Candidates for the upcomingNew York City Mayoral election have been invited to participate in a newly launched Vision for a Better Cityadvocacy platform by the Urban Design Forum.The effort unites electoral politics with the Forums mission to reconnect urban design with city life. It comes as New Yorkers face an unprecedented affordability and housing crisis, among other social issues, despite steady increases in quality of life, low crime, and near-record-high employment rates."The next mayor has the power to transform daily life for every New Yorker but only with bold, visionary moves," Guillermo Gmez, the Forums director of programs, tells Archinect: "Vision for a Better City brings together the deep expertise of thoughtful and talented leaders from our network across all five boroughs and lays out the big ideas our city needs. The path to a better New York is clear. Now we need leadership thats ready to make it happen."Related on Archinect: Unpacking the factors behi...

The Monster Hunter franchise is no stranger to challenging boss fights. When your whole gameplay loop revolves around slaying monsters to craft better gear to face tougher monsters, its a given that some difficulties will arise. However, from the very beginning to its more recent entries, Monster Hunter has doled out some of the most arduous bosses in gaming. Without further ado, here are the top 25 most difficult monsters, starting with25. Safijiiva (Iceborne)If Xenojiiva was the somewhat awkward final boss for World, then Safijiiva is its revenge arc. As a Siege quest, it has the same requirements as Kulve Taroth 16 Hunters in separate groups of four, battling and breaking its parts to slay it. The difference is its sheer power and range of attacks, especially the beams, which it can fire off at a moments notice. It also possesses a supernova attack that, like Behemoths Ecliptic Meteor, recovers by running behind cover to evade. While it becomes easier as you bring more suitable weapons for breaking its parts and taking advantage of the environment, soloing Safijiiva is another endeavor entirely.

The 90s were packed with interesting shoot em up titles, but none dared go deep below the ocean quite like X-Out. Instead of avoiding asteroids and starships, youre navigating deadly reefs in a powerhouse of a submarine. If the underwater theme doesnt diversify this schmup enough for you, its highly variable fleet customization might. Of course, X-Out: Resurfaced is a remake and not a direct port, so theres some notable additions and convenience features here, though perhaps not as many as one might hope for.The biggest addition from a gameplay perspective is the option to have preconfigured loadouts. X-Outs most innovative feature was the wonderful shop system which let players customize a fleet of ships with a range of weapons and accessories. The new prefig loadout screen allows you to bypass that busywork and head straight into the action with one of three loadout options.But considering how brutal later levels get, you may need to use a better submarine than the default Trilobite pill bug. You can choose from four different submarines to create pre-built loadouts from the prefabricator or customize them manually within the shop."The biggest addition from a gameplay perspective is the option to have preconfigured loadouts"Subs can be equipped with cannons, automatic weapons, secondary weapons, and rotating satellites (basically turrets). You may be asking, With all these weapon options, what differentiates the four submarine types? Well, as it turns out, youre limited on the number of weapons and accessories you can equip to a sub. The more expensive subs like the Shark allow you to equip up to 10 options while the lowly Trilobite only allow 3. So why ever use a Trilobite sub? Well, It costs less credits, allowing you to purchase a greater number of submarines for your fleet.Oh yeah, your fleet pretty much functions as your lives during a run. Yes, thats right. You have limited lives and credits for each run. Choosing to build one fully kitted-out Shark or five lightly equipped Trilobites is one of the coolest risk/reward decisions Ive had to make in a shoot-em-up. The shop allows you to customize the challenge of a run in a more engaging way than a simple difficulty slider. Shop customization adds personal agency to each run, making me feel like a strategic commander and not just a pilot shooting through levels."X-Outs most innovative feature was the wonderful shop system which let players customize a fleet of ships with a range of weapons and accessories."Besides the prebuilt loadouts and the inclusion of shop descriptions for every weapon/accessory, this remake includes soundtracks of every version of X-Out. If you ever want to hear what X-Out sounded like on the Amiga, just head over to the options menu and toggle either of the three versions. The new music remixes the classic one faithfully and even includes four new tracks, but the Commadore 64 ost can grate on the ears with its crunchy bit rate.The soundtrack options are nice, so its a bit disappointing we cant toggle classic and remake graphics in the same way. Thankfully, the enhanced visuals are a treat, faithfully incorporating all the background details and enemy designs of the original into high resolution glory. When compared side-by-side, theres a negligible difference between the sprite designs and animations. Its mostly in the lighting and resolution where the visual enhancements really pop. Though, Ive got to say Im saddened that you cant see the full alien submarine commander portrait like in the original."This remake includes soundtracks of every version of X-Out."A more serious gripe is the lack of online co-op. Its awesome to have more couch co-op experiences like this, but online functionality should be a basic necessity at this point, especially for a simple shoot-em-up like X-Out. Oh well, theres still plenty of fun to be had here, even if my online friends wont be partaking in it with me. Weaving through deep sea caverns with three satellites attached to my shark sub shooting down waves of deadly fish provides a classic shoot-em-up thrill up there with the best of them. Theres no doubt that the shooting is fun, but I wish there was some incentive to manually and methodically shoot instead of just constantly holding down the button.X-Out is a very attack-heavy game, but theres a large emphasis placed on maneuvering obstacles and projectiles too. In fact, your submarine gets immediately obliterated when crashing into walls and hard obstacles, a harsh penalty for slight miscalculations. And yet, despite the fact that walls and machines take a much higher toll on your sub than missiles and lasers, the game doesnt give you many tools to overcome them. The only traversal tools you have is the ability to toggle between four movement speeds and equip a limited-use shield, thats it. Each submarine is about the same general size, and theres nothing in the shop that rotates, shrinks, or adds better defense to your ship. In this way, X-Out feels imbalanced. Youre punished gravely for navigating into walls but arent given the proportional tools to help mitigate that. Youre given a large offensive toolkit with very little in the way of defense."Your submarine gets immediately obliterated when crashing into walls and hard obstacles."This isnt to say that a good offense cant overcome obstacles in X-Out because it often does. Take those tough crystal block formations; they can be shot through with high-tier cannons. But there are just too many static walls leading to instant death and nary a tool to counter it other than clever maneuvering. Thankfully, the game helps ease that harsh collision penalty with cheats. Thats right, the game has built-in cheats ranging from reduced collision damage to a stage select; however, Ive only unlocked the reduced collision cheat, and that was due to dying a lot. I still dont know how to unlock the six or so other cheats. Keep in mind that enabling cheats disables achievements.And players may need to depend on that collision cheat because X-Out: Resurfaced has no save-states or rewinding to speak of. It used to be common for remakes or ports to tack on a rewind or save feature. The first Mega Man Legacy Collection and Sega Genesis Collection let players save at any time; its a pretty convenient feature to have. But alas, just like in the arcades, you have one run and must start from the beginning when your lives run out."Its mostly in the lighting and resolution where the visual enhancements really pop."To round out the list of enhancements that wouldve been nice is new game+ after finishing a run. You get a ton of credits from the final stage, and it all goes down the drain after seeing the end screen. Credits get rewarded in a linear fashion from one stage to the other, but by stage six, youre pretty much rolling in more than you know what to do with. Its a shame you cant carry over your credits into mirror mode, which is one of the rather cool additions. Additionally, New Game+ couldve extended replayability further. Sure, the loadout customization makes every run feel different, and the mirror mode adds something to look forward to, but the eight levels go by pretty fast.I was a bit unsure how to score X-Out: Resurfaced up to the editing phase of the review. On the one hand, I really like the core game, and the enhancements sprinkle added pleasure on top. On the other, theres just too many missed opportunities here to overlook, rendering this an average remake. Regardless, its great having more classic games available on modern systems, especially one so unique, fun, and challenging as X-Out. But when comparative shoot-em-ups like Bio-Hazard Battlecome packed with 50 other games in the similarly priced Sega Genesis Collection, its hard to say X-Out: Resurfaced is well worth the $20 asking price, especially if youre not already a fan of the genre.This game was reviewed on the PlayStation 5.

February 26Nabonassar's name in Akkadian747 BC According to Ptolemy, the reign of the Babylonian king Nabonassar (name in Akkadian pictured) began, marking a new era characterized by the systematic maintenance of chronologically precise historical records.1914 RMS Britannic, the third and largest Olympic-class ocean liner of the White Star Line after RMSOlympic and RMS Titanic, was launched at the Harland & Wolff shipyard in Belfast.1979 The Superliner railcar entered revenue service with Amtrak.1995 Barings Bank, the oldest merchant bank in London, was declared insolvent after its head derivatives trader in Singapore, Nick Leeson, lost 827million while making unauthorised trades on futures contracts.2014 Former editor-in-chief of Hong Kong newspaper Ming Pao Kevin Lau was stabbed, prompting concerns and protests about media freedom.Fatima bint al-Ahmar (d.1349)Archibald Campbell, 9th Earl of Argyll (b.1629)Recep Tayyip Erdoan (b.1954)Jennie Smillie Robertson (d.1981)More anniversaries: February 25February 26February 27ArchiveBy emailList of days of the yearAbout

OpenAI expands its powerful Deep Research AI agent to ChatGPT Plus, Team, Education, and Enterprise users, intensifying competition with DeepSeek and Anthropic in the rapidly evolving AI research assistant market.Read More

The first PCIe Gen 5 SSDs from the likes of Seagate and Crucial began hitting the market nearly two years ago, but Samsung has been notably absent with its own model. That will change in March with the arrival of the Samsung 9100 Pro series, its first consumer-ready pure PCIe Gen 5 SSD built with NVMe 2.0. At launch, it will be available in 1TB (starting at $199.99), 2TB ($299.99), and 4TB ($549.99) capacities in an M.2 form factor, with or without heatsinks. An 8TB configuration, a first for Samsung NVMe SSDs, is slated for the second half of 2025.By the numbers, the 9100 Pros theoretical maximum random read and write speeds 2,200K and 2,600K input-output operations per second (IOPS) are at least twice as fast as the last-gen Samsung 980 Pro, a PCIe Gen4 SSD. Our earliest comparison of that SSD with Seagates Firecuda 540 and Crucials T700 showed no noticeable benefits for PC gaming; however, the difference may be more evident for heavier computing workflows. If nothing else, itd be nice to know youre future-proofed, at least until PCIe Gen 6 arrives.The gains might be more apparent if youre talking about large-volume file transfers, though, which videographers or software engineers working with large datasets might appreciate. Samsung says the 9100 Pro (built on its V Nand TLC V8 with a custom controller) can reach sequential read and write speeds of up to 14.8GBps and 13.4GBps, respectively. Thats roughly double the last-gen 980 Pro, and about 2-3GBps per second faster than the earliest PCIe 5 SSDs can manage.

The White House has named Amy Gleason as the acting administrator of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). The news, delivered by an unnamed White House official to CNBC and other media outlets,follows days of obfuscation in courtrooms, the press, and the pseudo-department itself. It designates Gleason a likely target for the nigh-continuous legal challenges over DOGEs access to sensitive data and freezing of government funds while potentially shielding its high-level leader Elon Musk.Gleasons LinkedIn profile indicates she previously served in the US Digital Service (which has since been converted to serve DOGEs efforts) and worked for the healthcare investment firm Russell Street Ventures. Its unclear when she was given her current title or whether there are plans for a permanent head of DOGE. And earlier today, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt refused to name a formal administrator for the group. I am not going to reveal the name of that individual from this podium, Leavitt said, telling reporters she would be happy to follow up later to provide it.Gleason was already identified as a possible leader in a February 18th Wired story, where USDS employees described her as a liaison between DOGE, USDS, and other agencies. But at that point, Wired noted that little is known about her official role and said even employees werent sure who was supposed to be in charge. The government has been cagey about who formally runs DOGE while leaving little doubt about whos in charge. Leavitt and others have repeatedly identified Musk as overseeing DOGEs overall operation. At the same time, theyve denied that he has any formal association with it, saying hes merely a special government employee serving as an advisor.This extends to statements made under oath in weeks of courtroom drama as numerous state attorneys general and private actors argue that DOGE is operating illegally, while the government seeks to insulate Musk and avoid naming anyone the challengers could sue. A February 17th court filing asserted that Musk had no actual or formal authority in DOGE. Later, in a hearing on February 24th, Department of Justice lawyer Bradley Humphreys told Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly that he didnt know if anyone led the organization at all.Is there an administrator of DOGE at the present time? Kollar-Kotelly asked.I dont know the answer to that, Humphreys replied.

HBO is moving full steam ahead with its new Harry Potter TV show and finally seems to have at least one casting: John Lithgow will be the new Professor Dumbledore.Its been reported that HBO has been on the lookout for a new Dumbledore for some time now, and it appears that search has ended. In an interview with ScreenRant, Lithgow confirmed that he accepted the role which he says will define the last chapter of his life.Well, it came as a total surprise to me. I just got the phone call up at the Sundance Film Festival for yet another film, and it was not an easy decision because its going to define me for the last chapter of my life, Im afraid. He adds, But Im very excited. Some wonderful people are turning their attention back to Harry Potter. Thats why its been such a hard decision. Ill be about 87 years old at the wrap party, but Ive said yes.How to Watch Harry Potter in Chronological OrderThis is the first casting confirmation for the upcoming Harry Potter TV show, and it isnt technically official yet either as HBO and Warner Bros. have not confirmed Lithgows casting.HBOs plan is to re-adapt all of JK Rowlings books for TV with an all-new cast playing familiar characters like Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley and the rest of the Hogwarts school. Rowling will serve as executive producer alongside Neil Blair and Ruth Kenley-Letts.Despite Lithgows verbal confirmation, the fact the Harry Potter reboot series still doesnt have a full cast likely means the show is still some ways away from production. Lithgow is a veteran actor for film and television, perhaps best known for his role as Dick Solomon on the sitcom 3rd Rock from the Sun. However, he achieved critical acclaim and won an Emmy for his portrayal of Winston Churchill in the first season of The Crown on Netflix.Matt Kim is IGN's Senior Features Editor.Photo by Christopher Polk/Variety via Getty Images.

Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy is reportedly looking to step down by the end of 2025.As reported by Puck News, the veteran film producer and Lucasfilm head is looking to retire at the end of her contract this year. Additionally, Puck claims Kennedy previously considered retiring in 2024, but decided to hold off on making a decision. It should be noted that Variety reports that a source close to Kennedy has called Pucks story pure speculation," but The Hollywood Reporter confirmed Puck's story also.Kennedy joined Lucasfilm in 2012 and served as a handpicked co-chair to run the studio alongside George Lucas. Once Lucas departed, Kennedy was promoted to president and has been running the Star Wars stable ever since.Every Upcoming Star Wars Movie and TV ShowHer tenure includes overseeing a new sequel trilogy that comprises Star Wars Episodes 7-9, as well as the start of Star Wars streaming era that include The Mandalorian, Book of Boba Fett, Andor, Ahsoka, Skeleton Crew, and more. While some films like Star Wars: The Force Awakens have proven to be blockbuster hits, other films have proven more divisive with movies like Solo: A Star Wars Story losing money at the box office.While unconfirmed, Kennedys departure would raise further questions over a string of announced and rumored projects like new movies from James Mangold, Taika Waititi, and Donald Glover. Theres also an untitled Rey movie that was announced but is taking time to fully materialize.The next slate of Star Wars projects includes The Mandalorian & Grogu, and a new Star Wars trilogy from Simon Kinberg.Prior to her work at Lucasfilm, Kennedy co-founded Amblin Entertainment with Steven Spielberg and Frank Marshall. She has produced iconic films like E.T., Jurassic Park, Back to the Future, and other 90s classics earning her eight Academy Award nominations for Best Picture.Matt Kim is IGN's Senior Features Editor.(Photo by Christopher Jue/Getty Images for Disney)

Past Palm Beach show houses have embraced the regions iconic design elementspink and green, seashells, and palm fronds. This year, the 23 designers who created the eighth annual Kips Bay Decorator Showhouse, a 1937 brick home in the Providencia Park neighborhood set directly on the Intracoastal Waterway, pushed the boundaries further. Some of the best ideas in it are details, like a leather-wrapped bathtub by Laure Nelle Interiors and marble-trimmed door by Marie Cloud of Indigo Pruitt Design Studio that would look at home anywhere, not just in South Florida.Rajni Alexs hostess storage and Meg Lonergans use of outdoor fabrics also caught our eye. We appreciated how designer Mally Skok channeled the non-vacation side of South Florida. The Moniomi Design team brought a playful, artful energy to the house, drawing inspiration from their Miami roots. Of course, there were exceptions. Caroline Gidiere honored Palm Beachs classic style with a lady-like sunroom inspired by the hit tv-show Palm Royale, and the recently expanded team of Marshall Watson & Reid Deane Gane reimagined 1920s Palm Beach in a nautical color palette, blending tradition with modern flair.If youd like to visit the show house, itll be open to the public through March 16. (Need an excuse to indulge? Your ticket supports the Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club.) Cant make it there? Keep reading for plenty of fresh design inspiration.Kidulting Nickolas SargentLife can be hard. Why not have a dedicated space in your home for fun? Using the firms own MADE by Moniomi creations, including this marble Ping-Pong table, the rec room designed by Miami-based design firm Moniomi is a fantastic example of how to embrace your inner kid in a sophisticated way. Related: 47 Game Room Ideas for an Epic Entertaining SpaceOmbr WallsNickolas SargentTransitional spaces are the ideal places to have fun. Delray Beachbased designer Nikki Levy gave the stairwell the look of a mood ring, following the natural flow of the home and shifting the energy from downstairs to upstairs with the meticulously painted walls. Related: 30 Staircase Ideas That a Grand EntranceAdvertisement - Continue Reading BelowGraphic StoneworkNickolas SargentWith the help of Artistic Tile, the Kips Bay Decorator Showhouse has no shortage of stunning tile. Chicago-based designer Erin Shakoor designed the marble sink of her powder bath to mimic the graphic curve of art deco inspired wall tile behind it. Related: A Color-Drenched Chicago Apartment Designed by Erin ShakoorOutdoor LivingNickolas SargentHouston designer and Next Wave alum Meg Lonergan showed how to elevate an outdoor living room. She used outdoor versions of lush fabrics like velvets and jacquards to cover furniture that would look equally at home indoors, like this gorgeous banquette.Related: 10 Outdoor Room Trends Designers Are Obsessed WithAdvertisement - Continue Reading BelowHalf BacksplashesNickolas SargentWeve noticed designers going for half backsplashes in more and more kitchens lately. Designer Rajni Alex of Delray Beach, Florida, executed the idea in beautiful Calacatta Viola marble by Armina Stone. Bonus: The deep, solid color of the coordinating countertops means theres no need to worry about stains. Related: 65 Kitchen Backsplash Ideas for Every Style in 2025Color TherapyNickolas SargentChromatherapy is the use of color to improve your physical, emotional, and spiritual health. To create the homes wellness lounge, designer Marie Cloud of Indigo Pruitt in North Carolina selected a naturally soothing color palette.Related: 69 Best Living Room Paint Colors for 2025Advertisement - Continue Reading BelowMultifunctional Dining RoomsNickolas SargentYes, weve shifted away from open floor plans, but we still dont use our dining rooms the way we used to. Designers William Steele and Christopher Drake of Bierly Drake & Steele, Inc. proposed a smart solve: Their dining room is a place for formal dining and relaxed socializing. A console divides the space into two inviting areas that work for dinner, breakfast, or Zoom calls.Related: 80 Dining Room Ideas Perfect for EntertainingMural CeilingsNickolas SargentSome of the best ideas to come out of show houses have to do with the fifth wall. This Palm Beach home is no exception with its tented ceilings, high lacquer paint applications, and more. Laure Nell Interiors created this graphic mural ceiling.Related: 25 Painted Ceilings That Elevate the Entire RoomAdvertisement - Continue Reading BelowOutdoor CurtainsNickolas SargentThe curtains in Oxford Designs lanai-inspired poolside lounge are the finishing touch every outdoor space deserves. Adding glamour while also serving as a form of protection, exterior drapery will elevate all your alfresco entertaining. Related: 74 Patio Decor Ideas to Inspire Your Outdoor SpacePattern DrenchingCarmel BrantleyWeve said it before and we'll say it again: Pattern drenching is here to stay. This bedroom, a travel-inspired gentlemans retreat by textile artist and interior designer Mally Skok is an expert example of how to layer pattern on pattern in an impactful but livable way. Hand-painted by Mally, all the fabrics and wallpapers make this ensuite bedroom feel deeply personal.