Over the years, my family has enjoyed stunning vistas from Washington's ferries.If you want to see a nice view of Washington, try a ferry ride. Amanda Adler When my son was younger, we used rides on Washington's ferries as sightseeing excursions.On a clear day, the ferry between Seattle and Bainbridge Island offers unmatched views of the city's skyline. Its price tag about $10 per adult, kids are free also makes it much more affordable than seeing the city on a land-based tour.On a recent visit to Olympic National Park, we took a ferry to an island with great views and access to outdoor adventures.We took a ferry out of Olympic National Park. Amanda Adler Now that my son is a tween, he loves more active adventures.While planning a recent hiking trip through Washington's Olympic Peninsula, we decided nearby Whidbey Island would be the perfect place to extend our stay and enjoy even more sightseeing and other outdoor activities. To get there from Olympic National Park, we would take a ferry that allowed us to take our rental car with us.The ferry ride from Olympic National Park to Whidbey Island only cost us $21.We drove our car onto the ferry. Amanda Adler To get from the park to Whidbey Island, we took the ferry from Port Townsend to Coupeville.I booked the ferry passage online for my three-person family and our rental car and was pleasantly surprised to see that our one-way trip was only $21.Driving onto the ferry was a smooth, well-organized process that only took a few minutes.Once parked on the ferry, we weren't confined to our car.From the deck, we were able to spot seabirds and seals. Amanda Adler Once our car was all set, we headed up to the ship's deck area. The ferry's great indoor and outdoor sightseeing options allowed us to view birds, seals, and other wildlife. We also enjoyed watching Washington's rugged landscape pass us by. The ship also had a small snack shop, where my son purchased chips and a sports drink.We had a great time once we docked, too. Whidbey Island was fun to explore. Amanda Adler After about 30 minutes, we docked at Whidbey Island, which also proved to be a great spot for sightseeing and wildlife viewing.First, we explored downtown Coupeville's cute boutiques, art galleries, and restaurants. From the town pier, we spotted even more seals swimming close to shore. At one point, we passed a printed guide showcasing whales in the region next to a bell to ring if any were spotted.After eating some fresh seafood, we drove about 30 minutes to Deception Pass State Park.While on the island, we continued to immerse ourselves in nature. Deception Pass State Park was beautiful. Amanda Adler The island's picturesque state park also offered ample wildlife viewing opportunities.At Deception Pass State Park, our one-day parking pass was only $10. My family had lots of time to explore, birdwatch, hike, paddle, and soak up the scenery.Lastly, we did a pricey whale-watching tour that paled in comparison to our affordable ferry ride. We weren't super sold on the whale-watching tour, especially since we'd seen wildlife from our cheap ferry ride. Amanda Adler Wildlife sightings on land or a ferry are never guaranteed, so I'd also booked us a $300 whale-watching tour.Our tour was on the "mainland," so we drove up the bridge on the north end of Whidbey Island to get to the boat. It took us to San Juan Islands, an archipelago known for its orca-watching opportunities.Unfortunately, we only saw one orca during our four-hour excursion.It was beautiful, but the whale's distance from us, combined with the numerous other tour boats in the area all vying for a prime viewing position, made the experience feel crowded and sort of artificial.After this tour, I realized we preferred the more natural and spontaneous feeling of encountering wildlife during our ferry ride. We actually saw more animals from the ferry than we did on the tour. Even if we hadn't, we would've still gotten to enjoy beautiful scenery as we sailed through Washington.Spotting animals in the wild can be unpredictable, so I'd rather take my chances on a laid-back, inexpensive ferry instead of pricey excursions where tourists compete for the best views.

Samsung has just unveiled its highly anticipated Galaxy S25 Series (check out our hands-on here and here), and the pre-order offers available until January 31, 2025 are revolutionary.It is now more cost-effective to opt for the premium Galaxy S25 Ultra than any other Samsung smartphone. By combining all the available benefits, you can save over $1300 in instant savings, cashback, and trade-in value on a device that originally costs $1419 (for the 512GB version).See Galaxy S25 Series at Samsung.comThe Galaxy S25 series boasts impressive upgrades including enhanced AI capabilities (within Galaxy AI), improved camera systems (on the Galaxy S25 Ultra) and more sustainable design elements. These devices are set to redefine the smartphone experience, especially thanks to artificial intelligence. Remember one thing: Samsungs Galaxy S25 pre-order deals are the most generous and enticing weve ever seen for a smartphone launch.Heres a comprehensive breakdown of the exceptional pre-order advantages.$900 Trade-In OfferSamsungs strategic trade-in program for the Galaxy S25 Series offers compelling financial incentives across its smartphone lineup with potential savings ranging from $500 to $900 depending on the model and traded device. For instance, if you trade-in a Galaxy S24 Ultra, Z Fold 6 or Z Flip 6, youll get $900 off on your new Galaxy S25 Ultra.See Galaxy S25 Ultra at Samsung.comInstant CreditYou can also get instant credits ranging from $50 to $300 depending on the model. These credits can be applied towards discounted insurance and accessories, including the Galaxy Buds3 Pro and Galaxy Watches, with potential savings up to 100% off. The Galaxy S25 Ultra provides the most substantial credit of up to $300. For instance, you can get free Galaxy Buds3 Pro if you choose the most premium model.Double Storage at the Same PriceSamsungs ditched the 128GB option, which is great as we need more space for photos and videos. Now, during this pre-order period, youre getting double the storage without paying extra: The Galaxy S25 Ultra 512GB is priced at just $1299 (instead of $1419) and matches the cost of the 256GB model. Same discount applies for the Galaxy S25 and S25+. This applies across the board get 512GB for 256GB pricing, or 1TB for the cost of 512GB.See Galaxy S25 Ultra at Samsung.comSamsung RewardsBy earning 1.5% back in rewards points on all purchases made on the Samsung store, you can effectively create a financial cushion within the Samsung universe where each dollar spent becomes a micro-contribution to future acquisitions. This points mechanism incentivizes brand loyalty and provides you with a compelling reason to remain within Samsungs interconnected product landscape.Exclusive ColorsSamsungs online store provides exclusive color options for the Galaxy S25 series and offers unique variants unavailable through other retailers. The Galaxy S25 Ultra features online-exclusive colors like Titanium Jetblack, Titanium Jadegreen, and Titanium Pinkgold. If you dont want the same model as your neighbor, this is a great way to have a different version of the premium devices.These unprecedented offers on the Samsung store make the Galaxy S25 series (and particularly the S25 Ultra) a great and attractive option if youre in the market for a new premium Android smartphone. The combination of advanced technology and massive discounts creates a value proposition thats hard to ignore. Samsungs pre-order period ends on Friday, January 31st. Make sure you pre-order yours before these deals come to an end.See Galaxy S25 Ultra at Samsung.comSee Galaxy S25 Series at Samsung.com

By Margherita Bassi Published January 26, 2025 | Comments (0) | A honey bee with a tiny QR code glued to its back. Provided by the researchers. All Rights Reserved. We say hard workers are busy as a bee, but in a recent study, honey bees seemed more like employees in an office building. Entomologists and engineers in the U.S. glued tiny QR codes to the backs of tens of thousands of honey bees in rural areas of Pennsylvania and New York. The unprecedented application of this technology, as detailed in a paper published in November in the journal HardwareX, will help scientists and beekeepers study how far the insects travel to collect food. Excitingly, the experiment has already shed new light on this crucial pollinators mysterious behaviors. Previous studies suggest that honey bees can forage up to 6.2 miles (10 kilometers) from their hives, but the entomologists hypothesize that this rarely occurs. The goal is to understand if that 10-kilometer estimation is biologically accurate. Can we determine exactly how far honey bees travel from their hives? Margarita Lpez-Uribe, an entomologist at Pennsylvania State University (Penn State) and co-author on the study, said in a university statement. The QR codes, called fiduciary tags, essentially work like badges in an office building. The team developed an automatic imaging system with a sensor at the hive entrance to register each time a tagged bee enters or exits, allowing the entomologists to track their individual foraging times. The sensor records the individual bee ID, date, time, temperature, and whether the bee is entering or exiting. Traditional entomology field work is usually less hands-on, but this approach is providing unprecedented insight into honey bee behavior. This technology is opening up opportunities for biologists to study systems in ways that werent previously possible, especially in relation to organic beekeeping, said Lpez-Uribe. Organic beekeeping includes, among other things, maintaining sufficient space from industrial regions to prevent bees from collecting pollen in polluted areas. However, since common bee foraging distances remain elusive, the U.S. Department of Agricultures recommendations for organic certification might be inaccurate in this regard.In field biology, we usually just look at things with our eyes, but the number of observations we can make as humans will never scale up to what a machine can do, she added. In total, the team tagged over 32,000 bees across six apiaries with QR codes smaller than human pinky nails that dont harm the bees or restrict their movement. We targeted young bees so we could track their age more accurately, especially when they start to fly and when they stop, said Robyn Underwood of Penn State, who also participated in the study. Younger individuals are easier to handle because they dont sting yet. So, what are bees up to?The researchers observed that most trips from the hive usually lasted between one and four minutespotentially potty breaks or a quick weather checkand some longer excursions were still less than 20 minutes. However, 34% of the tagged bees ventured out of the hive for over two hours. This longer absence could be due to longer foraging excursions. Some longer trips, for example, corresponded to time periods with less flowers, during which bees likely had to travel farther to collect their due. However, the scientists also admitted that the data could have been skewed by bees that simply never returned or entered the hive upside down, effectively hiding the QR code from the sensor.Additionally, we also found that bees are foraging for a lot longer over their lifetimes than initially thought, said Underwood. Entomologists previously suggested that honey bees lived approximately 28 days, she explained. However, were seeing bees foraging for six weeks, and they dont start foraging until they are already about two weeks old, so they live a lot longer than we thought. When they do start foraging, bees within the same hive share information about food sources with each other through the so-called waggle dance. Now, the team is working with researchers from Virginia Tech to align their foraging time data with this behavior to continue investigating how far bees travel from their hive. Maybe the next step will be gluing tiny AirTags to their backs.Daily NewsletterYou May Also Like By Matt Novak Published September 4, 2024 Tech NewsApple A Bug in the iOS Camera Apps QR Code Reader Could Send iPhone Users to Malicious Websites By Tom McKay Published March 26, 2018 Tech NewsPrivacy and Security Hacker Builds a QR Code Generator That Lets Him Into Fancy Airport Lounges By Andrew Liszewski Published August 5, 2016 Tech NewsMicrosoft The New Windows Blue Screen of Death Has aQR Code? By Jamie Condliffe Published April 12, 2016 Tech News A QR Code on Heinz Ketchup Linked Straight to German Porn James O Malley - Gizmodo UK Published June 19, 2015 Tech News This Clever Design Could Replace Ugly QR Codes With Light By Chris Mills Published November 17, 2014

Steep Housing / Reiulf Ramstad ArkitekterSave this picture! Odd Erik RnningArchitects: Reiulf Ramstad ArkitekterAreaArea of this architecture projectArea:80 mYearCompletion year of this architecture project Year: 2024 PhotographsPhotographs:Odd Erik RnningMore SpecsLess SpecsSave this picture!Text description provided by the architects. Bratte Boliger - Steep Housing is a project comprising six cabins in a popular climbing destination outside of ndalsnes, offering spectacular views over Romsdalen. Inspired by local architecture and building traditions, the project is designed to blend seamlessly with the steep terrain.Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!The cabins are designed to have minimal impact on the landscape and contain a compact layout with generous wardrobes, 2 bathrooms, 3 bedrooms, and a kitchen/living room over 80 m2.Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!Drawing from local building traditions, the houses are elevated on stilts, which both integrate the structures into the landscape and preserve their natural character. The design prioritizes quality and simplicity, embracing an aesthetic that aligns with the area's identity.Save this picture!The material palette reflects Nordic, sustainable traditions, featuring natural and low-carbon materials and environmental technical solutions.Save this picture!Project gallerySee allShow lessAbout this officeMaterialWoodMaterials and TagsPublished on January 26, 2025Cite: "Steep Housing / Reiulf Ramstad Arkitekter" 26 Jan 2025. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/1025898/steep-housing-reiulf-ramstad-arkitekter&gt ISSN 0719-8884Save!ArchDaily?You've started following your first account!Did you know?You'll now receive updates based on what you follow! Personalize your stream and start following your favorite authors, offices and users.Go to my stream

Stack CommerceShareWe may earn revenue from the products available on this page and participate in affiliate programs. Learn more Winter nights can drag without a little excitement. But what if your living room could double as a movie theater or gaming arena?The XGODY Gimbal 3 Mini Projector can instantly upgrade your entertainment game. Whether youre planning cozy movie nights, hosting gaming marathons, or creating a slideshow for a winter party, this compact device delivers big-screen magic without breaking the bank.For just $67.99 (down from $169) and free shipping, you can bring immersive visuals and versatile functionality to any space. Designed for flexibility, the XGODY Gimbal 3 runs on Android 11, making it easy to access streaming apps like Netflix, Disney+, and Prime Video.Its 12,000 lumens of brightness and 720p native resolution ensure vibrant visuals, even in rooms with ambient light. The 180-degree rotating lens adapts to various angles, allowing for wall-mounted displays or ceiling projections to fit your space. Compact and lightweight, its perfect for on-the-go movie nights, outdoor gatherings, or creating your own home theater.This mini projector is packed with smart features, such as WiFi 6 for seamless streaming, Bluetooth for easy device pairing, and HDMI compatibility for gaming consoles or laptops. Automatic keystone correction guarantees a distortion-free image every time, while short-throw projection provides a sharp, clear display from just a few feet away. Whether youre watching in your living room, bedroom, or backyard, the XGODY Gimbal 3 adapts to your needs.With a 50,000-hour lamp life and electronic focus, youll enjoy crisp visuals for years to come. It even supports 4K decoding for sharper playback of high-definition content. Plus, its sleek design makes it a conversation starter at any event.Liven up your winter nights with this great sale.Get this XGODY Gimbal 3 Mini Projector for just $67.99 (reg. $169) and free shipping for a limited time.StackSocial prices subject to change.XGODY Gimbal 3 1280720 Smart Mini Projector $67.99Get It Here

Stop paying for a million streaming services. Credit: Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty ImagesShareWe may earn revenue from the products available on this page and participate in affiliate programs. Learn more Streaming was supposed to save us from expensive cable prices. It doesnt seem to be working out that way: new streaming services launch constantly and the existing ones keep raising their prices. Keeping up with TV shows and movies is getting to be very expensive.It doesnt have to be, though. There are all kinds of ways you can stay entertained, even stay current, without putting half your paycheck toward Netflix, Hulu, Max, Paramount Plus, Disney+, AppleTV+, and every other streaming service. Here are a few tips for anyone looking to spend less on streaming TV shows and movies.Only pay for one streaming service at a timeThere are only so many hours in every day. There are thousands of hours of entertainment on every streaming service. So why pay for more than one at a time?Weve talked about how to save money by jumping between streaming services, and its a pretty simple idea: only pay for one streaming service at a time. You can think of this as a sort of entertainment grazing: If youre paying for Netflix, watch Netflix. When you get sick of the shows on that service cancel your subscription and start paying for another one.Will you always be able to watch exactly the thing you want to? No. Will there always be something to watch, and will you get to watch everything you want to eventually? Yes. And its a lot easier on your budget than constantly paying for every streaming service when youre pretty much only watching one of them right now.Buy actual Blu-Rays or DVDs if you constantly re-watch a showThis might feel a bit retro, granted, but there are good reasons to still buy DVDs and Blu-Rays. Maybe, for example, there are a few shows you constantly re-watch, and those shows are the only reason you pay for a particular streaming service. It might feel, at first glance, that paying a monthly fee is cheaper than buying a box set.Peacock, for example, owes at least some of its existence to dedicated fans of The Office who re-watch it constantly. That might be worth $9 a month with ads or $14 a month without to you, but you can buy the entire series on DVD for around $50. Thats less than four months of ad-free Peacock. Buying physical media also ensures that youll be able to keep watching a show after its pull from a streaming service. Basically, if you really love a show, its probably worth owning.Get an antennaMajor networks like ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, and PBS in the United States broadcast over the air. There are broadcast channels almost everywhere on earth, actually, whose signals are completely free. All you need is an antenna.This might be obvious to some readers, granted, but I find that people who grew up with cable dont necessarily realize it. Depending on where you live, you can simply plug an antenna into your TV and get all of the major networks. Now, the major networks arent what they used to be, but they still have a lot to offer: sports, news, dramas, and sitcoms.Now, antennas arent perfect: sometimes the signal cuts out. When modern HD broadcasts do work, though, theyre crystal clear. What kind of antenna to buy depends on where you live. Not sure where to start? Check out our list of the best TV antennas.Weve talked about subscriptions you can cancel by going to the library and streaming might be one of them. Most libraries have an extensive collection of TV shows and movies, either on hand or that you can request from other branches. Im talking about DVDs, Blu-Rays, and in some cases even free access to streaming video. This is obviously going to vary from library to library, but take a trip to check out your local branch and ask the librarian what they offer. You might be surprised.Use Plex or a similar serviceWeve talked about how to stream your personal video collection to any device using an application called Plex. Jellyfin is a good free and open source alternative. Either way, these applications let you build your own Netflix alternative using your own media collection.This is going to take some work. You will need to rip your physical media collection onto a computer or NAS. You also might take the time to hook up a tuner card and an antenna, so you can record live TV. When its all set up, you will be able to watch all of your shows and movies on any device you ownyour phone, your tablet, your computer, and your smart TVs. Its a bit of work to set up, granted, but once you do theres no ongoing monthly subscription.

Antarctica is melting, and crucial details are beginning to come into focus of exactly how it's happening.

An ultra-deep image from the National Science Foundation's Dark Energy Camera reveals a wide variety of galaxies in the unusual Antlia Cluster.

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Improve your shader workflows with @petaralazara's Node-It, a collection of powerful node groups that "solve common shader challenges."Get it: https://80.lv/articles/improve-your-shader-work-with-this-powerful-blender-add-on/#b3d #blender #blender3d #3D #3dart #digitalart #art #shaders