You've heard of inflationget ready for eggflation. Youve probably noticed these astronomical prices on grocery store shelves, or noticed no eggs on the shelves at all. According to the latest consumer price index, or CPI, the price of eggs is up 36.8% from where it was a year ago. Compare that to the trajectory of overall food prices at just 2.5%, and the eggflation is clear. Here's what's behind the current state of this kitchen staple, and what you can do to make eggs more affordable right now.Why eggs are so expensive right nowSoaring egg costs are due to both increased demand and pervasive avian flu outbreaks, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Since October, continual large-scale outbreaks of the virus across multiple states have taken a massive toll on the U.S. flock of egg-laying hens. Combined with low supply is high demand these days, as the USDA explains the trend of many Americans opting for proteins like eggs and poultry over red meat in recent years.These prices will remain volatile until producers can rebuild their flocks, which doesn't look to be anytime soon. Major U.S. egg producers continue to report new bird flu cases around the country.Tips to save during eggflationWith prices likely not not dropping any time soon, here are some hacks to beat those steep prices.Go for bulkWhenever possible, the easiest way to save on groceries is by buying in bulk. If youre buying five dozen eggs at a time, its important to plan how youre going to make sure those eggs dont go to waste. According to the USDA, whole raw eggs in the shell will last three to five weeks in the refrigerator. Theyll keep for four to five weeks beyond the pack date and about three weeks beyond when you brought them home. Another tip: When prices dip, buy extra eggs and freeze them for up to one year. To freeze whole eggs, beat yolks and whites together. You can also freeze eggs using this method.Choose store brandCage-free, free-range, and name brands are going to be more expensive than the most generic, store brand option on the shelves.Get into egg alternativesIf you really want to beat egg prices, the easiest solution is to stop buying eggs. The true bakers among us have long known plenty of egg substitutes, like ground flax, a mashed banana, and even chickpea liquid. With a little forethought, you dont have to give in completely to these egg-ceptional prices. You didnt expect zero egg puns in this article, did you? Get real.

Tech layoffs rose from 3.9% to 5.7% in one month, but it could just be that companies are faced with new year budgets.

Devices in Brazil, Turkey, and other nations abused to launch a large-scale brute-force attack.

Go behind the scenes of the Aardman film in this befores & afters video interview.In this new video interview, befores & afters Ian Failes chats to Nick Park and Merlin Crossingham about their stop-motion animated film, Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl. Learn about the craft, including puppets, stop-motion animation, live action videos (LAVs) and timelapses. The Aardman film is now streaming on Netflix.The post The directors of Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl break down the art of stop-motion appeared first on befores & afters.

A U.S. judge will consider on Monday the fate of President Donald Trumps buyout offer to two million federal workers as Trump presses ahead with an unprecedented effort to dismantle government agencies and downsize the federal workforce.U.S. District Judge George OToole in Boston will hear arguments in a lawsuit brought by federal workers unions which claim the Trump administrations deferred resignation offer to government civilian employees is illegal because the U.S. Congress has not approved funding for the scheme.Trump has tasked Tesla CEO and SpaceX founder Elon Musk, the worlds richest person, with overseeing the purge of employees through the newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).The actions of DOGE, which is not a government department, have sown panic in Washington and triggered public protests and a flood of calls from angry voters to Congress worried about the access Musks team has been given to sensitive information in government computer systems that contain data on government payments to Americans and personal details of federal workers.Musk aides have taken senior positions at key government agencies while the billionaire has pushed for the dismantling of others, including USAID, Americas humanitarian and development aid agency, and the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau, the consumer watchdog set up in 2010 after the global financial crisis.EDUCATION DEPARTMENT, PENTAGON NEXTOpposition Democrats and federal employee unions have decried the power Trump has bestowed on South African-born Musk, who appears largely unaccountable except to Trump himself. Trump says Musk does not operate unilaterally but only with his blessing.Musk and his team of young staff appear to be far exceeding the mandate given to them by an executive order Trump signed when he took office on January 20, in which DOGE was asked to provide recommendations on how to modernize technology used by the federal government.Last week Judge OToole temporarily paused the Thursday deadline for workers to accept Trumps buyout plan, which offers employees pay through September if they resign now.While unions have urged members not to accept the offer, saying the Trump administration cannot be trusted to honor it, more than 65,000 government employees have so far opted to take it as of Friday. Reuters has been unable to independently verify that number, which does not include a breakdown of workers from each agency.OToole could decide on another temporary pause to the program, bar it outright, or allow it to proceed.A CFPB employee sounded downbeat on Sunday, saying even if the judge blocks the buyout program, he and fellow staff believe they will likely lose their jobs anyway.Russell Vought, Trumps new acting director of the CFPB, sent an email to workers on Saturday night ordering them to cease virtually all work. On Sunday, workers received another email telling them the agency would be closed for a week starting on Monday.A labor union that represents CFPB workers filed a lawsuit late on Sunday to block Voughts actions, arguing that he was violating Congresss authority to set and fund the agencys mission.The agency regulates consumer financial products and has long incurred the ire of conservatives, who view its existence as government overreach.On Friday, the same day his staff were reported to have entered the agency, Musk posted CFPB RIP on X, his social media platform.Trump said on Sunday he expected Musk to find billions of dollars of waste in military spending once he instructs the billionaire to turn his sights on the Pentagon.The aggressive moves by Trump and Musk are bringing new lawsuits on an almost daily basis.An effort to hollow out USAID is partially on hold after a judges ruling, and Trumps effort to freeze trillions of dollars in federal loans, grants and other financial assistance has also been paused in a separate case.On Saturday a judge temporarily blocked DOGE from accessing government systems used to process trillions of dollars in payments at the Treasury Department.Tim Reid and Nate Raymond, Reuters

President Donald Tumps recent declaration that he has ordered the Treasury Department to stop minting new pennies has raised legal and constitutional questions. Lets rip the waste out of our great nations budget, even if its a penny at a time, he said in a post onTruth Social, adding that pennies literally cost us more than 2 cents.While Trump has touted the move as a necessary cost-saving measure, his authority to unilaterally eliminate a form of U.S. currency is far from clear.Elon Musk, who is somehow infiltrating American policy now, has targeted the penny through his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). According to a post onX, DOGE claims the penny costs over 3 cents to make, with taxpayers shouldering a $179 million bill in 2023 alone.The U.S. Mint produced over 4.5 billion pennies in fiscal year 2023, accounting for nearly 40% of the 11.4 billion coins minted for circulation.The role of Congress in currency decisionsThe power to regulate coinage and currency specifications is explicitly granted to Congress underArticle I, Section 8of the U.S. Constitution. Historically, decisions about the size, composition, and discontinuation of U.S. coins have required congressional approval. For example, the elimination of the half-cent coin in 1857 was enacted through legislation, not an executive order.TheCoinage Act of 1792, along with subsequent amendments, sets clear parameters for the issuance of currency, including the penny. The Act grants Congressnot the presidentthe power to establish and modify coinage. Any fundamental changes to the pennys production, including discontinuation, would likely require an act of Congress rather than a directive from the White House.Executive authority over the U.S. mintThe U.S. Mint operates under the Department of the Treasury, which falls within the executive branch. The president has the ability to direct executive agencies, but those directives must align with existing laws passed by Congress. While Trump may have the power to temporarily pause the production of pennies through administrative discretion, outright elimination of the coin would require legislative action.If Trump attempts to proceed without congressional approval, the move could be contested by lawmakers who view it as an overreach of executive power. Broader implications of discontinuing the pennyBeyond the legal debate, Trumps announcement raises larger questions about the balance of power between the executive and legislative branches. If a president can unilaterally end production of a coin, what other aspects of federal monetary policy could be subject to executive whims?While many economists have long argued that eliminating the penny makes sense from a financial perspective (given that its production cost exceeds its face value), the process for doing so has proven has proven elusive for decades. If Trump wishes to end penny production permanently, he will likely need to convince Congress to pass the necessary legislation.

Dezeen Showroom:White Tiger granite and golden-hued bronzed brass combine dramatically in the Skywalk kitchen, designed by British kitchen brand Eggersmann.Eggersmann aimed to create a "captivating symbiosis" with Skywalk, whose two complementary materials meet in a bold diagonal deliniation across the kitchen island.The Skywalk kitchen combines White Tiger granite and brushed brassThe granite element cantilevers out from the brass base, appearing to float but in fact being firmly anchored to the central structure.Eggersmann's design brings out the richness of the materials by giving them a handcrafted finish, bronzing the brass to achieve a warm, cloudy effect that sits elegantly against the intricate natural pattern of the granite.The brushed brass gives a warm, handcrafted feelAs in all of the company's creations, there is great attention to detail through precise bevels and seamless concealed joints, which adds to the monolithic and luxurious character of the kitchens."Every detail counts and has a great impact on the overall appearance of an Eggersmann: every joint, every miter, every screw," said Eggersmann owner and creative director Michael Wunram. "With this obsession for detail, we create distinctive, one-of-a-kind kitchens. That is our credo."Product details:Product: SkywalkBrand: EggersmannContact: marketing@eggersmann.comMaterials: White Tiger granite, bronzed brassColours/finishes: selected natural stones, metals and veneersDimensions: 4260 x 1277 x 1815 millimetres or 4260 x 1277 x 2970 millimetresDezeen ShowroomDezeen Showroom offers an affordable space for brands to launch new products and showcase their designers and projects to Dezeen's huge global audience. For more details email showroom@dezeen.com.Dezeen Showroom is an example of partnership content on Dezeen. Find out more about partnership content here.The post Skywalk kitchen by Eggersmann appeared first on Dezeen.

Yrj Kukkapuro, the Finnish furniture and product designer who dreamt up ideas "until the very end" over more than 70 years of creating, has passed away at his home in Kauniainen at the age of 91.Yrj Kukkapuro died last Saturday 8 February at his house just outside of Helsinki, according to a statement released by his studio, which is led by his daughter Isa Kukkapuro-Enbom and his granddaughter Ida Kukkapuro.Born in Vyborg in 1933, furnituremaker and interior architect Yrj Kukkapuro was a pioneer of postmodernism whose design approach was anchored in ergonomics.Yrj Kukkapuro was born in 1933. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia CommonsAlthough his chairs are included in the collections of international museums, from MoMA in New York to London's V&A, the functional but experimental furniture has served Finland's schools, airports and doctor's surgeries over many decades."Almost every Finn has sat on a chair he designed at a metro station, in a bank, at school, or in a library," said Studio Kukkapuro."Yrj focussed on public space furniture and office chairs, but their comfort made them well-suitable for homes," it added.The designer is known for his postmodern chairsAmong the designer's most famous work is his Karuselli (or 'carousel') lounge chair, designed in 1964 to echo the curves of the human body.Produced by furniture brand Artek, the chair caught the eye of designer Terence Conran in 1966 after architect Gio Ponti put it on the cover of his Domus magazine, prompting Conran to declare Karuselli "the most comfortable chair in the world"."I lie back in it with a glass of whisky and a cigar and immediately feel that life is worth living," said the late British designer.Among his most famous works is the Karuselli lounge chairYrj Kukkapuro studied at Finland's Institute of Industrial Arts (now known as Aalto University) before qualifying as an interior architect in 1958.The Finnish designer is also remembered for his iconic 1982 Experiment Chair, featuring an angled black seat but contrasting colourful and wavy armrests, which caused a stir for its unusual design.Although production ceased in the 1990s, Swedish brand Hem reproduced the chair in 2021 with minor adjustments for a contemporary audience.Yrj Kukkapuro created the YK lounge chair in 2021"We are saddened by the news of Yrj's passing, and our thoughts are with his family, said Hem founder Petrus Palmr. "He was a furniture design trailblazer, and showed us that a non-conformist approach is the only way to achieve a lasting legacy."Yrj Kukkapuro's self-designed Kauniainen home and studio was built in 1968. Characterised by a swooping concrete roof and no right angles, the house is scheduled to become a museum next year and display Yrj Kukkapuro's life's work alongside that of his wife Irmeli, the graphic artist who passed away in 2022.He designed many pieces for the home over his lifetime, including his 1980s Perhonen (or 'butterfly') multicoloured floor lamps, which although decorative, were characteristically produced for functionality.Read: Five classic chairs making a comeback at 3 Days of Design"The building was completed in 1968, and it was a rather experimental environment," reflected Yrj Kukkapuro. "I forgot to design electrical points for lighting fixtures on the ceiling. There was nothing for it but to design my own collection of lamps that stand on the floor."The designer continued to produce work well into his later years, such as his solid birch and aircraft plywood YK lounge chair produced for furniture brand Alkeis in 2021.Yrj Kukkapuro "never stopped designing and coming up with new ideas. Until the very end, he pondered a concept of his new chair, the plan of which was clear in his mind. His assistant didn't have time to make drawings of the chair," said his studio.The designer "pushed that design should be clear, functional and somewhat personal if possible," said Swedish architect and former student Eero Koivisto in a tribute to the Finnish creative. "A life well lived," he added.His 1968 home in Kauniainen is scheduled to become a museum next year"His style of design is characterised by his experimental treatment of form and his respectful approach to the inherent properties of his materials, ergonomics and ecological values," said Yrj Kukkapuro's studio in 2023.The designer was often known to ask, "does it make any sense to design a chair which is not good to sit on?", carrying that philosophy with him until his final days.The photography is courtesy of Studio Kukkapuro unless stated otherwise.The post Postmodernist Finnish designer Yrj Kukkapuro dies aged 91 appeared first on Dezeen.

Did you know that we had satellites powered by solar panels way back in 1958? I didn't. But Vanguard I, the second satellite the U.S. ever launched, featured six solar cells powering a mercury battery. The solar-powered design was the result of work by Dr. Hans Ziegler, a German-American scientist who left Germany to work for the U.S. government after World War II. In the 1970s, Japanese astrophysicist Dr. Koryo Miura was studying the problem of how to get larger solar panels into orbit. He and a colleague, Masamori Sakamaki, started experimenting with origami. They eventually developed the Miura fold, which creases the paper into parallelogram-shaped sections: It took 20 years, but in 1995 JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) launched the first satellite to feature a Miura-folded solar array. By the 2000s, NASA and their European counterpart, ESA, began studying Miura folds for potential future applications.The Miura fold was also applied to maps in Japan, by a company called ZeroOne, back in the mid-'90s. And now VTT, a technical research center in Finland, has applied the Miura fold to another humble application: Packaging. By using cardboard and going extreme with the parallelogram angles, VTT researchers have developed a protective packaging that they reckon can replace EPS foam. They call the product FOLD. It can be made from wood waste products and is itself recyclable, unlike EPS. As a bonus, package designers will probably prefer FOLD to EPS, as FOLD is a damn sight better looking. "in applications for luxury items, such as in the cosmetics industry," the researchers write, "the aesthetics of the packaging are an important part of the customer experience. FOLD offers consumers a more premium unboxing experience that is also more environmentally conscious compared to traditionally used solutions like plastic bubble wrap and expanded polystyrene." There's still some more development to be done. Estimates are that fold will be on the market in "3-5 years."

Options for standing desks come in plenty and the buck stops at how much modularity there is on offer. The CORSAIR Platfrom:6 standing desk released more than a year ago, punched way above its weight with flexible options for any kind of user be it a gamer, streamer, or editor. People who used the desk mostly for their workstation setup are satisfied with the build. However, creators with small constraints wished there was an option that was not as wide as the six-foot version.CORSAIR has listened to those reviews and now created the Platform:4 desk which touts 99 percent of the features of the Platform:6 with a 66 percent reduction in size. Thus, making the highly rated standing desk a perfect fit for small apartments and humble dwellings. Going with the convention, the standing desk comes in quite a few variants, with the Elevate height adjustable models getting all of the features.Designer: CORSAIRThe modular desk comes with a lot of options to customize your desk setup the way you desire. It has industrial-standard aluminum T-channel rails both under and above to mount accessories, and peripherals, or include functional upgrades. Since fitting two respectable displays on the desk wont be inherently possible, it comes with a VESA 100 single monitor arm mount that can easily maneuver oversized monitors weighing up to 27 pounds. This arm mounted to the main desk rail allows for the addition of even more monitor arms or other accessories including microphone or webcam mounts. The mount clamps onto the horizontal 3060 bar which means the monitor can move the length of the desk. This is handy when you use laptops or are used to changing your machines more often than not.Device charging is sorted with in-desk ports including Type-A and Type-C. Cable management is a breeze as the unit has a rapid route wire management system that comprises a sizeable trough hanging below the desk. You can manage cables, power bars, or anything that can hang with ease on this system no unnecessary bending or snaking of wires here. It is designed keeping in mind the nerdiest of cable managers who can zip tie or Velcro strap wires anywhere on the rig. There is a small space on the front and sides of the desk frame to route cables that are needed for charging your peripherals.Another lease of freedom comes in the form of the modular T-channel system that lets you bolt extra parts to the desk without any hassle. It comes with standardized fitting slots that work with any third-party accessories so that the user has no restrictions when it comes to setting up their workstation. The side-mounted pegboards can be utilized for keeping headphones, controllers, or anything that you want to keep handy. Also, the top-mounted Multi Frame Pegboard makes positioning cameras, lights, or any professional equipment a breeze.There is plenty of storage space in the small cubby in the rear for items you need to be stowed away. Of course, you can add a 30 cm desk attachment to extend the size of the desk if you move to a bigger space in the future. As mentioned earlier, the $900 Elevate version is height adjustable with the option to go from as low as 29 inches to as high as 48 inches. The user can set their presets for easy toggle between the preferred ergonomic positions at specific times of the day.The post CORSAIR Platform:4 height-adjustable desk has plenty of customizable options to setup your desired workstation first appeared on Yanko Design.