Making an efficient little machine out of nothing but cards is a great feeling. If you agree, then head over to Humble, where you can get a diverse collection of six deck builder games worth $149 for just $20 on Steam. Each game shares similar roguelike qualities, but with their own unique spin on the genre. This includes the inventory management of Backpack Hero, the medieval tactics of Ash of Gods: The Way, or the Mad Max-style death races of Death Roads: Tournament. This bundle also includes the co-op deck builder Hellcard, fantasy RPG Hadean Tactics, and my personal favorite, Fights in Tight Spaces. This deal lasts through March 7.Fights in Tight Spaces might just be the best John Wick game that doesnt feature John Wick. Dropped into a series of rooms full of nasty-looking dudes, you, playing as a sharp-dressed agent, must use your cards to keenly maneuver and dispose of the bad guys. As you progress, youll be awarded different decks that represent different fighting styles, like grappling or knife-fighting. The Complete Edition included as part of this bundle also throws in the Weapon of Choice DLC, which features a Gunslinger deck armed with a pistol.Humble always sends a portion of each sale to benefit a nonprofit in this case, your purchase will support the ESA Foundation, an organization that provides scholarships to young game developers. You can use the Adjust Donation drop-down menu to fine-tune how much goes to the publisher, the charity, or Humble.

Situated beside the storied Elyse Montmartre concert hall in Paris, France, a once-abandoned building is stepping into a new era of design and sustainability. The recently opened Elyse Montmartre Hotelis the brainchild of design studio Policronica, which has meticulously transformed the space into the 16-room hotel integrating architecture, craftsmanship, and environmental responsibility.Unlike conventional hospitality projects, where interior design often relies on multiple external suppliers, Policronica took a different path, assuming full creative and manufacturing control over every aspect of the hotels interiors. The studio designed and produced all elements in-house from furniture and lighting to the smallest architectural details like handles. This singular approach has resulted in an environment where each component speaks the same design language, offering guests an experience of seamless cohesion and understated warmth.At the core of this project lies an innovative use of eucalyptus wood, a material often overlooked in high-end design due to its classification as an invasive species. Sourced from small-scale forest owners in Portugal, this wood, commonly relegated to paper production, has been repurposed to demonstrate its potential for refined applications. By purchasing the trees at a premium compared to traditional paper industry rates, Policronica not only elevates the materials status but also promotes responsible and diversified forestry practices.Policronicas Lisbon-based workshop operates as an incubator for end-to-end production, eliminating the fragmentation typically seen in construction and furniture manufacturing. Designers, architects, carpenters, and industrial specialists collaborate under one roof, streamlining processes that would traditionally be divided across multiple suppliers. This integrated workflow reduces inefficiencies and fosters innovation in sustainable manufacturing.One of the most groundbreaking advancements introduced in this project is Policronicas development of solar vacuum wood dryers. These innovative drying chambers significantly accelerate the natural curing process of eucalyptus wood, reducing the timeframe from 18 months to just six days while ensuring stability and durability. Additionally, by maximizing the use of each tree trunk and eliminating unnecessary transportation between processing facilities, the project maintains an exceptionally low carbon footprint.Throughout the hotel rooms, Policronica tapped raw materials, such as wood, plant fibers, brass, and neutral fabrics, to form a monochromatic, organic interior that is anything but bland. Each room evokes the feeling of being at home, if one lived in a stylish Parisian apartment, with warmth and coziness right in the middle of an urban environment.For more information on the Elyse Montmartre Hotel, visit emhotel.fr, and for more on Policronica, head to policronica.com.Photography courtesy of Policronica.

Clicks, the iPhone keyboard accessory that went viral during CES 2024, is now coming to multiple Android phonesGoogle Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, Samsung Galaxy S25, and the Moto Razr+ (2024). Clicks adds a physical QWERTY keyboard to your smartphone, and also functions as a case for your device. Up until now, Clicks was available exclusively for all iPhone 15 and 16 devices, as well as the iPhone 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max.When the first iPhone launched, it sounded a death knell for smartphones with physical keyboards, as the world moved to bar-shaped phones with big screens. Touchscreen typing is good enough for most people, but Clicks is betting on the fact that content creators, vloggers, and people who value productivity may find it easier to type on a physical keyboard. I know for a fact that I make far fewer typos on my MacBook than I do on my iPhone, but the downside with Clicks is that it adds a lot of heft to your phone. It changes the weight distribution of your phone, and some people may find it harder to use their phones since it will feel more top-heavy.Clicks says Android users can customize typing settings on their device using a companion app, such as changing the function of shortcut buttons. Each Clicks case has a few shortcut buttons that vary by device, but a search button appears on all variants of the keyboard. The company says the keys have metal dome switches that provide tactile feedback and that the keys are backlit, so you don't need to switch back to the on-screen keyboard whenever you lose light. Since the keyboard is below the screen, you can use your phone's entire display all the time. That's a perk, especially for apps that benefit from added screen real estate, but it does make your phone bulky enough that it may not easily fit in your pocket or purse. That said, you don't need to remove the case to charge your phone, since Clicks supports USB-C passthrough charging. For Pixel 9 and 9 Pro, Clicks supports wireless charging, too. Credit: Clicks On Pixel 9 and 9 Pro, Click is available in two colors: Surge (yellow) and Onyx (black). The company says it expects to start shipping these cases by late April. For the Motorola Razr+ (2024), the color options are Electric (blue) and Onyx, and the case is expected to ship late May. Finally, for the Galaxy S25, the color variants are Pinot (a reddish brown) and Onyx, and shipping is expected in June. Pre-orders for all Android variants of the keyboard accessory open today on the company's website at an introductory price of $99. That price is valid until March 21. If you order after that, the final price is $139.

Lifting is about as simple as an exercise gets: You pick the thing up, and you put the thing down. But that doesnt mean youre going to walk into the gym and just pick the thing up. A proper warmup can help you to be ready for your lifting, so lets talk about how to build your best lifting warmup routine. Why a warmup is important (and when it may not be)First, lets talk about why we warm up. People often talk about warmups as if they will magically prevent injury, or that skipping one will result in some other disaster. Thats not necessarily true. They also wont really do much for your chances of suffering from soreness (or not) after the workout, either. If you feel comfortable walking straight from the front door to the squat rack, you dont need to add a warmup. You will probably benefit from a warmup if any of these are true of your lifting workouts: You feel achy or creaky at the beginning of workouts.The first few sets always feel heavier than they should.You have trouble getting into positions that you need for the workout (like the bottom of a squat).You do exercises that get you breathing hard, like circuit training or anything where you're rushing to complete reps to a timer.A warmup can address one or all of those concerns, preparing you for the job of lifting. Your muscles will work better when theyre warm (like, literally at a higher temperature). Youll also want to be ready to move in all of the ways that the lift requires. If your ankles are stiff, for example, getting them moving will help them to be able to flex more during your squat. If you're worried about your warmup taking forever, good newsyou only need to include the parts of the warmup that you, personally need to benefit from. Two people might warm up in completely different ways for the same workout. So let's talk about the different components of a warmup, and how to know which ones you need.Cardio warms you up and gets you ready for workBefore lifting, a lot of folks like to hop on the treadmill or rower for five to 10 minutes, or perhaps do some jumping jacks. A cardio warmup like one of these offers a few benefits: It physically warms up your muscles,It gets at least some of your muscles and joints moving.It gets your energy systems (enzymes, etc) into the groove of supplying extra power to your muscles.Remember how, when you run, the first mile (or the first 10 minutes or so) feels sluggish? Thats because your body is ramping up those energy systems so you can use them more efficiently during the rest of your workout. If your lifting workout keeps your heart rate highlike a Crossfit-style WODthis cardio warmup is essential for making the rest of the workout not suck. If youre just going to be lifting at your own pace, cardio isnt essential, but the warmth and movement may still help you feel better and serve as a mental and physical introduction to the work youre about to do.Mobility work gets you ready to reach specific positionsWere not (just) talking about stretching here. If you want to work on your flexibility by doing long, deep static stretches, thats best saved for after the workout. As youre getting ready to lift, you may want to instead do some mobility work. Mobility, in this context, means being able to move in the ways that your workout requires. If youre going to do some squats,and your calves and ankles tend to be stiff, and this stiffness prevents you from getting as deep into the squat as youd like, then you should spend some time before doing your squats working on your ankle mobility. (We have some specific suggestions for that here.) Apply this same principle to whatever exercise youre planning. If you have a hard time arching your back in the bench press, do some upper back mobility work first (I like to lie on my back on top of a foam roller). If youre going to do snatches or overhead squats, you may want to do some shoulder stretches. Stretching before a workout can give you a temporary boost to your flexibility that lasts through the workout. This stage is where foam rolling and dynamic stretching can come in. Foam rolling can help loosen up a muscle, like a little massage. And dynamic stretches are warmup movements that take your joints through whatever range of motion you will be asking them to do later. Google mobility work for ___ and youll get plenty of ideas. Ultimately, what you use in this section of the warmup should be whatever will best help you to be successful later in the workout. Experiment with adding moves in or taking them out. "Activation" exercises prepare your musclesSometimes its nice to do an exercise that uses whatever muscles youll be using in the main workout, but with lighter weights or even via a totally different movement. For example, banded glute bridges could help you get ready for a workout where the focus is squats or hip thrusts. To be totally clear, you dont need to activate muscles to be able to use them later, even though purveyors of booty bands will try to convince you this is an essential step. These exercises just give your muscles a preview of what theyll be doing in the main event, and can help you get through your warmup sets of the main lift (see below) a bit more quickly. For more on what activation exercises are really doing, see my explainer.Technique drills help you perfect your skillsIf youre doing a lift that requires precise technique, you may want to practice drills that help with that specific lift. For example, before I do snatches, I like to do drills with just the bar: maybe some hang snatches, or overhead squats, or tall snatches. Again, select exercises for this stage based on what technique work you need to practice. Goblet squats may be a good primer for barbell squats, for example.Your warmup sets with the empty bar or lighter weightsThis step is essential if you're doing a heavy lift. Lets say youre going to do squats at 200 pounds today. Just because youve warmed up with cardio or mobility doesnt mean you're ready to load 200 pounds on the bar and go for it. Instead, you'll do some squats with the empty bar, and then maybe with 95 pounds, 135 pounds, 155 pounds, and 185 pounds. While the other warmup components we discussed are negotiable, most lifting coaches would agree that these warmup sets with the bar are mandatory. They can often even replace most of the above steps, because if you do enough warmup sets, youll be getting your body warm, moving through the necessary motions, activating your muscles, and practicing the technique of the lift youre about to do.Start by doing a set of the same number of reps you will do for your working sets, or more. So if youre going to do five reps at 200 pounds, start with a set of 510 reps with only a bar. Then add some weight, and then add some more, and then some more, until you get to the target weight for your first working set of the day. The exact jumps in weight arent important so long as you have several stops on your way to the working set for the day. How to customize your warmupI like to think about warming up for lifting as combining my warmup sets (as described in the section above) plus whatever I need that my warmup sets dont adequately cover. So if you feel like you need more mobility work than warmup sets alone will give you, you might walk in the gym, do five minutes on the treadmill to warm up your legs, and then do some foam rolling and ankle stretches before you start squatting. You havent done any technique or activation work, but thats fine if you dont feel you need it. Or if your mobility is fine but youre planning on doing a circuit-style workout and you hate that youre always getting out of breath between lifts, you might benefit from a more thorough cardio warmup to make sure youre ready for the fast pace of the workout. Its fine for your warmup to be different for each workout, or for it to change over time. Older athletes often find they need more warmup time than they did when they were younger, and we all might need more of a warmup in cold weather than when its hot out. Figure out what makes sense for you, and build your warmup accordingly.

Microsoft is delaying one of the major first-party games it had lined up for 2025. The company said during its big annual Xbox showcase last June that its Fable reboot would arrive this year. But thats no longer the case as Xbox has pushed back the fantasy RPG to 2026."We previously announced the date for Fable as 2025. We are actually going to give Fable more time and it's going to ship in 2026 now," Craig Duncan, the new head of Xbox Game Studios, said on the latest edition of the Official Xbox Podcast. "While I know that's not maybe the news people want to hear, what I want to assure people of is that it's definitely worth the wait."The reboot, which is being developed by Forza Horizon studio Playground Games, was announced all the way back in 2020 and there have been a few teasers since then. While the delay might be disappointing to those who have been waiting for Fable especially since it's been 15 years since the last mainline game in the series Xbox can afford to give it a little more time.Microsoft's games division has a pretty healthy slate for the coming months. Avowed only just came out, the promising South of Midnightis not too far away and then Doom: The Dark Agesand its ridiculous shield-saw is slated to arrive in May. The Outer Worlds 2 and Ninja Gaiden 4are also on the docket for this year, and there are likely others in the pipeline (such as the inevitable annual Call of Duty entry). That's not to mention all the third-party titles coming to Game Pass and Microsoft selling more of its games on PlayStation and Nintendo platforms. So Xbox is probably going to be okay while Playground keeps Fable simmering away.Duncan claims that the studio is crafting "the most beautifully realized version of Albion you've ever seen" but with its own spin and British humor. The Xbox Game Studios chief visited Playground to play some of Fable and see how things were going. Duncan brought back some new, early footage to show on the video version of the podcast, which you can see below starting at 15:55. Even the pre-alpha versions of these environments look very pretty, so here's hoping Playground makes good use of that extra time to make the most of the game.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/xbox/xbox-has-delayed-its-fable-reboot-until-2026-173118802.html?src=rss

One thing writers and multinational consumer electronics corporations have in common is we both need a good editor. Or, failing that, at least a good spell-checker. OnePlus somehow missed that step when launching the OnePlus Watch 3, which had its scheduled Tuesday launch abruptly halted because of an embarrassing typo. On the back of the watch, early buyers discovered that their $330 smartwatch was "meda in China." As a result, you'll now have to wait until April to buy the device. At least someone on OnePlus' social team saw an opportunity. "Oops, we've meda mistake!" the company posted on X on Friday. "A typo slipped through and made its way onto your shiny new OnePlus Watch 3." The acknowledgment came three days after a post showing photo evidence of the flub gained traction in the OnePlus subreddit. "Yikes lol how did this pass QC?" u/kbtech wondered in the comments. The OnePlus Watch 3's new release date is sometime in April, with the order page currently estimating an April 9 ship date. On the bright side, the company is extending its $30 pre-order discount. (For those shopping in Canada, it's $50 off.) You can use code TIME1010 to get the lower price, which lasts until April. Those who already got one of the "Meda in China" models can either keep it or return it with no questions asked. (Not that the answers would be too difficult to guess.) OnePlus says the Watch 3 can run for an estimated 16 days in power saver mode, five days in smart mode and up to 72 hours for heavy users. The Wear OS watch also has a new titanium bezel and a sapphire crystal screen. All in all, it sounds like a well-meda piece of gear. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/wearables/oneplus-is-delaying-the-watch-3-launch-because-of-a-typo-171009126.html?src=rss

Netflix's You season 5 teaser strikes a darkly comic note as Joe becomes 'the luckiest guy in New York.'

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The rejection signals that investors still see value in Apple's diversity programs.