Want more housing market stories from Lance LambertsResiClubin your inbox?Subscribeto theResiClubnewsletter.Economic forecasting has never been an easy task, and it becomes even more challenging when confronted with unprecedented economic events like COVID-19 lockdowns and unparalleled levels of government intervention, followed by a rapid cycle of interest rate hikes.Look no further than recent mortgage rate forecasts. Last year marked the third year in a row that mortgage rates ended the year higher than forecasters expected.Will they finally get it right this year?ResiClubs latest roundup of quarterly mortgage rate forecasts shows that most forecasters still expect mortgage rates to gradually decrease over the next 18 months.The average 30-year fixed mortgage rate as of Thursday was 6.96%.By the final quarter of 2025, Fannie Mae expects that to slide to 6.6%. Meanwhile, Wells Fargos model expects 6.5%, and the Mortgage Bankers Association estimates 6.5%.But even if those forecasts are right, it would mean that housing affordability would still remain strained in 2025 and 2026.

Air travel has undergone a remarkable transformation since its inception, evolving from a luxury reserved for the privileged few to an essential mode of global transportation. As passenger numbers continue to surge, reaching billions annually, the aviation industry faces unprecedented challenges and opportunities. This dramatic shift has catalyzed a wave of innovations across aircraft design, pushing boundaries in technology, sustainability and passenger experience.The response to these challenges has sparked a renaissance in aviation design, introducing groundbreaking concepts that seemed impossible just decades ago. From solar-powered aircraft that promise zero-emission travel to inclusive cabin designs that ensure accessibility for all passengers, the industry is witnessing a convergence of technological advancement and human-centered design. These pioneering trends reflect a deeper understanding of environmental responsibility, passenger comfort and operational efficiency, reshaping the future of air travel.1. Solar Powered AircraftThe pursuit of carbon-neutral flight has led to groundbreaking developments in solar-powered aviation technology. The Falcon Horizon represents a significant leap forward, drawing inspiration from natures most efficient flyers to create a sustainable aircraft design that could revolutionize air travel.The Falcon Horizon utilizes an innovative flying wing configuration that maximizes aerodynamic efficiency. The aircrafts wings are covered with solar panels that serve dual purposes: generating power for propulsion and shaping the boundary layer for improved performance. This design minimizes the need for heavy batteries while maintaining optimal energy efficiency, demonstrating the potential of renewable energy in aviation.2. Electric AircraftStratospheric air friction, traditionally considered a challenge in aviation, has become an unexpected power source in modern aircraft design. This revolutionary approach to energy generation could significantly reduce the aviation industrys carbon footprint while maintaining high-performance capabilities.The Eather One, designed by Michal Bonikowski, incorporates triboelectric nanogenerators in its wings to harness energy from air turbulence and vibrations. This innovative system converts atmospheric friction into usable electrical energy, making the aircraft substantially more environmentally friendly than conventional fuel-powered planes. The design demonstrates how creative engineering solutions can transform environmental challenges into sustainable advantages.3. V-Shaped AircraftAircraft design is undergoing a fundamental transformation with the introduction of the Flying-V, a radical departure from traditional tubular fuselage configurations. This innovative concept, developed by TU Delft student Justus Benad, challenges conventional aircraft architecture while promising significant improvements in efficiency and capacity.The Flying-Vs distinctive V-shaped structure integrates the passenger cabin, cargo hold and fuel tanks directly into the wings. While matching the wingspan of an Airbus A350, the aircraft is half the length, providing double the cabin space. This configuration reduces fuel consumption by 20% through improved aerodynamics. The cabin accommodates 314 passengers with various seating options and experimental lightweight fixtures designed for optimal comfort.4. Hydrogen-Powered VTOL AircraftThe aviation industrys shift toward sustainable fuel alternatives has led to significant developments in hydrogen-powered aircraft, particularly in the Vertical Takeoff and Landing (VTOL) sector. Sirius Aviation AGs introduction of two specialized aircraft models represents a major advancement in clean aviation technology.The companys flagship models, the CEO Jet and Adventure Jet, showcase different applications of hydrogen power. The CEO Jet, designed for luxury business travel, accommodates three passengers and achieves speeds of 323 mph with a range of 1,150 miles. Its counterpart, the Adventure Jet, seats five passengers plus a pilot and can travel more than 650 miles on a single charge. Both aircraft employ 28 ducted fans powered by separate electric motors, demonstrating the versatility of hydrogen power in aviation.5. Integrating Traditional DesignThe fusion of cultural heritage with modern aviation design has emerged as a significant trend, exemplified by Korean Airs innovative approach to aircraft interior design. This integration demonstrates how traditional elements can enhance the modern travel experience while preserving cultural identity.PriestmanGoodes redesign of Korean Airs 787-9 and 787-10 cabins exemplifies this fusion. The business class features Collins Horizon seats with high privacy walls, 24-inch monitors and modern amenities like Bluetooth connectivity and USB-C ports. Economy class incorporates fabrics inspired by Hanbok Saekdong, creating a sophisticated atmosphere that pays homage to Korean textile art while ensuring passenger comfort.6. Innovative Boarding SolutionThe traditional aircraft boarding process has long been a bottleneck in air travel efficiency, prompting the development of revolutionary boarding solutions. The X-ferry Bus concept represents a significant breakthrough in addressing these challenges while enhancing the passenger experience.Winner of the Goldreed Industrial Design Award, the X-ferry Bus features an independent cabin capable of hydraulic elevation to align perfectly with aircraft entrances. This innovative system eliminates the need for stairs, significantly reduces boarding times, and provides weather protection during the boarding process. The design particularly benefits passengers with mobility challenges, offering a more dignified and comfortable boarding experience while improving overall operational efficiency.7. Enhanced Storage SystemAircraft interior design is evolving to address one of passengers most common complaints: accessible storage space. Modern solutions focus on maximizing existing space without compromising cabin layout or passenger comfort, leading to innovative storage solutions that enhance the travel experience.The Strap system revolutionizes seat-back storage through a network of elastic straps that transform standard seat backs into flexible storage spaces. This adaptable design accommodates various personal items while maintaining a slim profile when not in use. The system preserves access to fold-out tables and ensures items remain secure during flight, demonstrating how thoughtful design can significantly improve passenger comfort without major structural changes.8. Sustainable DesignThe aviation industrys commitment to sustainability has expanded beyond fuel efficiency to encompass innovative material use and recycling initiatives. This holistic approach to environmental responsibility is creating new opportunities for creative recycling and sustainable design in aircraft interiors.Singapore Airlines has partnered with Tocco Toscano to create stylish accessories from decommissioned life vests. The upcycled collection includes mobile phone bags, coasters, bifold wallets, pouches, long wallets, and wristlet clutches, all featuring original vest graphics made from weather-resistant apple leather. Unused seatbelts are also repurposed into bag straps. Each item combines Tocco Toscanos design with the Singapore Airlines logo, offering a sustainable and collectible way to remember your flight.A lightweight aircraft is essential for reducing fuel costs and CO2 emissions. To address this, JPA Design, in collaboration with Williams Advanced Engineering and SWS Aircraft Certification, developed AIRTEKan ultra-light business class seat made from recycled materials. Designed to be self-supporting, AIRTEK minimizes internal structures, providing more legroom and storage while lowering overall weight. This innovation helps airlines cut fuel consumption and emissions, showcasing a blend of advanced engineering and sustainable craftsmanship.9. Inclusive DesignThe aviation industry is making significant strides in inclusive design, developing innovative solutions to accommodate passengers with mobility needs. Three groundbreaking designs are transforming air travel accessibility, each addressing different aspects of the travel experience from boarding to in-flight comfort.The Air Chair revolutionizes air travel accessibility with its innovative 16.5-inch-wide design that seamlessly integrates with standard aircraft seats. Compatible with Boeing 777-300 configurations, it features spherical wheels for enhanced maneuverability and a C-shaped design for smooth integration. Passengers maintain access to seatbelts, life vests and entertainment systems while seated, and a specialized locking mechanism ensures stability throughout the flight.The Air 4 All system, developed through collaboration between PriestmanGoode, Flying Disabled and SWS Certification, enables powered wheelchair users to remain in their chairs during flights. The revolutionary design features seats that fold away, allowing wheelchairs to lock securely into the floor. Designed specifically for narrowbody 2+2 aircraft configurations, the system accommodates up to two wheelchairs per row without reducing overall seat count, marking a significant advancement in accessible air travel.The Row-1 wheelchair design streamlines the entire travel experience from airport check-in through flight completion. Its innovative nesting design and inward-folding wheels allow direct integration with aircraft seating, providing additional legroom and convenient restroom access. The chair includes sophisticated features such as an integrated seatbelt system, intuitive joystick control and under-seat storage capabilities, eliminating the need for transfers and ensuring a comfortable, independent journey for passengers with mobility needs.10. Refurbished Aircraft DesignThe creative repurposing of decommissioned aircraft has emerged as an innovative trend in both architecture and commercial development. These projects demonstrate how aviation engineering can be reimagined for ground-based applications, preserving aviation heritage while creating unique spaces for modern use.The creative repurposing of decommissioned aircraft has emerged as an innovative trend in both architecture and commercial development. These projects demonstrate how aviation engineering can be reimagined for ground-based applications, preserving aviation heritage while creating unique spaces for modern use.The Private Jet Villa in Bali is an extraordinary homemade from a decommissioned Boeing 737 fuselage, perched on a cliff above Nyang Nyang Beach. Designed by Geometrium Studio, it features a stunning interior with a cockpit bedroom, jacuzzi, and custom furniture. The aircraft, originally from Indonesia, was transported by truck and crane and renovated on-site, addressing space constraints with a new ducted ventilation system and creative use of natural wood and concrete. A floating staircase connects the living areas and wings, which serve as terraces with breathtaking views. The villa includes two bedrooms, each with an en-suite bathroom.Westbanks WB1200 Stewart project in Seattle demonstrates creative aircraft reuse by suspending a former United Airlines Boeing 747 as office space. The 25-foot-long aircraft, mounted one story above ground within a 48-story building, serves dual purposes as an event venue and office space. The collaboration between OSO Architecture and Henriquez Partners Architects maintains the aircrafts historical significance while reimagining its functionality, including a public gallery that allows visitors to experience this unique architectural integration.The aviation industry continues to evolve through these innovations, addressing sustainability, accessibility and passenger comfort while pushing the boundaries of aircraft design and functionality.The post Top 10 Groundbreaking Aircraft Concepts Changing How We Fly first appeared on Yanko Design.

For book lovers and design enthusiasts alike, the Puransen Clear Book Flowers Vase is the perfect fusion of literature and decor. This unique acrylic vase mimics the shape of a bookmaking it an eye-catching addition to any shelf, desk, or coffee table.You can style it with fresh blooms in spring and dried flowers in autumn. This will make it a seasonal decor pieceready only by switching up its contents! Alternatively, you can use it as a standalone piece. No matter the purpose, this acrylic vase will bring both charm and sophistication to any space.The Puransen clear vase is crafted from high-quality transparent acrylic, and offers a clean and modern aesthetic. This perfectly complements contemporary interiors. The compact size of the vase makes it ideal for small spacesfitting effortlessly onto bookshelves or compact nightstands. Not just a vase, it also doubles as a decorative bookend. This way, it subtly enhances your decor with an artistic and intellectual touch.The Puransen clear vase is perfect for folks who love books, design, and fresh flowers in equal measure. Whether you use it as a gift or for personal indulgence, this piece will bring beauty and a story to any home.Available now at Amazon.

Dude, wheres my webcam? Lenovos new trick hides it behind the LCDbut kills its quality along the way.

Aside from unfavorable comparisons to rival advanced driver systems, calling it Gods Eye could be as misleading a moniker as Teslas Full Self-Driving.

Code within the new iOS 18.4 beta shows that Apple appears to be readying an alternative to its ChatGPT integration in Apple Intelligence, with an option to use Google Gemini.Google Gemini integration could be coming to Apple Intelligence soonApple has been upfront from the start of Apple Intelligence that it intended to work with multiple AI partners, including Google with its Gemini service. Now that a developer beta of iOS 18.4 has been released, code within it has been found to include a reference to Google Gemini.Apple's backend has revealed that the next 3rd party iOS-AI integration will be Google Gemini pic.twitter.com/0rIuJhT5Lj Aaron (@aaronp613) February 21, 2025 Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

A new report claims that Apple is running down its stock of the MacBook Air, in time for a refresh with the M4 processor in March.MacBook AirThe M4 MacBook Air has long been expected to be released in early 2025, and a March date would make it a year since the last version was launched. Now Bloomberg says that Apple Stores and presumably the online Apple Store, are letting their inventory of the current model run down.At present in AppleInsider research, there are signs of availability changing. Base configurations are still showing a two-day shipping time, at least in major US cities. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

Hi, friends! Welcome to Installer No. 72, your guide to the best and Verge-iest stuff in the world. (If youre new here, welcome, hope you like gadgets, and also you can read all the old editions at the Installer homepage.) This week, Ive been reading about Hasan Piker and calculator apps and car thieves and the real economics of YouTuber life, using my month of Paramount Plus to watch Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Yellowjackets, replacing my big podcast headphones with the Shure SE215 in-ear headphones, switching all my reading out of the Kindle ecosystem for increasingly obvious reasons, and taking copious notes on Kevin Kellys 50 years of travel tips.I also have for you Apples slightly confusing latest smartphone, a couple of new things to watch this weekend, the best new Xbox game in a while, and much more. Also, the first part of our group project on all the ways we listen to music. Lets do this.(As always, the best part of Installer is your ideas and tips. What are you watching / reading / playing / listening to / hot-gluing this week? Tell me everything: installer@theverge.com. And if you know someone else who might enjoy Installer, forward it to them and tell them to subscribe here.)The DropThe Apple iPhone 16E. Im torn on this one. I like that its $599, I like that it has good battery life, I like that it has Face ID and USB-C. But only one camera? And an Action Button but no MagSafe? Some odd tradeoffs here, and for a higher price than the old SE, but thisll surely be the phone for a lot of iPhone users. Avowed. Its been a while since an Xbox game felt like it was everywhere on my social feeds. But it seems like everyones into Avowed, a properly huge and complicated RPG that, according to my colleague Andrew Webster, doesnt blow up the format but executes it well.Memes & Nightmares. A satirical true crime documentary! About a meme that was everywhere and then suddenly disappeared! Its giving Documentary Now! and American Vandal, except about NBA Twitter and GIFs. Truly the intersection of all my interests.The Americas. There are few things in the world I enjoy more than the Planet Earth series. I watch them all, I watch all the copycats, I only wish there were more of them. And now I get a version of it in my own backyard! With Tom Hanks narrating! Thats my Sunday nights sorted for a while.The Oppo Find N5. A foldable phone Ill likely never be able to buy but will lust after nonetheless. Its impossibly thin, outrageously expensive, and a genuinely exciting sign that foldable design can continue to go cool places.The King Jim Pomera DM250US. I have long had romantic ideas about buying a digital typewriter and just buggering off to some Airbnb in the woods to write. This one, from Japanese stationary brand King Jim, is pretty expensive but has a good track record in Japan and looks alarmingly close to the device Id want it to be.Grand Theft Hamlet. A documentary, now streaming on Mubi, about two actors who decided, during the pandemic, to do all of Hamlet inside of GTA. (Look, we all got weird during covid.) The whole thing takes place inside the game, and the gimmick actually really works. I dont love the whole thing, but Ive certainly never seen anything quite like it.Sober Ringtones. This one is specifically for my mother-in-law (hi, Diane!) who has the most ear-splitting ringtone of all time. In her defense, all built-in ringtone options suck. I think youre a monster if your phone is on anything but vibrate, but I like the sound of these chiller, more melodic options.BBC Radiophonic Workshop. I confess I knew nothing about the Radiophonic Workshop until I saw this new library of their work appear online, but wow is there a cool (and decades-long) history to this pioneering group of electronic musicians. Id bet you start to hear some of these old-school sounds show up all over, and soon.Group projectA couple of weeks ago, I asked you to share your music setups. The apps you use, the gear you love, the weird quirky speakers you cant get rid of. And you delivered. Oh, did you deliver. You all sent more emails than Ive ever gotten about anything in this newsletter. Thank you so much to everyone who reached out! I didnt get to respond to everyone, but I promise you I read and appreciated every single email and I cant believe how much good stuff you all shared.So much good stuff, in fact, that were actually going to break this group project into two parts. Today, were going to talk about software: the apps and services you all like and use. Next week? Hardware. So if you have some sweet gear recommendations, keep em coming!First, I heard from a lot of people about their music streaming services. Heres what I learned:Spotify is the clear leader here. Apple Music was a pretty close second though, and the Apple Music users seem a lot happier than the Spotify users The funniest thing I heard over and over was I tried YouTube Music because I get it for free, but its not very good. Which, same. I feel you. Also, shoutout to the one Qobuz subscriber I heard from.You know what got the most effusive love? Tidal! Tidals audio quality was a differentiator for a lot of folks, as was the fact that its an app for music and music only. Im good on podcasts with Pocket Casts, personally, and have been convinced to give Tidal a real try.For buying music, Bandcamp and Discogs both came up a bunch. A few of you also like using Discogs collection-tracking stuff, which looks pretty cool.You also shared a lot of apps for managing and building your own music collections, which I confess seems to still be a much more popular activity than I expected. Evidently I need to buy a NAS and start rebuilding my album collection! Im gonna do it. Here are a few favorites:Plexamp and Roon both came up a lot as a way to manage and access your music collection from anywhere. (Supersonic also has some fans.) Plexamp in particular was probably the most-recommended piece of software in my inbox this week.Theres also Astiga, which I heard from a few folks is a useful single-player streaming service. Just dump some files somewhere, and stream them on your phone.There are a few Apple-only apps that people really liked for managing their Apple Music collections: Albums makes everything feel like a CD collection again, Marvis makes everything crazy customizable, and one person described MusicBox as a read later app for music. XLD and Exact Audio Copy got a lot of love as a way to rip CDs, and Mp3tag seems to be a great way to manage all kinds of tags and metadata. Based on everything I heard the last two weeks, if I were starting my music journey from scratch, Id get a Tidal account, spin up a Plex / Plexamp setup for my local music, and then spend way too much time perfectly cataloging everything. Sounds like a pretty nice way to spend a winter.Next week: the gear you all use to listen to all this great music. I have some seriously fun stuff to share. And Im going to be broke by the end of this process.I quit the guitar in eighth grade when my teacher told me she didnt want to help me anymore unless I agreed to actually practice. (I was a super fun teenager.) Since then, nobody has taught me more about music than Charlie Harding. Charlie is a music journalist, a songwriter, an NYU professor, the cohost of the fabulous Switched on Pop podcast, and a frequent and delightful . Since were doing a lot of music stuff here this week, I asked Charlie to share his homescreen, which I assumed would have a million, like, synthesizer apps. He totally misunderstood the assignment in the best possible way and sent over a screenshot of his desktop instead. He argues its both more useful and more revealing, and you know what? I agree. So heres Charlies desktop, plus some info on the apps he uses and why:The computer: MacBook Pro with an M1 Max chip. I make music with lots of sample libraries that require a lot of RAM and CPU. It was stupid expensive but game-changing for making large audio productions.The wallpaper: The blue marble! Something vaguely inspiring and completely innocuous. I share my screen with students all the time and would hate to embarrass myself more than I already do every day.The apps: Finder, Messages, Preview, Chrome, Calendar, Mimestream, TickTick, Apple Notes, Readwise Reader, Slack, Contacts, Photos, FaceTime, Ableton Live, Logic Pro, ProTools, Descript, Fission, Audio Hijack, Spotify, Loopback, 1Password, UAD, SettingsDescript: The only way we manage to make a podcast. Descript transcribes our audio and makes it super fast to edit, like a combination of Google Docs + ProTools (where we always do our final mix).Ableton Live: My main Digital Audio Workstation for scoring and sound design. While I also use ProTools and Logic Pro, Live is like an instrument itself and makes creating music so enjoyable.Audio Hijack: This lets me capture audio from any source and record it. Weve recorded the podcast for almost a decade using Hijack, and it has never crashed.Loopback: This is like a digital mixer that lets me send audio from anywhere to anywhere so I can play music over Zoom, etc.Fission: The lightest-weight, easiest-to-use audio editor. It is my default app for whenever I open a piece of audio because I couldnt stand how long it takes for Apple Music to open and play an MP3 or WAV.TickTick: My to-do list for everything. I have it connected to Apple Reminders so I can tell my phone things I need to do. My life falls apart without TickTick.Apple Notes: I am a Notes power user and have it organize my entire life: every thought, script, note, song, whatever.I also asked Charlie to share a few things hes into right now. Heres what he sent back:I am on my third read through Major Labels: A History of Popular Music in Seven Genres by Kelefa Sanneh. This is the ultimate text if you want to know the lineage of todays music. I teach it in my pop history course at NYU, where I cant believe I get to lecture on Bruce Springsteen, Madonna, Public Enemy, and Daddy Yankee.I am listening to Tapers Choice. They are a supergroup that feels like what would happen if Warhol made a jam band.My kids and I watch the YouTube channel Bogdan in the Forest. The guy makes elaborate tree forts out of hand tools, including a full re-creation of The Shire. It is ASMR for city people who wish they were in the wilderness, being creative.My favorite way to decompress from reporting and teaching about music: making mindless beats with hardware drum machines and synthesizers. I am obsessed with the Elektron Rytm MKII and the UDO Super 6.CrowdsourcedHeres what the Installer community is into this week. I want to know what youre into right now as well! Email installer@theverge.com or message me on Signal @davidpierce.11 with your recommendations for anything and everything, and well feature some of our favorites here every week. For more great recommendations, check out the replies to this post on Threads and this post on Bluesky.Im super excited for the Framework event on the 25th. I picked up a 13-inch Intel Core Ultra laptop when it launched last year and have been loving it. Big fan of Frameworks mission, and I hope this event brings even more people to their products. BenIm a big fan of the animated series Invincible on Amazon Prime, which just kicked off its third season. It centers on a superhero who inherits his powers from his alien father, and aside from the crime-fighting aspect it gets into some complicated family dynamics and the balance between being good and good-ish. The comic is also really well done, and as a bonus I was able to read the entire series through my local library. JonThese days Im reading about the history of Silicon Valley, especially about the start of the semiconductor industry. FilipI did a deep dive into Obsidian this week and ended up moving all my Apple Notes over to it. Im particularly excited about the Graph and Canvas features. Its like having a second brain. I dont want to be dramatic, but this might have changed my life. NickAfter the ridiculous enjoyable new album of FKA Twigs Eusexua I discovered two additional Eusexua World Apple Music mixes curated by Koreless and FKA Twigs. Worth a listen. More to come apparently. RobI know Civ VII is the new hotness, but I learned this week with a Netflix account you can play Civ VI on your phone. Its a crazy platform for Civ, and amazing it works, but why not break up some doomscrolling by being slaughtered by barbarians that are tougher than you remember? DLSIm using Tldraw a lot lately been loving it. Its basically an infinite canvas but cooler. I really recommend it. ElouanRight now, Im trying out Linux (KDE Neon for its looks and customization). It definitely takes more time to make it work, but not as much as I feared. Im positively surprised with its snappiness and better battery life (primarily in sleep mode) compared to Windows. Because of the Steam Deck and the help of AI in troubleshooting, Linux seems more accessible than ever. JakubSigning offI was a pretty good chess player, once upon a time. Now I am a garbage chess player, but Im trying to get back into it! (Im even starting to play on chess.com again if you ever feel like beating a really easy opponent, hit me up.) I love the slow and deliberate strategy of the game, which feels like it uses the opposite part of my brain from the always-scrolling news junkie I am the rest of the time. But Ive also come to really enjoy the overarching history and culture of chess. I found One thing Ive learned in life as a reporter is that there are complicated, sometimes invisible forces that make everything tick and evolve, and if you can figure them out or at least learn to sense them you can usually find an advantage. I swear, Ive played like eight games of chess and its making me a philosopher. See you next week!See More:

Grosse Pointe Garden Society premires Sunday, February 23 at 10 p.m. ET.From Desperate Housewives to How to Get Away with Murder and Good Girls, weve seen plenty of soapy dramas where a group of people suddenly commit a crime then go to great lengths to pretend everything is still normal while their seemingly perfect lives fall apart around them. It's a simple hook, but one that can be mined for great escapism. If done correctly, it can offer a mix of character drama, suspense, and sarcastic humor. But it's not a foolproof formula, as the first four episods of Grosse Pointe Garden Society prove. While the dynamic between the characters is compelling, and some of the individual storylines are quite fun to follow, the different elements don't quite mix together into an absorbing mystery.From Good Girls creator Jenna Bans (who also wrote for Desperate Housewives) and Bill Krebs (co-showrunner on Good Girls), Grosse Pointe Garden Society opens with its four leads burying a body in a lavish garden in the affluent suburb of Grosse Pointe. This is the kind of place where everything and everyone looks as if it were approved by a committee, where nothing happens without the entire community hearing about it, where the biggest show of creativity is the annual garden competition. The questions of who the dead body is, how they were killed, and why they were killed echo throughout the show, which slowly (very slowly) moves toward providing answers. Unfortunately, the opening episodes take such a slow approach to revealing new hints and pieces of the puzzle that by the time we actually start learning what happened, it feels uninspired and redundant. Thankfully, there's more to Grosse Pointe Garden Society than its dull central mystery. The story is told across two timelines, each offering some campy fun. In the present, we see the events leading up to the murder, as we learn about the lives of the titular society and the many potential victims that the characters would want to rid from their lives. Though many of the side stories feel like theyre being rushed through, they are some that are so bonkers that it's impossible to look away. (To name one, and to offer a warning to pet owners: A lost dog turns out to be murdered!) Meanwhile, we get a glimpse of six months into the future, when the group scrambles to cover up their crime. Its here that the group dynamic shines brightest.The characters are what make Grosse Pointe Garden Society enjoyable. The principals AnnaSophia Robb, Aja Naomi King, Ben Rappaport, Melissa Fumero Grosse Pointe Garden Society GalleryThe two standouts are Brett (Rappaport) the garden store manager who scores some laughs with his paranoia and nervousness in the post-crime timeline and the absolute MVP of the season so far, Birdie (Fumero). This is the main reason to watch the show: To witness former Brooklyn Nine-Nine star Fumero shed her high-strung onscreen persona and play a needy socialite who joins the Garden Society as part of her community service sentence after a DUI. (Naturally, she spends every episode day-drinking.) Birdie is a hot mess, yet shes a delight to watch. And she contains multitudes: a subplot involving the son she gave up for adoption as a baby is emotional, but also boasts some moments of chaotic amusement.

Between 1990 and 2005, when Doctor Who wasnt on TV, the show mostly existed as original novels. When Russell T. Davies, Julie Gardner and Jane Tranter brought it back in 2005, several of the shows new screenwriters were chosen from the writers of those spin-off books, including Davies and future showrunner Steven Moffat. While they both had plenty of TV experience by the mid-90s, their first official Doctor Who commissions were in prose.In 2025, the pattern returned. Of the four new writers announced last month as having contributed episodes to the new TV season, one novelist Juno Dawson started out writing official Doctor Who prose fiction. Might this mean that, if we see more of this version of the show after the second season airs this spring, newly announced Who novelists Emily Cook (Fear Death By Water) and Hannah Fergesen (Spectral Scream) could follow in Dawsons footsteps, or is it now more of a closed shop? Lets retrace the journeys of previous writers who made the leap from Doctor Who page to screen.Russell T. DaviesDavies had pitched ideas, since adapted by Big Finish, to Doctor Who in the late Eighties, but his first story was the 1996 novel Damaged Goods. Unlike his TV Doctor Who, it is astonishingly bleak. As part of the New Adventures line, it had to feature the then-current Seventh Doctor, and Davies emphasises the melancholy in the character rather than his Machiavellian scheming. Familiar elements include a family called Tyler in a London housing estate. Less familiar to Doctor Who was the cocaine tainted by an ancient Time Lord superweapon.Steven MoffatMoffat contributed a short story Continuity Errors to the 1996 Decalog 3 anthology, containing several ideas he would later re-use: the setting is a planet-sized library, he considered calling it The Curse of Fatal Death (which he would later use for his Comic Relief episode in 1999), the Doctor is referred to as a complicated space-time event and the story revolves around time-travel, with the Doctor changing a librarians past to make her more amenable to lending him a book, and uses a framing device of a university lecture (one entitled Doctor Who: Nice guy or utter bastard? the central thrust of Moffats entire time on the show).Moffat didnt have to use the Seventh Doctor and Bernice Summerfield for this story, but given that incarnations scheming nature, it works for a story where the Doctor manipulates people and events for a greater good, but its also because Moffat loves Paul Cornells work (Moffat was reportedly Cornells best man, theres a character in Continuity Errors called Orcnell).Paul Cornell and the New AdventuresBack in 1989 nearly every televised Doctor Who story had been novelised, and once the TV show had been cancelled, Virgin Publishing were given a licence to publish original novels. Noting that the audience for these books would be adults who had grown up with the series, the New Adventures line allowed writers to be more explicit in terms of sex, language and violence. They were advertised as being Too broad and deep for the screen.For these (and latterly the BBC Books Range which still has an archived FAQ page online) open submissions were encouraged. Peter Darvill-Evans, the first editor of the range, noted the desire and knowledge present in fanzines and had been encouraged by the fourth novel in the series Timewyrm: Revelation by Paul Cornell.Cornells novels helped shape the New Adventures line, telling stories that were adult in content without being brazenly childish (several novels, revelling in the freedom to describe sex and violence, gave the series a reputation for gratuitousness) and taking the Seventh Doctors characterisation as dark as it could go (writing the only good version of Aces departure so far) and adding new companion Bernice Summerfield (an archaeologist who is still appearing in Big Finish stories to this day).Cornell also delved into the past, exploring past Doctors as they appeared in the Sevenths mind, expanding background events in Inferno and Planet of the Spiders to the extent that some fans consider these additions canon. Russell T. Davies praised Timewyrm: Revelation, in the 2013 non-fiction tie-in The Vault, as follows: Paul bloody Cornell gave us Doctor Who, but he made it real. I mean, real people, laid bare, exposing all their anger, passion, and, damn it, nobility.So you can see why Cornell was chosen to write Fathers Day for the 2005 series, and to adapt his 1995 New Adventure novel Human Nature for series three. A lot of what carried over from the New Adventures to the revived television seriesechoed the style and content of Cornells novels. While he was far from prolific in terms of TV scripts (moving into comics in his later career), hes probably the most influential writer of Doctor Who in the Nineties.Cornell ended up trying to bring back Doctor Who with the Scream of the Shalka project, an animation which was for two months in 2003 going to be the official continuation of the show before Davies relaunch was announced. He wasnt the only writer who tried. Mark Gatiss, Gareth Roberts and Clayton Hickman also pitched a full reboot.Join our mailing listGet the best of Den of Geek delivered right to your inbox!Mark Gatiss and Gareth RobertsGatiss and Roberts debut New Adventures novels were their first professional writing credits. Gatiss wrote Nightshade, published in 1992, with Roberts The Highest Science out the following year. The latter featured the Chelonians, mentioned on screen in The Pandorica Opens, bulky and aggressive turtle-creatures, who would appear in multiple books but never on screen.Gatiss had the higher profile as a writer/performer: he wrote and appeared in several Direct-to-Video features for BBC Productions (Reece Shearsmith appearing in two). Their eventual success as writer/performers in The League of Gentlemen (first as a live show, then radio, then on television). Roberts regularly worked on soaps for ITV and Channel 4. Both wrote for Charlie Higsons reboot of Randall and Hopkirk in 2001. While Gatiss made no secret of his affection for the Pertwee era, Roberts was a huge fan of Season 17 (the one script edited by Douglas Adams) and wrote a trilogy of books featuring the Fourth Doctor and Romana evoking that era.Both writers contributed popular stories, with Roberts also writing the Tardisode preludes that accompanied series two and contributing regularly to The Sarah Jane Adventures. Gatiss called time on his involvement with the TV show when Steven Moffat stepped down as showrunner, but is still occasionally acting in Big Finish productions. Roberts fell out with the production team after season eight, and began tweeting gender critical views in 2017, which led to him being dropped from a 2019 Doctor Who story anthology when other writers withdrew from the project due to his involvement.Juno DawsonDawsons first official Doctor Who story was 2018s novel The Good Doctor, a Thirteenth Doctor adventure with echoes of The Ark (1966) and The Face of Evil (1977). She was also the lead writer on Doctor Who: Redacted, a two series audio story, and is rumoured to have written an episode based around Eurovision in Space (which also formed the basis of a 2002 Big Finish story Bang-Bang-a-Boom!, co-written by Gareth Roberts). This makes her the first writer to make the move from tie-in novels to TV Who since 2007, when The Shakespeare Code was written by Gareth Roberts.A Closed Shop?Dawsons journey from book to screen is a reminder of the positives of the so-called Wilderness Years, when the show wasnt on television. The open submissions policies of spin-off producers led to, of course, some patchy stories, but also meant that Doctor Who could be pulled into new and interesting shapes, influenced by a wide array of voices. The notion of what Doctor Who could be was expanded.Fan Fiction is still around, of course, but the shows success since returning in 2005 puts a question mark on whether there will ever be similar opportunities for aspiring writers; the period in the Nineties where writers could pitch their vision of Doctor Who and get it published was messy and flawed, but revolutionary.