By Matthew Gault Published March 6, 2025 | Comments (4) | JD Vance as a nuclear explosion in an Akira comic panel. Image via Discord. Like many of you, I spend a lot of time texting back and forth with friends. Many of those text chains are now inundated with pictures of JD Vance. Maybe youve seen them. There are new ones every day. The bearded Vice President bloats, his eyes grow huge, hes a carnival grotesque, his chin widening, his shape contorting. Often, he says pwease. Meme via X.com. Im obsessed with these pictures. I have dozens saved on my phone and hard drive. Theres goth JD Vance, JD Vance with a giant lollipop, JD Vance as a dying Darth Vader, JD Vance as a nuclear explosion, and JD Vance as chicken McNuggets. Image via Discord. Early Vice Presidential memes emphasized Vances smokey eyes and chubby cheeks. Of the two strains, the chubby Vance is now dominant. For months now, Ive seen pictures of Vance circulating that inflate him. This is typical of what I see now: a grotesque and inflated JD Vance with cold, dead blue eyes staring out at the viewer with horrifying intensity. He looks like a Cabbage Patch Doll thats been left in the sun. Vance is the Pepe the Frog of 2025, a political figure mixed and remixed in an endless memetic frenzy. His ever-expanding body and meme-form reminds me of the 4chan-driven meme magic of 2016. What became of Pepe in the end? His creator won some lawsuits and got into NFTs. He died as a meme, mostly, and transformed into Groyper. Pepe was often, but not always, ironically racist. Groyper is just a straight-up racist; the bloated final form of the frog is a favorite among avowed hatemongers like Nick Fuentes. Image via X.com. Vances current memetic form resembles that of the Groyper, but somehow less human. Groyper stares at the viewer with a little smile and a twinkle in his eyes. Chubby Vances huge eyes empty of everything but malice. A strange thing about the bloated Vance memes is that they cut across the nations fraught cultural divide. Ive seen Vances bloated form shared by Nazis, conservatives, and liberals. Ive seen his putrid form bubbling in the depths of nasty anonymous image boards as well as pleasant queer-friendly Discords.Vice Presidents often fill a unique role in an administration as a jester. Dan Quayle misspelled potato during an elementary school spelling bee and never lived it down. Harris, Biden, Mike Pence, and Al Gore all took their turns as powerless fools in public perception. Image via Discord. Whats happening to Vance is no different, but it does seem more intense. I think the reason the memes are so popular and cut across partisan lines is that there is something uniquely alien and awful about Vance. Hes been a public figure and the object of ridicule for more than a decade. A parody excerpt of his memoir Hillbilly Elegy led to the Associated Press reporting on a rumor that hed fucked a couch. Something about us wanted that to be true so badly that the mainstream press reported on it.The memes, somehow, reflect an essential truth about Vance. My favorite of the bunch, so far, is one that shows off a group of the Chubby caricatures. And yet a trace of the true self exists in the false self, the meme reads. This is the heart of it. I imagine the Vice Presidents soul is putrid, a barren and vile thing. The memes show me a small fiction that speaks to a deeper truth. Image via Discord. Vance, who is extremely online, says hes seen the memes. He told a reporter for The Blaze that he thinks its a very funny trend. Im not laughing with him. Image via Discord.Daily NewsletterYou May Also Like By AJ Dellinger Published February 28, 2025 By Matthew Gault Published February 27, 2025 By Matthew Gault Published February 24, 2025 By Thomas Maxwell Published February 14, 2025 By Matthew Gault Published February 11, 2025 By AJ Dellinger Published February 11, 2025

School of the Art Institute of Chicago Flaxman Library Renovation / Kwong Von GlinowSave this picture! Mikael OlssonChicago, United StatesArchitects: Kwong Von GlinowAreaArea of this architecture projectArea:20000 ftYearCompletion year of this architecture project Year: 2023 PhotographsPhotographs:Mikael OlssonManufacturersBrands with products used in this architecture project Manufacturers: Zurn, Benjamin Moore, Kohler, Matter Surfaces More SpecsLess SpecsSave this picture!Text description provided by the architects. The School of the Art Institute of Chicago Flaxman Library renovation project radically proposes an "open book" approach to the spatial experience of the library by connecting two previously siloed floors to create one visually and physically connected space where the collections and the work of the librarians preserving those collections are on view.Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!As an art school located in the heart of Chicago, the various anchor programs of the school are necessarily located on different levels in tall buildings throughout the school's urban campus. Prior to the renovation, each floor of the two-story library operated independently from each other: the fifth floor housed Special Collections and librarian areas behind an opaque winding corridor with no natural light, while the sixth floor housed the Main Collection with no access to the floor below besides elevators and egress stairs.Save this picture!Save this picture!The renovation project works with the constraints of the given floorplates in the historic 1902 Sharp Building by Holabird & Roche Architects by exposing the ingenuity of the original Chicago steel-frame structure. A flattened clay tile arch is removed between structural beams to create a narrow yet expansive atrium between the 5th and 6th floors that is 5'-0" wide and 100'-0" long, punctuated by the original cross beams of the building. The lighting design likewise relates to the original structure: two lines of linear fixtures highlight the location of the steel frame within the ceiling sandwich, while the obliquely placed fixtures above the atrium reference the clay tile between the steel frame that was removed.Save this picture!Below the atrium that forms the vertical connection between the two levels is the newly formed Corridor +: a space for circulation and access as well as semi-private student reading nooks. The gently curving Corridor + runs the length of the 150-foot-long building, pushing all of the secured library spaces to the south of the floorplate. Underneath the curving transom are sawtooth walls to accommodate flexible study spaces. Glazed storefronts on one side allow students to see into the library storage and working areas. At the same time, natural light makes its way from the south facade to the deepest space of the Corridor +. This transparency of the library program sheds light on the important work of the librarians and the library itself.Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!The new Corridor + adds 1,000 square feet for student study areas, while re-organizing the stacks more efficiently to simultaneously gain additional bookshelves. The design of the project brings together the softness of the sweeping curve of the Corridor + transom and the triangle sawtooths that form the reading nooks.Save this picture!A new stair made of " steel plate and off-the-shelf standard angles connects Level 5 and Level 6 together physically. The stair is finished with a natural patina and clear coat that shows the fabrication process, including all weld joints, of the simple stair. The stair is held off the ground by " by a central column to appear as if it is floating. White Oak handrails line the interior of the otherwise dark staircase.Save this picture!Save this picture!The project improved the two-level library by creating more community space, increasing natural light, establishing larger and more efficient storage, creating a flexible Reading Room for classes and individual researchers, increasing capacity, and not least creating a visual and physical connection between the floors of the library, making the library easier to navigate and the collections more accessible.Save this picture!Project gallerySee allShow lessAbout this officeKwong Von GlinowOfficePublished on March 06, 2025Cite: "School of the Art Institute of Chicago Flaxman Library Renovation / Kwong Von Glinow" 06 Mar 2025. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/1026597/school-of-the-art-institute-of-chicago-flaxman-library-renovation-kwong-von-glinow&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

Courtyard Mixed-Use Building / After PartySave this picture! Norbert TukajLithuaniaArchitects: After PartyAreaArea of this architecture projectArea:5500 mYearCompletion year of this architecture project Year: 2024 PhotographsPhotographs:Norbert TukajMore SpecsLess SpecsSave this picture!Text description provided by the architects. Courtyard is a mixed-use building situated in a densely populated, predominantly residential area, commonly referred to as a "commie block" neighborhood. The building occupies an abandoned repurposed concrete structure that was originally designed to serve as a furniture warehouse. The concept behind this development is to breathe new life into the space by transforming the unfinished concrete skeleton into a vibrant social and cultural hub within an otherwise monofunctional sleepy neighborhood.Save this picture!Save this picture!A large, open public green courtyard is created at the very heart of the building, providing a welcoming space for both surrounding residents and visitors to gather, relax, and interact. This central courtyard not only serves as a focal point within the project but also functions as a space for various activities, helping to foster a sense of community and connection. This green area is surrounded by wellness functions, such as fitness facilities, clinics and restaurants, thoughtfully integrated into the building's high ceiling interior spaces.Save this picture!The design of the building emphasizes and carefully blends the natural textures of materials. The exposed concrete skeleton is enveloped in a patinated galvanized steel outer skin, maintaining the building's industrial appearance while ensuring durability and sustainability. To create a welcoming and warm atmosphere, the facades that face pedestrian visitor flow are clad in rich, warm timber. This contrast of materials not only enhances the aesthetic appeal of the building but also helps to soften the industrial nature of the structure, making it more inviting to the community.Save this picture!Save this picture!Through this careful design process, the Courtyard complex aims to transform a once forgotten space into a thriving, multifunctional destination that will serve as a focal point of activity and engagement in the whole neighborhood.Save this picture!Project gallerySee allShow lessProject locationAddress:Gardino, iauliai, LithuaniaLocation to be used only as a reference. It could indicate city/country but not exact address.About this officeAfter PartyOfficeMaterialsGlassConcreteMaterials and TagsPublished on March 06, 2025Cite: "Courtyard Mixed-Use Building / After Party" 06 Mar 2025. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/1027300/courtyard-mixed-use-building-after-party&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

Google claims its AI Mode can quickly answer more complicated, open-ended questions. Image: GoogleShareGoogles efforts to serve up AI-generated answers in search results hasnt exactly gone according to plan. When AI Overviews rolled out last summer, the feature surprised users by crafting embarrassing responses, telling them to glue cheese onto pizza, eat rocks and boogers, and set their birthday as a password. Though Google made fixes to address some of the most absurd answers, AI Overview still occasionally presents inaccurate information. But rather than retreat from AI search results, Google is doubling down.This week, the company announced its testing a new AI Mode in search that replaces the typical web links that follow an Overview with a more comprehensive AI-generated summary. Google says these more thorough responses, powered by its newer Gemini 2.0 model, should be better equipped to answer more complex, multifaceted questions as well as queries related to coding and advanced math. Its the latest example of generative AI makers leaning into the technology as a tool to search the web despite concerns from researchers who worry AI hallucinations may make these results unreliable.You can ask nuanced questions that might have previously taken multiple searcheslike exploring a new concept or comparing detailed optionsand get a helpful AI-powered response with links to learn more, Google Search vice president of product Robby Stein wrote in a blog post. Get the Popular Science newsletter Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. By signing up you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.Stein went on to say that this new feature utilizes a query fan-out method, which runs several related searches simultaneously, pulling from multiple sources before synthesizing them into a single answer. Users can also ask follow-up questions to their initial queries. While users can still click through to websites for more context, the interface in this mode no longer displays the running list of links. Google says it will provide web links when it does not have high confidence that an AI-generated answer will be helpful. The company has already acknowledged that the tool may make mistakes.As with any early-stage AI product, we wont always get it right, Stein said. For example, while we aim for AI responses in Search to present information objectively based on whats available on the web, its possible that some responses may unintentionally appear to take on a persona or reflect a particular opinion.For now, AI Mode is only available through Googles Search Labs. Users with access can select AI Mode from the list of tabs where they would typically find other features like Images or News. Google is also expanding the overall scope of AI Overviews. Moving forward, Overviews will be powered by Gemini 2.0 and will appear even more frequently. Additionally, AI Overviews will now be available to teen users and those who are not signed into a Google account.With Gemini 2.0s advanced capabilities, we provide faster and higher quality responses and show AI Overviews more often for these types of queries, Stein added.The promise of AI search sounds appealing on the surface. By simply using conversational speech, a wandering internet searcher can quickly receive answers in an easy to understand format. AI search also means, in theory at least, that users can ask more open-ended questions than they could with typical search engines that work best with springs of keywords. But even the newest, most advanced models offered by AI companies continue to hallucinate and fabricate facts. Removing drop down links to web pages where the AI-generated information is pulled from risks making it more difficult for users to verify any given claim.Google isnt the only one dealing with less-than-perfect AI responses. In January, Apple was forced to suspend a feature that provided AI summaries of news stories after it generated multiple false claims. Some Apple users received push notifications falsely claiming Luigi Mangione, the man accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, had shot himself. Others received an alert erroneously saying Israels prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu had been arrested. After suspending the feature Apple told The Guardian it was working on improvements which would be made available in a future software update.Apple AI notification summaries continue to be so so so bad Ken Schwencke (@schwanksta.com) 2024-11-21T19:22:27.650ZRelated: [How to avoid AI in your Google searches]In its blog post, Google said it was experimenting with the new AI mode in part due to requests from power users to add AI responses to even more searches. AI Overviews, the post claimed, are amongst Googles most popular search features. Google did not respond to Popular Sciences request for comment seeking more data or details that could illustrate that point. For now, at least, it is still possible to search Google without AI summaries. To do that users can click on the more tab below search results and select the Web option.

NewsSpaceTwo privately-owned spacecraft make contact from the moonBlue Ghost was the first private lunar lander to not crash or fall over The Athena lander, built by Texas company Intuitive Machines, orbits the moon ahead of its attempt to land on March 6.Intuitive MachinesBy Lisa Grossman1 hour agoThis is a developing story and will be updated as we learn more.This years hot destination is the moon. Two landers built by private companies have just touched down on the moon within a week of each other. One landed softly and safely a first for any private spacecraft while the others status remains unknown.The path to the stars is no longer limited to nations alone, said Jesus Charles, director of spacecraft operations at Texas-based Firefly Aerospace, after the companys Blue Ghost lander touched down on March 2. Blue Ghosts successful landing proves commercial industry has a critical role in humanitys journey beyond Earth.After a long journey in space having launched on January 15 Blue Ghost landed in a volcanic plain on the nearside of the moon called Mare Crisium at 3:34 a.m. EST. It is the first privately built lander to touch down on the moon without crashing or tipping over.The Blue Ghost lander took a picture of its own shadow on the moon shortly after landing on March 2. The Earth hangs in the dark sky above.Firefly AerospaceQuick on Blue Ghosts heels, a robotic lander named Athena, built by Houston-based Intuitive Machines, attempted to land on March 6 after only eight days in space. Athena targeted a flat-topped mountain near the moons south pole called Mons Mouton, which is believed to be older than the surrounding terrain.Currently, the landers status is unknown. It appears to have touched down, its solar panels are generating power and engineers are able to communicate with the craft. But its orientation and full status have yet to be determined.

NewsClimateWarming is chasing cloud forests steadily uphillDeforestation higher up on mountains will leave these Mesoamerican forests nowhere to retreat Mist swallows the treetops in a cloud forest in the state of Oaxaca in southern Mexico. Bromeliads, mosses and other epiphytes cover the tree trunks, greatly increasing the surface area of the canopy, thereby allowing it to collect vast amounts of water from tiny fog droplets.Santiago Ramrez-BarahonaBy Douglas Fox13 seconds agoCloud forests are strange and ghostly places akin to coral reefs hidden high on tropical mountains. Stunted trees loom in the mist, gnarled trunks and branches crusted in moss, lichens, orchids, ferns, bromeliads and even climbing cactus vines. Arboreal frogs and salamanders spawn in fog-fed bromeliad pools, and spider monkeys pause to sip drinks.But these enigmatic forests are being squeezed by warming and deforestation.Hundreds of tree and plant species that make up Mesoamerican cloud forests are being chased uphill by rising temperatures, at an average rate of 1.8 to 2.7 meters per year, researchers report in the March 7 Science. From 1979 to 2010, these forests retreated 84 meters uphill. At the same time, cattle grazing and deforestation higher on the mountains is pushing the forests downward 6.3 meters per year squishing these ecosystems into ever narrower bands of territory.

Nature, Published online: 06 March 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-00609-yLargest survey of LGBTQ+ biologists finds 40% of trans and gender-nonconforming, and 20% of lesbian, gay, bisexual and queer researchers, experience hostility, intimidation or offensive behaviour at work.

Nature, Published online: 06 March 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-00481-wEvolutionary biologist Joseph L. Graves Jr argues that now more than ever the United States should honour its commitments to Black higher education to diversify the science workforce.

Expect an uptick in aurora sightings near the spring equinox on March 20, as celestial geometry swings in favor of geomagnetic disturbances.

Maja Banas shared the workflow behind the Celestium steampunk environment, showing how the materials and steam were made in Unreal Engine and how the atmospheric lighting was set up.Read the interview: https://80.lv/articles/making-steampunk-environment-in-unreal-engine/