One of the biggest Warframe updates of 2024 added the Deep Archimedea game mode, which forced players to plumb the depths of the Sanctum Anatomica to fight special enemies and bring back some of the best rewards in the long-running, free-to-play online shooter. One year and a massive Warframe 1999 update later, this game mode is getting an enormous expansion.Temporal Archimedea is bringing the challenges of the Deep Archimedea game mode to the Hollvania tileset -- players will need to be on their toes if they hope to beat souped-up versions of the Techrot and the Scaldra.Here's everything you need to know about the introduction of the Temporal Archimedea game mode, including what it is, how you can start playing it and what rewards you'll be able to earn when it launches with the Techrot Encore update on March 19.Read more: Warframe 1999 Is About Time Travel, Love and Eldritch Gods and It's FantasticTemporal Archimedea expands the toughest mode in the game Temporal Archimedea will pit players against elite Techrot and Scaldra enemies. Digital ExtremesThe Dante Unbound update heralded the most challenging game mode since The New War's raid boss-style Archon Hunts. The Sanctum Anatomica's Deep Archimedea (and Elite Deep Archemedea) are special three-mission gauntlets for a highly synergized team of four players to tackle.Special enemy buffs, player debuffs and mission modifiers make each run of Deep Archimedea a novel experience, hooking Warframe vets as they grinded the mode for some of the game's best rewards. Now, the gauntlet is arriving to the streets of Hollvania as the new Nova protoframe, Kaya, becomes your point of contact for Temporal Archimedea missions in the Techrot Encore update.While the full list of modifiers is yet to be revealed, we can be fairly certain that Temporal Archimedea will look quite different from Deep Archimedea.The Sanctum Anatomica has special enemy types, including the Murmur, Necramechs, Culverins and Arcocanids, which means certain modifiers specifically alter only those enemies. For example, certain missions would have Culverins deal five times their normal damage numbers to players with Overguard shields, while other missions would have Arcocanid attacks pull player Warframes into their radius. The Scaldra Dedicant is already a damage sponge, but it could get even more dangerous in the Temporal Archimedea. Digital ExtremesNew modifiers will likely affect special enemies from the Hollvania tileset, including the Techrot Babau and the Scaldra Dedicant. These enemies are already a thorn in players' sides with their massive Overguard and high damage output, so it'll be interesting to see what kind of scary buffs they might get in Temporal Archimedea.The new mode retains the core debuffs from Deep Archimedea. There are no self-revives for downed players, and the Operator Last Gasp ability timer is reduced by 2 seconds each time it's activated. Every time you enter the bleed-out state, your revive timer is shortened for the next time you go down. Each piece of restoration equipment carried in the equipment wheel has a 3-minute cooldown before it can be used again.Temporal Archimedea shares the same pool of search pulses with Netracells and Deep Archimedea, consuming two search pulses for each run. Players gain five search pulses at the start of each week. After all the search pulses are used up, players can continue playing the Temporal Archimedea mode, but will no longer earn any rewards.The reward pool has some old items and some new shiny goodies Kaya, the new Nova protoframe, will be your point of contact for Temporal Archimedea. She also sells the new rewards. Digital ExtremesAs Temporal Archimedea fills the role of the hardest game mode for Warframe 1999's Hollvania tileset, it carries appropriately valuable rewards for players who are able to complete the missions and accrue enough points each week.The items carried over into the Temporal Archimedea reward pool include archon shards (both Tauforged and regular variants), arcanes and localized syndicate standing. Certain reward tiers also include Vosfor, which can be traded to Loid in the Sanctum Anatomica for random arcanes.There's a new reward specific to Temporal Archimedea, though. Peely Pix are special stickers that provide buffs during Temporal Archimedea missions, and they can be bought and leveled up through a special Pix Chips currency earned within the game mode. Exchanging Pix Chips with Kaya in Hollvania mall will let players earn a wider variety of buffs or snatch up some extra endgame rewards.This game mode is certain to become a mainstay in veteran Warframe players' weekly rotations, becoming a key part of the to-do list alongside Sorties, Archon Hunts and daily Alert missions.

February 28, 20257 min readInterjections Are, Uh, More Important than We ThoughtUtterances likeum,wowandmm-hmmarent garbagethey keep conversations flowingBy Bob Holmes & Knowable Magazine Interjections one-word utterances that arent part of a larger sentence used to be dismissed as irrelevant linguistic detritus. But some linguists now think they play an essential role in regulating conversations. Anna Orlova/Getty ImagesListen carefully to a spoken conversation and youll notice that the speakers use a lot of little quasi-words mm-hmm, um, huh? and the like that dont convey any information about the topic of the conversation itself. For many decades, linguists regarded such utterances as largely irrelevant noise, the flotsam and jetsam that accumulate on the margins of language when speakers arent as articulate as theyd like to be.But these little words may be much more important than that. A few linguists now think that far from being detritus, they may be crucial traffic signals to regulate the flow of conversation as well as tools to negotiate mutual understanding. That puts them at the heart of language itself and they may be the hardest part of language for artificial intelligence to master.Here is this phenomenon that lives right under our nose, that we barely noticed, says Mark Dingemanse, a linguist at Radboud University in the Netherlands, that turns out to upend our ideas of what makes complex language even possible in the first place.On supporting science journalismIf you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.For most of the history of linguistics, scholars have tended to focus on written language, in large part because thats what they had records of. But once recordings of conversation became available, they could begin to analyze spoken language the same way as writing.If you want to have streamlined conversations, these are the tools you need. Mark Dingemanse, linguistWhen they did, they observed that interjections that is, short utterances of just a word or two that are not part of a larger sentence were ubiquitous in everyday speech. One in every seven utterances are one of these things, says Dingemanse, who explores the use of interjections in the 2024 Annual Review of Linguistics. Youre going to find one of those little guys flying by every 12 seconds. Apparently, we need them.Many of these interjections serve to regulate the flow of conversation. Think of it as a tool kit for conducting interactions, says Dingemanse. If you want to have streamlined conversations, these are the tools you need. An um or uh from the speaker, for example, signals that theyre about to pause, but arent finished speaking. A quick huh? or what? from the listener, on the other hand, can signal a failure of communication that the speaker needs to repair.That need seems to be universal: In a survey of 31 languages around the world, Dingemanse and his colleagues found that all of them used a short, neutral syllable similar to huh? as a repair signal, probably because its quick to produce. In that moment of difficulty, youre going to need the simplest possible question word, and thats what huh? is, says Dingemanse. We think all societies will stumble on this, for the same reason.Other interjections serve as what some linguists call continuers, such as mm-hmm signals from the listener that theyre paying attention and the speaker should keep going. Once again, the form of the word is well suited to its function: Because mm-hmm is made with a closed mouth, its clear that the signaler does not intend to speak.Sign languages often handle continuers differently, but then again, two people signing at the same time can be less disruptive than two people speaking, says Carl Brstell, a linguist at the University of Bergen in Norway. In Swedish Sign Language, for example, listeners often sign yes as a continuer for long stretches, but to keep this continuer unobtrusive, the sender tends to hold their hands lower than usual.Different interjections can send slightly different signals. Consider, for example, one person describing to another how to build a piece of IKEA furniture, says Allison Nguyen, a psycholinguist at Illinois State University. In such a conversation, mm-hmm might indicate that the speaker should continue explaining the current step, while yeah or OK would imply that the listener is done with that step and its time to move on to the next.Wow! Theres moreContinuers arent merely for politeness they really matter to a conversation, says Dingemanse. In one classic experiment from more than two decades ago, 34 undergraduate students listened as another volunteer told them a story. Some of the listeners gave the usual Im listening signals, while others who had been instructed to count the number of words beginning with the letter t were too distracted to do so. The lack of normal signals from the listeners led to stories that were less well crafted, the researchers found. That shows that these little words are quite consequential, says Dingemanse.Nguyen agrees that such words are far from meaningless. They really do a lot for mutual understanding and mutual conversation, she says. Shes now working to see if emojis serve similar functions in text conversations.The role of interjections goes even deeper than regulating the flow of conversation. Interjections also help in negotiating the ground rules of a conversation. Every time two people converse, they need to establish an understanding of where each is coming from: what each participant knows to begin with, what they think the other person knows and how much detail they want to hear. Much of this work what linguists call grounding is carried out by interjections.We are building common ground, and we are taking turns. Martina Wiltschko, theoretical linguistIf Im telling you a story and you say something like Wow! I might find that encouraging and add more detail, says Nguyen. But if you do something like, Uh-huh, Im going to assume you arent interested in more detail.A key part of grounding is working out what each participant thinks about the others knowledge, says Martina Wiltschko, a theoretical linguist at the Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies in Barcelona, Spain. Some languages, like Mandarin, explicitly differentiate between Im telling you something you didnt know and Im telling you something that I think you knew already. In English, that task falls largely on interjections.One of Wiltschkos favorite examples is the Canadian eh? If I tell you you have a new dog, Im usually not telling you stuff you dont know, so its weird for me to tell you, she says. But You have a new dog, eh? eliminates the weirdness by flagging the statement as news to the speaker, not the listener.Other interjections can indicate that the speaker knows theyre not giving the other participant what they sought. If you ask me whats the weather like in Barcelona, I can say Well, I havent been outside yet, says Wiltschko. The well is an acknowledgement that shes not quite answering the question.Wiltschko and her students have now examined more than 20 languages, and every one of them uses little words for negotiations like these. I havent found a language that doesnt do these three general things: what I know, what I think you know and turn-taking, she says. They are key to regulating conversations, she adds: We are building common ground, and we are taking turns.Details like these arent just arcana for linguists to obsess over. Using interjections properly is a key part of sounding fluent in speaking a second language, notes Wiltschko, but language teachers often ignore them. When it comes to language teaching, you get points deducted for using ums and uhs, because youre not fluent, she says. But native speakers use them, because it helps! They should be taught. Artificial intelligence, too, can struggle to use interjections well, she notes, making them the best way to distinguish between a computer and a real human (see below).And interjections also provide a window into interpersonal relationships. These little markers say so much about what you think, she says and theyre harder to control than the actual content. Maybe couples therapists, for example, would find that interjections afford useful insights into how their clients regard one another and how they negotiate power in a conversation. The interjection oh often signals confrontation, she says, as in the difference between Do you want to go out for dinner? and Oh, so now you want to go out for dinner?Indeed, these little words go right to the heart of language and what it is for. Language exists because we need to interact with one another, says Brstell. For me, thats the main reason for language being so successful.Dingemanse goes one step further. Interjections, he says, dont just facilitate our conversations. In negotiating points of view and grounding, theyre also how language talks about talking.With huh? you say not just I didnt understand, says Dingemanse. Its I understand youre trying to tell me something, but I didnt get it. That reflexivity enables more sophisticated speech and thought. Indeed, he says, I dont think we would have complex language if it were not for these simple words.Can AI learn to use interjections?To make artificial intelligence sound more natural, developers are building interjections into its responses. Googles NotebookLM, for example, offers the option of summarizing information say, one or more scientific papers in the form of a podcast hosted by two AI-generated hosts.On first hearing, the program does a pretty good job: The hosts joke, laugh and insert Mm-hmm and Wow! at superficially appropriate times. But to the ears of a trained linguist, theres something amiss. (Listen to an example.)They almost work, but not quite, says theoretical linguist Martina Wiltschko of the Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies. They kind of remind me of AI art, where theres too many fingers. You dont see it at first, but if you look carefully, you see that somethings wrong.One tell is that when the listener mm-hmms or laughs, the speaker pauses while they do so, lending a slightly creepy note to the simulated conversation. To me, its almost like the uncanny valley, says Wiltschko. Its close, but its not quite close enough.The biggest deficiency, though, is a robust sense of who knows what in the conversation. The AI hosts seem to flip back and forth on which one knows which pieces of information.Its not just what theyre saying, its whos talking in what context, and who knows what, says Wiltschko. I would be really surprised if the AI could ever handle that and human beings handle that with ease.This article originally appeared in Knowable Magazine, an independent journalistic endeavor from Annual Reviews. Sign up for the newsletter.

February 28, 20253 min readA New Device Lets You Taste Things without Actually Eating ThemThis tiny instrument lets users taste thingswithout actually eating themby releasing a combination of chemicals that reconstruct different tastes. But replicating associated smells and textures will take some timeBy Gayoung Lee edited by Andrea ThompsonA new technology could allow us to taste food by biting down on a tiny, cubelike device Sieto/Getty ImagesImagine youre virtually walking through a forest during the Mesozoic era, when dinosaurs roamed Earth. As you pass some shrubs, you notice strange-looking fruit with a label that reads, Taste a Stegosauruss Favorite Food! So you reach into your pocket, grab a small cube attached to a thin plastic strip and hold the strip between your teeth. Immediately, your tongue is filled with a sweet-and-sour tang.This kind of experience might be realized in the not-too-distant future, according to a new study published on Friday in Science Advances. Immersive technologies such as virtual or augmented reality already do a pretty good job of reconstructing visual and auditory elements of experiences that can transcend space and time. But the developers of e-Tastea tiny cube, measuring about 15 millimeters (0.6 inch) on each side, that is filled with electric sensorswanted to add taste to the available repertoire of virtual senses.Images of e-Taste, a new device capable of simulating five different tastes by releasing a combination of chemicals to replicate the taste of a food object.Chen et al., Science Advances, Vol. 11, eadr4797 (2025)On supporting science journalismIf you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.For users, the way e-Taste works is simple. You hold the strip in your mouth, with the cube dangling outside. When the sensors inside the cube detects a food object (for example, the Stegosauruss Favorite Food) in the virtual environment, e-Taste releases a combination of chemicals that simulate five different tastessalty, sour, sweet, bitter and umamireplicating the experience of taste without requiring you to actually eat anything. Inside, the cube has small, refillable packs of liquid chemicals that are combined in different amounts to produce specific tastes. In the case of the imaginary fruit, for example, glucose and citric acid would be used.The role of taste in virtual realities has been relatively underexplored because taste is not just tasteit comes with other stuff like smell and texture, says study co-author Yizhen Jia, an engineer at the Ohio State University. To be clear, e-Taste cant yet replicate smell or texture, although Jia and his colleagues have already started exploring ways to include those elements. We do have a more [improved] design thats currently in progress, Jia says, and then also another work thats trying to address smell. But they researchers are confident that they are off to a good start, he adds, because e-Taste demonstrates it is possible to imitate tasting experiences in a compact, flexible way without a very bulky, large device.Even as it is now, however, e-Taste represents a significant advance in biomimetics, or the field in which researchers create artificial copies of natural systems to solve human problems, says Tae-il Kim, a bioengineer at Sungkyunkwan University in South Korea, who was not involved in the new study. One important objective of bioengineering is to develop technologies that work seamlessly with our bodies, as if they were a part of us, Kim explains. For instance, certain concepts behind e-Taste, such as emulating our tongues sensory functions and quantifying taste in chemical terms, could have extensive medical applicationssuch as wearable devices that people could use to make daily checks for health-related abnormalities. Such a device could perhaps stimulate different parts of the tongue to, say, determine if the brain was processing sensory signals properly.Photos showing the size of the electromagnetic actuator, which the user mounts onto the teeth.Chen et al., Science Advances, Vol. 11, eadr4797 (2025)Certainly, all this is still speculation, Kim says, but it does demonstrate the kind of advances bioengineers have been able to make in recent years. The end goal for [bioengineers] is not just to stop at making exact replicas of nature but also to understand why something works the way it does, he says. Thats how we make technology that people not only want but also actually needfor example, by improving accessibility. Its all part of that long-time quest.

110 former Metro developers are making a sci-fi shooter set in Latin America, with Drive director onboardAnd it's coming to PC.Image credit: Reburn News by Matt Wales News Reporter Published on Feb. 28, 2025 More than 110 former Metro series developers have come together as a new studio, known as Reburn, and its first project - La Quimera - is sci-fi shooter set in Latin America that's being co-written by Drive director Nicolas Winding Refn.The specifics of the announcement have lead to some confusion as talk of rebranding has gone around, but Reburn essentially appears to Metro developer sub-studio 4A Games Ukraine breaking away from 4A Games' Malta-based headquarters to do its own thing. As for the 4A Games that remains, it continues to work on a new IP and the next Metro project.Reburn, though, consists of over 110 former Metro developers, including gameplay designers, artists, sound engineers, and programmers - all led by former 4A Games Ukraine CEO Dmytro Lymar. And its debut project is sci-fi FPS La Quimera, promising "familiar tense gunplay and intimate storytelling" in a futuristic Latin American megalopolis and lush jungle setting.La Quimera announcement trailer.Watch on YouTubeLa Quimera sees players - either going it solo or co-operatively with up to two friends - stepping into the customisable exosuit of a down-on-their-luck PMC soldier battling against rival factions. There's talk of "unique and highly detailed environments, characters and weapons", as players experience a world and narrative written and created by Nicolas Winding Refn (Drive, Only God Forgives, The Neon Demon) and E.J.A. Warren.You can get a taste of that in La Quimera's announcement trailer above. But Reburn - which also has a presence in Cyprus alongside its Ukraine and remote teams - says it'll share more on the PC game, alongside additional "supporting visuals", in the coming months.

We love bedding from high-end retailers, but theres no denying Amazons affordability and speedy delivery, so we tested some of the best sheets on Amazon to find a few particularly nice gems worth adding to cart.With regular sales promotions, multiple delivery options, and a wide range of productsmany of which feature hundreds (and in some cases, hundreds of thousands) of reviewsAmazon makes shopping for sheets a breeze. From the best linen sheets to options with extra deep pockets, youre bound to find a good fit for your bed.With that, were here to help simplify your Amazon shopping experience and spare you some endless scrolling. Whether you have a penchant for cozy or want the best cooling sheets in organic cotton, bamboo, or linen, we think at least one of these ultra-soft sets will surely strike your fancy.Our Top Picks for the Best Amazon SheetsBest Color Varieties: Mellanni Queen Sheet SetBest Minimalist Sheets: Cozy Earth Bamboo Sheet SetBest Moisture-Wicking Sheets: Bamboo Bay Luxury Bamboo SheetsBest Luxury Set: California Design Den Cotton SheetsA Gift-Worthy Set: Boll & Branch Signature Hemmed Sheet SetBest Silky Set: Brooklinen Luxury Sateen Sheet SetFor the Scandi-Style Bedroom: Buffy 100% Eucalyptus Lyocell Sheet SetSki Chalet Pick: Eddie Bauer Cotton Flannel Bedding SetFor your convenience, prices are given for queen-size bed sheet sets, but different sizes are available for purchase.Browse by CategoryBest Color Varieties: Mellanni Hotel Luxury SetAmazonLauren ArzbaecherLauren ArzbaecherMellanni Hotel Luxury 1800 Sheet SetUpsidesGreat priceTons of color optionsAiry constructionMore than 245,000 five star reviews from customersDownsidesReviewers report a loose fitMicrofiber sheets tend to retain heat and are less moisture wickingSpecsMaterials: MicrofiberSizes: Twin, twin extra deep pocket, twin XL, twin XL extra deep pocket, full, full extra deep pocket, short queen, queen, queen extra deep pocket, king, king extra deep pocket, California king, California king extra deep pocket, split king, split king extra deep pocketColors: 45 shades and a variety of patternsThese wrinkle-resistant, super soft sheets are, according to contributor Kristi Kellogg, a basic sheet at a bargain price. She found them to be lightweight and airy, and coming in at 45 shades, theyre certain to suit whatever style youre trying to achieve in your sanctuary. Kellogg also confirms they wear well after using them for a couple of years, noting that they've held their shape, color, and softness through dozens of washes. A quick perusal shows that thousands of reviewers share her opinion.Best Minimalist Sheets: Cozy Earth Bamboo Sheet SetAmazonLauren ArzbaecherLauren ArzbaecherCozy Earth Bamboo Sheet SetUpsidesBreezyStays put on the mattressSoftDownsidesLimited color optionsQuick to wrinkleSpecsMaterials: 100% Viscose from BambooSizes: Twin, full, queen, king, California king, split kingColors: Charcoal grey, cream, grey, white, brown, light greyCommerce editor Audrey Lee is not only a big fan of her Cozy Earth loungewear, but also her cooling bamboo-viscose and linen-blend sheets. According to the brand, bamboo viscose fibers are more hollow than cotton, allowing more air (and heat from your body) to pass through while you sleep. While the linen-bamboo set is only available from the brands website, you can buy the bamboo viscose sheets directly from Amazon, which ship for free. Theyre super light and airy, Lee writes, making them ideal for warmer months or for hot sleepers. They also suit her minimalist bedrooms stylethe neutral and patternless color color variations suit a simple and clean aesthetic.Best Moisture-Wicking Sheets: Bamboo Bay Luxury Bamboo SheetsAmazonLauren ArzbaecherLauren ArzbaecherBamboo Bay Luxury Bamboo SheetsUpsidesFits well over mattressSoft fabricAges well after washingDownsidesMay not be the best for sensitive skinThin constructionQuick to wrinkleSpecsMaterials: Viscose Made from BambooSizes: Twin, full, queen, king, California king, split kingColors: White, dark grey, black, light grey, ivory, sage, light pink, light blue, ocean wave, sand, navy blueContributor Jordan Goldberg loves to sleep as cool as she can, so shes a die-hard for bamboo sheets, which are cooling, moisture-wicking and sateen-adjacent. She reviews these sheets as having the perfect thickness while still being airy and breathable to keep you cool while sleeping. Another pro is the thick band on the fitted sheet, so theres no sheet-shifting in the night, and they cling well to your mattress.Best Luxury Set: California Design Den Cotton SheetsAmazonLauren ArzbaecherLauren ArzbaecherCalifornia Design Den Luxury SheetsUpsidesCool enough for year-round useDurableRich color optionsDownsidesNot super soft at first (needs a few washes!)Thick constructionSpecsMaterials: 100% cotton sateen, 1000 thread countSizes: Queen, king, California king, split kingColors: Beige, blue, bright white, grey, ivory, light grey, navy blue, sage greenCalling these five-star hotel-level luxurious, commerce editor Audrey Lee found these 1,000-thread-count cotton sheets cool and airy on warmer nights and particularly cozy in cooler temperatures when paired with her favorite comforter. In a world of hot sleepers, cotton sheets can be intimidating, but these wear down well, becoming silkier and more comfortable with each wash, and Lee considers them a solid, year-round bedding option.Worth Gifting: Boll & Branch Signature Hemmed Sheet SetBoll & BranchRachel FletcherBoll & Branch Signature Hemmed Sheet SetUpsidesMade of luxe cottonSuper softWrinkle-freeOrganic and OEKO-Tex certifiedDownsidesOn the more expensive sideSpecsMaterials: 100% cotton , 400 thread countSizes: Twin, twin XL, full, queen, king, California king, split kingColors: Mineral, natural pewter, shore, stone, whiteContributor Kristi Kellogg says these sheets are buttery, breathable wonders that make you feel like youre drifting off to sleep in a five-star hotel. The sheets are made of top-tier, organic cotton and are completely chemical-free. The 17-inch-deep pocketed fitted sheet makes for a secure sleeping situation, and the sheets get softer with each wash, maintaining their crisp finish and luxe feel after even a couple years, says Kellogg. These are definitely among the best sheets Ive ever had, she notes I cant say enough good things about these. Buy them for yourself, buy them for your friends and familyanyone would be thrilled to sleep on these.Best Silky Set: Brooklinen Luxury Sateen Sheet SetBrooklinen Luxury Sateen Sheet SetUpsidesDeep pocketsSilky constructionChic designDownsidesThinOff-gassingSpecsMaterials: 100% cotton , 480 thread countSizes: Twin, full, king, queen, California kingColors: White, cream, windowpaneOnce snuggled under my massive duvet cover and mountain of pillows, I could feel the slight slick of the sateen constructiona very appreciated detail as NYC was slogging through a heatwave as I tested these, begins contributor Erika Owen in a raving review of these sateen sheets from AD-favorite bedding brand, Brooklinen. The fitted sheet pocket has a deep design, and after many washes, they just keep getting softer. These are quality sheets that will last you many seasons, adds Owen.For the Scandi-Style Bedroom: Buffy 100% Eucalyptus Lyocell Sheet SetBuffy 100% Eucalyptus Lyocell Sheet SetUpsidesSilk smoothSteadfast colorCool-to-the-touchDownsidesExpensiveNot great for people with pets who like to sleep in bedSpecsMaterials: Eucalyptus, 300 thread countSizes: Full, queen, kingColors: Grey, pink, whiteWhile eucalyptus sheets are generally hypoallergenic, Buffys 300-thread-count set is also colored with natural dyesmade from ingredients like turmeric, gardenia, and pomegranateto avoid any potential irritants (or harm to the environment). Dyes aside, editor and tester Zo Sessums finds them cool-to-the-touch, ultrasoft, and silky-smooth. They only get softer after each wash, she adds, and the color hasnt run or faded. The simple, high-quality sheets fit the Scandi-style look perfectlythe neutral color variations will look great tucked inside a teak bed.Ski Chalet Pick: Eddie Bauer Cotton Flannel Bedding SetEddie Bauer Cotton Flannel Bedding SetUpsidesBreathableTons of patternsSoft-to-the-touchDownsidesToo warm for summer usePatterns are fairly juvenileOff-gassingSpecsMaterials: 100% cotton flannel, 120 thread countSizes: Twin, twin XL, full, queen, kingColors: 39 color and pattern optionsFlannel sheets arent for everyone, but if you crave a little something extra when it comes to the coziness factor, perhaps no one knows flannel better than Eddie Bauer. As someone who has never slept on flannel sheets in my life, I was shocked at the extra softness of these as soon as I pulled them out of the bag, says contributor Katarina Kovac. They provide the coziest feeling, as if youre sleeping between two warm blankets but without making you overheat or sweat thanks to the material being 100% cotton.More AD-Approved Amazon Sheet PicksLane Linen 100% Organic Long-Staple Cotton Sheets (Percale Weave)UpsidesCooling designInexpensiveGreat color optionsMore than 19,000 customer reviewsDownsidesEasy to wrinkleSome reviewers report fraying seams after washingSpecsMaterials: 100% cotton percaleSizes: Twin, twin XL, queen, short queen, king, California kingColors: 25 color options and patternsIf youre looking for something breathable and cooling, youll love this lightweight linen set. Its a solid set of sheets for summer, and at under $50, its a great deal. Its made of organic cotton, and Oeko-Tex certified. The fitted sheet measures 15" deep, so its compatible with most mattresses. Seen here in mineral, the sheet set is available in more than 20 colors, including charcoal, dusty rose, silver, navy, white, and lilac. Tester Kristi Kellogg says after a couple years of use, theyre still in tip-top shapethey havent faded or pilled, and theyre still soft and comfy.Threadmill Celine Hotel Damask Sheets Deep PocketThreadmill Celine Hotel Damask Sheets Deep PocketUpsidesGreat cooling propertiesDurable after a number of washesTons of color optionsDownsidesTough to fit on a mattressNot super softSpecsMaterials: 100% cotton jacquard damaskSizes: Twin, twin XL, full, queen, king, California kingColors: Dark grey seline, dark grey solid, folkstone blue celine, folkstone blue solid, hotel white celine, hotel white solid, ivory celine, ivory solid, light beige seline, light beige solid, light blue solid, light grey seline, light grey solid, moonrock grey solid, sage green seline, sage green solidYou had us at deep pocket and hotel damask, but content operations manager Livia Caligor can confirm: these sheets are luxe. Crisp, smooth, and durable, they deliver on hotel-quality, and versatility. Even as a cold sleeper who prefers to bundle up in plush layers, I benefited from the cooling properties and smooth feel of this set, especially in the summer months, she says. Over time, theyll become the best bed sheets for those who prefer something softer. Caligor also loves their sustainability focusThreadmill operates from a wind and solar energy-powered factory, packs in zero-plastic and reusable cotton tote bags, and all their products are made without harmful chemicals.Utopia Bedding King Bed Sheets Set

Multi-BuyThe Sims 4 Businesses & Hobbies is built around a much-needed (but controversial) featureMore and better interactivity between expansion packs needs to be the future of The Sims, but not if the price is interdependence.Image credit: Maxis / Electronic Arts Article by Rebecca Jones Guides Writer Published on Feb. 28, 2025 When The Sims 4's dev team talk about the upcoming Businesses & Hobbies expansion pack, it's clear that for all the overhauled tattoo system and introduction of a new pottery skill are clearly the centrepieces in terms of "what's new" they know that cross-pack compatibility will be the big talking point for a lot of long-time players. It's been over a decade now since the TS4's original release, and even if you're overall a fan of the game, likelihood is that your wish-list has long included a desire to see DLCs that feel less siloed-off and more like holistic, meaningful additions to the game world as a whole. To see this content please enable targeting cookies.Businesses & Hobbies isn't really the first pack to try to make this a reality in some way. 2022's Werewolves game pack won many hearts and minds when it went out of its way to unify its lore with that of the previous two supernatural-themed GPs, Vampires and Realm of Magic; while last Halloween's Life & Death expansion was so all-encompassing as to be truly game-changing no matter what other add-ons you owned (or indeed didn't). But with Businesses & Hobbies, it seems that cross-pack compatibility is finally ready to run where those others walked, with new variations on its central gameplay additions of small businesses and hobby classes unlocked by almost every other piece or prior DLC. Admittedly tattoos and pottery don't feel particularly thematically connected when viewed in juxtaposition, but they're more of a jumping-off point for the business-slash-hobby gameplay. | Image credit: Maxis / Electronic ArtsIt's unfortunate but not at all unexpected for this news to come as a bit of a double-edged sword as far as the fandom goes. Any announcement related to The Sims at this point is guaranteed to generate controversy, and for every Simmer who's pleased to finally tick "robust pack interactivity" off their wish-list, another will be unhappy at the concept of features from one DLC being in any way gated behind another.Which is not an inherently unreasonable complaint, but this really is a binary choice: either each Sims 4 DLC is entirely self-contained and stand-alone, or they include some unique interactions depending on what other add-ons you have installed. Both have their merits but on balance I'm on the side of the second team, although for what it's worth, I understand where the mistrust comes from. Everyone who was there surely remembers the extremely contentious release of the My First Pet Stuff pack, which launched only a few months behind the Cats & Dogs expansion and was pretty transparently "a DLC for a DLC" even including a handful of items that you needed to own both to unlock.The debacle around My First Pet Stuff was indeed a low moment for TS4, and the fact that the two packs concerned haven't simply been re-bundled as a single add-on even seven years later feels like a missed opportunity to regain some goodwill on EA's part. But while it might be reasonable on the part of consumers to approach Businesses & Hobbies with some trepidation based on that experience, that doesn't make it accurate to assume that B&H will repeat all past mistakes, either. Even if nothing else in this pack catches your eye at first, the new ability to free-draw tattoos on your Sims is sure to lead to some extremely creative troublemaking. | Image credit: Maxis / Electronic ArtsOne of the selling points EA are keen to point out is that a brand-new player could download The Sims 4 base game, purchase Businesses & Hobbies as their first and only paid add-on, and already have access to 76 different, well, business and hobby options so even though almost every other DLC over the course of TS4's 10-year history that's introduced a new skill or craft has some level of interactivity with the pack, the idea is that there's still plenty to enjoy even if you only have access to the bare minimum.That number sounds pretty good and all, but it's kind of hard to visualise without some context. Well, having played a base-game-and-B&H-only preview build provided by EA, I can tell you that while it does undeniably feel limiting to go from playing with every single major DLC to having just one pack available I never felt like I was short on things to do. Within 10 minutes of starting the game I was running the world's dodgiest cake shop out of my Sim's bare concrete garage, in what was honestly one of the quicker-paced starts I've ever experienced when beginning a new TS4 save from scratch.There's no denying that there were a few oddities. Naturally as an aspiring bakery owner, I spent a couple of nonplussed minutes looking for the "baking" sub-menu on the oven before remembering that separating it out as its own skill was something that came with the Get to Work expansion pack, and thus my Sim would have to simply "cook" her cakes like some kind of 2014 luddite. Similarly, I had to define my home business as a bar, since the caf lot assignment came with Get Together and surprisingly still hasn't made it into the base game.But in the end, not only could I still make and sell the cakes I wanted to, I could even customise them in new ways thanks to B&H's new "family recipe" creation feature, which is honestly very diverting in its simplicity. A moment later I was happily defining my Sim's secret recipe for birthday cake (base recipe) with cherries (secret ingredient) that includes an inherent mood-boost (bonus effect), my disappointment over the lack of technical accuracy in terms of baked goods and business terminology largely forgotten, if not entirely forgiven. For those wondering where exactly the titular hobbies figure in to Businesses & Hobbies, it's all about skill classes, which can now be hosted as goaled events at a small business venue. | Image credit: Maxis / Electronic ArtsSo some older packs particularly the aforementioned Get to Work and Get Together, which were in fact the two first-ever expansions to be released for TS4 way back in 2015 certainly feel like they'll flesh out Businesses & Hobbies significantly, even if they're not really required. Indeed, parts of B&H do almost feel like an overhaul of and refinement on Get to Work's fairly forgettable and underwhelming retail business ownership system. While I won't go so far as to say that this should have been a free update, I do think it supports the idea that some older TS4 packs really should be permanently dropping in price, now that the cycle's been running for so long we're starting to see the sort of spiritual follow-ups to old EPs that used to come at the start of a new generation of the franchise.But to be honest, at least in my opinion, the most fun to be had out of pack interactivity with B&H comes from the more niche edge-cases. Businesses & Hobbies is obviously going to pair well with Get to Work, but I'm more excited about some of the examples drawn from packs that don't immediately scream "home business" until you get creative with it. Supernaturally-inclined Simmers will be able to open up vampire plasma bars with the Vampires GP installed, or run elixir shops with Realm of Magic. Cat cafs are on the table if you own both Get Together and Cats & Dogs, that is. Part of the appeal here is pouring all your simulated LEGOs out onto the table and seeing what you can come up with.Hopefully this doesn't leave Simmers who perfectly reasonably either can't afford to or simply don't want to be a TS4 completionist feeling left out. The Sims franchise recently turned 25, which means we're also coming up on a quarter-century of asking ourselves whether the series' DLC practices are the reason this concept has been able to stay afloat for so long or a shameless exploitation of a captive audience. There isn't an easy answer for me to give to that (although I suspect it can easily be both), but I do favour the notion that if EA are going to release two 40 expansion packs every year until the heat death of the universe, then while I don't want those DLCs to rely on each other, I do really prefer them to be able to talk to each other in this way especially if that conversation leads to some inventive new possibilities for Simmers to explore.The Sims 4 Businesses & Hobbies releases on March 6th for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One, and costs 35 / $40 / 40. As is now standard for new expansion packs, there's also a three-item digital bonus set exclusively for players who purchase the game before April 18th.

Amnesty International said that Google fixed previously unknown flaws in Android that allowed authorities to unlock phones using forensic tools.On Friday, Amnesty International published a report detailing a chain of three zero-day vulnerabilities developed by phone-unlocking company Cellebrite, which its researchers found after investigating the hack of a student protesters phone in Serbia. The flaws were found in the core Linux USB kernel, meaning the vulnerability is not limited to a particular device or vendor and could impact over a billion Android devices, according to the report.Zero-days are bugs in products that when found are unknown to the software or hardware makers. Zero-days allow criminal and government hackers to break into systems in a way thats more effective because there is no patch that fixes them yet.In this case, Amnesty said that it first found traces of one of the flaws in a case in mid-2024. Then, last year, after investigating the hack of a student activist in Serbia, the organization shared its findings with Googles anti-hacking unit Threat Analysis Group, which led the company researchers to identify and fix the three separate flaws.During the investigation into the activists phone, Amnesty researchers found the USB exploit, which allowed Serbian authorities, with the use of Cellebrite tools, to unlock the activists phone.When reached for comment, Cellebrite spokesperson Victor Cooper referred to a statement that the company published earlier this week.In December, Amnesty reported that it had found two cases where Serbian authorities had used Cellebrite forensic tools to unlock the phones of an activist and a journalist, and subsequently installed an Android spyware known as Novispy. Earlier this week, Cellebrite announced that it had stopped its Serbian customer from using its technology following the allegations of abuse uncovered by Amnesty.After a review of the allegations brought forth by the December 2024 Amnesty International report, Cellebrite took precise steps to investigate each claim in accordance with our ethics and integrity policies. We found it appropriate to stop the use of our products by the relevant customers at this time, Cellebrite wrote in its statement.Contact UsDo you have more information about government spyware and its makers? From a non-work device, you can contact Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai securely on Signal at +1 917 257 1382, or via Telegram and Keybase @lorenzofb, or email. You also can contact TechCrunch via SecureDrop.In the new report, Amnesty said it was contacted in January to analyze the device of a youth activist arrested by the Serbian Security Information Agency (Bezbedonosno-informativna agencija or BIA) at the end of last year.The circumstances of his arrest, and the behavior of the BIA officers, strongly matched the modus operandi that was used against protesters and that we documented in our report in December. A forensic investigation of the device conducted in January confirmed the use of Cellebrite on the student activists phone, Amnesty wrote.Like in the other cases, the authorities used a Cellebrite device to unlock the activists Samsung A32 phone without his knowledge or consent, and outside a legally sanctioned investigation, according to Amnesty.The seemingly routine use of Cellebrite software against people for exercising their rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly can never be a legitimate aim, Amnesty wrote, and therefore is in violation of human rights law.Bill Marczak, a senior researcher at Citizen Lab, a digital rights organization that investigates spyware, wrote on X that activists, journalists, and members of civil society who might have their phone seized by authorities (protest, border, etc.) should consider switching to iPhone, because of these vulnerabilities.Referring to Cellebrites tools, Donncha Cearbhaill, the head of Amnestys Security Lab, told TechCrunch that the far-reaching availability of such tools leaves me fearing that we are just scratching the surface of harms from these products.Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Google is giving Sheets a Gemini-powered upgrade that is designed to help users analyze data faster and turn spreadsheets into charts using AI.With this update, users can access Geminis capabilities to generate insights from their data, such as correlations, trends, outliers, and more. Users now can also generate advanced visualizations, like heatmaps, that they can insert as static images over cells in spreadsheets.While the company announced the update last month, Google said on Friday that its now available to all Workspace business users.To get started, you need to click the Gemini icon on the top right-hand side of your spreadsheet. From there, you can ask things like predict my net income for the next quarter based on historical data or create a simple heatmap of support cases by category and device.Image Credits:GoogleOther examples include a marketing manager asking Gemini to Provide some insights on my top 3 performing channels by conversion rateor a financial analyst asking Gemini to Identify any anomalies in inventory levels for Product X.Gemini is able to do all this by creating and running Python code and then analyzing the results to perform multi-layered analysis, Google says. For simpler requests, Gemini might still provide answers using formulas instead of Python code.The company notes that data should be in a consistent format with clear headers and no missing values to allow for accurate results.

Blender Octane Texture Pack 6Interior DesignWere excited to offer Octane Texture Pack 6: Interior Design for Blender! It has 130 incredibly detailed textures. The textures are all 4K and set up to be seamless and tileable. Most are set up with Triplanar Mapping so everything is simple for you to use. Every texture has smudges, dirt, flecks, and subtle variations to make them incredibly realistic. This pack includes .orbx files so you can also use the pack in Octane Standalone or other apps that use Octane.

To coincide with Valentines Day, Pernilla Ohrstedt Studios installation, Love Ever After, was on view in Times Square. On March 4, just one month after its debut, the art piece will be dismantled, placed around the New York City shoreline, and used as oyster reef cages as part of Billion Oyster Projects effort to restore one billion oysters to New York Harbor within the next decade. The installation design was chosen by Times Square Arts in partnership with The World Around. (Naho Kubota)Pernilla Ohrstedt Studio, a New York Citybased architecture and design firm, was chosen by Times Square Arts in partnership with The World Around for its 17th iteration of the Love & Design Competition.Love Ever After, is constructed of 40 metal mesh cages. The inside of each of the cages are painted with sea-safe paint to form a 3D heart. As one walks around the sculpture, the heart flickers as the colors and size change from each angle. The vibrant colors of the heart recall the bright billboards and marquee lights of Times Square, but the installation stands out in its simplicity. In an interview with AN, Pernilla Ohrstedt explained, Love Ever After is about, creating beauty with minimal means.Sitting in Times Square, the installation works in concert with the brightness of the billboards but is strikingly minimal. (Naho Kubota)Love Ever After has life after its installation in New York Citys beating heart. The mesh cages used in the assembly of Love Ever After will be disassembled and used as oyster gabions. The mesh metal gabions used in Love Ever After will be used by Billion Oyster Project to restore oyster reefs to New York City shorelines. (Courtesy Billion Oyster Project)Pernilla Ohrstedt studio worked with Billion Oyster Project for the design of Love Ever After. Billion Oyster Project is a nonprofit organization hoping to repopulate New York City harbors with oysters to naturally filter the water. Pernilla Ohrstedt shared in an Instagram post: The project isnt complete until its actually in the waters of New York City, supporting and building these oyster reefs that are cleaning the waters.Once Love Ever After is taken apart on March 4 and the metal cages placed in the water, the organizations volunteers will monitor the gabions and ensure they are effectively building oyster reefs.