Data privacy is personal privacyPublished inThe Medium BlogSent as aNewsletter3 min readJust now-- Welcome backIssue #263: fibroids, catfishing, and simmer potsBy Adeline DimondICYMI like I did, last week was Data Privacy Week. It used to be Data Privacy Day, but as Taylor Armerding writes on Medium, the National Cybersecurity Alliance (NCA) expanded it to a whole week, probably to get people like me to sit up and take notice. (It now runs from January 27 to January 31.) Amerding explains that data privacy is personal privacy and provides a long but non-exhaustive list of everything data privacy implicates, like your health, age, gender, shopping habits, where you go and how long you stay, whom you hang with, what you wear, where you work, what you earn.One spooky example: every day when I leave my parking garage I wave to Larry, the parking manager. We just wave at each other; we know no one in common, we dont speak, and I dont even have his phone number, but Facebook recently suggested that Larry and I become friends. An article from Wired explains why this may have happened: Facebook once patented proximity sensors to support its people you may know feature. As Amerding writes, we are in the the golden age of surveillance and unfortunately no one is coming to the rescue. Amerding notes that there are no comprehensive international or domestic laws to govern our borderless, online world; instead, we have a jumble of hundreds laws confusing pretty much everyone.Simply put, theres no sheriff in town, so its up to us to protect ourselves. Thats why I was grateful to find this security and privacy checklist by strategic comms lead Laura Ward in Code Like a Girl. (Never doubt a comms professionals ability to guard information.) Ward divides her checklist into three parts: a security checklist, a privacy checklist, and a surveillance checklist.Agree on a family passphrase is under the security checklist, because scammers can now create an AI-version of your loved ones voice (gah), whereas her advice to always select ask app not to track is on the privacy checklist. My favorite piece of advice falls under her surveillance checklist: support independent journalism. Look for the people and voices you trust, she writes, and spend a little money to ensure journalism with a strong independent and investigative focus will continue in the future.Wards checklist is empowering, and like Amerdings piece, its a sobering reminder to stay vigilant. But sometimes its also fun to wallow in the seeming futility of it all. To that end, Ill leave you this gem from the archives: You Do Not Have a Right to Privacy by John DeVore. DeVore laments that weve already lost the battle to keep our thoughts and feelings private, so maybe we should just accept it.There is an eyeball in the sink drain looking up at you, he writes, remembering fondly when he could still burn love poems in the kitchen sink, and no one would know. What else were readingBlack women are diagnosed with fibroids three times as often as white women, and are two to three times as likely to have recurring problems. This matters because, for some, uterine fibroids are painful as hell and chronic pain affects everything. This story from the archives by Lakota Summer is one of several first-person accounts on Medium about the condition. I found myself muttering under my breath in frustration when she revealed that it took a year for her to be approved for fibroid surgery, after being required to go through a gauntlet of other ineffective treatments.On a lighter note, if you have a thing for catfishing stories like I do, Lauren Reeves has written a doozy, told in 51 parts. Start here, but be prepared to cancel all other engagements until you finish. Takeaway: If someone tells you theyre a physicist but does drugs and plays video games all day, they probably arent. Your daily dose of practical wisdomMartha Stewart has directed us to make simmer pots and so we shall make simmer pots. My version: toss some cloves, cinnamon sticks, orange peel, and a bay leaf in a large pot of water and bring to a boil. Your house will smell like inside and outside at the same time.

Acer unveiled two new Predator gaming laptops today at the Intel Extreme Mastersesports event in Katowice, Poland.Read More

Microsoft has started rolling out a new scareware blocker in its Edge browser this week. The AI-powered feature runs on Windows PCs and can identify and block existing scams, and even detect new and emerging ones thanks to a local machine learning model.Scareware blocker adds a new, first line of defense to help protect the users exposed to a new scam if it attempts to open a full screen page. Scareware blocker uses a machine learning model that runs on the local computer, explains the Microsoft Edge team in a blog post. The model uses computer vision to compare full screen pages to thousands of sample scams that the scam-fighting community shared with us. The model runs locally, without saving or sending images to the cloud.Once a scam has been detected, Microsoft Edge will automatically exit the full screen mode that malicious sites try to enforce, stop audio playback, and then warn you with a thumbnail of the page you were viewing. You can then report the site so its added to Microsofts Defender SmartScreen service that automatically blocks Edge users from visiting known scam sites.Announced originally at Ignite in November, the scareware blocker in Microsoft Edge is now available in preview in the latest stable channel release of the browser. Youll need to enable the scareware blocker manually in Edges privacy settings, and then restart the browser to get the preview feature.

The chunky laptops have ports and RGB lighting a-plenty.Nvidias RTX 5090 and 5080 desktop GPUs sort of launched last month, but on the laptop front, were still awaiting the avalanche of 50-series notebooks to come crashing in, starting with these hefty new mid-rangers from Acer. The (deep breath) Predator Helios Neo 16 AI and Predator Helios Neo 18 AI can be configured with up to Intels Core Ultra 9 275HX CPU and RTX 5070 Ti GPUs. They each feature a boatload of ports and will start at $1,899.99 for the 16-inch and $2,199.99 for the 18-inch. The 16 launches in the US in April (other countries in May), and the 18 launches in May (other countries in June).Both laptops feature RGB logos on their lids, four-zone keyboard lighting, and up to 64GB of RAM and 2TB of storage. Also in the high-end configs is a 240Hz 2560 x 1600 OLED for the 16-inch model and 250Hz Mini LED of the same resolution for the 18-inch. Both sizes of laptop feature 90Wh batteries and Wi-Fi 6E support. Each model comes standard with enough ports to keep you free and clear of dongle town. Theres one Thunderbolt 4 port, one USB-C 3.2 Gen 2, three USB-A ports, one HDMI 2.1, a 3.5mm headphone / mic combo jack, and even an ethernet port. Oddly, for such large and thick laptops, theyve got microSD card slots instead of full-size. That seems like the only thing micro about these laptops weighing as much as 7.28 pounds.But the bigger thing to be aware of is that the RTX 5070 Ti GPUs, Core Ultra 9 CPUs, and OLED / Mini LED screens are all optional. At the starting configurations for both sizes youre getting a more modest Core Ultra 7 255HX and RTX 5070. That doesnt sound terrible, but the base-model displays are just 1920 x 1200.We reached out to Acer about the cost of the higher-end Predator Helios Neo configurations, but did not hear back before publication.

Tokyo Xtreme Racer is a PlayStation 2 game. Now, years of YouTube comments from cynical types who were likely still jostling around inside an ovary at the dawn of the millennium may have taught you that PS2 is a pejorative a one-size-fits-all put-down wielded against anything that doesnt melt the multiprocessors off a graphics card. But it doesn't have to be. The PS2 was an incredible console, brimming with great, approachable games that achieved exactly what they set out to do, were hopelessly addictive, and completely unburdened by microtransactions and live-service malarkey. This succinctly describes Genkis 2025 Tokyo Xtreme Racer reboot, which recently arrived in early access on Steam: a fantastically moreish blast from the past thats simple on the surface, steeped in high-speed thrills, and (for now, at least) unapologetically single-player. Thats what makes it a game in the grand style of the PS2 and, for that, I already love it.Even the music matches the originals.For clarity, Im aware that the overall lineage of this series dates back to 1994s Shutokou Battle on SNES, and the Tokyo Xtreme Racer name itself can be traced back to the series Dreamcast debut (and sequel) in the US. However, in PAL territories those carried different titles, and thats why Im waxing romantic about the PS2: because 2001s Tokyo Xtreme Racer on Sonys all-conquering console was my first exposure to the series, and I admire how closely Genki has stuck to its enduring format well over two decades later.I admire how closely Genki has stuck to its enduring format.For those who havent had the pleasure, the Tokyo Xtreme Racer series focuses strictly on highway street racing, taking a heavy dose of inspiration from the real-life underground racing scene that peaked on Tokyos expressways back in the 90s. (This was made infamous by the likes of the highly secretive Mid Night Club an allegedly disbanded racing community still shrouded in mystery today thanks to anonymity amongst its members and its strict, low-profile policies).After choosing an on-ramp to enter the freeway system (which faithfully recreates Tokyos actual Shuto Expressway network) the aim is to cruise and hunt down rival racers to challenge. Races are triggered on the fly by flashing your headlights behind potential rivals, and won unconventionally. There are no finish lines here; instead, their Spirit Point bar will drain to empty as they drop further and further behind you, collide with members of the public, or graze the walls. Its part racing game, part fighting game, and it still works as well as it ever did.Wisely, Genki hasnt tampered with any of this, and it remains the structure of Tokyo Xtreme Racers early access revival in 2025. The graphics have received a handsome enough modern makeover but otherwise its a staunchly old-school experience. The result is terrific, and Im hooked once more.Duelling against one opponent at a time and slicing through late-night freeway traffic in a single direction may sound limited and repetitive. In a way, I guess it is. And yet its utterly absorbing. Even in early access, Tokyo Xtreme Racer features over 200 named opponents to seek, stalk, and destroy. Some are boss characters that will only emerge after you encounter the rest of their race team members and leave them for dust. Some can only be found and raced under certain circumstances or if you perform specific tasks, the clues for which you can glean from conversations with rivals in parking areas. The writing in these conversations tends to be a bit overwrought (and the story itself leans a little too melodramatic for my tastes) but there is a goofy charm to it I can stomach. As can this bloke, I suspect.The difference in difficulty between some of these opponents can be stark at times, so I will say that my experience has been a little uneven. One moment Ill be beating every buster I find, and the next some mystery hot shot is simply galloping away. Races that are very evenly matched and decided by tactical slipstreaming (or goading your opponent into an obstacle) are the most fun, but theyre a little too uncommon.This has the potential to create the occasional logjam in your progression, because a lot of the upgrade paths are gated behind meeting certain criteria. Needing to beat specific racers in order to earn the ability to purchase better parts might be a sore spot if youre already spinning your wheels trying to lure out and beat those racers in the first place. Its a bit of a catch-22, and its probably the primary reason Im not a huge fan of these sorts of roadblocks in racing games. Im generally of the opinion that, if you have the credits, you should just be able to buy any cars and parts within your means. At any rate, this is the sort of early access feedback that, with any luck, should provide Genki the data to smooth out bumps in its progression road.Despite the occasional frustrating session, Im still thoroughly addicted to vanquishing every rival I find.Despite the occasional frustrating session, Im still thoroughly addicted to vanquishing every rival I find. Being able to now spot where opponents are on the map (and allowing that to dictate where you enter the expressway) is a sensible, modern touch. Each time you leave the garage represents the start of an in-game night, which concludes when you choose to return to the garage to spend your credits or simply head straight out again for the next evening. Just one more night, I tell myself for the tenth time before heading back out onto the expressways in search of prey. Its hard to quit and not just because the option to actually do so from the garage is buried in a hidden menu I initially had no idea how to reach. You cant do it from your controller, in case youre wondering; you have to hit tab on your keyboard.Think of the map as one huge, forking race circuit.In more ways than just that the menu system does need refinement, as it also lacks quick D-pad support and requires us to use an analogue stick as a mouse. Itd also benefit from some kind of global BACK button shortcut, so returning to the main garage screen from elsewhere like the tuning menus wouldnt require opening the menu bar and manually moving the cursor. Little tweaks like that would significantly sharpen up the process of menu navigation.Car handling, though, already has a slick, arcade feel thats nicely tuned for smooth steering on a controller at high speed. That said, the chase view does lack the kind of looseness I crave in this sort of racing game, so even minor steering adjustments are amplified to jarring yaws by the time they reach the trailing camera. This feels like something that could be tuned, or potentially supplemented with an additional chase camera that isnt so stiff. For now, its far easier to drive smoothly using bonnet cam.Pop up headlights are the best headlights.The list of cars whose bonnets you can see from there is a good start, and features just under 50 Japanese models at launch. Toyota, Subaru, Nissan, Mitsubishi, Mazda, Daihatsu, and Suzuki are all in there. (Honda remains conspicuously absent, though.) The cars look fine without being showstopping, but they dont pick up damage or boast a level of detail as lavish as the vehicles featured in racing genre heavy hitters like Gran Turismo 7. However, the bigger issue at the moment is how they sound. Right now Tokyo Xtreme Racer isnt so much extreme as it is tinny and toothless compared to any one of its arcade racing peers, like Forza Horizon, Need for Speed, or even Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown. Its the one part of this retro game I wish wasnt stuck in the past.Anyway, in broad terms, a lot of the usual suspects are already on these streets. The Mk3 and Mk4 Supra. Five generations of Imprezas. The R32, R33, and R34. The RX-7 and RX-8. The best Evo and the final Evo. Theres certainly plenty of room for it to grow and, looking at the car list for 2003s Tokyo Xtreme Racer 3, Im sure I could make some fairly educated guesses regarding what may join the garage. What I will say, however, is Id love to be more regularly surprised going forward. That is, some Japanese cars that get little to no love in video games would be perfect. Give us a Datsun 620. A 910 Bluebird wagon. Hell, what about a Mazda Roadpacer? Im sure dropping in a custom four-rotor would solve its acceleration problems. Lets go nuts.

A monitor stand is one of those accessories you dont really think much of until you actually start using it. My neck and overall posture improves just by virtue of propping up my gaming monitor to better match my eye level, but you can do that with a riser (or even a stack of books). A more sophisticated option is a monitor stand that also doubles up as an input hub with easy-to-access USB ports and even an HDMI passthrough youll also make some extra space by getting your monitors base off the desk. This isnt a new thing, of course, but Razer put out its own spin on whats tried-and-true.The Razer Chroma Monitor Stand is certainly a fantastic one-of-those since it's well-built, good-looking, and has some RGB lighting as a treat. But color me surprised its expensive. I suppose its a theme across much of Razers catalogue as it has consistently put out quality products in recent years, you just have to be willing to pay the Razer premium.Razer Monitor Stand Chroma - PhotosRazer Chroma Monitor Stand Design and FeaturesThe Razer Chroma Monitors dimensions come in at 19.7 inches (500mm) wide, 3.1 inches (78.5mm) high, and 8.3 inches (210mm) deep, which is a decent size as you can plop most monitors on it without a problem. Its also wide enough to store full-size keyboards and most laptops underneath, which helps create more desk space if need be. It has rounded edges which means you wont exactly get the full width to put stuff on top of it, but that tiny loss is negligible.But whats really nice about Razers stand is that it covers a wide space with a minimal physical footprint its strong aluminum construction holds up to 44 pounds (20kg). It sports a thin profile thats about a quarter-inch thick across the entire frame, yet weighs 5.5 pounds (2.5kg) which makes it feel dense. There are also little rubber pads on the bottom to protect your desk against scratches.Looking to upgrade your monitor? Our Top PickGigabyte FO32U2 Pro This stunning monitor delivers on all fronts thanks to its wealth of features and OLED panelBe sure to check out our roundup of the best gaming monitors!Youll find the USB hub on the right side of the stand which includes two USB-A 3.2 ports and one USB-C port alongside the RGB control button. By default the RGB button cycles through seven different lighting patterns, but you can tinker with the effects to your liking with Razers Synapse or Chroma software.On the back-right side of the stand is where both the USB-C power port and HDMI 2.0 passthrough are located. The packaged USB-C cable is quite short at just 3.3 inches (1.0m) and is just barely able to reach the USB-C port on my PC if you have a spacious setup, I suggest having a longer Type-C to Type-C cable ready.Razer Chroma Monitor Stand Functionality and ValueWell, the Razer Chroma Monitor Stand does exactly what its name implies: it holds up a monitor admirably. Im using an old 28-inch 4K Acer monitor that weighs about 12 pounds and despite its large circular base, I still have room to put a controller and some tiny figurines on top of the stand. Considering that I play a ton of games with a controller and like to rest my hands atop my desk mat, sliding my keyboard underneath the stand made it easy to create space.Really, youre paying for looks and you know what, theres no shame in that.The sleek and slim aluminum build is a beautiful and understated look, and the bright RGB light strip on the bottom creates a pleasing underglow that I actually really enjoy. There are 28 individual lighting zones and Chroma Studio lets you tinker with each one individually with various patterns, colors, or reactions. Its a nice way to spice up your desk's aesthetic without looking gaudy. Synapse and Chroma software suites are fairly streamlined nowadays so applying more sophisticated lighting effects is fairly simple, although customizing your own lighting pattern gets tricky since it's sometimes hard to tell when certain options take effect.Youll get a lot of utility out of the stand if you primarily use a laptop, too. Propping a laptop up on the stand prevents hunching over the screen and gives you space to use a proper keyboard. The port expansion also goes a long way for connecting devices like mice, headsets, keyboards, or anything with a wireless receiver, or transferring data via USB. Having an extra HDMI helps make connecting an additional monitor easy as well while my work laptop has an HDMI-out of its own, the Razer stand acts as a USB-C to HDMI converter without taking up another port. Its especially helpful with something like a MacBook that only uses USB-C ports. Its a neat feature, although it has limited, to no, use with desktop PCs.Heres the thing: the Razer Chroma Monitor Stand is $200. You have plenty of other choices for monitor stands with USB ports that are significantly cheaper. And at higher price ranges, youll easily find ones with better functionality like more USB ports, an SD card slot, an audio jack, an ethernet port, or even wireless charging for mobile devices atop the stand. Im looking at several options like Ankers 10-in-1 monitor stand or the multi-purpose 12-in-1 version that are decked out with those kinds of additional features, which makes them much more versatile. However, they just dont look nearly as great as Razers stand with its thin profile and vivid RGB lighting. Its not a bad prospect if you want to choose form over function, though.Purchasing GuideThe Razer Chroma Monitor Stand is available at retailers such as Amazon and Best Buy, or directly from the Razer Store for $199.99 at regular price.

About us:Native Camp is Japans No.1 Online English Service counting the highest number of both teachers and students who are learning the English language through our platform. Since 2017, we have started hiring teachers from all around the world, and we have created an environment that makes it easy for them to work and earn while having full flexibility.We are continuously expanding, introducing new features and teaching materials, and as a result of these efforts, more than 1.3 million members are using our service. Lessons are provided via a unique language platform developed by our company. We have simplified our application process and made it as quick as possible, so joining our team of teachers has never been easier. Join us today to experience the benefits that we provide.ONLINE ENGLISH TEACHER(Home-Based job position)What we offer:Complete flexibility (24/7)100% remoteEasy-to-follow teaching materials providedNo minimum hours per week requiredFrequent incentives offeredNo CV or experience requiredOnline support availableRequirements:English ProficiencyLaptop or PC with a webcamHeadset with a microphoneStable Internet connection and speedQuiet environment and plain backgroundApplication Process:Apply through our websiteDo the English Proficiency TestDo the System Check and the Demo LessonComplete your profileStart TeachingThe whole application process is done online, via desktop. Just follow step by step and the system will guide you through it.If you have any questions please contact us via our website (Contact Us page).Apply NowLet's start your dream job Apply now

Back in 2017, Facebook unveiled plans for a brain-reading hat that you could use to text just by thinking. We're working on a system that will let you type straight from your brain, CEO Mark Zuckerberg shared in a post that year. Now the company, since renamed Meta, has actually done it. Except it weighs a half a ton, costs $2 million, and wont ever leave the lab. Still, its pretty cool that neuroscience and AI researchers working for Meta have managed to analyze peoples brains as they type and determine what keys they are pressing, just from their thoughts. The research, described today in two papers posted to the preprint server arXiv, is particularly impressive because the thoughts of the subjects were measured from outside their skulls using a magnetic scanner, and then processed using a deep neural network. As weve seen time and again, deep neural networks can uncover remarkable insights when paired with robust data, says Sumner Norman, founder of Forest Neurotech, who wasnt involved in the research but credits Meta with going to great lengths to collect high quality data. According to Jean-Rmi King, leader of Metas Brain & AI research team, the system is able to determine what letter a skilled typist has pressed as much as 80% of the time, an accuracy high enough to reconstruct full sentences from the brain signals. Facebooks original quest for a consumer brain-reading cap or headband ran into technical obstacles and, after four years, the company scrapped the idea. But Meta never stopped supporting basic research on neuroscience, something it now sees as an important pathway to more powerful AIs which learn and reason like humans. King says his group, based in Paris, is specifically tasked with figuring out the principles of intelligence from the human brain. Trying to understand the precise architecture or principles of the human brain could be a way to inform the development of machine intelligence," says King. That's the path. The new system is definitely not a commercial productnor on the way to becoming one. The magnetoencephalography scanner used in the new research collects magnetic signals produced in the cortex as brain neurons fire. But it is large, expensive and needs to be operated in a shielded room, since the Earths magnetic field is a trillion times stronger than the one in your brain. Norman likens the device to an MRI machine tipped on its side and suspended above the users head. Whats more, says King, the second a subject moves their head the signal is lost. Our effort is not at all towards products, he says. In fact, my message is always to say I dont think there is a path for products because its too difficult. The typing project was carried out with 35 volunteers at a research site in Spain, the Basque Center on Cognition, Brain and Language. Each spent around 20 hours inside the scanner typing phrases like el procesador ejecuta la instruccin" (the processor executes the instruction) while their brain signals were fed into a deep-learning system which Meta is calling Brain2Qwerty, in a reference to the layout of letters on a keyboard. The job of that deep-learning system is to figure out which brain signals mean someone is typing an a, which mean z and so on. Eventually, after it sees an individual volunteer type several thousand characters, the model can guess what key people were actually pressing on. In the first preprint, Meta researchers report that the average error rate was about 32%or nearly one out of three letters wrong. Still, according to Meta, its results are most accurate yet for brain-typing using a full alphabet keyboard and signals collected outside the skull. Research on brain-reading has been advancing quickly, although the most effective approaches use electrodes implanted into the brain, or directly on its surface. These are known as invasive brain computer interfaces. Although they require brain surgery, they can very accurately gather electrical information from small groups of neurons. In 2023, for instance, a person who lost his voice from ALS was able to speak via brain-reading software connected to a voice synthesizer, and did so at nearly a normal rate. Neuralink, founded by Elon Musk, is testing its own brain implant that gives paralyzed people control over a cursor. Meta says its own efforts remain oriented towards basic research into the nature of intelligence. And that is where the big magnetic scanner can help. Even though it isnt practical for patients, and doesnt measure individual neurons, it is able to look at the whole brain, broadly, and all at once. In a second preprint, also published today, and using the same typing data, the Meta team say they used this broader view to amass evidence that the brain produces language information in a top-down fashion, with an initial signal for a sentence kicking off separate signals for words, then syllables, and, finally, typed letters. The core claim is that the brain structures language production hierarchically, says Norman. Thats not a new idea, but Metas report highlights how these different levels interact as a system, says Norman. Those types of insights could eventually shape the design of artificial intelligence systems. Some of these, like chatbots, already rely extensively on language in order to process information and reason, just as people do. Language has become a foundation of AI, King says. So the computational principles that allow the brain, or any system, to acquire such ability is the key motivation behind this work.

The sports specialist was named this week (5 February) as architect of the proposed refurbishment and expansion of the 98-year-old stadium on the edge of Lake Como, in Lombardy, northern Italy.The venue, which turns 100 years old in 2027, is owned by the municipality and has been leased to the Serie A side since 1928. Current capacity is around 13,000.Populouss concept vision for the Giuseppe Sinigaglia includes four new stands with hospitality space facing Lake Como.AdvertisementThe design shown at consultation also features a stepped-down design in the north-west corner of the arena, providing views of the surrounding mountains and Lake Como.Populous says a final design will be presented next year, with construction expected to take place in phases starting in 2027 and 2028. There is currently no timeline for completion.Senior principal at Populouss Milan office Silvia Prandelli said: We are privileged to be involved in the redesign of the Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia. We look forward to working with Como 1907 and the Municipality of Como to bring the vision to life for the redevelopment of the stadium and how it will integrate with the local community.'Comos mayor, Alessandro Rapinese, added: This is the first phase of the process. This stadium is not just for football, but a gift for the entire community. I look forward to the various phases and to being able to enjoy Como 1907 play inside the new G Sinigaglia.Populouss most recent accounts showed record turnover for its Europe, the Middle East and Africa region, rising from 34.9 million to a record 136 million between 2022 and 2023.Advertisement Source:PopulousPopulous' Como 1907 plans (January 2025)Fee income from the firm's Middle Eastern workload went from 14.8 million in 2022 to 103 million. In Europe, income meanwhile ballooned from 8.6 million to 21.1 million.The practice, which reports opening new offices in Madrid and Germany in the last 12 months, is also working on a new 60,000-capacity stadium for Italian top-tier side AS Roma.The practice is also understood to be involved in alternative plans for a new home for Inter Milan, another Serie A side, following the collapse of San Siro redevelopment proposals in 2023.

The 330m-long building, Platform G, is a landscraper, longer than the 310m Shard is tall. It will be the first wholly owned and designed Google building outside the US and is expected to complete later this year.The recent footage was shot from a helicopter by aerial photographer Jason Hawkes.The buildings concept design is by locally based Heatherwick Studio and Copenhagens Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG). It was delivered by executive architect and lead consultant BDP.AdvertisementThe seven to eleven-storey scheme won planning in 2017 and was topped out in July 2022 at a ceremony attended by the London mayor, Sadiq Khan, and local MP Keir Starmer.The 60,400m2 project occupies a huge area of land alongside Kings Cross Station, providing accommodation for up to 4,500 office workers above retail and other uses at ground floor level.The facilities for Google workers or Googlers include landscaped terraces at roof level. These are understood to rely on 40,000 tonnes of soil to support 250 trees with a running track snaking among them. The building also boasts amenities such as cafs, a gym, a multi-use games area and a swimming pool.The steel frame structure includes extensive glazing and timber elements with timber manufacturer Accoya claiming the faade required 19 full trucks of its product.In terms of environmental accreditation, the project is targeting a minimum of BREEAM Excellent and LEED Gold with an aspiration of achieving Outstanding and Platinum respectively.AdvertisementAs the AJ reported earlier in 2022, Heatherwick Studio, working with Gillespies, submitted a planning application to revise the ground-floor frontages of the building, adding 58m2 more space and changing a major ground-floor unit to Use Class D1 which includes health centres, nurseries and art galleries.