IM-2 Yes, we are about to be treated to a second lunar landing in a week "Of course, everybody's wondering, are we gonna land upright?" Eric Berger Mar 5, 2025 3:18 pm | 2 The Athena lander is seen moving into lunar orbit this week. Credit: Intuitive Machines The Athena lander is seen moving into lunar orbit this week. Credit: Intuitive Machines Story textSizeSmallStandardLargeWidth *StandardWideLinksStandardOrange* Subscribers only Learn moreThe Apollo 17 mission landed on the Moon on December 11, in 1972. From that point on, literally for decades, NASA and the United States did not go back to the surface of our nearest planetary body.It was not until February 22, 2024, that another American-built spacecraft made a soft landing on the Moon. This was the Nova-C Odysseus lander built by Intuitive Machines. It landed, toppled over, but still completed most of its scientific experiments.This first successful landing on the Moon by the first privately built spacecraft ended a 51-year gap, or 18,700 days. It was a long freaking time.Then, it happened again. Last weekend another privately built vehicle, Firefly's Blue Ghost, landed on the Moon. Blue Ghost stuck its landing, remaining upright. That was two landings in slightly more than a year. And now, it could happen again on Thursday afternoon. Intuitive Machines is back with its second Nova-C lander, Athena. If it is successful, that would be three US landers in 377 days.So whats going on?Interest in the Moon has steadily been growing over the last 15 or 20 years, especially with the potential for water (in the form of ice) to exist in permanently shadowed craters at the poles. In 2018, because of this, as well as a burgeoning commercial space industry, NASA created the Commercial Lunar Payload Services program. Essentially, it hired private companies to deliver science payloads to the surface of the Moon. The space agency paid less for these missions, typically about $100 million, in return for accepting a greater chance of failure.Although the program has not been without some hiccupsthere have been delays, dropouts, and mission failuresthe seeds of a program planted seven years ago are now starting to bear some fruit. NASA now has two companies in which it has some confidence to land on the Moon: Intuitive Machines and Firefly; and two more efforts, by Astrobotic Technology and Draper Laboratory (in collaboration with ispace) that may eventually become successful. Essentially, then, NASA is laying down the paving stones of a highway to the Moon.Because the space agency now has some expectation that Intuitive Machines will be fully successful with its second landing attempt, it has put some valuable experiments on board. Principal among them is the PRIME-1 experiment, which has an ice drill to sample any ice that lies below the surface. Drill, baby, drill.The Athena lander also is carrying a NASA-funded "hopper" that will fire small hydrazine rockets to bounce around the Moon and explore lunar craters near the South Pole. It might even fly into a lava tube. If this happens it will be insanely cool.Because this is a commercial program, NASA has encouraged the delivery companies to find additional, private payloads. Athena has some nifty ones, including a small rover from Lunar Outpost, a data center from Lonestar Data Holdings, and a 4G cellular network from Nokia. So there's a lot riding on Athena's success.So will it be a success?"Of course, everybody's wondering, are we gonna land upright?" said Tim Crain, Intuitive Machines' chief technology officer, in an interview with Ars. "So, I can tell you our laser test plan is much more comprehensive than those last time."During the first landing about a year ago, Odysseus' laser-based system for measuring altitude failed during the descent. Because Odysseus did not have access to altitude data, the spacecraft touched down faster, and on a 12-degree slope, which exceeded the 10-degree limit. As a result, the lander skidded across the surface, and one of its six legs broke, causing it to fall over.Crain said about 10 major changes were made to the spacecraft and its software for the second mission. On top of that about 30 smaller things, such asmore efficient file management, were updated on the new vehicle.In theory, everything should work this time. Intuitive Machines has the benefit of all of its learnings from the last time, and nearly everything worked right during this first attempt. But the acid test comes on Thursday.The company and NASA will provide live coverage of the attempt beginning at 11:30 am ET (16:30 UTC) on NASA+, with landing set for just about one hour later. The Moon may be a harsh mistress, but hopefully not too harsh.Eric BergerSenior Space EditorEric BergerSenior Space Editor Eric Berger is the senior space editor at Ars Technica, covering everything from astronomy to private space to NASA policy, and author of two books: Liftoff, about the rise of SpaceX; and Reentry, on the development of the Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon. A certified meteorologist, Eric lives in Houston. 2 Comments

3-year-old Reddit post sparks uproar Brother denies using firmware updates to brick printers with third-party ink Brother: Updates aren't behind degradation of quality or removal of features. Scharon Harding Mar 5, 2025 2:51 pm | 24 A Brother MFCL3750CDW laser printer. Credit: Brother A Brother MFCL3750CDW laser printer. Credit: Brother Story textSizeSmallStandardLargeWidth *StandardWideLinksStandardOrange* Subscribers only Learn moreBrother laser printers are popular recommendations for people seeking a printer with none of the nonsense. By nonsense, we mean printers suddenly bricking features, like scanning or printing, if users install third-party cartridges. Some printer firms outright block third-party toner and ink, despite customer blowback and lawsuits. Brothers laser printers have historically worked fine with non-Brother accessories. A YouTube video posted this week, though, as well as older social media posts, claim that Brother has gone to the dark side and degraded laser printer functionality with third-party cartridges. Brother tells Ars that this isnt true.On March 3, YouTuber Louis Rossman posted a video saying that Brother turns heel & becomes anti-consumer printer company. The video, spotted by Toms Hardware, has 163,000 views as of this writing and seems to be based on a Reddit post from 2022. In that post, Reddit user 20Factorial said that firmware update W1.56 caused the automatic color registration feature to stop working on his Brother MFC-3750 when using third-party cartridges.With the colors not able to be aligned, the printer is effectively non-functional, 20Factorial said. The Redditor went on to say that when asked, a Brother customer service agent confirmed that the printer is non-functional without genuine toner.Rossman created a Wiki page breaking down the reported issues, including printers continue to function with third-party toner but print at degraded quality unless OEM toner is installed. He also noted that Brother printers automatically update when connected to the Internet and that Brother doesnt offer older firmware versions to users.Brothers responseBrother denied to Ars Technica that it intentionally bricks printer functionality when users install third-party toner or ink. In a statement, the company said:We are aware of the recent false claims suggesting that a Brother firmware update may have restricted the use of third-party ink cartridges. Please be assured that Brother firmware updates do not block the use of third-party ink in our machines.Brother said its actively addressing the source of these false claims to ensure accurate information is available to our customers.20Factorial isnt the only one who has claimed to see printer capabilities decline when trying to use a third-party cartridge. A month ago, Reddit user West-Skin4092 claimed:I had an error message when I installed a non[-]OE toner on a 3770[,] and I took the original chip off the Brother cartridge and swapped it onto the non-OE toner cartridge[,] and it recognized it and works.Reddit user Gloomy-Score-8279 claimed to have a similar experience with their MFC-L3750CDWbut added that the workaround of putting a Brother chip on a non-Brother cartridge stopped working after an unspecified update.Two years ago, fncamo claimed on Reddit that their MFC-L3370CDW stopped printing and scanning when trying to use third-party toner after installing new firmware.When asked for more detail, Brother told Ars that firmware updates do not block the use of third-party compatibles, but added:Brother printers do not intentionally degrade print quality based on whether a Brother Genuine or non-genuine ink/ toner cartridge is used. Brother cannot verify the quality of printing that will result when using a third-party compatible with a Brother printer.When asked where Brother thinks the confusion may be coming from, the company said:Brother encourages the use of Brother Genuine ink and toner for optimal performance and reliability, and it is standard practice that we perform a Brother [G]enuine check when troubleshooting a Brother printer. Compatible supplies may range in quality, and in order to verify that a printer is working properly, we like to troubleshoot with Brother Genuine supplies. We believe this check in the process may have led to a misunderstanding[,] but as we confirmed, the firmware update would not be responsible for the degradation of quality or removal of printer features.Oh, brotherWith most claims of bricked Brother printers coming from people online, its impossible to confirm the accuracy of the reports and whether or not user error or the selected cartridges are factors.It would be shocking for a company like Brother, which has made a name for itself as a reliable, more consumer-friendly printer company than rivals, to blatantly lie about this. On the other hand, with the print industry declining and rivals more heavily relying on ink and services to stay afloat, there is incentive for Brother to push people to proprietary cartridges. After seeing the backlash that other printer firms endured for bricking printers via firmware updates, Brother would be demonstrating awful judgement by not being upfront about breaking its customers' property.Notably, Brothers statements to Ars leave the door open for third-party cartridges to work poorly with Brother devices, but without more concrete evidence, we can't confidently state that Brother is behind the reported user complaints.For what its worth, an Ars staffer has been successfully using their Brother HL-2270DW laser printer with v4ink-brand toner, but their device doesn't receive automatic updates. We'll let you know if we find further evidence of Brother breaking printers. In the meantime, we wouldnt blame you for ensuring more control over your printer by disabling automatic updates.Scharon HardingSenior Technology ReporterScharon HardingSenior Technology Reporter Scharon is a Senior Technology Reporter at Ars Technica writing news, reviews, and analysis on consumer gadgets and services. She's been reporting on technology for over 10 years, with bylines at Toms Hardware, Channelnomics, and CRN UK. 24 Comments

TechnologySoftware used by banks and the space industry may still rely on archaic code. We went in search of the oldest code in use and asked, what happens when it glitches? 5 March 2025 Shutterstock/SkillUpEarlier this year, the technology world welcomed back a long-lost friend. ELIZA, the worlds first artificial intelligence chatbot, had wowed the computer scientists of the mid-1960s with its ability to engage in seemingly meaningful conversation. But, for decades, ELIZA was considered lost because its creator Joseph Weizenbaum at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology never published the 420 lines of code he used to create it.At that time, it was actually kind of not normal to publish code, says Jeffrey Shrager at Stanford University in California. Weizenbaum might even have thought that nobody would find it particularly interesting.How times have changed: Shrager and his colleagues are so fascinated by Weizenbaums achievement that they founded the ELIZA Archaeology Project and began digging into the history of the ancient chatbot. A few years ago, their efforts were rewarded when they discovered the missing code in a box of Weizenbaums old documents at MIT, paving the way for ELIZAs recent resurrection.It is astonishing that we can once again talk to a chatbot that occupies such an important place in the history of AI. It got me wondering: is the ELIZA code the oldest out there, or are there even older snippets of computer code still performing impressive or important tasks? My journey in search of the oldest code took me into the heart of modern operating systems and, figuratively at least, beyond the outer reaches of the solar system. And it revealed something unexpected: this old code, far from being revered like ELIZAs, evokes strangely contradictory attitudes among

I recently had the chance to spend a week behind the wheel of a 2025 Mercedes-AMG CLE 53 Coupe.The 2025 Mercedes-AMG CLE 53 Coupe. Benjamin Zhang/Business Insider The base four-cylinder Mercedes-Benz CLE 300 4Matic starts at $58,000, while the six-cylinder CLE450 4Matic starts at $67,450.The Mercedes-AMG CLE53 starts at $74,300. More than $13,000 of luxury, performance, and styling options, including $3,250 for the stunning matte Starling Blue Magno paints, pushed the as-tested price on my test car to $87,640.The car features a modified version of the aerodynamic 'shark nose' front end shared with other CLE models and the current C-Class.The 2025 Mercedes-AMG CLE 53 Coupe Benjamin Zhang/Business Insider Instead of the CLE450's three-dimensional chrome grille, the 53 comes with an AMG grille featuring black vertical slats. It's a look that evokes the brand's vintage Silver Arrows race cars.Out back, the CLE450s's faux exhaust tips have been replaced by a set of working quad exhausts.The coupe features prominent front and rear wheel arches to accommodate its sticky 20-inch Michelin performance tires.The 2025 Mercedes-AMG CLE 53 Coupe. Benjamin Zhang/Business Insider As a result, the CLE 53, 2.3 inches wider up front and three inches wider at the rear wheels compared to the standard CLE, looks more like a brawny muscle car than a svelt grand tourer.Under the hood is an AMG-tuned mild-hybrid turbocharged six-cylinder engine.The CLE 53's AMG-enhanced turbocharged, inline-six-cylinder engine. Benjamin Zhang/Business Insider The 3.0-liter, turbocharged inline-six-cylinder engine is similar to the one found in the CLE 450 but tuned or, as Mercedes calls it, "enhanced" by AMG.Redesigned intake and exhaust channels, new piston rings, optimized injection, and a new electric supercharger and exhaust gas turbocharger result in 443 horsepower and up to 443 lb-ft of torque. (That's up from the CLE 450's 375 horsepower and 369 lb-ft of torque.)Like all CLEs, the 53 is helped by Mercedes' 48-volt mild-hybrid system, which uses an integrated starter generator to contribute an additional 23 horsepower and 151 lb-ft of torque. It's designed to mitigate the effects of turbo lag and quicken the response of its auto start/stop system.My test car boasted EPA fuel economy figures of 20 mpg city, 27 mpg highway, and 23 mpg combined, which is about 3 mpg less than the last CLE450 I drove.AMG has transformed the CLE's driving experience from a laid-back luxury coupe to a performance monster.The Mercedes-AMG CLE 53. Benjamin Zhang/Business Insider The CLE450 drives with the smoothness and refined power of a true grand tourer. The CLE 53 feels very different. It's aggressive and athletic. The AMG tuning eliminates some of the CLE's niceties, as the cabin is noticeably louder and the ride more harsh.But that's the trade-off you make for the gains in handling and performance you get.With a 0-60 time of 4.0 seconds, according to Mercedes, the CLE 53 is just 0.2 seconds quicker than the CLE450.That isn't much and makes me miss the brute horsepower and noise of the handbuilt AMG V8s that once powered the old C63 coupe.But AMG's work on the CLE's adaptive suspension, all-wheel-drive system, and rear axle steering really shines.Despite its hefty curb weight of 4,400 lbs, the 53 felt remarkably nimble and confident through the winding mountain roads of North Georgia.The Mercedes' stylish interior elegantly integrates modern tech with classic design.The CLE's cabin borrows heavily from the current C-Class and GLC SUV. Benjamin Zhang/Business Insider Its interior is an elegant blend of modern design and callbacks to classic Mercedes-Benz of days gone by, like the giant 11.9-inch touchscreen sitting below the trio of vintage turbine-design air vents.Material and build quality are excellent. My test car came with elegant metal weave design trim pieces that not only look great but are also less susceptible to the unsightly smudges and scratches that plagued the shiny piano black lacquer trim found on the other CLEs I've driven.Despite having years of experience using them, I still find the capacitive touch controls found throughout the cabin to be a bit clumsy and less precise than physical controls.The 11.9-inch touchscreen features the Mercedes-Benz User Experience (MBUX) infotainment system.The infotainment screen also houses the surround-view camera system and a host of additional capabilities, such as web browsing and video streaming. Benjamin Zhang/Business Insider The system is pretty well sorted at this point. It's responsive and easy to navigate, and the graphics look terrific. The system's overeager voice assistance is also far less intrusive than in past iterations.The car comes standard with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.The CLE 53's special AMG steering wheel comes with a pair of round drive mode and performance setting controllers.The CLE 53's AMG steering wheel and digital instrument display. Benjamin Zhang/Business Insider Instead of a traditional gauge cluster, the CLE has a 12.3-inch digital display. It's highly configurable, with layouts ranging from a traditional dual analog gauge look to a full-page navigation map.My test car's black nappa leather seat looked great and offered good support, especially when cornering.The CLE 53's massaging front seats are embossed with the AMG crested on the headrest. Benjamin Zhang/Business Insider The CLE is a true 2+2 with a pair of bucket seats in the back, suitable for quick trips around town.The CLE comes standard with some safety and driver-assistance tech, but adaptive cruise control costs extra.The 2025 Mercedes-AMG CLE 53 Coupe. Benjamin Zhang/Business Insider That's a shame because the Mercedes-Benz Distronic system is excellent. It's about as close as you can get to a legitimate hands-free system without being one.My verdict: The Mercedes-AMG CLE 53 is an outstanding high-performance luxury coupe that makes me miss the company's old V8.The 2025 Mercedes-AMG CLE 53 Coupe. Benjamin Zhang/Business Insider The CLE 53 is objectively a great luxury sport coupe. Its suspension and steering are beautifully tuned, and its cabin is a wonderful place to be.Despite all the joy I derived from driving it, I couldn't help but think how the true excellence of AMG's tuning work might shine even brighter with the brute force of a V8.Do it, Mercedes. Give us a CLE 63.

2025-03-05T20:15:52Z Read in app Andrew Harnik/Getty Images This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now.Have an account? Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has said vitamin A may help in the measles outbreak.Vitamin A is used worldwide to treat children with measles, but doesn't prevent infection.Researchers have raised concerns that touting vitamin A mirrors anti-vaccine talking points.In Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s response to the US measles outbreak, he raised eyebrows by touting an idea: vitamin A.At least 146 people have been sickened and one child has died from the disease, which is spreading in West Texas and New Mexico.The US Health Secretary addressed the outbreak in an op-ed for Fox News. Kennedy, who has previously opposed vaccine mandates, acknowledged evidence that shows the MMR vaccine protects against disease. He did not urge Americans to get vaccinated,Kennedy then pointed to vitamin AIt didn't go down well with public health workers.Vitamin A is often touted by vaccine skeptics, including Children's Health Defense, the anti-vaccine organization Kennedy formerly chaired.While vitamin A is"It's not nearly a firm enough statement," immunologist Andrea Love told Business Insider. "Good nutrition and vitamin A are not going to stop a measles outbreak."So, does vitamin A protect against measles?Vitamin A is used to treat patients with measles in some cases. Both the World Health Organization and American Academy of Pediatrics recommend giving vitamin A to measles patients with vitamin deficiency from malnutrition.That's because measles can deplete the body's supply of vitamin A, and kids deficient in vitamin A are at risk of more severe infection or complications like high fever, blindness, and even death.Therapeutic doses of vitamin A for measles range between 15,000 to 60,000 micrograms RAE per dose much higher than the recommended daily amount for vitamin A in your diet, which is between 700 to 900 micrograms RAE. Cod liver oil is not a standard treatment for measles.Vitamin A is less commonly administered for measles in the US where people tend to get too much vitamin A rather than too little.Crucially, dosing up on vitamin A supplements will not protect against a measles infection.Christopher Sudfeld, a professor of nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public and the author of a study that Kennedy cited in his Fox News op-ed said research supports using vitamin A to reduce risk of complications from measles, but he wants people to know"The best intervention we have prevent measles is vaccination. The MMR vaccine is safe and effective for the prevention of measles," he told BI.Vitamin A can be toxicVitamin A is a major talking point for anti-vaccine advocates, who champion supplements as a protective measure, despite evidence to the contrary.That's why Love, the immunologist, was frustrated with Kennedy's op-ed. She felt the resulting message could confuse readers who are already skeptical of vaccines."People who see this are going to pick up on the things that resonate with their beliefs," Love told BI. "The entire wellness industry and pseudoscience landscape plays into the idea of taking control of your health."The problem is: it is possible to overdose on vitamin A, Love said. The nutrient is fat-soluble, which means it can build up in the tissues over time. Too much can cause problems like headaches, fatigue, joint pain, liver damage, and reduced bone density."My concern is people are going to start megadosing vitamin A and we're going to see an increase in toxicity," Love said.The gold standard of protection against measles is widespread MMR vaccination to curtail the spread of the virus, which is incredibly infectious. A vaccinated person can be infectious for days before they show symptoms, and their breath particles can linger in the air for hours after they leave a room."The most effective preventive measure is vaccination, that cannot be overemphasized," Dr. Eduardo Villamor, a professor of epidemiology at the University of Michigan School of Public Health, told Business Insider.

GTA 6 is still slated for this year, and fans have pieced together what they think is the map not only does it look magnitudes larger than Los Santos from GTA 5, but fans have spotted one curious issueTech20:00, 05 Mar 2025GTA 6 fans have been busy(Image: Rockstar)Grand Theft Auto 6 will be this year's biggest game if it does launch in 2025, but Rockstar's silence (outside of confirming a huge free upgrade to GTA 5) has some worried.The good news is that it's led fans to dig into what materials we already have, with new details emerging from the only trailer we've seen so far.One group of clever fans has seemingly put together a mock-up of the GTA 6 map, and it looks absolutely staggering in size, likely two or three times than Los Santos in GTA 5. Here's all we know so far about our potential playground in GTA 6.Content cannot be displayed without consentAs shared on X (formerly Twitter) by the GTA 6 Unlimited account, the GTA 6 map looks much larger than that of GTA 5.The caveat is that this is all unconfirmed, pieced together from trailer footage and other leaks, so take it with a fistful of salt (as you should with any GTA 6 updates that don't come directly from Rockstar Games).We've had our plane tickets to Vice City purchased for years(Image: Rockstar)Los Santos felt huge already, but is GTA 6's map perhaps too big? That remains to be seen, but some have complained about the lack of urban areas. As you can see, there are some cities and towns, but there's a fair amount of greenery on the map.Given how much of GTA 5's map was formed up of wilderness and more rural areas, though, it's perhaps not a surprise. It's also unlikely to be a problem Red Dead Redemption 2 offered a gorgeous array of locales, many of which didn't include settlements.If there's one developer we trust to make an impressive map that's packed with detail, it's Rockstar, and that's before digging into the inevitable secrets and easter eggs to be found in the swampy underbrush of Leonida.Article continues belowFor more on GTA, be sure to check out the news that Rockstar has a acquired a studio, or the fact that John Cena is even taunting Rockstar after his heel turn.For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters.

Prime Video series Blade Runner 2099 was announced in 2022, delayed in 2023 as part of the Hollywood strikes, and cast Hunter Schaefer and Michelle Yeoh as co-leads in 2024. Its been a long road, in other words. However, another cast member, Furiosas Tom Burke, talked about it in a recent interviewoffering some tantalizing hints of what fans can expect. Until this point, all weve known is the setting (obviously, it takes place in 2099 and is a sequel to both Blade Runner and Blade Runner 2049), and that Yeoh is playing a replicant nearing the end of her days. Speaking to Variety, Burke couldnt divulge anything about the plot, but he did say 2099 is much closer to the aesthetic of the first movie than the second movie, and referenced that somewhat kind of Baroque, eclectic mix of cultures and time periods. He also, cryptically, called the show out there and said he had a moment of just letting go to embrace what that meant. Thematically, the series sounds like it will continue to follow what the Ridley Scott and Denis Villeneuve movies, as well as Philip K. Dicks source-material novel, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, have also explored: what makes somebody human and what makes somebody not human. Or when does somebody cross some threshold Can we really have a full sense of humanity without being very aware of our own dual sides? We all have the capacity for great evil as well as great good. I suppose every genre does that to some extent, but I do feel that the morality, that whole kind of thing is handled so well in the Blade Runner world, to me. Its got subtleties and nuances to it that I dont think necessarily all sci-fi always has. Along with Schaefer, Yeoh, and Burke, Blade Runner 2099s cast includes Maurizio Lombardi, Dimitri Abold, Lewis Gribben, Katelyn Rose Downey, Daniel Rigby, Johnny Harris, Amy Lennox, Sheila Atim, and Matthew Needham. Prime Video has yet to reveal a release date. Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, whats next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.

Though Dr. Mauer made himself fully known in Chikhai Bardo, the seventh episode of Severance season two, wed actually encountered him earlier in the season. He strolled into Optics and Design to pick up dental tools, then wheeled them to that ominous elevator at the end of the Exports Hall. Its the last place we saw Ms. Casey at the end of season one, so to connect the two characters wasnt a huge leap. But Chikhai Bardo exceeded our worst nightmares in that regard. The fact that Dr. Mauer is constantly whistling The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, Gordon Lightfoots folksy yet morose ballad about a ship that sinks in icy waters, spelling doom for all aboard, really sets the tone perfectly, doesnt it? Most of Chikhai Bardo revolves around fleshing out Gemma and Marks love storylong before she became Ms. Casey, tending to a totally unaware Mark on the severed floor at Lumon. The episode was so beautifully acted and directed, it was easy to focus on those elements immediately after watching it. But its Dr. Mauer who lingers in its bleakest moments, showing us that theres a new MVP among Severances not-insignificant stack of malevolent characters. The creepy doctor is an archetype that horror fans will immediately recognize; it preys on the fear that a medical professional will set aside their do no harm oath and take advantage of their position for cruel or murderous reasons. Dr. Hannibal Lecter, Dr. Giggles, the Dead Ringers twins, the Human Centipede guy, and anyone involved in the PTSD-inducing plot of Comayou know them, and you rightfully fear them. And Dr. Mauer is right up there. While his tactics do cause Gemma physical pain, his psychological assaults are exponentially more agonizing. Apple TV+ As of the most recent episode, we dont yet have the full picture regarding Lumons invasive interest in Gemma and Marks relationship. We know they visited a fertility clinic with ties to Lumon, as all bio-tech in Severances world seems to be. The facility also has a connection to Dr. Mauer; blink and youll miss him skulking through the background of that scene. Were well aware that Gemma drove to an event one dark night and never came home, with police arriving on Marks doorstep to deliver the sad news. And, of course, we know Gemma underwent the severance procedure and became the robotic Ms. Casey, the counselor on Lumons severed floor. Chikhai Bardo answered one of the biggest Severance questions to date, showing us where Gemma has been dwelling since her supposed death. And its become apparent her ordeal has something to do with Marks work sorting numbers in Lumons Macrodata Refinement department. There are still a lot of puzzle pieces left to fill in. But Dr. Mauers introduction into the story left no doubt, if we had any before, that theres true evil at work here.Dichen Lachmans performance as Gemma has gotten rightful praise, but Robby Benson as Dr. Mauer is equally formidablea onetime teen idol (see: 1976s Ode to Billy Joe and 1978s Ice Castles), he also voiced the Beast in Disneys 1991 animated classic Beauty and the Beast, and has popped up in TV shows (including Friends) and in video games here and there. But his Severance turn offers proof that you can often find excellently effective villains by casting against type. Gemmas quartered in a subterranean, featureless room where shes surveilled by cameras and watched over by an ever-present nurse. Her physical health is carefully monitored and regimented, but its her mental stability that Lumon is most interested in probing. Shes Dr. Mauers only patient; every day, he meets her in each room off the long hallway on the testing floor. She doesnt remember their interactions, because each space triggers a different severed persona. Each has their own wardrobe and hairstyle: the dental patient, the traveler on a plane thats about to crash, the 1970s tennis player? (We dont see the room for that one, just the outfit.) Most haunting, though, is the room where its always Christmas, a dreadful version of the holiday in which Gemmas dressed in a frumpy bathrobe and forced to pen an endless stack of thank-you notes. (In Gemmas pre-Lumon life, she especially loathed writing thank-you notes.) Like all the rooms, this is the only reality this particular consciousness ever experiences. Its the same as Mark and the other severed workers constantly snapping awake in the elevator, feeling like no time has passed since they left the office, except so much more dreadful. Imagine your entire existence was getting your teeth drilled over and over. Or being on a plane thats about to crash. Apple TV+ In each of these awful locations, Dr. Mauer is an active and overly eager presence, clad in his own special outfits; it can only be the case that he designed each aspect of this process. Hes the dentist, the flight attendant, the tennis coach, andmost distressinglythe husband in the Christmas room. Even Drummond, the Lumon bigwig keeping tabs on Dr. Mauers experiments, questions his choice of sweater, which he pairs with a stick-on beard and mustache. In this room, he emits a exceedingly unwholesome vibe, calling Gemma sweetheart and forcing her to say she loves him. This is especially sickening given this earlier exchange between Drummond and Mauer: You like her. Shes easy to like. She is fond of me too, of course. Didnt she try and break your fingers?Dr. Mauer also interacts with Gemma as herself, querying her about her experiences, making sure she remembers nothing, and displaying not a shred of humanityhe has the opposite of kind eyes, something Severance made a point of emphasizing in season one. Hes patronizing, and quite clearly takes improper enjoyment in having such total control over another person. When hes done, Drummond tells Dr. Mauerreferring to Marks progress on the mysterious Cold Harbor project, which Severance has teased as an end point for Gemmas ordealYoull have to let her go. Dr. Mauer says hes aware of that, but theres something unsettling in his countenance. Something that suggests he believes actual tender feelings are propelling those forced I love yous. Why else, when Gemma pleads to go home, would he lie to her and say Marks moved on since shes been MIAwith a new wife and daughter, adding an extra knife-twist? Why else would he then imply that perhaps Gemmas moved on too, maybe without realizing it, maybe by rediscovering love with Dr. Mauer in one of the severed rooms?Its the ickiest of all things to consider, that she would have feelings for this odious man and not even remember them, and that he would slither around and plant the possibility in her brain. Her escape attempt ends in heartbreaking failure at the end of Chikhai Bardo, but theres a ticking clock on this misery. Cold Harbors secrets are bound to be revealed soononly three episodes in season two left to goand with them, closure of some kind. With Dr. Mauer in charge, and the ruthless Drummond peering over his shoulder, you have to wonder if theres any ending where Gemma survives, much less ever goes home. Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, whats next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.

Hydroponics Module/ Alsar Atelier + Oscar ZamoraSave this picture!Architects: AreaArea of this architecture projectArea:24 mYearCompletion year of this architecture project Year: 2024 PhotographsPhotographs:Mateo PrezMore SpecsLess SpecsSave this picture!Text description provided by the architects. The project supports initiatives led by community leaders and local organizations, such as Cesar Salomn, Fondacio Altos del Cabo, and Maya Tejedores de la Tierra, who have been cooperating, collaborating, and participating for seven years in the informal neighborhood of San Luis in Bogot. These collaborations have impacted hundreds of residents and have supported the hydroponic agriculture initiative as an alternative for healthy nutrition in Bogots self-built contexts, where the most prevalent diseases tend to be obesity and diabetes.Save this picture! Mateo PrezOn the other hand, hydroponics is a cultivation system in which plants grow in an inert substrate or directly in a nutrient solution in water, allowing crops to be arranged on a vertical axis. This system offers a plant density 2 to 10 times higher, up to 60% water savings, healthier food, and the ability to grow crops in any climate or season. Given the high density in self-built contexts, hydroponics becomes an excellent alternative to traditional agriculture, which requires large land areas.Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!The architectural design of the module, designed by Alsar-Atelier + Oscar Zamora and funded by the NEACOL organization, emerged from the repurposing of an industrial shelving systemoriginally a consumerist materialinto a solution that enables social construction: fast and reusable. The physical formation of informal cities is often variable and temporary due to issues of occupation and legality. However, the primary construction materials remain concrete and brick, which are inherently permanent.Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!Therefore, the module is designed as a lightweight and semi-permanent structure to integrate into this territorial reality. Additionally, the project is designed with the foresight of being dismantled if needed, allowing its components to return to their original use without generating waste or being relocated to another vacant lot, where the modular design can expand or shrink accordingly.Save this picture!Beyond serving as a hydroponic moduleadapting industrial shelving for easy transport, assembly/disassembly, and reuse, while reducing construction time to one weekthe project functions as an analog school that will support the Altos del Cabo Center by training the community in hydroponic farming through new workshops.Save this picture!Save this picture!Additionally, it will provide space for personal on-site cultivation, sustainable water use, and collective post-harvest activities, fostering inclusion and self-management. The design integrates with urban gardening workshops and houses the eighth Seed Bank of Chapinero from the Jos Celestino Mutis Botanical Garden, preserving 43 native and heirloom species. In conclusion, the project is an excellent example of tactical, sustainable, and low-cost architecture addressing the challenges of self-built environments in Colombia.Save this picture!Project gallerySee allShow lessProject locationAddress:Bogot, ColombiaLocation to be used only as a reference. It could indicate city/country but not exact address.About this officeAlsar AtelierOfficeOscar ZamoraOfficeCsar SalomnOfficePublished on March 05, 2025Cite: "Hydroponics Module/ Alsar Atelier + Oscar Zamora" [Mdulo de Hidroponia / Alsar Atelier + Oscar Zamora] 05 Mar 2025. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/1027539/hydroponics-module-alsar-atelier-plus-oscar-zamora&gt ISSN 0719-8884Save!ArchDaily?You've started following your first account!Did you know?You'll now receive updates based on what you follow! Personalize your stream and start following your favorite authors, offices and users.Go to my stream

Watch it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHTTEuWJpWI Animation: Hezmon Animation Studio Producer: Lihang ChenDirector: LiangziProductionLiangzi, Zhaofire, Caumou, Hugh J, Shuidai, Yiko J.Concept Design: CaiyudaoChoreographerJingziMocap support: Qingtong MocapMusic ComposerCaisheng BoGuzhengXueer DingErhuYue JinRecorderKun Wang@2496 Top MusicZijian Zhang@2496 Top MusicJINGJINGYoutube: / @jingxiaoyi Contact: Hezmonanimation@gmail.com

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