Table of ContentsTable of ContentsMeet Emteq LabsUnderstanding moodYou are what you eatWhat about the hardware?Existing wearables like Fitbit give us continuous daily data about how active we are, and we have the same thing for sleep. The next pillars of wearable health tracking are emotional and dietary health. We believe theres a huge opportunity to deliver a lot of benefits for people through these.Thats how CEO Steen Strand introduced Emteq Labs, a company taking a refreshingly different approach to smart eyewear. But how do smartglasses know how youre feeling and what youre eating? I found out, and was amazed by the accuracy of the tech, and excited by the potential.Recommended VideosEmteq LabsHealth applications drove adoption of the Apple Watch, Strand reminded me as we talked over Zoom, and we want to move smart eyewear beyond what we can already do on a smartphone.RelatedIts not looking at a Ray-Ban Meta clone, and instead when developing its Sense smartglasses asked the question what can these glasses do that no other product can? Strand was joined on our Zoom call by Emteq Labs founder Dr. Charles Nduka, who gave some insight into how the company came about.Im a facial reconstructive surgeon,Nduka explained, and it was trying to solve the problem of how to understand how people were expressing between clinical appointments that started this journey, culminating in developing smart eyewear that measures expressions. Initially a research and development project, it gained this tremendous momentum, so were now looking at fundamental issues around daily life, mental health, metabolic disease, and dietary function.Smartglasses like the Ray-Ban Meta and the Solos AirGo Vision have outward-facing cameras, and we look through normal corrective spectacles to improve our vision. Emteq Labs platform looks inward, examining our facial movements using sensors to give us incredible insights normally unavailable outside of a laboratory environment. The two areas demonstrated to me were around our mood and eating habits.1 of 3Emteq Labs Emteq Labs Emteq Labs We know people who are depressed move with lower amplitude, have a head down posture, dont smile as much, and tend to make more negative expressions, Nduka explained. He said theres only one muscle that you use to move your eyebrows upward, and only one muscle group that moves your cheeks, and to see them Emteq Labs Sense smartglasses dont use a camera, but lensless sensors that measure the movement and texture of your skin and those muscles.It was uncannily accurate in a demonstration I watched. The platform replicated in real time Strands who was wearing Emteq Labs smartglasses facial expressions, all without a camera. Anyone who has worn a smartwatch like the Apple Watch or a smart ring like the Oura Ring will have seen stress measurements already. Strand explained why your face is a far better indicator of the stress youre under than sensors on your wrist or finger:Not only are you not getting feedback, but the data is a little misleading, Strand said. It says Im stressed because my heart rate is elevated, but I may just be exercising. Without seeing the face, its really hard to tell why someone is stressed. You need additional insight to know whats going on with someone emotionally that you just cant get from the finger, wrist, or phone. These are ways to collect a great quantity of data, but not great quality data. With our smart glasses, we think we can get both.Emteq Labs software interpreted the data in a far more extensive and informative way than the Oura Ring, for example. The Oura Ring will often inform you if the day has resulted in more stress than usual, but its unable to interpret why, and is only basing its information on data collected by its heart rate, body temperature, and other sensors. The Emteq Labs software shows when you were stressed or upset using your expressions, and charts it through your day. Historical data will show mood improvements or deteriorations, and how much of your day was spent feeling positive or not. Its fascinating data, and the potential for use in mental health diagnosis and treatment is obvious.1 of 4Emteq Labs Emteq Labs Emteq Labs Emteq Labs The sensors in Emteq Labs smartglasses can also be used to help understand eating habits, and potentially help people change their diets and even lose weight.The temple sensors measure jaw movement in real time, Nduka told us. We can measure chewing rate, which is a whole new metric that hasnt been possible before, and just that metric itself will inform about calorie ingestion, and this can help determine weight gain as if you eat calorie-dense foods quickly, you have to do more to burn them off.Strand built on why this is important.Its a small piece of data, he said, but from it we know when you ate, how long you ate for, whether you had snacks or three square meals. We know if you ate quickly, slowly, and how many bites you took. Theres decades of research showing the relationship between all these points and your overall metabolic health.This has the potential to help people identify where theyre going wrong with diet and eating, and provides actionable data to help change habits. The platform can distinguish with 95% accuracy whether youre eating, or if youre laughing, talking, singing. It means the glasses will understand the difference between chewing food and the flow of a conversation over dinner. The breadth and granularity of the data shown is astonishing. The temple sensors show an X and Y axis, and even understand how the kind of food youre eating affects the way chew, plus as the food is chewed more, the graph changes. Nduka explained why this matters.Dietitians know if they can get people to slow down eating, it means the stomach doesnt stretch so much, and they wont need to eat so much next time to feel full, and the brain will better understand fullness. It means people will lose weight.While the Sense smartglasses collect data using sensors, there is a small camera on the outside and the software can prompt you to take a photo of your food for the AI to assess its calorie count, removing the friction of using a food tracking app on your phone. Research showed Emteq Labs the precise calorie count and intake isnt as important when you also have data on what, when, and how people are eating. Finally, the glasses can also track activity, which adds an additional data point for those looking to improve their overall health, as youll get a tick in the box marked take an after dinner walk.Emteq LabsWeve got this unique data set thats continuous, in real time, across your entire day, Strand emphasized. Right now this data is really only available in a lab. If you want an understanding of someones emotions or their eating habits, you need a picture of them across the whole day, and thats what were unlocking here.The hardware Emteq Labs demonstrated uses a camera and two small sensors on the arms for emotional tracking, and Strand estimated the company needs about another two years to get the hardware down to the size of the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, but for the sensors and technology required to track eating and diet, it can do in smart glasses sized like the Ray-Ban Meta today.What we have now is a closed developer kit, Strand explained, and were working with outside partners in diet and emotional health to see how we can supply the data they need. In some research applications it doesnt matter what the glasses look like, but when its in real life, wearability and looks matter a lot. For those cases were exploring partnerships to build hardware together. We see Sense as a platform that has many different applications. Even for sentiment measurement in situations like people viewing pre-release movies. Were trying to stay at a platform level, but were excited about the diet aspect, and were weighing up different opportunities around that.Whatever the next step is for Emteq Labs intriguing, unique, mood-and-food tracking smart eyewear platform, its fantastic to see a company explore opportunities beyond making another smartphone alternative for your face.Editors Recommendations

Andoris heading to new places. Ahead of the season 2 premiere next month, Andorseason 1is now streaming on Hulu.Additionally, the first three episodes of Andorseason 1 are now available for free on Disney+s YouTube channel.On Thursday, March 13, Andorshowrunner Tony Gilroy and select members of the cast will participate in a special look back at the first season. Expect the Andor crew to revisit critical moments from the first season and preview the final batch of episodes. The special will stream live and simulcast at 3 p.m. ET/12 p.m. PT on Star Wars,Disney+,Lucasfilm, and Hulu YouTube channels.Please enable Javascript to view this contentFans can get a preview of the live stream by watching a 14-minute recap of season 1 posted on the Star Wars YouTube channel.Season 1 is really important, Gilroy said to StarWars.com. It is hard to anticipate that this wont be the most important thing that Ive ever worked on, by far, just because of the scale of it.Andor | S1E1 Kassa | Disney+ Original SeriesCreated by Gilroy,Andor is a prequel series to Rogue One: A Star Wars StoryRogue One. Season 2 will chronicle the four years leading up toRogue One, with every three episodes representing 12 months.Besides Luna, Andor season 2starsStellan Skarsgrd, Genevieve OReilly, Denise Gough, Kyle Soller, Adria Arjona, Faye Marsay, Varada Sethu, Elizabeth Dulau, Alan Tudyk, Ben Mendelsohn, and Forest Whitaker.Andorseason 2 consists of 12 episodes. The episodes are split into four chapters of three episodes. The first three episodes will stream on Disney+ on April 22, 2025.Editors Recommendations

error code 11 Firmware update bricks HP printers, makes them unable to use HP cartridges HP already has a reputation for breaking printers with updates. Scharon Harding Mar 10, 2025 2:05 pm | 20 Credit: HP Story textSizeSmallStandardLargeWidth *StandardWideLinksStandardOrange* Subscribers only Learn moreHP, along with other printer brands, is infamous for issuing firmware updates that brick already-purchased printers that have tried to use third-party ink. In a new form of frustration, HP is now being accused of issuing a firmware update that broke customers laser printerseven though the devices are loaded with HP-brand toner.The firmware update in question is version 20250209, which HP issued on March 4 for its LaserJet MFP M232-M237models. Per HP, the update includes security updates, a regulatory requirement update, general improvements and bug fixes, and fixes for IPP Everywhere. Looking back to older updates fixes and changes, which the new update includes, doesnt reveal anything out of the ordinary. The older updates mention things like fixed print quality to ensure borders are not cropped for certain document types, and improved firmware update and cartridge rejection experiences. But theres no mention of changes to how the printers use or read toner.However, users have been reporting sudden problems using HP-brand toner in their M232M237 series printers since their devices updated to 20250209. Users on HPs support forum say they see Error Code 11 and the hardwares toner light flashing when trying to print. Some said theyve cleaned the contacts and reinstalled their toner but still can't print.Insanely frustrating because it's my small business printer and just stopped working out of nowhere[,] and I even replaced the tone[r,] which was a $60 expense, a forum user wrote on March 8.When reached for comment, an HP spokesperson said:We are aware of a firmware issue affecting a limited number of HP LaserJet 200 Seriesdevices and our team isactively working on a solution. For assistance, affected customers can contact our support team at:https://support.hp.com.HP users have been burned by printer updates beforeHP hasn't clarified how widespread the reported problems are. But this isn't the first time that HP broke its customers printers with an update. In May 2023, for example, a firmware update caused several HP OfficeJet brand printers to stop printing and show a blue screen for weeks.With such bad experiences with printer updates and HPs controversial stance on purposely breaking HP printer functionality when using non-HP ink, some have minimal patience for malfunctioning HP printers. As one forum commenter wrote: this is just a bad look for HP all around. We're just the ones that noticed it and know how to post on a forum. Imagine how many 1,000s of other users are being affected by this and just think their printer broke.Some commenters are already using current exasperation to push HP's customers to move to rival printer-maker Brother."I went out and got a similar Brother printer for $144 at Walmart," one of HPs forum users wrote. "Not ideal - but no more auto firmware updates - plus the new printer has [its] own 250 sheet paper tray and manual sheet feeder[,] which is nice. Just a little bigger than the HP. It's a little slower first page out - but I'm not in any particular hurry."Brother was recently accused via viral video of updating its laser printers so they wouldn't print or would print worse when using non-Brother toner. But Brother denied this is the case to Ars.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. 20 Comments

every path has a price HBO drops The Last of Us S2 trailer "By the time the sun comes up tomorrow, there's a very good chance you'll be dead." Jennifer Ouellette Mar 10, 2025 1:46 pm | 7 Credit: YouTube/HBO Credit: YouTube/HBO Story textSizeSmallStandardLargeWidth *StandardWideLinksStandardOrange* Subscribers only Learn more Pedro Pascal returns as Joel in The Last of Us S2. HBO released a one-minute teaser of the hotly anticipated second season of The Last of Usbased on Naughty Dog's hugely popular video game franchiseduring CES in January. We now have a full trailer, unveiled at SXSW after the footage leaked over the weekend, chock-full of Easter eggs for gaming fans of The Last of Us Part II.(Spoilers for S1 below.)The series takes placein the 20-year aftermath of a deadly outbreak of mutant fungus (Cordyceps) that turns humans into monstrous zombie-like creatures (the Infected, or Clickers). The world has become a series of separate totalitarian quarantine zones and independent settlements, with a thriving black market and a rebel militia known as the Fireflies making life complicated for the survivors. Joel (Pedro Pascal) is a hardened smuggler tasked with escorting the teenage Ellie (Bella Ramsay) across the devastated US, battling hostile forces and hordes of zombies, to a Fireflies unit outside the quarantine zone. Ellie is special: She is immune to the deadly fungus, and the hope is that her immunity holds the key to beating the disease.S2 is set five years after the events of the first season and finds the bond beginning to fray between plucky survivors Joel and Ellie. That's the inevitable outcome of S1's shocking finale, when they finally arrived at their destination, only to discover the secret to her immunity to the Cordyceps fungus meant Ellie would have to die to find a cure. Ellie was willing to sacrifice herself, but once she was under anesthesia, Joel went berserk and killed all the hospital staff to save her lifeand lied to Ellie about it, claiming the staff were killed by raiders. Taking aim at a horde of attacking zombies. YouTube/HBO Taking aim at a horde of attacking zombies. YouTube/HBO Ellie makes another tragic discovery. YouTube/HBO Ellie makes another tragic discovery. YouTube/HBO Taking aim at a horde of attacking zombies. YouTube/HBO Ellie makes another tragic discovery. YouTube/HBO "You're going to lose." YouTube/HBO "You're going to lose." YouTube/HBO Ellie learns the truth: "You swore." YouTube/HBO Ellie learns the truth: "You swore." YouTube/HBO "You're going to lose." YouTube/HBO Ellie learns the truth: "You swore." YouTube/HBO Gabriel Luna and Rutina Wesley reprise their S1 roles as Joel's younger brother Tommy and his pregnant wife, Maria, respectively. Joining the cast this year are Kaitlyn Dever as a vengeance-seeking soldier named Abby; Young Mazino as Jesse; Isabela Merced as Dina, Jesse's ex and a romantic interest for Ellie; Danny Ramirez as a loyal soldier named Manny; Ariela Barer as a doctor named Mel; Tati Gabrielle as a military medic named Nora; Spencer Lord as Owen; and Jeffrey Wright as Isaac, who leads a militia (Wright played the same role in the video game). Catherine O'Hara will also appear as Joel's therapist, Gail.Even if you're not familiar with the games, there's plenty to like in this evocative trailer, which teases a wintry showdown between human survivors and a horde of Cordyceps-infested zombiesincluding taking out a zombie by immolating it with a flame thrower. Alas, the odds are against team human, with at least one newly infected person declaring, "You're gonna lose." And yes, Ellie learns the truth about what Joel did and is suitably horrified when she confronts him: "You swore." We're looking forward to what promises to be a stellar new installment in the TV saga.The second season of The Last of Us premieres on April 13, 2025, on HBO and Max.Jennifer OuelletteSenior WriterJennifer OuelletteSenior Writer Jennifer is a senior writer at Ars Technica with a particular focus on where science meets culture, covering everything from physics and related interdisciplinary topics to her favorite films and TV series. Jennifer lives in Baltimore with her spouse, physicist Sean M. Carroll, and their two cats, Ariel and Caliban. 7 Comments

2025-03-10T18:27:16Z Read in app Lauren and David from "Love Is Blind" season eight. Adam Rose/Netflix This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now.Have an account? Dave said Lauren was the one who got away at the "Love Is Blind" season eight reunion on Sunday.Lauren and David made it out of the pods, but they split before the weddings.Here's what to know about their breakup and the aftermath.Warning: Major spoilers ahead for "Love Is Blind" season eight."Love Is Blind" star Dave Bettenburg knows he screwed up when it comes to his breakup with Lauren O'Brien, and even called her the one who got away.In season eight, Lauren, a 31-year-old working in educational sales, and Dave, a 33-year-old medical device salesman, were one of five Minneapolis couples who got engaged after dating through a wall. But they weren't destined to be one of the few successful "Love Is Blind" marriages, as they split in episode 11 before making it to the altar due to Dave's hangups about Lauren's past.Since the breakup aired, both Lauren and Dave have addressed what happened between them, and faced each other at Sunday's reunion. Dave, in particular, is facing backlash for his behavior. Here's a recap of their relationship and what they've each said about it since.Dave and Lauren got engaged in the pods after being in a love triangle, but their relationship quickly deteriorated Dave and Lauren's relationship was strong in Honduras. Netflix Dave distinguished himself early on in the pods portion of the season when he opened all his first dates by asking the women what was wrong with them. Despite this and the fact that he joked that Lauren was no longer attractive as a 30-year-old woman the two built a relationship.The first hint of what would become a major issue in their relationship happened on their second date in episode one, when they spoke about their families. He admitted that his sister wasn't "thrilled" with him participating in the show, though he felt like it was the right decision.The other major issue in the pods was that Dave also had a connection with another woman: Molly, a 30-year-old executive assistant. He continued to date both Molly and Lauren over the course of several episodes. Things finally came to a head in episode four, when Lauren confronted Dave and asked if he told Molly that she was his No. 1, as she'd heard Molly say in the women's living quarters. In episode five, Dave said that he didn't tell Molly that she was his No. 1, and that Lauren was the only person he had said he could see himself proposing to.Later in that episode, Dave broke up with Molly. Afterward, Molly and Lauren had a heart-to-heart in the women's quarters and agreed that David had put them in a poor position, ending their friendship on a good note.Despite the drama, Lauren and Dave reconciled, and in episode five, he proposed to her. During the post-engagement group vacation in Honduras, the two enjoyed getting to know one another, though Dave seemed rather fixated on finding out whether the other couples had had sex yet (he and Lauren, he made very clear, had not).And during a boat date in episode seven, Dave brought up what would ultimately be the downfall of their relationship: He had mutual friends with two guys Lauren had previously dated, and he didn't know she'd been casually seeing someone right before going on the show. "It's a little weird that I know them," Dave said. "I don't want that to affect our relationship when we go back."Spoiler alert: It did, in fact, affect their relationship.Dave didn't trust Lauren and his family didn't want to meet her, which ultimately led to their breakupDave's distrust of Lauren bled into the issues his family had with the whole process. He didn't feel comfortable bringing Lauren to meet his family, who also didn't seem eager to meet her, given their general dislike of the whole "Love Is Blind" process and what they'd heard from others about her.In episode 10, Dave and Lauren once again argued over his friends and family's refusal to meet her, saying he didn't want to waste their time because he doesn't have them meet just anyone. During a bowling date, Dave opined on how affected he was by everyone's outside opinions on Lauren and their relationship."If you don't see it with me, then I want to know," Lauren told Dave. "I don't know how much longer I can keep doing this."In episode 11, they went to an empty movie theater to continue the conversation, once again rehashing their different points of view over Lauren's pre-"LIB" hookup: Dave believed Lauren wasn't being truthful and hadn't ended the relationship, while Lauren said that she and the guy she'd been seeing had "different interpretations" of their time together and that there was no "relationship" to end.Ultimately, Dave broke up with Lauren after she said this was something he needed to work through himself. "You're not ready to choose someone else and be a team member with them," she said. Dave broke up with Lauren in an empty movie theater. Netflix Dave said he was still in love with Lauren and that it was hard for him to walk away, but Lauren didn't believe that was true and said that he would have tried harder to work through their issues if he'd really loved her enough.The two came face to face once again at the pod squad meetup in episode 11, where they each also spoke to Molly, Dave's other pod connection. Molly first talked to Lauren privately, thanking Lauren again for being kind to her when she and Dave broke up. She revealed that she had heard another woman was "all over him" when they were at the same bar with other cast members on a night that Dave stayed out and slept at his apartment after arguing with Lauren.Lauren was surprised to hear that but told Molly that she and Dave had already broken up the night before. They vented their mutual frustrations over Dave.Molly and Dave then spoke privately, where Molly laid into Dave about his treatment of Lauren and getting so hung up on Lauren's previous entanglement. She also criticized him for putting so much stock in his sister's opinion, at the cost of his relationship with Lauren.Dave told the cameras he wanted to text Lauren right after their breakup but didn't. He then pulled Lauren aside, and they had an emotional conversation where Dave took responsibility for their breakup and acknowledged that he'd been closed off to her."It was my fault. It was my ego that got in the way of like seeing what we had. I guess what I'm saying is, I'm really sorry," he told Lauren.He confessed his love to Lauren again and said what they'd had was real, hinting he wanted to try again. Lauren told him she was sorry he was feeling bad and wanted to believe what he was saying, but it was too late."I think we're past that," she said.Dave and Lauren confronted each other at the reunion Dave was apologetic at the reunion. Greg Gayne/Netflix At the reunion, which aired on Sunday, Dave was contrite. He said that he had finally gotten clarity regarding Lauren's pre-show hookup when he got a text that made him realize the man she'd been seeing had exaggerated the seriousness of their relationship in an attempt to get screen time. He said his friends and family now also knew the truth: that Lauren was being genuine all along.Dave also revealed that he and Lauren had been talking a lot in the last few weeks, but not to rekindle their relationship. He'd reached out to apologize and tell her he was wrong ahead of the reunion taping.When hosts Vanessa and Nick Lachey asked Dave if Lauren was the one who got away, he replied in the affirmative. Lauren, however, seemed completely uninterested in dating again. She said she "gained clarity" on their relationship within days of the breakup and realized she was light years ahead of him in emotional maturity.Lauren said she also didn't really care that Dave and his family have now gotten the clarity he needed on her dating history because she'd known the truth all along. Lauren wasn't interested in getting back together with Dave. Greg Gayne/Netflix Crucially, Lauren also said she didn't quite believe that Dave genuinely still had feelings for her she pointed out that he'd had her number all year since their breakup and never reached out until recently.However, Lauren defended Dave against the online hate he's been getting from fans, who are calling him a narcissist and manipulator in his Instagram comments. She said she doesn't think he's either of those things and just has a lot of growing and healing to do before he can enter a serious relationship.When Business Insider attended the "Love Is Blind" reunion watch party during the SXSW festival in Austin, Lauren and Dave were cordial. They stood next to each other and even talked at the bar. Dave said during the live Q&A with Vulture reporter Jason P. Frank that they'd even been taking shots together earlier in the night.The "Love Is Blind" season eight reunion is streaming on Netflix.

2025-03-10T18:00:37Z Read in app I tried on blazers at Old Navy and Banana Republic. Chloe Caldwell This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now.Have an account? I tried on similar blazers at two Gap Inc.-owned retailers: Old Navy and Banana Republic.The blazers were very different in terms of price and quality.Despite being $110 more expensive, I'd consider investing in the version from Banana Republic.A chic blazer is a true wardrobe staple. Whether it's for professional settings, street style, or elevating casual outfits, a blazer is one of the most versatile pieces someone can have in their closet.After years of wearing the same black blazer I found at a thrift store, I decided it was time for an upgrade. So, I turned to two trusted retailers for basics: Old Navy and Banana Republic, both owned by Gap Inc.Here's how my search for the perfect blazer went.I started at Old Navy because of the retailer's approachable prices.Old Navy (location I visited not pictured) has over 1,200 locations around the world. Robert V Schwemmer/Shutterstock Since opening its first store in 1994, Old Navy has become one of the world's largest apparel brands. Today, the company has over 1,200 stores around the world.Although I'm not usually drawn to major corporations, I know I can always count on Old Navy to offer classic and trending pieces at an affordable price.I wasn't blown away by the blazer I tried on at Old Navy.I thought the shoulder pads were a bit too prominent. Chloe Caldwell When I arrived at the store, I browsed the racks and headed to the fitting room with the Taylor relaxed suit blazer in black. I liked the style and fit, but there were a few big turnoffs for me.I thought the shoulder pads were stylish, but they were sticking out slightly to the point that there was a noticeable outline. This was a sign to me that the blazer lacked quality of construction.I also appreciate a trendy oversize silhouette, but there was no shape or cinching at the waist, making me look boxy.Plus, the blazer was made entirely of synthetic materials, including 91% polyester and 9% spandex.Although these flaws were subtle, I wouldn't pay $50 for this blazer. I'd rather invest in one that's well-structured and flattering.I continued my search for a new blazer at Banana Republic, Gap Inc.'s destination for attainable luxury.Banana Republic (location I visited not pictured) has over 400 locations around the world. JHVEPhoto/Shutterstock Founded in 1978, Banana Republic is known for elevated and classic styles. Today, the brand has over 400 locations around the world.The clothing at Banana Republic is typically more expensive than that of other Gap Inc. brands. However, the products and in-store shopping experience also feel more luxurious.I thought the Banana Republic blazer would be worth the investment.The blazer from Banana Republic fit me nicely. Chloe Caldwell At Banana Republic, I tried on the sculpted suit blazer in black. I loved the fit and silhouette of this piece, and it was much more tailored than the one I tried on at Old Navy. It also provided a more shapely look with a slight cinch at the waistline.The fabric felt higher quality, but seemed to only vary slightly from that of the Old Navy option. It was made with 49% polyester, 44% recycled polyester, and 7% elastane spandex.The Banana Republic blazer, which cost $160, was more than three times the price of the Old Navy option. However, considering the significant improvement in overall quality and fit, I didn't think it was a completely outrageous price.I walked out of both stores empty-handed, but I'd consider going back for the Banana Republic blazer once it goes on sale. After all, a blazer is an investment piece that's worth paying more for.

I sat down with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz on Saturday at SXSW in Austin, Texas. Remember Tim Walz? His running mate, former Vice President Kamala Harris, has been keeping a relatively low profile since leaving elected office earlier this year, but Walz is still out there talking to Rachel Maddow, to Molly Jong-Fast, to David Remnick, and now to me about what the Democrats could, should, and need to do to oppose Donald Trump and MAGA. I asked him what hes running from and if theres anything hes running for. Below youll find an excerpt of our conversation for Today, Explained thats been edited for clarity. You can also listen to the interview below or wherever you listen to podcasts.Do you think these guys are still weird?Oh, hell yes. Look, obsessing with choices people are making about their own lives that has absolutely zero to do with you. That is weird. That might be too soft. That is really unnecessary.Did you watch the joint session this week?Yeah, parts of it. I did.I felt like the messaging from the Democrats was muddled at that joint session. Some didnt show up at all. Some left early, some wore pink and held up these feeble signs that said, False! or This is not normal. We all saw Representative Al Green protest. But there wasnt a unified message. Did you want to see something more unified from your party?Yes. Other than bidding on an antique tea set or whatever was happening? Yes, I wanted something more than that. Im hearing it from my constituents in Minnesota, and Im hearing it across the country. Theres a primal scream of Do something! Do something! Now I have the advantage as a governor, I can do something. We can put up firewalls against them. Youre not going to demonize our people. Were going to continue to make sure our children are fed. I called the premiers of Ontario and Manitoba and said, Look, the official policy is theirs. But we like you. We like Canadians. We like what we trade together.When I get asked, What should we be doing? Im probably the last guy. I didnt get it done. And we needed to win. And thats where were in this pickle because we didnt win. But Im being reflective of what I could have done better, what I should have done better. I dont have a big solution. But what I think for all of us, which is encouraging to me, these town halls the kind of organic folks bringing up theres not going to be a charismatic leader right in and come up with this just perfectly delivered message. Its going to get us out of this. Its going to be a whole bunch of people who dont want to see kids go hungry, who dont want to see health care ripped apart, who dont want to throw Ukraine under the bus on the side of Russia. Those folks are going to stand up and make a difference.So yes, in answer to your question [on Democrats response to Trumps speech]: Yes, its frustrating, but its hard. I served for 12 years in Congress and someone said, Would you like to go back? I said, I would rather eat glass than go back to Congress.James Carville said in a New York Times op-ed that the Democrats [should] sort of roll over and play dead, let the Republicans have their way with the government, anger voters to the point that theyre repulsed by their policies, and then go for a shot in the jugular. What do you think of that strategy?Well, I dont agree with it, and I dont agree with this idea that people need to feel the pain. Im going to do all that I can as governor. I said to my team that we protect the most vulnerable. We protect our gains. Thats what were going to do.This isnt simple disagreement on tax rates, simple disagreement on how much we should do on defense spending versus domestic or whatever. This is an all-out assault around Article I of the Constitution.Again, I dont want to overreact, but I said this last week and I stand by this: The road to authoritarianism is littered with people saying, Youre overreacting. And I think that piece of it, of speaking out, matters. Have [Trumps team] done anything you liked? Theyve done a lot.Two things. Ill mention this especially today, tonight. I think I come down on Trumps side on Daylight Savings Time. So we started talking about that. Ill give you that, Ill give you that one. And believe it or not, this is bizarre, I heard Donald Trump talk about this and Im with him: I think we should get rid of the penny. I think its outlived its thing. So yeah, the worlds melting down around us. But Donald and I are solving the penny crisis.So lets talk about 2024 for a minute here. Not because I want to dwell on the past, but you brought it up that you guys didnt win. I want to better understand why not. You guys didnt swing a single swing state in your direction. A lot of people were stunned by that. Were you stunned?Yeah. In this business, youve got to be steely eyed and coldhearted about where things are at. I spent my time in about seven swing states, and felt like I was getting down to where folks were at. Obviously not. And I think the soul searching that comes with that is: Why did our message about focusing on the middle class, expanded health care, Medicare, help for home health care work, environmental issues why did that not work? Because it felt like to me that it was resonating and it did not.And I think the team around me said this: Well either win all seven or well lose all seven on this. I think that they thought because these things are so nationalized now that it didnt matter that Im in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, talking to folks or up in Erie. Or youre in Waukesha in Wisconsin. The national narrative over the top of that was going to drive it, and it felt like we were there. And I [was], you know, drinking my own Kool-Aid or whatever. And thats on me. I said I own that.Youve been doing soul searching. If theres one thing you can take back or do over, what do you think it would be?Yeah, I think I would have taken back getting myself sucked into the conversation around what was happening in Springfield, Ohio. It so struck me, like, reprehensible that they were saying this about people that I was in like a three- or four-day debate, making my case that this is not happening in Springfield, Ohio. And every time I was saying that we were talking about Springfield, Ohio, and immigration we werent talking about other things that mattered to people. And I went down that line trying to do, I think morally the right thing.It turns out, how much have you heard about Springfield, Ohio, by the way, since that election? What Donald Trump has mastered is he floods the zone to the point where you dont get to make your point. And it doesnt matter if it was eating dogs and cats, because it was immigration and people were uncomfortable with immigration. And so I would, I would do that differently.I dont think Vice President Harris has been asked this, but I bet one thing she wished she could take back was that moment in that interview with The View, where she said she wouldnt change a single thing the Biden administration was doing. Im sure the right loved that, and I think a lot of people on the left were stunned by that. Had that question been posed to you, what were the things that the Biden administration could have been doing better for the American people?Yeah, he should have been out there telling us that inflation was real. And this hurt. In retrospect, I think there should have been talk about sending, especially in the summer of 23, potentially sending stimulus checks to folks to try and counter some of that and making it clear that we were fighting for them. Look, I think you were always going against this idea of change. It was a change election. Its happened globally. We needed to be the change. And what that statement, more than anything, was a lot of great work was done by the administration. We do have the best economy, but that doesnt matter on a micro scale to someone if they cant afford the rent payment.But in fairness to the vice president, had it been me in that moment, I might have [said] that same thing. And I think that we as Democrats better do some soul searching about that. Why would we do that? Its not like were blindly loyal, like, you know, the Trump folks are. But its okay to criticize people you like. In fact, thats what you need.You watch the RNC, you dont see the Bushes on stage. You certainly dont see the Chaneys, but you watch the DNC and you still see the Obamas and the Clintons. Do you think its time the Democratic Party refresh a little bit, put some fresh faces on there? Because here we are, and theres still no one has any idea whos coming next.Well, I will say this: The DNC was a good party. I thought it would do something better than them. But yes, lets have our 2028 candidate have hair.So the Trump campaign seems to mostly run on the economy, immigration, but they get to office and it feels like theyre mostly focused on draining the so-called swamp and, and wokeness. Now the wokeness they seem to be campaigning against, some of it started in your state with the murder of George Floyd. And it seems like they are betting that the majority of the American people, or at least their base, thinks that there was an overcorrection after the death of George Floyd whatever happened with BLM and DEI. What do you think about that? I think we have not done a good job of explaining it. I think we need to name [racism] when it happens. But we also need to tell the average person who I do not believe is racist, but [who] doesnt understand what were saying. And they have been conditioned by the other side that we are somehow passing over well-qualified white males to put these people in there. I think we as Democrats have a great example to rebut that: Just look at this current cabinet. If thats the best and brightest coming from the other side, we should make that case about accountability.RelatedTheres some cognitive dissonance in this country right now, because some people cant believe that were canceling aid to African children, that were deporting migrants the way were doing it, that were treating trans people the way were treating them. And then it seems like half the countrys pleased as punch about it all, which is confusing. It feels like were losing a sense of ourselves. But you just spent months crisscrossing the country, shaking every hand in sight, and you seem like a glass-half-full kind of guy. What would you say to people who are losing faith in their American identity right now? Because it feels like youve still got faith. Its tough. I dont want to whistle past the graveyard, but its not a cliche: Every generation has to renew the democracy. And again, I will admit it. I would like to live in precedented times. Im sick of living in unprecedented time. I want normalcy, I dont want to see these people. But theres also an opportunity and a privilege for us to, to reimagine.I think were still exorcizing ghosts that havent been exorcised since the beginning of this country. I think theyre just coming back out. I think theyre raising their head up again, and were going to have to deal with them. So I think its our responsibility, I think the privilege of being in that battle.I got asked the other day, Whos the leader of the Democratic Party? Im like, Hell if I know. I think its the people who are out there. I think its the working class. Because we are not cultish.Its pretty clear if you ask a Republican whos the leader of the Republican Party? Because they cant say it fast enough, put on their red hat and dance to the tune. Were not going to dance to that tune. But we have a set of shared values. And so I am optimistic. I do believe that arc in the moral universe bends, but I dont think it bends by itself. I think you got to reach up and pull it some to get there. Youre talking to us right now at SXSW. I saw you on Maddow. I saw you talking to Molly Jong-Fast, David Remnick. Are you running for somethin right now?I am not. I have the potential, if I would be given the privilege, to run for a third term of governor of Minnesota. We just need to make sure that we have a winning candidate for 28 not because theyre [a Democrat], but because they care about people and they adhere to our values.See More:

Secrets of Halo Infinites abandoned 10-year plan revealed by new leakAdam StarkeyPublished March 10, 2025 6:07pmUpdated March 10, 2025 6:08pm Halo Finite (Microsoft)Details around Microsofts early plans for Halo Infinite have been uncovered by a fan, including campaign DLC and a battle royale mode.Halo Infinite may have been relatively well received when it launched in 2021, but in the years since it has become regarded as a huge missed opportunity for Xbox.The multiplayers popularity dropped off a cliff due to the lack of updates and countless delays to promised content like the Forge and split-screen co-op the latter of which was cancelled altogether. In the years that followed, the studio was impacted by significant layoffs and staff exits.There have been reports around some of the cut content for Halo Infinite, including an open world inspired by Zelda: Breath Of The Wild, but now new details have allegedly emerged from developer 343 Industries (now called Halo Studios) original 10-year plan for the sequel.A 2020 interview on IGN, with former 343 studio head Chris Lee, revealed how Halo Infinite was originally planned as the start of the next 10 years for Halo. Now, five years later, known Halo insider Rebs Gaming has information on what was originally supposed to happen.As shown in pitch documents, in the YouTube video below, is that the start of the plan was similar to the actual launch of Halo Infinite, albeit two years earlier. Halo Infinite launched in 2021, starting with the multiplayer mode in November, before the campaign arrived a month later in December.According to these documents, the multiplayer portion was originally meant to launch in autumn 2019. We already know Halo Infinite was originally planned as an Xbox Series X/S launch title for 2020, before the game was delayed so this 2019 date may have been a provisional launch date for Microsofts console.The documents describe the multiplayer as having the lowest barrier of entry to any Halo game and providing meaningful early access to a game that people will play for years suggesting it was always planned to be free-to-play.Several large scale game modes were also a scheduled for the multiplayer portion, including the previously rumoured battle royale mode called Tatanka and Warzone, which was a 24-player multiplayer mode in Halo 5: Guardians.Interestingly, according to this pitch, the campaign was originally slated to come out a whole year after the multiplayer, in autumn 2020, with an evergreen campaign and yearly updates.One of these planned campaign updates was called Atrioxs Reign, which was slated for autumn 2021. This is advertised as having a new Warlords system for the open world, but its not clear exactly what that wouldve been.According to Rebs Gaming, this 10-year plan was scrapped due to severe leadership issues within 343 Industries and because all content developed in the Slipspace Engine was cut, as the studio shifted to Unreal Engine. No other details beyond 2021 are shown in this video, so there might be more information to come in future uploads.More TrendingThis jump to Unreal Engine 5 for future Halo games was confirmed in October last year, and was described as allowing the studio to focus on making games, versus making the tools and the engines.In a blog post, Halo Studios lead Pierre Hintze said: We believe that the consumption habits of gamers have changed the expectations of how their content is available. On Halo Infinite, we were developing a tech stack that was supposed to set us up for the future, and games at the same time.As part of this announcement, the studio confirmed multiple Halo projects are currently in development with one rumoured to be a remake of the original Halo: Combat Evolved. Its unclear, however, when this, or any mainline sequel, will be released. The future of Halo is Unreal (Microsoft)Emailgamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below,follow us on Twitter, andsign-up to our newsletter.To submit Inbox letters and Readers Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use ourSubmit Stuff page here.For more stories like this,check our Gaming page.GameCentralSign up for exclusive analysis, latest releases, and bonus community content.This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Your information will be used in line with our Privacy Policy

This is just one of several games claiming to be the successor to Disco Elysium (Dark Math Games)Pre-orders are live for one of several Disco Elysium successors, with XXX Nightshift set to feature music from a much-revered music producer.The post-launch saga of Disco Elysium and developer ZA/UM is too long and complex to sum up in a single paragraph or book. What we can say is that it led to several key figures behind Disco Elysium leaving the studio and although a sequel was teased, it was ultimately cancelled.It was a tragedy given how much Disco Elysium redefined how role-playing games could work, but its spirit is set to live on. No less than four separate studios have been set up by different ZA/UM veterans, with three of them being announced at the exact same time last October.One of them, the London based Dark Math Games, has announced that its recruited Grammy nominated music producer and songwriter John Cunningham for its debut project, XXX Nightshift.If youre not familiar with Cunninghams name, youve likely heard his work before, as hes collaborated with several big-name musicians, including Miley Cyrus, Kanye West, and the late rapper XXXTentacion.Music is set to be an important aspect of XXX Nightshift, as Dark Math Games promises that choices you make will impact the games soundscape. While its unclear exactly what sort of music you can expect from XXX Nightshift, Cunningham is set to helm the soundtracks creation.Im super curious and excited to be a part of XXX Nightshift, where the world has evolved so much, and our understanding of music and personalisation has evolved alongside it, says Cunningham, referring to how the game seems to be set in our world but in the distant future of 2086.How is music created, listened to, shared, and loved in this world? And most importantly, how can I impart the feeling upon the player that we are all artists in our own right?Dark Math Games founder and art director Timo Albert, who served as a motion graphic designer on Disco Elysium, adds: Johns innovative approach matches our energy perfectly. He knows how to get the best out of every artist, and were thrilled to have him as a hands-on collaborator with the development team. Hes taking the lead on sound and music with his signature style players are in for something unforgettable.If this is enough to get you excited for XXX Nightshift, youll be pleased to know pre-orders are now available via Dark Math Games website. Theres no mention of a release date but for 49.99 the studio is also including invites to closed alpha and beta test builds, ahead of the games launch, and access to an exclusive Discord channel.More TrendingA more expensive pre-order offers all that and more, including a free soundtrack, in-game extras, and your name inscribed somewhere in the game for 74.99.Who else is making a Disco Elysium successor?In 2023, Disco Elysiums design lead and writer Robert Kurvitz and art director Aleksander Rostov founded Red Info, a new studio based in East Sussex, to make a spiritual successor.Elsewhere, you have Longdue in London, which is comprised of not just former ZA/UM staff but also people from other studios such as Bungie and Rockstar Games. It is crowdfunding for its psychological role-playing game Hopetown.Lastly is Summer Eternal, which is being led by Argo Tuulik and Olga Moskvina, who were also writers on Disco Elysium. Their studio is planning its own single-player role-playing game and describes itself as a worker owned art collective.Described as a true detective role-playing game, XXX Nightshift has you stranded at a ski resort in Antarctica with unforgettable guests, wild parties, and mad secrets.One look at screenshots and the trailer makes it very evident the games trying to replicate Disco Elysiums look and feel, with promises of seismic choices that impact the story. One unique addition though, is the option to enlist a companion to aid you in mystery solving.In Disco Elysium, you were mostly joined at the hip by Kim Kitsuragi, but it sounds like XXX Nightshift will offer multiple options for companions as well as the ability to do things solo. Are you already invested in what XXX Nightshift is offering? (Dark Math Games)Emailgamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below,follow us on Twitter, andsign-up to our newsletter.To submit Inbox letters and Readers Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use ourSubmit Stuff page here.For more stories like this,check our Gaming page.ArrowMORE: Disco Elysium PS5 review The Final CutGameCentralSign up for exclusive analysis, latest releases, and bonus community content.This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Your information will be used in line with our Privacy Policy

By Passant Rabie Published March 10, 2025 | Comments (0) | An illustration of space debris in Earth orbit. Image: ESA Earths changing climate does not only have an effect on the planets oceans, wildlife, and agriculture, it may also impact its surrounding space. New research examines the effect of greenhouse gases on Earths upper atmosphere, suggesting that it will shrink over time and become less capable of holding as many satellites as it does now. Using simulations of carbon emissions over time, a team of scientists from MIT is predicting a shocking drop in the satellite-carrying capacity of low Earth orbit. They concluded that, as the uppermost atmosphere shrinks, debris will linger longer, and the resulting reduction in atmospheric drag could increase the risk of collisions in space. The team predicts that by the year 2100, the carrying capacity of the most popular regions could be reduced by 50 to 66% due to the effects of greenhouse gases, according to a study published Monday in Nature Sustainability. As greenhouse gas concentrations rise, they warm the troposphere where we live but cool and contract the upper atmospherethe stratosphere, mesosphere, and thermosphere, William Parker, a graduate student at the department of aeronautics and astronautics at MIT, told Gizmodo. The thermosphere plays a crucial role in creating drag on orbital debris, gradually removing it from space. However, as the atmosphere contracts due to increasing greenhouse gas emissions, debris remains in orbit longer, increasing the risk of a runaway cascading collision scenario. The thermosphere is where the International Space Station and most other satellites orbit Earth. More than 10,000 satellites are currently drifting through low Earth orbit. With rising emissions, the chances of collision between spacecraft increase, which will lead to the creation of more space debris. That will reduce the number of satellites that are able to operate in low Earth orbit within the same risk threshold thats applied today. Greenhouse gases act like a blanket, warming the troposphere by insulating the surface and reflecting heat back toward the ground, Parker explained. The retention of heat in the troposphere means less heat makes its way into the upper atmosphere. Additionally, the heat that does make its way to the upper atmosphere is radiated out into space by greenhouse gases.These two contributions lead to long-term cooling in the stratosphere, mesosphere, and thermosphere. That cooling leads to contraction, Parker added. If youve ever put a balloon in a freezer, youll know that as the temperature drops, the balloon shrinks. The same thing is happening to the upper atmosphere on a global scale. The researchers behind the study simulated different scenarios over the coming century, one in which greenhouse gas concentrations remain at the same level from the year 2000 and others where emissions change according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs). The increase of emissions over time led to a significantly reduced carrying capacity through low Earth orbit.Without an atmosphere, most space debris would remain in orbit indefinitely, Parker said. As the atmosphere thins, debris lingers longer, increasing the risk to active satellites. With the growing consequences of space debris, we can accommodate fewer debris-generating events. With the estimated reduction of the number of satellites in low Earth orbit over time, the study warns that if satellite capacity is exceeded in a particular region, it may lead to a runaway instability, or a cascade of collisions that would create so much debris that satellites would no longer be able to safely operate there. As the space industry continues to grow at unprecedented rates, so does the demand for spacecraft in Earth orbit. In 2023, there was a 35% increase in the total number of active satellites orbiting Earth. That number will likely increase over time.The researchers behind the study suggest that proactive measures need to be taken today, as well as better decisions over the number of satellites being launched to space. More satellites have been launched in the last five years than in the preceding 60 years combined, Parker said. One of [the] key things were trying to understand is whether the path were on today is sustainable.Daily NewsletterYou May Also Like By Matt Novak Published March 4, 2025 By Ed Cara Published March 4, 2025 By Adam Kovac Published March 2, 2025 By Matt Novak Published February 11, 2025 By Thomas Maxwell Published February 10, 2025 By Margherita Bassi Published February 7, 2025