A scene unfolds within AvroKOs newest venture, HOST on Howard, in a dimly lit corner of New York Citys SoHo where a service trolley catches the soft glow of a pendant light. Far more than a design showroom, HOST embodies the cadence of shared moments, with every artifact serving as a chapter in the larger narrative of collective experience. The space itself, with its rich moss and hunter green walls framed by grand arches, evokes the exhibitions inaugural theme of The Paradisa a contemporary interpretation of the Edenic garden.HOST is our celebration of hospitality as a ritual for both gathering and belonging, says Kristina ONeal, Founding Partner and Principal of AvroKO. As part of our daily business we are constantly creating objects that bring people together and enhance our shared experiences warm lighting that makes everyone at the table softly glow, height adjustable tables that work for cocktail or dining height depending on the time of day, or moveable screens that can be molded to illuminate a corner or better create privacy.The collections centerpiece, a series of five service trolleys displayed on jewel-toned platforms, represents a winding evolution in hospitality furniture. These pieces bridge the gap between functional service equipment and sculptural art objects, challenging traditional categories of design classification. These pieces embody a significant shift in contemporary design as service tools transcend their utilitarian origins to become objects of desire and contemplation.A horseshoe-shaped bar serves as both showcase and functional gathering space. This is not just a display piece, but a working laboratory for the firms philosophy of hospitality, complete with top-of-the-line equipment and seating for ten. The bar embodies what Partner William Harris describes as their two-decade quest, to be inventive in the creation of these tools for gathering and find new ways to make people feel comfortable, delighted, and considered.For more on HOST on Howard, visit hostonhoward.com, and for more on AvroKO, visit avroko.com.Photography by Joe Kramm.

It should be as easy to cancel a service as it is to subscribe to it, and at long last, it's about to be. For anyone who's ever found themselves trapped in an endless maze of customer service calls trying to cancel a subscriptionespecially when the company doesn't want you torelief is finally on the way. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has introduced a new rule that will require companies to make canceling subscriptions as simple as signing up for them. Here's what you need to know.The "Click to Cancel" ruleUnder the new FTC regulation, if you can sign up for a service online with a single click, companies must provide an equally straightforward cancellation process. No more lengthy phone calls, buried cancellation links, or complicated multi-step procedures. This consumer-friendly rule aims to eliminate what's known as "dark patterns," aka deceptive design practices that make it unnecessarily difficult to cancel subscriptions.What this means for youWhen the rule fully takes effect later this year on March 31, subscribers will have the right to:Cancel their subscriptions through the same method they used to sign upAccess a simple cancellation mechanism that's easy to find and useAvoid mandatory conversations with retention specialistsReceive clear confirmation when their subscription has been canceledWhile waiting for the new rule to be enforced, let's take a look at some strategies for managing and canceling unwanted subscriptions.Manage your subscriptions nowStart by reviewing your credit card and bank statements to identify all active subscriptions. You may be surprised to discover you're paying for services you rarely or never use. Create a spreadsheet or use a subscription tracking app to maintain an overview of your recurring payments. Here's our round-up of the best subscription managers for canceling services you arent actually using anymore.For immediate action, try these methods:Check your account settings on the service's website for cancellation optionsSearch for "[Company Name] + cancel subscription" to find direct linksUse the company's mobile app, which sometimes offers easier cancellation processesEmail customer service with a clear, direct cancellation requestDocument all cancellation attempts, including screenshots and email correspondenceAdditionally, your bank or credit card company can be a powerful ally. Use your card issuer's subscription management tools, or contact your bank to stop automatic payments. Going forward, consider using virtual credit card numbers for new subscriptions, which allow you to control payment permissions.The bottom lineThe FTC's new rule is a major relief. While companies adjust to comply with these regulations, staying vigilant about your subscriptions and knowing your rights as a consumer remains essential. The days of frustrating cancellation experiences may be numbered, but until then, being proactive about managing your subscriptions is your best defense against unwanted charges.Protect yourself going forward by reading cancellation terms while signing up for new subscriptions, setting calendar reminders before free trials end, and keeping records of all cancellation confirmations. Remember that the most effective approach to subscription management is prevention: Before signing up for any new service, make sure you understand not just how to start it, but how to end it as well.

I don't like how scrolling makes me feel these days. Every headline, meme, and take I scroll past leaves me feeling worse about the world. It isn't entirely unwarrantedthere's a lot of bad happeningbut marinating in that feeling doesn't help.Scrolling isn't always detrimental, of course. It can be relaxing, for one thing, and it can be a way to keep up with what's happening with your friends. But I think we all know there are diminishing returns when it comes to scrollingthe overall quality goes down the longer you keep going. And that's why reading is possibly more important now than its ever been: There aren't diminishing returns. Scrolling is briefly thinking about lots of things; reading is taking the time to think about one thing.That's why I'm trying to do more reading and less scrolling. Seeing hundreds of memes about the latest dumb thing that one billionaire said doesn't help me reach any of my goals. Taking the time to get context on the issues I care aboutand thinking deeply about themmight. So I've been taking active steps to nudge myself toward scrolling less and reading more. I hope these tips will help you achieve the same. Hide (or uninstall) social media appsAre there social media icons on your phone's home screen? The simplest thing you can do in order to scroll less is to get those icons off of there. You can do this by removing the icons from the home screen or by uninstalling the application entirely. Either way, the process is easy: tap and hold on the icon. Both Android and iOS will give you the option to either remove the application from your home screen or delete it.I, personally, tend to just remove the apps from my home screen. This reduces the number of times I turn on my phone and reflexively open an app to scroll in, but leaves the applications available when I actively want them.That might not be enough for you, though. You might find yourself going out of your way to scroll even if it means pulling up the app outside the home screen, or sucked in when there's a notification. If that's you, I recommend just uninstalling the application entirely, if only while you're trying to create the habit of scrolling less. It will cut off the problem entirely.Put books on your phoneGetting books onto your phone isn't hard. There are the big apps, including Kindle and Kobo, if you want to purchase current titles. (Apple has its own proprietary "Books" app as well.) You can access millions of books in the public domain with a little bit of searching. And there's also a good chance your local library offers free e-books: Libby is a common app for this.Set up one or multiple of these applications and put them right on the home screen of your phone. Ideally, you'll put the icon right where the social application you used to open constantly lives. The idea is to trick yourself into opening books. This isn't magicyou're going to need to force yourself to actually read. Over time, though, the habit may begin to form.Another thing to consider: audiobooks. Some people can't get into reading no matter how hard they try. Others can't find the time. In either case, I think audiobooks can be a great alternative. Listening to a book while driving, cleaning the house, or just hanging out at home is a great way to take in and reflect on books. Some people get elitist about thisignore them. Listening to books is great. Most local libraries offer audiobooks, whether in the Libby app or as physical CDs. Otherwise, there are services like Audible and even Spotify to get your audiobook fix.Make reading articles easy for yourselfIf you don't want to read entire books on your phone (I personally don't), you'll likely find its the perfect device for reading articles, and there are plenty of ways to do that without the need to scroll.I like having read-it-later apps on my phone's home screen. These let you save articles you find on the web for future reading. I tend to clip articles during my work day, when I shouldn't be reading, and come back to them in the evening. I personally use FlyLeaf, which is a great option for Apple users, but Instapaper is also a very good tool for the job.But it's also a good idea to have a few publications that you browse regularly. There are all kinds of ways to do this. The simplest is to bookmark the homepages of a few of your favorite websites and blogs so that they show up every time you open your browser. The more techie solution is to find an RSS reader, which shows you the headlines from as many websites as you like. That way, you can keep up with everything in one place.Or, you could look into apps that let you read entire print publications. I recently discovered Press Reader, which offers full versions of magazines and newspapers. It's offered for free by some libraries and lets you read the entire print version of all sorts of publications. Odds are your local library has something similar, or you could physically go there and read the magazine they have on the shelf. (I love doing this.)Mange your notificationsNothing disrupts reading faster than being pulled into something else. If you're actually going to read, take advantage of your phone's Do Not Disturb (DND) functionality. We've talked a bit about how to customize your Android notifications and your iOS notifications, so dig into those articles for more details. But the gist is you don't want notifications popping up when you're trying to read. You can turn DND modes on or off manually, if you want, but can also schedule them. For example, if you read before bed, you could set up your phone to never buzz during your usual nighttime routine.You can get fancy about this: Newer Apple devices can use AI to filter out all but the most important notifications. I've tried this feature and so far it's a great way to unplug without missing the important stuff.Swap out your phone for something elseI've been talking about phones a lot in this article because that's where the bulk of scrolling happens. If you really want to read more, though, it's probably a good idea to do it on something other than your phone. E-ink devices work, but so do paper books and magazines. It's literally impossible to scroll Reddit on a book.Depending on how your brain works, though, a new gadget might help. My colleague Joel Cunningham wrote about how the Boox Portable helped him stop doomscrolling, and I can can understand why. This is basically an e-ink Android device, roughly the size of a phone. If you want something bigger, you can look into an e-ink tablet. These are great for both reading and jotting down ideas. I personally use a Remarkable for reading papers and researching articles. Getting away from my colorful and animated computing devices for a bit is helpful. There are all kinds of e-ink devices out there that can give you the best of both paper and electronics. Look into themthey might be what you need to trick your brain into reading more.

If there are two things Netflix has been pushing over the last couple years its live sports and games. A large part of this initiative has come through its partnership with WWE to stream live shows. But, starting fall 2025, Netflix subscribers will also be getting exclusive access to WWE 2K video games on mobile.The WWE 2K series first launched 25 years ago and has remained extremely popular. Now, the organization is leaning further into its partnership with Netflix to give the streamer unique access.This announcement comes shortly after Monday Night Raw, WWE's flagship show, began weekly live streams on Netflix in the US, UK, Latin America, Canada and more. It's the first time in over 30 years that the show hasn't aired on a linear TV network. Netflix is reportedly paying WWE $5 billion over 10 years for the ability to air Monday Night Raw and other WWE programs.WWE 2K will join over 100 games currently available in Netflix's library. It also won't require ads or in-app purchases. Subscribers can also check out some of the best games on Netflix include Kentucky Route Zero, Triviaverse and Before Your Eyes.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/netflix-is-the-exclusive-home-of-wwes-2k-fighting-game-on-mobile-140059055.html?src=rss

GrubHub is partnering with Avride, an autonomous robot delivery company, to expand its offerings on college campuses. The pair have launched 100 robots on The Ohio State University's campus, but have plans to expand further.Our robots have already proven their value in campus environments, delivering convenience and delight to students, said Dmitry Polishchuk, CEO of Avride, in a release. Were thrilled to be working with Grubhub to scale this success and expect to see hundreds of our robots serving campuses already in 2025.Avride launched a new model last October, notably ditching its six wheels for a more efficient four. The robots can hold a decent amount of food, such as an assortment of pizza and drinks, the company states. They also have customizable LED panels that offer animated designs, such as the college's colors. The robots can also make 180-degree turns instantly, thanks to a new mechanical connection between each side's wheel pairs. Plus, they can move faster than their predecessor and can park on inclines.This partnership adds to GrubHub's existing robot delivery presence on campuses. Since 2021, the company claims it has delivered hundreds of thousands of orders using robots on dozens of schools. That year, it partnered with Russian tech company Yandex which used to house what is now Avride in its autonomous driving wing. However, that bit of the company spun-off as its own entity, divested its Russian assets following the country's invasion of Ukraine in early 2022 and rebranded as Avride.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/grubhub-is-bringing-new-delivery-robots-to-college-campuses-140028029.html?src=rss

Alibaba release Qwen2.5-Max and claim it's superior to DeepSeek-V3 and ChatGPT-4o.

Most European businesses have or will use AI agents to tackle increasing IT workloads and boost efficiency.

Some 20% of hydrants failed during the fight to save the Pacific Palisades from LA's massive fire on Jan. 7. Here's how other U.S. cities can better prepare.

A jet with 60 passengers and four crew members collided with an Army helicopter Wednesday while approaching the Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington. The aircraft plummeted into the Potomac River, and multiple people were killed.The crash occurred in some of the most tightly controlled and monitored airspace in the world, just over 3 miles (5 kilometers) south of the White House and the U.S. Capitol.Here are some things to know about the collision:The crashThe midair crash happened around 9 p.m. when a regional jet at the end of a flight from Wichita, Kansas, collided with a military helicopter on a training exercise, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.A few minutes before the jet was to land, air traffic controllers asked American Airlines Flight 5342 if it could land on a shorter runway, and the pilots agreed. Controllers cleared the jet to land and flight tracking sites showed the plane adjust its approach to the new runway.Less than 30 seconds before the crash, an air traffic controller asked a helicopter if it had the arriving plane in sight. The controller made another radio call to the helicopter moments later: PAT 25 pass behind the CRJ. There was no reply. Seconds after that, the two aircraft collided.The planes radio transponder stopped transmitting about 2,400 feet short of the runway, roughly over the middle of the Potomac.Emergency responseAuthorities were conducting a massive search-and-rescue operation. Inflatable boats were launched into the river and first responders set up light towers from the shore to illuminate the area. Helicopters from law enforcement agencies across the region also flew over the scene in a methodical search for bodies and survivors.Passengers and fatalitiesThere was no official death toll announced at an early Thursday news conference, but a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press there were multiple fatalities. The person was not authorized to publicly discuss details of the investigation and spoke on condition of anonymity.Sen. Roger Marshall of Kansas hinted that the number killed will be high. When one person dies its a tragedy, but when many, many, many people die its an unbearable sorrow, he said. Russian figure skaters Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov were aboard the plane, along with other Russian nationals, according to the Kremlin. Coaches, skaters and others had been in Wichita for the 2025 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, which concluded Sunday, and a development camp.Shishkova and Naumov were married and won a 1994 world championship in pairs figure skating.AirportLocated along the Potomac River, just southwest of Washington, Reagan National is a popular choice because its much closer to the city than the larger Dulles International Airport.All takeoffs and landings from Reagan Airport were halted. It will reopen at 11 a.m. Thursday, the Federal Aviation Administration announced.InvestigationInvestigators will try to piece together the aircrafts final moments before their collision, including contact with air traffic controllers as well as a loss of altitude by the passenger jet.Aircraft involvedThe helicopter was a UH-60 Blackhawk based at Fort Belvoir in Virginia, according to the U.S. Army. A crew of three soldiers were on board the helicopter, an Army official said.The other aircraft was a Canadian-made Bombardier CRJ-701 twin-engine jet and was manufactured in 2004. It can be configured to carry up to 70 passengers.History of fatal aircraft crashesFatal crashes of commercial aircraft in the U.S. have become a rarity. The last was in 2009 near Buffalo, New York. All 45 passengers and the four crew members were killed when the Bombardier DHC-8 propeller plane crashed into a house. One person on the ground also was killed.The incident Wednesday recalled the crash of an Air Florida flight that plummeted into the Potomac on January 13, 1982, killing 78 people. That crash was attributed to bad weather.Hallie Golden, Associated Press

The employees of bankrupt retailer Big Lots have had to live with a lot of uncertainty ever since the company announced in mid-December that it was going out of business and closing all its stores.Just over a week later, Big Lots announced that it had struck a deal with Gordon Brothers Retail Partners to transfer some Big Lots assets to Variety Wholesalers and other retailers. According to the announcement, that meant some Big Lots locations, between 200 and 400 stores, would stay open and operating, potentially saving thousands of jobs. Unfortunately, theres yet no word on which Big Lots locations will continue to operate, leaving many Big Lots workers uncertain about their future employment.In mid-January, Gordon Brothers published a list of Big Lots leases that it was putting up for sale, suggesting that the stores on that list wouldnt be among those saved. Now, Gordon Brothers has updated that list to include more stores, giving a little more insight into which locations are closed or going to close for good.Phase 2 of Big Lots lease salesA few weeks ago, Gordon Brothers published a list titled New Market Locations Phase 1. That list included hundreds of Big Lots locations with leases for sale. When a stores lease is sold, the owner is looking for a buyer to move into the stores location, freeing it from its rental obligations.The list included locations in 47 states, with Florida, New York, and Texas among the states with the most leases for sale.Now Gordon Brothers has released an updated list, titled New Market Locations Phase 2. The Phase 2 list includes many of the stores from the Phase 1 list but adds nearly 150 new locations, suggesting that these locations, too, will not be among the locations saved via the deal with Variety Wholesalers and other retailers.Among the states with the most additional stores marked for sale of their leases include Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee.When will the saved Big Lots stores be revealed?While the Phase 1 and Phase 2 lists give us a good indication that the stores on them will not be among those that are saved, many Big Lots employees and customers are anxiously awaiting information on which stores will pull through.Unfortunately, we may not have a definitive list for some time yet. As Fast Company previously reported, in a January bankruptcy court filing, Big Lots revealed that all parties were working expeditiously to determine which [locations] can drive additional value to the estates or comprise the group of continuing Big Lots stores. However, the parties understandably require additional time to complete this analysis.Big Lots asked the court to give it until April 7 to develop a list of stores that will continue to operate.