steady since the policy changes.Only Instagram saw a brief 1% weekly decrease in average DAUs immediately following the announcements, but quickly recovered the following week, according to data shared with BI.The bottom line? The recent policy changes haven't dented Meta's numbers. For now, the company's platforms, used by more than three billion people around the world, remain as entrenched as ever.Do you work at Meta? Contact this reporter from a nonwork email and device at pdixit@insider.com or pranavdixit@protonmail.com. You can also reach him securely via Signal at . Your identity will be protected.

Elix MixDiablo 4 players are thrilled about a couple of undocumented changes in Season of Witchcraft that only demon-killing veterans will appreciateBlizzard forgot to include a few of the changes that made it to Diablo 4 with the start of Season 7 in the patch notes, and it made players all the more excited to see them.Image credit: Blizzard Entertainment. News by Sherif Saed Contributing Editor Published on Jan. 24, 2025 As is often the case with new Diablo 4 seasons and major patches, a few of the smaller changes often dont get included in the patch notes. Discovering what those are has actually sort of become one of players favourite activities at the launch of every new season.Season of Witchcraft, Diablo 4s seventh season, launched on Tuesday with a beefy gameplay patch, alongside new a host of seasonal content, quest, witchy powers and more. Some of the changes that had players very excited, however, have little to do with any of that.To see this content please enable targeting cookies. The ever-vigilant players on the Diablo 4 subreddit discovered a small change to Incense thats not only been commonly requested, it's one that just makes sense! Incenses now last 30 minutes, just like Elixirs. Since you can have one of each active at any one time, the new tweak means you can start the countdown for both at the same time, knowing that theyre going to end together, too.Prior to that change, Incense always ran out before Exliris, so you either had to wait for your active Elixir to be depleted before activating both again, or activate another Incense immediately, which usually meant forgetting to re-activate your Elixir. This may sound small, but in the endgame, relying on Elixirs and Incense makes a big difference, and anything that makes managing the mundane aspects of gameplay easier will always be appreciated by players.Patch 2.1.0, which arrived with the new season, also made yet another welcome quality of life change to Elixirs. The options available to craft are better organised, meaning the giant list we used to have that included every different Elixir is gone, replaced with categories that are easier to sort through. In other words, you wont have to worry about reading which tier the Elixir you're looking at is, which can get quite annoying later into the game when all options are available to craft. The Armory has also been getting its share of love and appreciation. | Image credit: Blizzard Entertainment.You may have also noticed that the Wardrobe and player customisation screen have been entirely redone. The pigments now have their own tab, which makes it easier to give all items the same colour by default. The new layout is easier to read, too, and allows for more room for our evergrowing collection of transmogs.Unfortunately, the new design brought back the item notification bug, whereby the icon letting you know theres something new for you to see remains visible no matter what you do. If these things tend to annoy the life out of you, youre certainly not alone in that.Season of Witchcraft has been well-received by players so far, and many are especially happy with the volume of quality of life features Diablo 4 has now compared to last year, which affects all players of the game regardless of whether or not they engage with seasonal content.

If you hopped into Marvel Rivals to give its freshly dropped Spring Festival a go yesterday, you may well have been at risk of ending up in a Clash of Dancing Lions match forever, forced to live with the shame of having given up a goal for all time. Read more

Image: NintendoLate last year, it was reported that several PlatinumGames veterans had seemingly left the studio. While only Bayonetta Origins' Abebe Tinari confirmed this news, it looks increasingly likely that Astral Chain director Takahisa Taura has followed suit, potentially forming a new company in the process (thanks, Nintendo Everything).Initial rumours about Taura's PlatinumGames departure arose after the director (alongside several other Platinum vets) removed all mention of the studio from his social media bios. Adding fuel to the fire, one fan on Twitter noted that Taura's Facebook profile has been updated with a new place of work: Eel Game Studio.We know very little about this studio or Taura's role in it at the time of writing, though its registration info (as flagged on ResetEra) states that it was established in late 2024 and is based in Tokyo. We know, shocking.That's not to say that fans aren't already piling on the speculation, mind you. Earlier this week, a Reddit user (who swiftly deleted their account) took to the PlatinumGames forum, claiming to have information about 'Astral Chain 2'. According to their story allegedly sourced from "someone who previously worked at Platinum Games" a sequel was in development at Platinum, but conflicts from within the studio and from Nintendo meant that the project was eventually rebooted with the Big N at the helm (studio head Atsushi Inaba said that the series was under Nintendo's control back in 2021).It's an elaborate read, but one that almost makes sense the longer you go with it if you can get past the suspicious account deletion and the "Platinium" typo in the topic, that is:If (and it's a big if) Astral Chain's director truly has left PlatinumGames and has since formed a new studio, there's every chance that a full sequel could be in the works. We're reading all this with a hefty pinch of salt, naturally, but it's fun to dream.Taura joined the likes of Metal Gear Rising's Kenji Saito, The Wonderful 101's Masaki Yamanaka and the aforementioned Abebe Tinari with the bio updates late last year, seemingly confirming a huge blow to the studio's talent.That said, it would be foolish to count PlatinumGames out. Just yesterday at Xbox's Developer_Direct 2025, the studio popped up with Koei Tecmo's Team Ninja to reveal Ninja Gaiden 4 for Xbox, PlayStation and PC. No, a Nintendo version hasn't been announced (yet), but it's clear that work is still underway from the Bayonetta developer, regardless of how many of its veterans may have left. He's moved to a PlayStation teamHideki and seekThe Bayonetta developer PlatinumGames is backDo you hope to see an Astral Chain sequel in the future? Let us know in the comments.[source facebook.com, via nintendoeverything.com]Related GamesSee AlsoShare:01 Jim came to Nintendo Life in 2022 and, despite his insistence that The Minish Cap is the best Zelda game and his unwavering love for the Star Wars prequels (yes, really), he has continued to write news and features on the site ever since. Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment...Related ArticlesRound Up: Video Game Industry Reacts To Nintendo's Switch 2 AnnouncementHere's what everyone thoughtNintendo's Share Price Dips Following Its Big Switch 2 RevealNo need to panic, thoughNintendo's Switch 2 Announcement Reportedly Impacted Steam Deck SalesThe surprise reveal got everyone's attentionNintendo's Average Salary Crowned The Second-Highest In Western Japan Last YearDespite the annual salary falling a little

This review was originally published in April 2009. We're updating and republishing it to mark the arrival of the game in the Nintendo Switch Online SNES library.Every so often a game comes along that makes you take your thumb off the fire button and don your thinking cap. But who wants to have to spend a lot of time thinking just to get through a game, you say? Well, one thing that's abundantly clear from playing Sutte Hakkun is that you're going to either love this game or hate it.This late-gen Satellaview/Super Famicom collaboration between Nintendo and indieszero presents one of the most unique and innovative puzzle/platforming experiences ever found in a video game, with simple controls and mind-bending puzzles found in each insane level. As much fun as the game is, however, later levels belie the happy, colourful visuals and feel more like a college thesis than a video gaming experience - you'd better hope that you haven't destroyed too many brain cells if you have any hopes of ever beating this brain buster.The premise of Sutte Hakkun is quite simple: you take on the role of the drinking bird Hakkun, and, using your pointed beak, you must suck in various blocks, move them to where you want them, and then spit them out. You can also suck in coloured Nectars and inject the translucent blocks with it. These various Nectars each have their own unique characteristics: Red Nectar will make the blocks move up and down, Blue Nectar makes them move side to side, and Yellow Nectar makes them move diagonally.Trying to figure out these combinations proves the biggest challenge in reaching the Rainbow Shard placed somewhere in each level. Your job is to locate all of the Rainbow Shards strung across the island and reconstruct the shattered Rainbow of Happiness, thus restoring peace to the land. Sounds simple, right?Hakkun can walk left and right and can also jump a short distance. The problem is that the game generally places the platforms out of reach this is where the translucent blocks come into play. You'll have to move them around by sucking them in and then spitting them out to get to previously inaccessible areas. You must then figure out which colour Nectar needed to get the correct movements from these blocks.As if this wasnt enough, you also have a creature called a Makkun which can be injected with Nectar and given special characteristics. The early stages give a nice smooth introduction as to how the game plays, but the challenge quickly increases.Controls are super smooth and perfectly built for the type of action you'll encounter in each level. Once you get a handle on the mechanics, Sutte Hakkun plays like a well-oiled machine. You can also pull up the submenu if you're stuck and it will provide hints. (Note. The NSO version is in Japanese, so navigating menus may take some trial and error!) This should really only be used as a last resort, as figuring out these tricky levels is really the whole point.The visuals in the game are sharp, but not very detailed that's not what this game is about. The colours are all very vibrant and the use of the translucent characters, enemies, and blocks provides a strong contrast that makes these bright hues stand out even more. Sure, there are no fancy Mode-7 effects or rotating polygons to marvel at, but you'll be too busy trying to figure out how to reach the Rainbow Shard in each level to worry about any lack of visual flair.Sutte Hakkun's music is almost as eccentric as the visuals. They're all very upbeat and happy tunes, and the way they blend into the background as you're thinking things through keeps them from ever becoming too repetitive, even when you find yourself stuck on the same level for ages. The sound effects are subtle as well, yet perfectly implemented, fitting the game's oddball theme like a glove. It's clear that a lot of time and effort were spent figuring out how to approach the audio/visual presentation of this unique puzzler and this extra effort really paid off in the end product.

The U.K.s antitrust regulator has reached an agreement with Google to counter the scourge of fake online reviews. The internet giant has committed to several remedies.Bogus endorsements have blighted the web since the creation of user reviews, which is why regulators around the world have been upping the ante on tech companies to put measures in place to curb such practices.The U.K.s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) opened an investigation into several online platforms way back in May 2020, with formal enforcement cases launched against Google and Amazon the following year. The CMA had expressed concerns about whether the companies were doing enough to eradicate fake or misleading reviews.Some five years on, and the CMA has finally concluded the Google facet of the investigation, while the Amazon investigation rolls on for now. As part of the deal, the CMA says that Google is putting in place rigorous steps to identify and remove fake reviews on Google and Google Maps. This will include removing any identified fake reviews and banning the individuals behind those reviews from posting new reviews. Businesses will also have warnings emblazoned across their Google profiles, warning consumers that it has detected suspicious activity, while the ability to leave new reviews on that profile will be removed.While Google does lean on AI and machine learning to identify some fake reviews, it also relies on good old-fashioned human feedback. As such, the CMA says that Google has agreed to implement a new system to make it easier for consumers to report concerning reviews this will also include situations where they have been offered an incentive to post a positive review. Under reviewIts difficult to overestimate the impact that online reviews can have on a business, with CMA research indicating that as much as $23 billion of online spending is influenced by feedback posted publicly by previous customers. As the preeminent search engine in many markets, Google was always going to be a central figure in any efforts to reduce the spread of fake reviews, while Amazon is an obvious target as one of the worlds largest marketplaces.Left unchecked, fake reviews damage peoples trust and leave businesses who do the right thing at a disadvantage, Sarah Cardell, chief executive at the CMA, said in a statement. The changes weve secured from Google ensure robust processes are in place, so people can have confidence in reviews and make the best possible choices. They also help to create a level-playing field for fair dealing firms.The CMA has targeted other online platforms in the past over issues related to fake reviews, including Facebook and eBay. In the U.S., meanwhile, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently finalized a new rule prohibiting specific practices around fake reviews, with penalties of up to $51,744 per violation.As part of their agreement, the CMA says that Google will report back to it over a three-year period to provide progress updates.A Google spokesperson said that it already blocks millions of fake reviews annually, many of which before theyre even published. Our work with regulators around the world, including the CMA, is part of our ongoing efforts to fight fake content and bad actors, the spokesperson said.

Landy Liu knows how hard it is to save for a home.While working at mortgage startup Better.com, he spent years dealing with first-home home buyers who felt overwhelmed when it came to shopping for homes. By the time it was his turn in 2022, mortgage rates had nearly doubled, and he found himself in one of the most challenging homebuying environments in decades.I put my purchase on hold and used my down payment to start Foyer, where I am a user alongside our members, he told TechCrunch.Foyer is a platform that helps consumers save for down payments, essentially acting as a 401k for homeownership, Liu said. He noted that specialized saving accounts and apps exist these days for nearly every big milestone, retirement, college tuition, even major health expenses, he said. Yet while there are general options in the market for saving up for down payments, there is nothing akin to a platform focused on down payments for homes.We believe homeownership is a vital part of the American dream and first-time homebuyers need all the help they can get, he added.On Foyer, users can create target savings goals and access personalized guidance on the best ways to save for a home, information about mortgage rates, and choosing a real estate firm. The company has a subscription model, offering memberships to users looking for more support. It can connect users with real estate professionals and also allows customers to earn rewards that can be used towards a home purchase.Real estate service providers spend billions annually marketing to end users and now they are able to more directly support the financial wellness of aspiring homebuyers, Liu said.Buying a home has become quite challenging in the past few years, with many aspiring homebuyers finding themselves priced out of the market completely, far away from hitting the milestones that generations previously hit at young ages. Saving for ones home requires better planning than ever, he said.Investors clearly see some shine in the idea. Today, Foyer is announcing a $6.2 million seed round led by Alpaca VC and Hometeam Ventures. Accion Venture Lab and Clocktower Ventures also participated in the round.Homeownership plays a crucial role in building long-term financial security, particularly for underserved communities that have historically been shut out of wealth-building opportunities, Amee Parhboo, a managing partner at Accion Venture Lab, told TechCrunch.David Goldberg, general partner at Alpaca VC, said what drew the firm to Foyer was its reimagined approach to homeownership.The combination of high-yield savings, education, and strategic partnerships makes this a compelling bet on the future of homebuying, he told TechCrunch.Liu said he met the lead investors through mutual connections in the fintech and proptech space. For now, Liu said Foyers main competition is traditional savings accounts. Foyer launched last year in Michigan but has since spread throughout the country, attracting more than 10,000 users, it said.The fresh capital will help the company expand and enhance product features.Home affordability is in crisis and yet homeownership remains the greatest source of wealth creation for middle-class and minority families in the United States, Liu said. Foyer is providing a solution for first-time homebuyers, a dedicated savings account that works for the next generation of homeowners.

Breakdown & ShowreelsLes Armes: VFX Breakdown by Alchemy 24By Vincent Frei - 24/01/2025 Chaos unfolds in Les Armes, and the Montreal-based studio Alchemy 24 ensures you feel every moment. Their invisible visual effects blend seamlessly with the story, elevating the tension of this military drama!Click on the picture to watch the reel. Vincent Frei The Art of VFX 2025