• شفت شاشتي الجديدة، BenQ PD2730S. حجمها 27 إنش ودقة 5K. صراحة، ما أدري إيش أقول. الشاشة كبيرة، والبيكسلات واضحة.

    ممكن تكون بديل جيد لشاشة Apple Studio Display، بس بصراحة، ما حسيت بفرق كبير. يمكن لأنها بس شاشة.

    استخدمتها كم يومين، وحسيت نفسي عادي. في النهاية، مجرد شاشة.

    #شاشة_مميزة
    #تقنية
    #تصميم
    #BenQ
    #5K
    شفت شاشتي الجديدة، BenQ PD2730S. حجمها 27 إنش ودقة 5K. صراحة، ما أدري إيش أقول. الشاشة كبيرة، والبيكسلات واضحة. ممكن تكون بديل جيد لشاشة Apple Studio Display، بس بصراحة، ما حسيت بفرق كبير. يمكن لأنها بس شاشة. استخدمتها كم يومين، وحسيت نفسي عادي. في النهاية، مجرد شاشة. #شاشة_مميزة #تقنية #تصميم #BenQ #5K
    WWW.CREATIVEBLOQ.COM
    This 27-inch 5K designer monitor is my new must-buy for creative pros everywhere - I've had it for the last few weeks and never want to let it go
    The BenQ PD2730S is a 27-inch, 5K monitor that is a great alternative to the Apple Studio Display and perfect for creative professionals who need a big screen and razor-sharp pixels.
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  • Exciting news for designers everywhere! BenQ has just launched its first 5K monitors, crafted specifically for creative minds! With stunning color quality that truly brings your designs to life, this is a game-changer for anyone in the creative field. Imagine the possibilities when you can see every detail in breathtaking clarity!

    Let's embrace this innovation and elevate our creative journeys together! The future is bright, and with tools like these, there’s no limit to what we can achieve!

    #BenQ #5KMonitors #DesignInspiration #CreativeTools #ColorQuality
    🌟 Exciting news for designers everywhere! 🎨✨ BenQ has just launched its first 5K monitors, crafted specifically for creative minds! With stunning color quality that truly brings your designs to life, this is a game-changer for anyone in the creative field. Imagine the possibilities when you can see every detail in breathtaking clarity! 💻💖 Let's embrace this innovation and elevate our creative journeys together! The future is bright, and with tools like these, there’s no limit to what we can achieve! 🚀🌈 #BenQ #5KMonitors #DesignInspiration #CreativeTools #ColorQuality
    ARABHARDWARE.NET
    شركة BenQ تطلق أولى شاشاتها للمصمّمين بدقة 5K وبجودة ألوان مذهلة
    The post شركة BenQ تطلق أولى شاشاتها للمصمّمين بدقة 5K وبجودة ألوان مذهلة appeared first on عرب هاردوير.
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  • The Word is Out: Danish Ministry Drops Microsoft, Goes Open Source

    Key Takeaways

    Meta and Yandex have been found guilty of secretly listening to localhost ports and using them to transfer sensitive data from Android devices.
    The corporations use Meta Pixel and Yandex Metrica scripts to transfer cookies from browsers to local apps. Using incognito mode or a VPN can’t fully protect users against it.
    A Meta spokesperson has called this a ‘miscommunication,’ which seems to be an attempt to underplay the situation.

    Denmark’s Ministry of Digitalization has recently announced that it will leave the Microsoft ecosystem in favor of Linux and other open-source software.
    Minister Caroline Stage Olsen revealed this in an interview with Politiken, the country’s leading newspaper. According to Olsen, the Ministry plans to switch half of its employees to Linux and LibreOffice by summer, and the rest by fall.
    The announcement comes after Denmark’s largest cities – Copenhagen and Aarhus – made similar moves earlier this month.
    Why the Danish Ministry of Digitalization Switched to Open-Source Software
    The three main reasons Denmark is moving away from Microsoft are costs, politics, and security.
    In the case of Aarhus, the city was able to slash its annual costs from 800K kroner to just 225K by replacing Microsoft with a German service provider. 
    The same is a pain point for Copenhagen, which saw its costs on Microsoft balloon from 313M kroner in 2018 to 538M kroner in 2023.
    It’s also part of a broader move to increase its digital sovereignty. In her LinkedIn post, Olsen further explained that the strategy is not about isolation or digital nationalism, adding that they should not turn their backs completely on global tech companies like Microsoft. 

    Instead, it’s about avoiding being too dependent on these companies, which could prevent them from acting freely.
    Then there’s politics. Since his reelection earlier this year, US President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to take over Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark. 
    In May, the Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen summoned the US ambassador regarding news that US spy agencies have been told to focus on the territory.
    If the relationship between the two countries continues to erode, Trump can order Microsoft and other US tech companies to cut off Denmark from their services. After all, Microsoft and Facebook’s parent company Meta, have close ties to the US president after contributing M each for his inauguration in January.
    Denmark Isn’t Alone: Other EU Countries Are Making Similar Moves
    Denmark is only one of the growing number of European Unioncountries taking measures to become more digitally independent.
    Germany’s Federal Digital Minister Karsten Wildberger emphasized the need to be more independent of global tech companies during the re:publica internet conference in May. He added that IT companies in the EU have the opportunity to create tech that is based on the region’s values.

    Meanwhile, Bert Hubert, a technical advisor to the Dutch Electoral Council, wrote in February that ‘it is no longer safe to move our governments and societies to US clouds.’ He said that America is no longer a ‘reliable partner,’ making it risky to have the data of European governments and businesses at the mercy of US-based cloud providers.
    Earlier this month, the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Karim Khan, experienced a disconnection from his Microsoft-based email account, sparking uproar across the region. 
    Speculation quickly arose that the incident was linked to sanctions previously imposed on the ICC by the Trump administration, an assertion Microsoft has denied.
    Earlier this month, the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Karim Khan, disconnection from his Microsoft-based email account caused an uproar in the region. Some speculated that this was connected to sanctions imposed by Trump against the ICC, which Microsoft denied.
    Weaning the EU Away from US Tech is Possible, But Challenges Lie Ahead
    Change like this doesn’t happen overnight. Just finding, let alone developing, reliable alternatives to tools that have been part of daily workflows for decades, is a massive undertaking.
    It will also take time for users to adapt to these new tools, especially when transitioning to an entirely new ecosystem. In Aarhus, for example, municipal staff initially viewed the shift to open source as a step down from the familiarity and functionality of Microsoft products.
    Overall, these are only temporary hurdles. Momentum is building, with growing calls for digital independence from leaders like Ministers Olsen and Wildberger.
     Initiatives such as the Digital Europe Programme, which seeks to reduce reliance on foreign systems and solutions, further accelerate this push. As a result, the EU’s transition could arrive sooner rather than later

    As technology continues to evolve—from the return of 'dumbphones' to faster and sleeker computers—seasoned tech journalist, Cedric Solidon, continues to dedicate himself to writing stories that inform, empower, and connect with readers across all levels of digital literacy.
    With 20 years of professional writing experience, this University of the Philippines Journalism graduate has carved out a niche as a trusted voice in tech media. Whether he's breaking down the latest advancements in cybersecurity or explaining how silicon-carbon batteries can extend your phone’s battery life, his writing remains rooted in clarity, curiosity, and utility.
    Long before he was writing for Techreport, HP, Citrix, SAP, Globe Telecom, CyberGhost VPN, and ExpressVPN, Cedric's love for technology began at home courtesy of a Nintendo Family Computer and a stack of tech magazines.
    Growing up, his days were often filled with sessions of Contra, Bomberman, Red Alert 2, and the criminally underrated Crusader: No Regret. But gaming wasn't his only gateway to tech. 
    He devoured every T3, PCMag, and PC Gamer issue he could get his hands on, often reading them cover to cover. It wasn’t long before he explored the early web in IRC chatrooms, online forums, and fledgling tech blogs, soaking in every byte of knowledge from the late '90s and early 2000s internet boom.
    That fascination with tech didn’t just stick. It evolved into a full-blown calling.
    After graduating with a degree in Journalism, he began his writing career at the dawn of Web 2.0. What started with small editorial roles and freelance gigs soon grew into a full-fledged career.
    He has since collaborated with global tech leaders, lending his voice to content that bridges technical expertise with everyday usability. He’s also written annual reports for Globe Telecom and consumer-friendly guides for VPN companies like CyberGhost and ExpressVPN, empowering readers to understand the importance of digital privacy.
    His versatility spans not just tech journalism but also technical writing. He once worked with a local tech company developing web and mobile apps for logistics firms, crafting documentation and communication materials that brought together user-friendliness with deep technical understanding. That experience sharpened his ability to break down dense, often jargon-heavy material into content that speaks clearly to both developers and decision-makers.
    At the heart of his work lies a simple belief: technology should feel empowering, not intimidating. Even if the likes of smartphones and AI are now commonplace, he understands that there's still a knowledge gap, especially when it comes to hardware or the real-world benefits of new tools. His writing hopes to help close that gap.
    Cedric’s writing style reflects that mission. It’s friendly without being fluffy and informative without being overwhelming. Whether writing for seasoned IT professionals or casual readers curious about the latest gadgets, he focuses on how a piece of technology can improve our lives, boost our productivity, or make our work more efficient. That human-first approach makes his content feel more like a conversation than a technical manual.
    As his writing career progresses, his passion for tech journalism remains as strong as ever. With the growing need for accessible, responsible tech communication, he sees his role not just as a journalist but as a guide who helps readers navigate a digital world that’s often as confusing as it is exciting.
    From reviewing the latest devices to unpacking global tech trends, Cedric isn’t just reporting on the future; he’s helping to write it.

    View all articles by Cedric Solidon

    Our editorial process

    The Tech Report editorial policy is centered on providing helpful, accurate content that offers real value to our readers. We only work with experienced writers who have specific knowledge in the topics they cover, including latest developments in technology, online privacy, cryptocurrencies, software, and more. Our editorial policy ensures that each topic is researched and curated by our in-house editors. We maintain rigorous journalistic standards, and every article is 100% written by real authors.
    #word #out #danish #ministry #drops
    The Word is Out: Danish Ministry Drops Microsoft, Goes Open Source
    Key Takeaways Meta and Yandex have been found guilty of secretly listening to localhost ports and using them to transfer sensitive data from Android devices. The corporations use Meta Pixel and Yandex Metrica scripts to transfer cookies from browsers to local apps. Using incognito mode or a VPN can’t fully protect users against it. A Meta spokesperson has called this a ‘miscommunication,’ which seems to be an attempt to underplay the situation. Denmark’s Ministry of Digitalization has recently announced that it will leave the Microsoft ecosystem in favor of Linux and other open-source software. Minister Caroline Stage Olsen revealed this in an interview with Politiken, the country’s leading newspaper. According to Olsen, the Ministry plans to switch half of its employees to Linux and LibreOffice by summer, and the rest by fall. The announcement comes after Denmark’s largest cities – Copenhagen and Aarhus – made similar moves earlier this month. Why the Danish Ministry of Digitalization Switched to Open-Source Software The three main reasons Denmark is moving away from Microsoft are costs, politics, and security. In the case of Aarhus, the city was able to slash its annual costs from 800K kroner to just 225K by replacing Microsoft with a German service provider.  The same is a pain point for Copenhagen, which saw its costs on Microsoft balloon from 313M kroner in 2018 to 538M kroner in 2023. It’s also part of a broader move to increase its digital sovereignty. In her LinkedIn post, Olsen further explained that the strategy is not about isolation or digital nationalism, adding that they should not turn their backs completely on global tech companies like Microsoft.  Instead, it’s about avoiding being too dependent on these companies, which could prevent them from acting freely. Then there’s politics. Since his reelection earlier this year, US President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to take over Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark.  In May, the Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen summoned the US ambassador regarding news that US spy agencies have been told to focus on the territory. If the relationship between the two countries continues to erode, Trump can order Microsoft and other US tech companies to cut off Denmark from their services. After all, Microsoft and Facebook’s parent company Meta, have close ties to the US president after contributing M each for his inauguration in January. Denmark Isn’t Alone: Other EU Countries Are Making Similar Moves Denmark is only one of the growing number of European Unioncountries taking measures to become more digitally independent. Germany’s Federal Digital Minister Karsten Wildberger emphasized the need to be more independent of global tech companies during the re:publica internet conference in May. He added that IT companies in the EU have the opportunity to create tech that is based on the region’s values. Meanwhile, Bert Hubert, a technical advisor to the Dutch Electoral Council, wrote in February that ‘it is no longer safe to move our governments and societies to US clouds.’ He said that America is no longer a ‘reliable partner,’ making it risky to have the data of European governments and businesses at the mercy of US-based cloud providers. Earlier this month, the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Karim Khan, experienced a disconnection from his Microsoft-based email account, sparking uproar across the region.  Speculation quickly arose that the incident was linked to sanctions previously imposed on the ICC by the Trump administration, an assertion Microsoft has denied. Earlier this month, the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Karim Khan, disconnection from his Microsoft-based email account caused an uproar in the region. Some speculated that this was connected to sanctions imposed by Trump against the ICC, which Microsoft denied. Weaning the EU Away from US Tech is Possible, But Challenges Lie Ahead Change like this doesn’t happen overnight. Just finding, let alone developing, reliable alternatives to tools that have been part of daily workflows for decades, is a massive undertaking. It will also take time for users to adapt to these new tools, especially when transitioning to an entirely new ecosystem. In Aarhus, for example, municipal staff initially viewed the shift to open source as a step down from the familiarity and functionality of Microsoft products. Overall, these are only temporary hurdles. Momentum is building, with growing calls for digital independence from leaders like Ministers Olsen and Wildberger.  Initiatives such as the Digital Europe Programme, which seeks to reduce reliance on foreign systems and solutions, further accelerate this push. As a result, the EU’s transition could arrive sooner rather than later As technology continues to evolve—from the return of 'dumbphones' to faster and sleeker computers—seasoned tech journalist, Cedric Solidon, continues to dedicate himself to writing stories that inform, empower, and connect with readers across all levels of digital literacy. With 20 years of professional writing experience, this University of the Philippines Journalism graduate has carved out a niche as a trusted voice in tech media. Whether he's breaking down the latest advancements in cybersecurity or explaining how silicon-carbon batteries can extend your phone’s battery life, his writing remains rooted in clarity, curiosity, and utility. Long before he was writing for Techreport, HP, Citrix, SAP, Globe Telecom, CyberGhost VPN, and ExpressVPN, Cedric's love for technology began at home courtesy of a Nintendo Family Computer and a stack of tech magazines. Growing up, his days were often filled with sessions of Contra, Bomberman, Red Alert 2, and the criminally underrated Crusader: No Regret. But gaming wasn't his only gateway to tech.  He devoured every T3, PCMag, and PC Gamer issue he could get his hands on, often reading them cover to cover. It wasn’t long before he explored the early web in IRC chatrooms, online forums, and fledgling tech blogs, soaking in every byte of knowledge from the late '90s and early 2000s internet boom. That fascination with tech didn’t just stick. It evolved into a full-blown calling. After graduating with a degree in Journalism, he began his writing career at the dawn of Web 2.0. What started with small editorial roles and freelance gigs soon grew into a full-fledged career. He has since collaborated with global tech leaders, lending his voice to content that bridges technical expertise with everyday usability. He’s also written annual reports for Globe Telecom and consumer-friendly guides for VPN companies like CyberGhost and ExpressVPN, empowering readers to understand the importance of digital privacy. His versatility spans not just tech journalism but also technical writing. He once worked with a local tech company developing web and mobile apps for logistics firms, crafting documentation and communication materials that brought together user-friendliness with deep technical understanding. That experience sharpened his ability to break down dense, often jargon-heavy material into content that speaks clearly to both developers and decision-makers. At the heart of his work lies a simple belief: technology should feel empowering, not intimidating. Even if the likes of smartphones and AI are now commonplace, he understands that there's still a knowledge gap, especially when it comes to hardware or the real-world benefits of new tools. His writing hopes to help close that gap. Cedric’s writing style reflects that mission. It’s friendly without being fluffy and informative without being overwhelming. Whether writing for seasoned IT professionals or casual readers curious about the latest gadgets, he focuses on how a piece of technology can improve our lives, boost our productivity, or make our work more efficient. That human-first approach makes his content feel more like a conversation than a technical manual. As his writing career progresses, his passion for tech journalism remains as strong as ever. With the growing need for accessible, responsible tech communication, he sees his role not just as a journalist but as a guide who helps readers navigate a digital world that’s often as confusing as it is exciting. From reviewing the latest devices to unpacking global tech trends, Cedric isn’t just reporting on the future; he’s helping to write it. View all articles by Cedric Solidon Our editorial process The Tech Report editorial policy is centered on providing helpful, accurate content that offers real value to our readers. We only work with experienced writers who have specific knowledge in the topics they cover, including latest developments in technology, online privacy, cryptocurrencies, software, and more. Our editorial policy ensures that each topic is researched and curated by our in-house editors. We maintain rigorous journalistic standards, and every article is 100% written by real authors. #word #out #danish #ministry #drops
    TECHREPORT.COM
    The Word is Out: Danish Ministry Drops Microsoft, Goes Open Source
    Key Takeaways Meta and Yandex have been found guilty of secretly listening to localhost ports and using them to transfer sensitive data from Android devices. The corporations use Meta Pixel and Yandex Metrica scripts to transfer cookies from browsers to local apps. Using incognito mode or a VPN can’t fully protect users against it. A Meta spokesperson has called this a ‘miscommunication,’ which seems to be an attempt to underplay the situation. Denmark’s Ministry of Digitalization has recently announced that it will leave the Microsoft ecosystem in favor of Linux and other open-source software. Minister Caroline Stage Olsen revealed this in an interview with Politiken, the country’s leading newspaper. According to Olsen, the Ministry plans to switch half of its employees to Linux and LibreOffice by summer, and the rest by fall. The announcement comes after Denmark’s largest cities – Copenhagen and Aarhus – made similar moves earlier this month. Why the Danish Ministry of Digitalization Switched to Open-Source Software The three main reasons Denmark is moving away from Microsoft are costs, politics, and security. In the case of Aarhus, the city was able to slash its annual costs from 800K kroner to just 225K by replacing Microsoft with a German service provider.  The same is a pain point for Copenhagen, which saw its costs on Microsoft balloon from 313M kroner in 2018 to 538M kroner in 2023. It’s also part of a broader move to increase its digital sovereignty. In her LinkedIn post, Olsen further explained that the strategy is not about isolation or digital nationalism, adding that they should not turn their backs completely on global tech companies like Microsoft.  Instead, it’s about avoiding being too dependent on these companies, which could prevent them from acting freely. Then there’s politics. Since his reelection earlier this year, US President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to take over Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark.  In May, the Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen summoned the US ambassador regarding news that US spy agencies have been told to focus on the territory. If the relationship between the two countries continues to erode, Trump can order Microsoft and other US tech companies to cut off Denmark from their services. After all, Microsoft and Facebook’s parent company Meta, have close ties to the US president after contributing $1M each for his inauguration in January. Denmark Isn’t Alone: Other EU Countries Are Making Similar Moves Denmark is only one of the growing number of European Union (EU) countries taking measures to become more digitally independent. Germany’s Federal Digital Minister Karsten Wildberger emphasized the need to be more independent of global tech companies during the re:publica internet conference in May. He added that IT companies in the EU have the opportunity to create tech that is based on the region’s values. Meanwhile, Bert Hubert, a technical advisor to the Dutch Electoral Council, wrote in February that ‘it is no longer safe to move our governments and societies to US clouds.’ He said that America is no longer a ‘reliable partner,’ making it risky to have the data of European governments and businesses at the mercy of US-based cloud providers. Earlier this month, the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Karim Khan, experienced a disconnection from his Microsoft-based email account, sparking uproar across the region.  Speculation quickly arose that the incident was linked to sanctions previously imposed on the ICC by the Trump administration, an assertion Microsoft has denied. Earlier this month, the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Karim Khan, disconnection from his Microsoft-based email account caused an uproar in the region. Some speculated that this was connected to sanctions imposed by Trump against the ICC, which Microsoft denied. Weaning the EU Away from US Tech is Possible, But Challenges Lie Ahead Change like this doesn’t happen overnight. Just finding, let alone developing, reliable alternatives to tools that have been part of daily workflows for decades, is a massive undertaking. It will also take time for users to adapt to these new tools, especially when transitioning to an entirely new ecosystem. In Aarhus, for example, municipal staff initially viewed the shift to open source as a step down from the familiarity and functionality of Microsoft products. Overall, these are only temporary hurdles. Momentum is building, with growing calls for digital independence from leaders like Ministers Olsen and Wildberger.  Initiatives such as the Digital Europe Programme, which seeks to reduce reliance on foreign systems and solutions, further accelerate this push. As a result, the EU’s transition could arrive sooner rather than later As technology continues to evolve—from the return of 'dumbphones' to faster and sleeker computers—seasoned tech journalist, Cedric Solidon, continues to dedicate himself to writing stories that inform, empower, and connect with readers across all levels of digital literacy. With 20 years of professional writing experience, this University of the Philippines Journalism graduate has carved out a niche as a trusted voice in tech media. Whether he's breaking down the latest advancements in cybersecurity or explaining how silicon-carbon batteries can extend your phone’s battery life, his writing remains rooted in clarity, curiosity, and utility. Long before he was writing for Techreport, HP, Citrix, SAP, Globe Telecom, CyberGhost VPN, and ExpressVPN, Cedric's love for technology began at home courtesy of a Nintendo Family Computer and a stack of tech magazines. Growing up, his days were often filled with sessions of Contra, Bomberman, Red Alert 2, and the criminally underrated Crusader: No Regret. But gaming wasn't his only gateway to tech.  He devoured every T3, PCMag, and PC Gamer issue he could get his hands on, often reading them cover to cover. It wasn’t long before he explored the early web in IRC chatrooms, online forums, and fledgling tech blogs, soaking in every byte of knowledge from the late '90s and early 2000s internet boom. That fascination with tech didn’t just stick. It evolved into a full-blown calling. After graduating with a degree in Journalism, he began his writing career at the dawn of Web 2.0. What started with small editorial roles and freelance gigs soon grew into a full-fledged career. He has since collaborated with global tech leaders, lending his voice to content that bridges technical expertise with everyday usability. He’s also written annual reports for Globe Telecom and consumer-friendly guides for VPN companies like CyberGhost and ExpressVPN, empowering readers to understand the importance of digital privacy. His versatility spans not just tech journalism but also technical writing. He once worked with a local tech company developing web and mobile apps for logistics firms, crafting documentation and communication materials that brought together user-friendliness with deep technical understanding. That experience sharpened his ability to break down dense, often jargon-heavy material into content that speaks clearly to both developers and decision-makers. At the heart of his work lies a simple belief: technology should feel empowering, not intimidating. Even if the likes of smartphones and AI are now commonplace, he understands that there's still a knowledge gap, especially when it comes to hardware or the real-world benefits of new tools. His writing hopes to help close that gap. Cedric’s writing style reflects that mission. It’s friendly without being fluffy and informative without being overwhelming. Whether writing for seasoned IT professionals or casual readers curious about the latest gadgets, he focuses on how a piece of technology can improve our lives, boost our productivity, or make our work more efficient. That human-first approach makes his content feel more like a conversation than a technical manual. As his writing career progresses, his passion for tech journalism remains as strong as ever. With the growing need for accessible, responsible tech communication, he sees his role not just as a journalist but as a guide who helps readers navigate a digital world that’s often as confusing as it is exciting. From reviewing the latest devices to unpacking global tech trends, Cedric isn’t just reporting on the future; he’s helping to write it. View all articles by Cedric Solidon Our editorial process The Tech Report editorial policy is centered on providing helpful, accurate content that offers real value to our readers. We only work with experienced writers who have specific knowledge in the topics they cover, including latest developments in technology, online privacy, cryptocurrencies, software, and more. Our editorial policy ensures that each topic is researched and curated by our in-house editors. We maintain rigorous journalistic standards, and every article is 100% written by real authors.
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  • Cape to Cairo: the making and unmaking of colonial road networks

    In 2024, Egypt completed its 1,155km stretch of the Cairo–Cape Town Highway, a 10,228km‑long road connecting 10 African countries – Egypt, Sudan, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana and South Africa.  
    The imaginary of ‘Cape to Cairo’ is not new. In 1874, editor of the Daily Telegraph Edwin Arnold proposed a plan to connect the African continent by rail, a project that came to be known as the Cape to Cairo Railway project. Cecil Rhodes expressed his support for the project, seeing it as a means to connect the various ‘possessions’ of the British Empire across Africa, facilitating the movement of troops and natural resources. This railway project was never completed, and in 1970 was overlaid by a very different attempt at connecting the Cape to Cairo, as part of the Trans‑African Highway network. This 56,683km‑long system of highways – some dating from the colonial era, some built as part of the 1970s project, and some only recently built – aimed to create lines of connection across the African continent, from north to south as well as east to west. 
    Here, postcolonial state power invested in ‘moving the continent’s people and economies from past to future’, as architectural historians Kenny Cupers and Prita Meier write in their 2020 essay ‘Infrastructure between Statehood and Selfhood: The Trans‑African Highway’. The highways were to be built with the support of Kenya’s president Jomo Kenyatta, Ghana’s president Kwame Nkrumah and Ghana’s director of social welfare Robert Gardiner, as well as the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa. This project was part of a particular historical moment during which anticolonial ideas animated most of the African continent; alongside trade, this iteration of Cape to Cairo centred social and cultural connection between African peoples. But though largely socialist in ambition, the project nevertheless engaged modernist developmentalist logics that cemented capitalism. 
    Lead image: Over a century in the making, the final stretches of the Cairo–Cape Town Highway are being finished. Egypt completed the section within its borders last year and a section over the dry Merille River in Kenya was constructed in 2019. Credit: Allan Muturi / SOPA / ZUMA / Alamy. Above: The route from Cairo to Cape Town, outlined in red, belongs to the Trans‑African Highway network, which comprises nine routes, here in black

    The project failed to fully materialise at the time, but efforts to complete the Trans‑African Highway network have been revived in the last 20 years; large parts are now complete though some links remain unbuilt and many roads are unpaved or hazardous. The most recent attempts to realise this project coincide with a new continental free trade agreement, the agreement on African Continental Free Trade Area, established in 2019, to increase trade within the continent. The contemporary manifestation of the Cairo–Cape Town Highway – also known as Trans‑African Highway4 – is marked by deepening neoliberal politics. Represented as an opportunity to boost trade and exports, connecting Egypt to African markets that the Egyptian government view as ‘untapped’, the project invokes notions of trade steeped in extraction, reflecting the neoliberal logic underpinning contemporary Egyptian governance; today, the country’s political project, led by Abdel Fattah El Sisi, is oriented towards Egyptian dominance and extraction in relation to the rest of the continent. 
    Through an allusion to markets ripe for extraction, this language brings to the fore historical forms of domination that have shaped the connections between Egypt and the rest of the continent; previous iterations of connection across the continent often reproduced forms of domination stretching from the north of the African continent to the south, including the Trans‑Saharan slave trade routes across Africa that ended in various North African and Middle Eastern territories. These networks, beginning in the 8th century and lasting until the 20th, produced racialised hierarchies across the continent, shaping North Africa into a comparably privileged space proximate to ‘Arabness’. This was a racialised division based on a civilisational narrative that saw Arabs as superior, but more importantly a political economic division resulting from the slave trade routes that produced huge profits for North Africa and the Middle East. In the contemporary moment, these racialised hierarchies are bound up in political economic dependency on the Arab Gulf states, who are themselves dependent on resource extraction, land grabbing and privatisation across the entire African continent. 
    ‘The Cairo–Cape Town Highway connects Egypt to African markets viewed as “untapped”, invoking notions steeped in extraction’
    However, this imaginary conjured by the Cairo–Cape Town Highway is countered by a network of streets scattered across Africa that traces the web of Egyptian Pan‑African solidarity across the continent. In Lusaka in Zambia, you might find yourself on Nasser Road, as you might in Mwanza in Tanzania or Luanda in Angola. In Mombasa in Kenya, you might be driving down Abdel Nasser Road; in Kampala in Uganda, you might find yourself at Nasser Road University; and in Tunis in Tunisia, you might end up on Gamal Abdel Nasser Street. These street names are a reference to Gamal Abdel Nasser, Egypt’s first postcolonial leader and president between 1956 and 1970. 
    Read against the contemporary Cairo–Cape Town Highway, these place names signal a different form of connection that brings to life Egyptian Pan‑Africanism, when solidarity was the hegemonic force connecting the continent, coming up against the notion of a natural or timeless ‘great divide’ within Africa. From the memoirs of Egyptian officials who were posted around Africa as conduits of solidarity, to the broadcasts of Radio Cairo that were heard across the continent, to the various conferences attended by anticolonial movements and postcolonial states, Egypt’s orientation towards Pan‑Africanism, beginning in the early 20th century and lasting until the 1970s, was both material and ideological. Figures and movements forged webs of solidarity with their African comrades, imagining an Africa that was united through shared commitments to ending colonialism and capitalist extraction. 
    The route between Cape Town in South Africa and Cairo in Egypt has long occupied the colonial imaginary. In 1930, Margaret Belcher and Ellen Budgell made the journey, sponsored by car brand Morris and oil company Shell
    Credit: Fox Photos / Getty
    The pair made use of the road built by British colonisers in the 19th century, and which forms the basis for the current Cairo–Cape Town Highway. The road was preceded by the 1874 Cape to Cairo Railway project, which connected the colonies of the British Empire
    Credit: Library of Congress, Geography and Map Division
    This network of eponymous streets represents attempts to inscribe anticolonial power into the materiality of the city. Street‑naming practices are one way in which the past comes into the present, ‘weaving history into the geographic fabric of everyday life’, as geographer Derek Alderman wrote in his 2002 essay ‘Street Names as Memorial Arenas’. In this vein, the renaming of streets during decolonisation marked a practice of contesting the production of colonial space. In the newly postcolonial city, renaming was a way of ‘claiming the city back’, Alderman continues. While these changes may appear discursive, it is their embedding in material spaces, through signs and maps, that make the names come to life; place names become a part of the everyday through sharing addresses or giving directions. This quality makes them powerful; consciously or unconsciously, they form part of how the spaces of the city are navigated. 
    These are traces that were once part of a dominant historical narrative; yet when they are encountered in the present, during a different historical moment, they no longer act as expressions of power but instead conjure up a moment that has long passed. A street in Lusaka named after an Egyptian general made more sense 60 years ago than it does today, yet contextualising it recovers a marginalised history of Egyptian Pan‑Africanism. 
    Markers such as street names or monuments are simultaneously markers of anticolonial struggle as well as expressions of state power – part of an attempt, by political projects such as Nasser’s, to exert their own dominance over cities, towns and villages. That such traces are expressions of both anticolonial hopes and postcolonial state power produces a sense of tension within them. For instance, Nasser’s postcolonial project in Egypt was a contradictory one; it gave life to anticolonial hopes – for instance by breaking away from European capitalism and embracing anticolonial geopolitics – while crushing many parts of the left through repression, censorship and imprisonment. Traces of Nasser found today inscribe both anticolonial promises – those that came to life and those that did not – while reproducing postcolonial power that in most instances ended in dictatorship. 
    Recent efforts to complete the route build on those of the post‑independence era – work on a section north of Nairobi started in 1968
    Credit: Associated Press / Alamy
    The Trans‑African Highway network was conceived in 1970 in the spirit of Pan‑Africanism

    At that time, the routes did not extend into South Africa, which was in the grip of apartheid. The Trans‑African Highway initiative was motivated by a desire to improve trade and centre cultural links across the continent – an ambition that was even celebrated on postage stamps

    There have been long‑standing debates about the erasure of the radical anticolonial spirit from the more conservative postcolonial states that emerged; the promises and hopes of anticolonialism, not least among them socialism and a world free of white supremacy, remain largely unrealised. Instead, by the 1970s neoliberalism emerged as a new hegemonic project. The contemporary instantiation of Cape to Cairo highlights just how pervasive neoliberal logics continue to be, despite multiple global financial crises and the 2011 Egyptian revolution demanding ‘bread, freedom, social justice’. 
    But the network of streets named after anticolonial figures and events across the world is testament to the immense power and promise of anticolonial revolution. Most of the 20th century was characterised by anticolonial struggle, decolonisation and postcolonial nation‑building, as nations across the global south gained independence from European empire and founded their own political projects. Anticolonial traces, present in street and place names, point to the possibility of solidarity as a means of reorienting colonial geographies. They are a reminder that there have been other imaginings of Cape to Cairo, and that things can be – and have been – otherwise.

    2025-06-13
    Kristina Rapacki

    Share
    #cape #cairo #making #unmaking #colonial
    Cape to Cairo: the making and unmaking of colonial road networks
    In 2024, Egypt completed its 1,155km stretch of the Cairo–Cape Town Highway, a 10,228km‑long road connecting 10 African countries – Egypt, Sudan, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana and South Africa.   The imaginary of ‘Cape to Cairo’ is not new. In 1874, editor of the Daily Telegraph Edwin Arnold proposed a plan to connect the African continent by rail, a project that came to be known as the Cape to Cairo Railway project. Cecil Rhodes expressed his support for the project, seeing it as a means to connect the various ‘possessions’ of the British Empire across Africa, facilitating the movement of troops and natural resources. This railway project was never completed, and in 1970 was overlaid by a very different attempt at connecting the Cape to Cairo, as part of the Trans‑African Highway network. This 56,683km‑long system of highways – some dating from the colonial era, some built as part of the 1970s project, and some only recently built – aimed to create lines of connection across the African continent, from north to south as well as east to west.  Here, postcolonial state power invested in ‘moving the continent’s people and economies from past to future’, as architectural historians Kenny Cupers and Prita Meier write in their 2020 essay ‘Infrastructure between Statehood and Selfhood: The Trans‑African Highway’. The highways were to be built with the support of Kenya’s president Jomo Kenyatta, Ghana’s president Kwame Nkrumah and Ghana’s director of social welfare Robert Gardiner, as well as the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa. This project was part of a particular historical moment during which anticolonial ideas animated most of the African continent; alongside trade, this iteration of Cape to Cairo centred social and cultural connection between African peoples. But though largely socialist in ambition, the project nevertheless engaged modernist developmentalist logics that cemented capitalism.  Lead image: Over a century in the making, the final stretches of the Cairo–Cape Town Highway are being finished. Egypt completed the section within its borders last year and a section over the dry Merille River in Kenya was constructed in 2019. Credit: Allan Muturi / SOPA / ZUMA / Alamy. Above: The route from Cairo to Cape Town, outlined in red, belongs to the Trans‑African Highway network, which comprises nine routes, here in black The project failed to fully materialise at the time, but efforts to complete the Trans‑African Highway network have been revived in the last 20 years; large parts are now complete though some links remain unbuilt and many roads are unpaved or hazardous. The most recent attempts to realise this project coincide with a new continental free trade agreement, the agreement on African Continental Free Trade Area, established in 2019, to increase trade within the continent. The contemporary manifestation of the Cairo–Cape Town Highway – also known as Trans‑African Highway4 – is marked by deepening neoliberal politics. Represented as an opportunity to boost trade and exports, connecting Egypt to African markets that the Egyptian government view as ‘untapped’, the project invokes notions of trade steeped in extraction, reflecting the neoliberal logic underpinning contemporary Egyptian governance; today, the country’s political project, led by Abdel Fattah El Sisi, is oriented towards Egyptian dominance and extraction in relation to the rest of the continent.  Through an allusion to markets ripe for extraction, this language brings to the fore historical forms of domination that have shaped the connections between Egypt and the rest of the continent; previous iterations of connection across the continent often reproduced forms of domination stretching from the north of the African continent to the south, including the Trans‑Saharan slave trade routes across Africa that ended in various North African and Middle Eastern territories. These networks, beginning in the 8th century and lasting until the 20th, produced racialised hierarchies across the continent, shaping North Africa into a comparably privileged space proximate to ‘Arabness’. This was a racialised division based on a civilisational narrative that saw Arabs as superior, but more importantly a political economic division resulting from the slave trade routes that produced huge profits for North Africa and the Middle East. In the contemporary moment, these racialised hierarchies are bound up in political economic dependency on the Arab Gulf states, who are themselves dependent on resource extraction, land grabbing and privatisation across the entire African continent.  ‘The Cairo–Cape Town Highway connects Egypt to African markets viewed as “untapped”, invoking notions steeped in extraction’ However, this imaginary conjured by the Cairo–Cape Town Highway is countered by a network of streets scattered across Africa that traces the web of Egyptian Pan‑African solidarity across the continent. In Lusaka in Zambia, you might find yourself on Nasser Road, as you might in Mwanza in Tanzania or Luanda in Angola. In Mombasa in Kenya, you might be driving down Abdel Nasser Road; in Kampala in Uganda, you might find yourself at Nasser Road University; and in Tunis in Tunisia, you might end up on Gamal Abdel Nasser Street. These street names are a reference to Gamal Abdel Nasser, Egypt’s first postcolonial leader and president between 1956 and 1970.  Read against the contemporary Cairo–Cape Town Highway, these place names signal a different form of connection that brings to life Egyptian Pan‑Africanism, when solidarity was the hegemonic force connecting the continent, coming up against the notion of a natural or timeless ‘great divide’ within Africa. From the memoirs of Egyptian officials who were posted around Africa as conduits of solidarity, to the broadcasts of Radio Cairo that were heard across the continent, to the various conferences attended by anticolonial movements and postcolonial states, Egypt’s orientation towards Pan‑Africanism, beginning in the early 20th century and lasting until the 1970s, was both material and ideological. Figures and movements forged webs of solidarity with their African comrades, imagining an Africa that was united through shared commitments to ending colonialism and capitalist extraction.  The route between Cape Town in South Africa and Cairo in Egypt has long occupied the colonial imaginary. In 1930, Margaret Belcher and Ellen Budgell made the journey, sponsored by car brand Morris and oil company Shell Credit: Fox Photos / Getty The pair made use of the road built by British colonisers in the 19th century, and which forms the basis for the current Cairo–Cape Town Highway. The road was preceded by the 1874 Cape to Cairo Railway project, which connected the colonies of the British Empire Credit: Library of Congress, Geography and Map Division This network of eponymous streets represents attempts to inscribe anticolonial power into the materiality of the city. Street‑naming practices are one way in which the past comes into the present, ‘weaving history into the geographic fabric of everyday life’, as geographer Derek Alderman wrote in his 2002 essay ‘Street Names as Memorial Arenas’. In this vein, the renaming of streets during decolonisation marked a practice of contesting the production of colonial space. In the newly postcolonial city, renaming was a way of ‘claiming the city back’, Alderman continues. While these changes may appear discursive, it is their embedding in material spaces, through signs and maps, that make the names come to life; place names become a part of the everyday through sharing addresses or giving directions. This quality makes them powerful; consciously or unconsciously, they form part of how the spaces of the city are navigated.  These are traces that were once part of a dominant historical narrative; yet when they are encountered in the present, during a different historical moment, they no longer act as expressions of power but instead conjure up a moment that has long passed. A street in Lusaka named after an Egyptian general made more sense 60 years ago than it does today, yet contextualising it recovers a marginalised history of Egyptian Pan‑Africanism.  Markers such as street names or monuments are simultaneously markers of anticolonial struggle as well as expressions of state power – part of an attempt, by political projects such as Nasser’s, to exert their own dominance over cities, towns and villages. That such traces are expressions of both anticolonial hopes and postcolonial state power produces a sense of tension within them. For instance, Nasser’s postcolonial project in Egypt was a contradictory one; it gave life to anticolonial hopes – for instance by breaking away from European capitalism and embracing anticolonial geopolitics – while crushing many parts of the left through repression, censorship and imprisonment. Traces of Nasser found today inscribe both anticolonial promises – those that came to life and those that did not – while reproducing postcolonial power that in most instances ended in dictatorship.  Recent efforts to complete the route build on those of the post‑independence era – work on a section north of Nairobi started in 1968 Credit: Associated Press / Alamy The Trans‑African Highway network was conceived in 1970 in the spirit of Pan‑Africanism At that time, the routes did not extend into South Africa, which was in the grip of apartheid. The Trans‑African Highway initiative was motivated by a desire to improve trade and centre cultural links across the continent – an ambition that was even celebrated on postage stamps There have been long‑standing debates about the erasure of the radical anticolonial spirit from the more conservative postcolonial states that emerged; the promises and hopes of anticolonialism, not least among them socialism and a world free of white supremacy, remain largely unrealised. Instead, by the 1970s neoliberalism emerged as a new hegemonic project. The contemporary instantiation of Cape to Cairo highlights just how pervasive neoliberal logics continue to be, despite multiple global financial crises and the 2011 Egyptian revolution demanding ‘bread, freedom, social justice’.  But the network of streets named after anticolonial figures and events across the world is testament to the immense power and promise of anticolonial revolution. Most of the 20th century was characterised by anticolonial struggle, decolonisation and postcolonial nation‑building, as nations across the global south gained independence from European empire and founded their own political projects. Anticolonial traces, present in street and place names, point to the possibility of solidarity as a means of reorienting colonial geographies. They are a reminder that there have been other imaginings of Cape to Cairo, and that things can be – and have been – otherwise. 2025-06-13 Kristina Rapacki Share #cape #cairo #making #unmaking #colonial
    WWW.ARCHITECTURAL-REVIEW.COM
    Cape to Cairo: the making and unmaking of colonial road networks
    In 2024, Egypt completed its 1,155km stretch of the Cairo–Cape Town Highway, a 10,228km‑long road connecting 10 African countries – Egypt, Sudan, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana and South Africa.   The imaginary of ‘Cape to Cairo’ is not new. In 1874, editor of the Daily Telegraph Edwin Arnold proposed a plan to connect the African continent by rail, a project that came to be known as the Cape to Cairo Railway project. Cecil Rhodes expressed his support for the project, seeing it as a means to connect the various ‘possessions’ of the British Empire across Africa, facilitating the movement of troops and natural resources. This railway project was never completed, and in 1970 was overlaid by a very different attempt at connecting the Cape to Cairo, as part of the Trans‑African Highway network. This 56,683km‑long system of highways – some dating from the colonial era, some built as part of the 1970s project, and some only recently built – aimed to create lines of connection across the African continent, from north to south as well as east to west.  Here, postcolonial state power invested in ‘moving the continent’s people and economies from past to future’, as architectural historians Kenny Cupers and Prita Meier write in their 2020 essay ‘Infrastructure between Statehood and Selfhood: The Trans‑African Highway’. The highways were to be built with the support of Kenya’s president Jomo Kenyatta, Ghana’s president Kwame Nkrumah and Ghana’s director of social welfare Robert Gardiner, as well as the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA). This project was part of a particular historical moment during which anticolonial ideas animated most of the African continent; alongside trade, this iteration of Cape to Cairo centred social and cultural connection between African peoples. But though largely socialist in ambition, the project nevertheless engaged modernist developmentalist logics that cemented capitalism.  Lead image: Over a century in the making, the final stretches of the Cairo–Cape Town Highway are being finished. Egypt completed the section within its borders last year and a section over the dry Merille River in Kenya was constructed in 2019. Credit: Allan Muturi / SOPA / ZUMA / Alamy. Above: The route from Cairo to Cape Town, outlined in red, belongs to the Trans‑African Highway network, which comprises nine routes, here in black The project failed to fully materialise at the time, but efforts to complete the Trans‑African Highway network have been revived in the last 20 years; large parts are now complete though some links remain unbuilt and many roads are unpaved or hazardous. The most recent attempts to realise this project coincide with a new continental free trade agreement, the agreement on African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), established in 2019, to increase trade within the continent. The contemporary manifestation of the Cairo–Cape Town Highway – also known as Trans‑African Highway (TAH) 4 – is marked by deepening neoliberal politics. Represented as an opportunity to boost trade and exports, connecting Egypt to African markets that the Egyptian government view as ‘untapped’, the project invokes notions of trade steeped in extraction, reflecting the neoliberal logic underpinning contemporary Egyptian governance; today, the country’s political project, led by Abdel Fattah El Sisi, is oriented towards Egyptian dominance and extraction in relation to the rest of the continent.  Through an allusion to markets ripe for extraction, this language brings to the fore historical forms of domination that have shaped the connections between Egypt and the rest of the continent; previous iterations of connection across the continent often reproduced forms of domination stretching from the north of the African continent to the south, including the Trans‑Saharan slave trade routes across Africa that ended in various North African and Middle Eastern territories. These networks, beginning in the 8th century and lasting until the 20th, produced racialised hierarchies across the continent, shaping North Africa into a comparably privileged space proximate to ‘Arabness’. This was a racialised division based on a civilisational narrative that saw Arabs as superior, but more importantly a political economic division resulting from the slave trade routes that produced huge profits for North Africa and the Middle East. In the contemporary moment, these racialised hierarchies are bound up in political economic dependency on the Arab Gulf states, who are themselves dependent on resource extraction, land grabbing and privatisation across the entire African continent.  ‘The Cairo–Cape Town Highway connects Egypt to African markets viewed as “untapped”, invoking notions steeped in extraction’ However, this imaginary conjured by the Cairo–Cape Town Highway is countered by a network of streets scattered across Africa that traces the web of Egyptian Pan‑African solidarity across the continent. In Lusaka in Zambia, you might find yourself on Nasser Road, as you might in Mwanza in Tanzania or Luanda in Angola. In Mombasa in Kenya, you might be driving down Abdel Nasser Road; in Kampala in Uganda, you might find yourself at Nasser Road University; and in Tunis in Tunisia, you might end up on Gamal Abdel Nasser Street. These street names are a reference to Gamal Abdel Nasser, Egypt’s first postcolonial leader and president between 1956 and 1970.  Read against the contemporary Cairo–Cape Town Highway, these place names signal a different form of connection that brings to life Egyptian Pan‑Africanism, when solidarity was the hegemonic force connecting the continent, coming up against the notion of a natural or timeless ‘great divide’ within Africa. From the memoirs of Egyptian officials who were posted around Africa as conduits of solidarity, to the broadcasts of Radio Cairo that were heard across the continent, to the various conferences attended by anticolonial movements and postcolonial states, Egypt’s orientation towards Pan‑Africanism, beginning in the early 20th century and lasting until the 1970s, was both material and ideological. Figures and movements forged webs of solidarity with their African comrades, imagining an Africa that was united through shared commitments to ending colonialism and capitalist extraction.  The route between Cape Town in South Africa and Cairo in Egypt has long occupied the colonial imaginary. In 1930, Margaret Belcher and Ellen Budgell made the journey, sponsored by car brand Morris and oil company Shell Credit: Fox Photos / Getty The pair made use of the road built by British colonisers in the 19th century, and which forms the basis for the current Cairo–Cape Town Highway. The road was preceded by the 1874 Cape to Cairo Railway project, which connected the colonies of the British Empire Credit: Library of Congress, Geography and Map Division This network of eponymous streets represents attempts to inscribe anticolonial power into the materiality of the city. Street‑naming practices are one way in which the past comes into the present, ‘weaving history into the geographic fabric of everyday life’, as geographer Derek Alderman wrote in his 2002 essay ‘Street Names as Memorial Arenas’. In this vein, the renaming of streets during decolonisation marked a practice of contesting the production of colonial space. In the newly postcolonial city, renaming was a way of ‘claiming the city back’, Alderman continues. While these changes may appear discursive, it is their embedding in material spaces, through signs and maps, that make the names come to life; place names become a part of the everyday through sharing addresses or giving directions. This quality makes them powerful; consciously or unconsciously, they form part of how the spaces of the city are navigated.  These are traces that were once part of a dominant historical narrative; yet when they are encountered in the present, during a different historical moment, they no longer act as expressions of power but instead conjure up a moment that has long passed. A street in Lusaka named after an Egyptian general made more sense 60 years ago than it does today, yet contextualising it recovers a marginalised history of Egyptian Pan‑Africanism.  Markers such as street names or monuments are simultaneously markers of anticolonial struggle as well as expressions of state power – part of an attempt, by political projects such as Nasser’s, to exert their own dominance over cities, towns and villages. That such traces are expressions of both anticolonial hopes and postcolonial state power produces a sense of tension within them. For instance, Nasser’s postcolonial project in Egypt was a contradictory one; it gave life to anticolonial hopes – for instance by breaking away from European capitalism and embracing anticolonial geopolitics – while crushing many parts of the left through repression, censorship and imprisonment. Traces of Nasser found today inscribe both anticolonial promises – those that came to life and those that did not – while reproducing postcolonial power that in most instances ended in dictatorship.  Recent efforts to complete the route build on those of the post‑independence era – work on a section north of Nairobi started in 1968 Credit: Associated Press / Alamy The Trans‑African Highway network was conceived in 1970 in the spirit of Pan‑Africanism At that time, the routes did not extend into South Africa, which was in the grip of apartheid. The Trans‑African Highway initiative was motivated by a desire to improve trade and centre cultural links across the continent – an ambition that was even celebrated on postage stamps There have been long‑standing debates about the erasure of the radical anticolonial spirit from the more conservative postcolonial states that emerged; the promises and hopes of anticolonialism, not least among them socialism and a world free of white supremacy, remain largely unrealised. Instead, by the 1970s neoliberalism emerged as a new hegemonic project. The contemporary instantiation of Cape to Cairo highlights just how pervasive neoliberal logics continue to be, despite multiple global financial crises and the 2011 Egyptian revolution demanding ‘bread, freedom, social justice’.  But the network of streets named after anticolonial figures and events across the world is testament to the immense power and promise of anticolonial revolution. Most of the 20th century was characterised by anticolonial struggle, decolonisation and postcolonial nation‑building, as nations across the global south gained independence from European empire and founded their own political projects. Anticolonial traces, present in street and place names, point to the possibility of solidarity as a means of reorienting colonial geographies. They are a reminder that there have been other imaginings of Cape to Cairo, and that things can be – and have been – otherwise. 2025-06-13 Kristina Rapacki Share
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  • ByteDance Researchers Introduce DetailFlow: A 1D Coarse-to-Fine Autoregressive Framework for Faster, Token-Efficient Image Generation

    Autoregressive image generation has been shaped by advances in sequential modeling, originally seen in natural language processing. This field focuses on generating images one token at a time, similar to how sentences are constructed in language models. The appeal of this approach lies in its ability to maintain structural coherence across the image while allowing for high levels of control during the generation process. As researchers began to apply these techniques to visual data, they found that structured prediction not only preserved spatial integrity but also supported tasks like image manipulation and multimodal translation effectively.
    Despite these benefits, generating high-resolution images remains computationally expensive and slow. A primary issue is the number of tokens needed to represent complex visuals. Raster-scan methods that flatten 2D images into linear sequences require thousands of tokens for detailed images, resulting in long inference times and high memory consumption. Models like Infinity need over 10,000 tokens for a 1024×1024 image. This becomes unsustainable for real-time applications or when scaling to more extensive datasets. Reducing the token burden while preserving or improving output quality has become a pressing challenge.

    Efforts to mitigate token inflation have led to innovations like next-scale prediction seen in VAR and FlexVAR. These models create images by predicting progressively finer scales, which imitates the human tendency to sketch rough outlines before adding detail. However, they still rely on hundreds of tokens—680 in the case of VAR and FlexVAR for 256×256 images. Moreover, approaches like TiTok and FlexTok use 1D tokenization to compress spatial redundancy, but they often fail to scale efficiently. For example, FlexTok’s gFID increases from 1.9 at 32 tokens to 2.5 at 256 tokens, highlighting a degradation in output quality as the token count grows.
    Researchers from ByteDance introduced DetailFlow, a 1D autoregressive image generation framework. This method arranges token sequences from global to fine detail using a process called next-detail prediction. Unlike traditional 2D raster-scan or scale-based techniques, DetailFlow employs a 1D tokenizer trained on progressively degraded images. This design allows the model to prioritize foundational image structures before refining visual details. By mapping tokens directly to resolution levels, DetailFlow significantly reduces token requirements, enabling images to be generated in a semantically ordered, coarse-to-fine manner.

    The mechanism in DetailFlow centers on a 1D latent space where each token contributes incrementally more detail. Earlier tokens encode global features, while later tokens refine specific visual aspects. To train this, the researchers created a resolution mapping function that links token count to target resolution. During training, the model is exposed to images of varying quality levels and learns to predict progressively higher-resolution outputs as more tokens are introduced. It also implements parallel token prediction by grouping sequences and predicting entire sets at once. Since parallel prediction can introduce sampling errors, a self-correction mechanism was integrated. This system perturbs certain tokens during training and teaches subsequent tokens to compensate, ensuring that final images maintain structural and visual integrity.
    The results from the experiments on the ImageNet 256×256 benchmark were noteworthy. DetailFlow achieved a gFID score of 2.96 using only 128 tokens, outperforming VAR at 3.3 and FlexVAR at 3.05, both of which used 680 tokens. Even more impressive, DetailFlow-64 reached a gFID of 2.62 using 512 tokens. In terms of speed, it delivered nearly double the inference rate of VAR and FlexVAR. A further ablation study confirmed that the self-correction training and semantic ordering of tokens substantially improved output quality. For example, enabling self-correction dropped the gFID from 4.11 to 3.68 in one setting. These metrics demonstrate both higher quality and faster generation compared to established models.

    By focusing on semantic structure and reducing redundancy, DetailFlow presents a viable solution to long-standing issues in autoregressive image generation. The method’s coarse-to-fine approach, efficient parallel decoding, and ability to self-correct highlight how architectural innovations can address performance and scalability limitations. Through their structured use of 1D tokens, the researchers from ByteDance have demonstrated a model that maintains high image fidelity while significantly reducing computational load, making it a valuable addition to image synthesis research.

    Check out the Paper and GitHub Page. All credit for this research goes to the researchers of this project. Also, feel free to follow us on Twitter and don’t forget to join our 95k+ ML SubReddit and Subscribe to our Newsletter.
    NikhilNikhil is an intern consultant at Marktechpost. He is pursuing an integrated dual degree in Materials at the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur. Nikhil is an AI/ML enthusiast who is always researching applications in fields like biomaterials and biomedical science. With a strong background in Material Science, he is exploring new advancements and creating opportunities to contribute.Nikhilhttps://www.marktechpost.com/author/nikhil0980/Teaching AI to Say ‘I Don’t Know’: A New Dataset Mitigates Hallucinations from Reinforcement FinetuningNikhilhttps://www.marktechpost.com/author/nikhil0980/This AI Paper Introduces LLaDA-V: A Purely Diffusion-Based Multimodal Large Language Model for Visual Instruction Tuning and Multimodal ReasoningNikhilhttps://www.marktechpost.com/author/nikhil0980/NVIDIA AI Introduces Fast-dLLM: A Training-Free Framework That Brings KV Caching and Parallel Decoding to Diffusion LLMsNikhilhttps://www.marktechpost.com/author/nikhil0980/Meet NovelSeek: A Unified Multi-Agent Framework for Autonomous Scientific Research from Hypothesis Generation to Experimental Validation
    #bytedance #researchers #introduce #detailflow #coarsetofine
    ByteDance Researchers Introduce DetailFlow: A 1D Coarse-to-Fine Autoregressive Framework for Faster, Token-Efficient Image Generation
    Autoregressive image generation has been shaped by advances in sequential modeling, originally seen in natural language processing. This field focuses on generating images one token at a time, similar to how sentences are constructed in language models. The appeal of this approach lies in its ability to maintain structural coherence across the image while allowing for high levels of control during the generation process. As researchers began to apply these techniques to visual data, they found that structured prediction not only preserved spatial integrity but also supported tasks like image manipulation and multimodal translation effectively. Despite these benefits, generating high-resolution images remains computationally expensive and slow. A primary issue is the number of tokens needed to represent complex visuals. Raster-scan methods that flatten 2D images into linear sequences require thousands of tokens for detailed images, resulting in long inference times and high memory consumption. Models like Infinity need over 10,000 tokens for a 1024×1024 image. This becomes unsustainable for real-time applications or when scaling to more extensive datasets. Reducing the token burden while preserving or improving output quality has become a pressing challenge. Efforts to mitigate token inflation have led to innovations like next-scale prediction seen in VAR and FlexVAR. These models create images by predicting progressively finer scales, which imitates the human tendency to sketch rough outlines before adding detail. However, they still rely on hundreds of tokens—680 in the case of VAR and FlexVAR for 256×256 images. Moreover, approaches like TiTok and FlexTok use 1D tokenization to compress spatial redundancy, but they often fail to scale efficiently. For example, FlexTok’s gFID increases from 1.9 at 32 tokens to 2.5 at 256 tokens, highlighting a degradation in output quality as the token count grows. Researchers from ByteDance introduced DetailFlow, a 1D autoregressive image generation framework. This method arranges token sequences from global to fine detail using a process called next-detail prediction. Unlike traditional 2D raster-scan or scale-based techniques, DetailFlow employs a 1D tokenizer trained on progressively degraded images. This design allows the model to prioritize foundational image structures before refining visual details. By mapping tokens directly to resolution levels, DetailFlow significantly reduces token requirements, enabling images to be generated in a semantically ordered, coarse-to-fine manner. The mechanism in DetailFlow centers on a 1D latent space where each token contributes incrementally more detail. Earlier tokens encode global features, while later tokens refine specific visual aspects. To train this, the researchers created a resolution mapping function that links token count to target resolution. During training, the model is exposed to images of varying quality levels and learns to predict progressively higher-resolution outputs as more tokens are introduced. It also implements parallel token prediction by grouping sequences and predicting entire sets at once. Since parallel prediction can introduce sampling errors, a self-correction mechanism was integrated. This system perturbs certain tokens during training and teaches subsequent tokens to compensate, ensuring that final images maintain structural and visual integrity. The results from the experiments on the ImageNet 256×256 benchmark were noteworthy. DetailFlow achieved a gFID score of 2.96 using only 128 tokens, outperforming VAR at 3.3 and FlexVAR at 3.05, both of which used 680 tokens. Even more impressive, DetailFlow-64 reached a gFID of 2.62 using 512 tokens. In terms of speed, it delivered nearly double the inference rate of VAR and FlexVAR. A further ablation study confirmed that the self-correction training and semantic ordering of tokens substantially improved output quality. For example, enabling self-correction dropped the gFID from 4.11 to 3.68 in one setting. These metrics demonstrate both higher quality and faster generation compared to established models. By focusing on semantic structure and reducing redundancy, DetailFlow presents a viable solution to long-standing issues in autoregressive image generation. The method’s coarse-to-fine approach, efficient parallel decoding, and ability to self-correct highlight how architectural innovations can address performance and scalability limitations. Through their structured use of 1D tokens, the researchers from ByteDance have demonstrated a model that maintains high image fidelity while significantly reducing computational load, making it a valuable addition to image synthesis research. Check out the Paper and GitHub Page. All credit for this research goes to the researchers of this project. Also, feel free to follow us on Twitter and don’t forget to join our 95k+ ML SubReddit and Subscribe to our Newsletter. NikhilNikhil is an intern consultant at Marktechpost. He is pursuing an integrated dual degree in Materials at the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur. Nikhil is an AI/ML enthusiast who is always researching applications in fields like biomaterials and biomedical science. With a strong background in Material Science, he is exploring new advancements and creating opportunities to contribute.Nikhilhttps://www.marktechpost.com/author/nikhil0980/Teaching AI to Say ‘I Don’t Know’: A New Dataset Mitigates Hallucinations from Reinforcement FinetuningNikhilhttps://www.marktechpost.com/author/nikhil0980/This AI Paper Introduces LLaDA-V: A Purely Diffusion-Based Multimodal Large Language Model for Visual Instruction Tuning and Multimodal ReasoningNikhilhttps://www.marktechpost.com/author/nikhil0980/NVIDIA AI Introduces Fast-dLLM: A Training-Free Framework That Brings KV Caching and Parallel Decoding to Diffusion LLMsNikhilhttps://www.marktechpost.com/author/nikhil0980/Meet NovelSeek: A Unified Multi-Agent Framework for Autonomous Scientific Research from Hypothesis Generation to Experimental Validation #bytedance #researchers #introduce #detailflow #coarsetofine
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    ByteDance Researchers Introduce DetailFlow: A 1D Coarse-to-Fine Autoregressive Framework for Faster, Token-Efficient Image Generation
    Autoregressive image generation has been shaped by advances in sequential modeling, originally seen in natural language processing. This field focuses on generating images one token at a time, similar to how sentences are constructed in language models. The appeal of this approach lies in its ability to maintain structural coherence across the image while allowing for high levels of control during the generation process. As researchers began to apply these techniques to visual data, they found that structured prediction not only preserved spatial integrity but also supported tasks like image manipulation and multimodal translation effectively. Despite these benefits, generating high-resolution images remains computationally expensive and slow. A primary issue is the number of tokens needed to represent complex visuals. Raster-scan methods that flatten 2D images into linear sequences require thousands of tokens for detailed images, resulting in long inference times and high memory consumption. Models like Infinity need over 10,000 tokens for a 1024×1024 image. This becomes unsustainable for real-time applications or when scaling to more extensive datasets. Reducing the token burden while preserving or improving output quality has become a pressing challenge. Efforts to mitigate token inflation have led to innovations like next-scale prediction seen in VAR and FlexVAR. These models create images by predicting progressively finer scales, which imitates the human tendency to sketch rough outlines before adding detail. However, they still rely on hundreds of tokens—680 in the case of VAR and FlexVAR for 256×256 images. Moreover, approaches like TiTok and FlexTok use 1D tokenization to compress spatial redundancy, but they often fail to scale efficiently. For example, FlexTok’s gFID increases from 1.9 at 32 tokens to 2.5 at 256 tokens, highlighting a degradation in output quality as the token count grows. Researchers from ByteDance introduced DetailFlow, a 1D autoregressive image generation framework. This method arranges token sequences from global to fine detail using a process called next-detail prediction. Unlike traditional 2D raster-scan or scale-based techniques, DetailFlow employs a 1D tokenizer trained on progressively degraded images. This design allows the model to prioritize foundational image structures before refining visual details. By mapping tokens directly to resolution levels, DetailFlow significantly reduces token requirements, enabling images to be generated in a semantically ordered, coarse-to-fine manner. The mechanism in DetailFlow centers on a 1D latent space where each token contributes incrementally more detail. Earlier tokens encode global features, while later tokens refine specific visual aspects. To train this, the researchers created a resolution mapping function that links token count to target resolution. During training, the model is exposed to images of varying quality levels and learns to predict progressively higher-resolution outputs as more tokens are introduced. It also implements parallel token prediction by grouping sequences and predicting entire sets at once. Since parallel prediction can introduce sampling errors, a self-correction mechanism was integrated. This system perturbs certain tokens during training and teaches subsequent tokens to compensate, ensuring that final images maintain structural and visual integrity. The results from the experiments on the ImageNet 256×256 benchmark were noteworthy. DetailFlow achieved a gFID score of 2.96 using only 128 tokens, outperforming VAR at 3.3 and FlexVAR at 3.05, both of which used 680 tokens. Even more impressive, DetailFlow-64 reached a gFID of 2.62 using 512 tokens. In terms of speed, it delivered nearly double the inference rate of VAR and FlexVAR. A further ablation study confirmed that the self-correction training and semantic ordering of tokens substantially improved output quality. For example, enabling self-correction dropped the gFID from 4.11 to 3.68 in one setting. These metrics demonstrate both higher quality and faster generation compared to established models. By focusing on semantic structure and reducing redundancy, DetailFlow presents a viable solution to long-standing issues in autoregressive image generation. The method’s coarse-to-fine approach, efficient parallel decoding, and ability to self-correct highlight how architectural innovations can address performance and scalability limitations. Through their structured use of 1D tokens, the researchers from ByteDance have demonstrated a model that maintains high image fidelity while significantly reducing computational load, making it a valuable addition to image synthesis research. Check out the Paper and GitHub Page. All credit for this research goes to the researchers of this project. Also, feel free to follow us on Twitter and don’t forget to join our 95k+ ML SubReddit and Subscribe to our Newsletter. NikhilNikhil is an intern consultant at Marktechpost. He is pursuing an integrated dual degree in Materials at the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur. Nikhil is an AI/ML enthusiast who is always researching applications in fields like biomaterials and biomedical science. With a strong background in Material Science, he is exploring new advancements and creating opportunities to contribute.Nikhilhttps://www.marktechpost.com/author/nikhil0980/Teaching AI to Say ‘I Don’t Know’: A New Dataset Mitigates Hallucinations from Reinforcement FinetuningNikhilhttps://www.marktechpost.com/author/nikhil0980/This AI Paper Introduces LLaDA-V: A Purely Diffusion-Based Multimodal Large Language Model for Visual Instruction Tuning and Multimodal ReasoningNikhilhttps://www.marktechpost.com/author/nikhil0980/NVIDIA AI Introduces Fast-dLLM: A Training-Free Framework That Brings KV Caching and Parallel Decoding to Diffusion LLMsNikhilhttps://www.marktechpost.com/author/nikhil0980/Meet NovelSeek: A Unified Multi-Agent Framework for Autonomous Scientific Research from Hypothesis Generation to Experimental Validation
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  • The latest robot vacuum innovation will leave clean freaks drooling (and it's $450 off)

    ZDNET's key takeaways The Eufy E28 robot vacuum, mop, and spot cleaner combination is available for The mop performs better than more expensive flagships, and the water tank system doubles as a portable spot cleaner with a self-cleaning hose.Unplugging the spot cleaner also unplugs the charging station, and the spot cleaner requires you to brush it to scrub. more buying choices The Eufy E28 Omni robot vacuum and mop just hit its lowest price ever at a total of off with an on-page Amazon coupon.Robot vacuum manufacturers are constantly trying to outdo one another. One company develops a detachable cordless vacuum for the robot's dock, and the next makes the robot's dustbin a detachable cordless vacuum. Now, Eufy is upping the ante with the first robot vacuum to also have a detachable spot cleaner for carpet and upholstery. Also: Finally, I found a robot and handheld vacuum combo that's ideal for apartment dwellersThe Eufy Omni E28 is a robot vacuum and mop with a portable spot cleaner for carpets and upholstery. You can run your robot vacuum as you would any other, but you can also pick up the top with a built-in retractable handle and do some deep cleaning on carpets, rugs, or upholstery. I've been testing this robot vacuum over the past couple of weeks, and I'm happy to report on its performance. 
    details
    View Essentially, the deep cleaner you carry is the Omni station's clean and dirty water tank, so it's where the robot autonomously sources clean water for its mop when it's at the dock. The deep cleaner has a handle for spot-cleaning with a hose, so you can set it down near where you want to clean and plug it in without holding it as you clean. Aside from detachable cordless vacuums, a mop roller system is another big thing for robot vacuums; many makers, including SwitchBot, Yeedi, and Ecovacs, are moving away from detachable rotating mop pads and using mop rollers instead. Eufy's also done this before with the flagship S1 Pro.  Maria Diaz/ZDNETThe Omni E28 also has a mop roller, which looks similar to the S1 Pro but not identical. The Eufy Omni S1 Pro is unequivocally the best mopping robot vacuum I've ever tested, so I was excited to test the new Omni E28, which features a very similar system. Thankfully, the Omni E28 didn't disappoint. The large mop roller covers the length of the vacuum's width and leaves no streaks behind during mopping. Streaky floors are one of my biggest pet peeves when testing robot vacuum and mop combinations, and they're a more common occurrence than I'd like. Also: My favorite indoor security camera has no subscription fees and is on sale right nowEufy is also launching an E25 robot vacuum, which features the same HydroJet self-cleaning mop system as the E28. The robot's mop roller is continuously scraped clean as it spins, and it keeps clean and dirty water in separate tanks within its body, so it only mops with clean water. The mop also exerts more downward pressure to ensure deep cleaning than the S1 Pro, with 1.5kginstead of 1kg.  Maria Diaz/ZDNETHowever, continuously spraying the roller with clean water inside the robot keeps it moist. Scraping off the dirt and wringing out the dirty water as the roller spins ensures your floors are clean instead of streaky or filmy. The Eufy Omni E28, like the S1 Pro, is the closest thing to a manual mopping result you can get from a robot vacuum and mop. Also: I love a vacuum and mop to clean dry and wet messes, especially when it's on saleThe E28 and E25 robot vacuums have 20,000Pa of suction power and anti-tangle technology, including a DuoSpiral double roller brush to remove pet hair and avoid entanglements. The robots are self-emptying robot vacuums with a self-washing mop roller. The only difference is the portable spot cleaner, which only the E28 has. The Eufy Omni E28 robot vacuum and mop has dual brush rollers and a roller mop. Maria Diaz/ZDNETThe spot cleaner proved to be very effective. It's heavy, like most spot cleaners when full of water, but it has a retractable handle on top that makes it easy to carry around. You also don't have to press any buttons or move anything to release it; just unplug it, pull the retractable handle, and go. I didn't like that the spot cleaner powers the base station, so if you take it somewhere else in your home to clean, the robot's charging station is left without power until you return it. This is fine for quick cleanups, but it can be annoying when a forgetful house member takes the spot cleaner upstairs and leaves it in a room for two days after they're done. Also: This simple Amazon tablet became one of my biggest smart home upgrades yetThe spot cleaner has a self-cleaning hose attached, but no other attachments. The hose ends in a static brush head that sprays clean water, which you use to clean messes on soft surfaces, like carpets, rugs, and upholstery. Since it isn't motorized, you must manually brush the rug or fabric with the brush head to scrub it clean. Once you're done, you just have to press a button along one end of the brush head to make the spot cleaner cycle clean water through the hose without spilling, cleaning the hose for you.  These pictures were taken three minutes apart. The leftshows yogurt stains on an ottoman. I sprayed a liquid spot cleaner and went over it with the brush and water; the results are on the right. Maria Diaz/ZDNETThere's no separate detergent tank for the spot cleaner, though you could add some detergent directly into the clean water tank. I recommend using just water in the clean water tank and spraying your preferred carpet or upholstery cleaning solution directly on the stains to pre-treat them. You can then scrub the mess clean with the Eufy E28 brush and rinse out the detergent. ZDNET's buying adviceThe Eufy Omni E28 is designed to solve a big problem for many US customers: the need for regular floor cleanings and the ability to quickly clean up messes on soft surfaces in a single device. This device isn't meant to replace your existing carpet cleaner, but it's perfect for consumers who may need a spot cleaner and are also in the market for one of the best robot vacuum and mops available.Also: Spring cleaning takes me no time with my favorite smart home devicesI'm not a fan of fully carpeted living spaces, but my home has carpeted bedrooms, one of which we use as our TV room. With three young kids who have movie nights and play time in that TV room, its carpet unfortunately sees a lot of spills. I was in the market for a spot cleaner for a while, but decided to buy a full carpet cleaner instead, which I use to clean our carpets at least once every quarter.  The E28 cleaned up the soy sauce stains comparably to the larger carpet cleaner. Maria Diaz/ZDNETBut there are always little messes in between -- whether it's spilled ketchup on the carpet, a muddy shoeprint on the entryway rug, or yogurt on the fabric ottoman. So I appreciate having the Eufy Omni E28's spot cleaner always handy. Instead of dragging out a heavy carpet cleaning machine and filling it with water to clean a 6-inch in diameter spill, I can just unplug and grab the E28, clean the mess, and return it to the dock with little work on my end. It's also priced quite well for a first-of-its-kind device with a flagship-level robot vacuum and mop. The Eufy Omni E28 robot vacuum, mop, and spot cleaning combination is now available on Eufy's website and Amazon for The Eufy E25 robot vacuum and mop without the spot cleaner will be available in June for When will this deal expire? While many sales events feature deals for a specific length of time, deals are on a limited-time basis, making them subject to expire at any time. ZDNET remains committed to finding, sharing, and updating the best offers to help you maximize your savings so you can feel as confident in your purchases as we feel in our recommendations. Our ZDNET team of experts constantly monitors the deals we feature to keep our stories up-to-date. If you missed out on this deal, don't worry -- we're always sourcing new savings opportunities at ZDNET.com.
    Show more
    Featured
    #latest #robot #vacuum #innovation #will
    The latest robot vacuum innovation will leave clean freaks drooling (and it's $450 off)
    ZDNET's key takeaways The Eufy E28 robot vacuum, mop, and spot cleaner combination is available for The mop performs better than more expensive flagships, and the water tank system doubles as a portable spot cleaner with a self-cleaning hose.Unplugging the spot cleaner also unplugs the charging station, and the spot cleaner requires you to brush it to scrub. more buying choices The Eufy E28 Omni robot vacuum and mop just hit its lowest price ever at a total of off with an on-page Amazon coupon.Robot vacuum manufacturers are constantly trying to outdo one another. One company develops a detachable cordless vacuum for the robot's dock, and the next makes the robot's dustbin a detachable cordless vacuum. Now, Eufy is upping the ante with the first robot vacuum to also have a detachable spot cleaner for carpet and upholstery. Also: Finally, I found a robot and handheld vacuum combo that's ideal for apartment dwellersThe Eufy Omni E28 is a robot vacuum and mop with a portable spot cleaner for carpets and upholstery. You can run your robot vacuum as you would any other, but you can also pick up the top with a built-in retractable handle and do some deep cleaning on carpets, rugs, or upholstery. I've been testing this robot vacuum over the past couple of weeks, and I'm happy to report on its performance.  details View Essentially, the deep cleaner you carry is the Omni station's clean and dirty water tank, so it's where the robot autonomously sources clean water for its mop when it's at the dock. The deep cleaner has a handle for spot-cleaning with a hose, so you can set it down near where you want to clean and plug it in without holding it as you clean. Aside from detachable cordless vacuums, a mop roller system is another big thing for robot vacuums; many makers, including SwitchBot, Yeedi, and Ecovacs, are moving away from detachable rotating mop pads and using mop rollers instead. Eufy's also done this before with the flagship S1 Pro.  Maria Diaz/ZDNETThe Omni E28 also has a mop roller, which looks similar to the S1 Pro but not identical. The Eufy Omni S1 Pro is unequivocally the best mopping robot vacuum I've ever tested, so I was excited to test the new Omni E28, which features a very similar system. Thankfully, the Omni E28 didn't disappoint. The large mop roller covers the length of the vacuum's width and leaves no streaks behind during mopping. Streaky floors are one of my biggest pet peeves when testing robot vacuum and mop combinations, and they're a more common occurrence than I'd like. Also: My favorite indoor security camera has no subscription fees and is on sale right nowEufy is also launching an E25 robot vacuum, which features the same HydroJet self-cleaning mop system as the E28. The robot's mop roller is continuously scraped clean as it spins, and it keeps clean and dirty water in separate tanks within its body, so it only mops with clean water. The mop also exerts more downward pressure to ensure deep cleaning than the S1 Pro, with 1.5kginstead of 1kg.  Maria Diaz/ZDNETHowever, continuously spraying the roller with clean water inside the robot keeps it moist. Scraping off the dirt and wringing out the dirty water as the roller spins ensures your floors are clean instead of streaky or filmy. The Eufy Omni E28, like the S1 Pro, is the closest thing to a manual mopping result you can get from a robot vacuum and mop. Also: I love a vacuum and mop to clean dry and wet messes, especially when it's on saleThe E28 and E25 robot vacuums have 20,000Pa of suction power and anti-tangle technology, including a DuoSpiral double roller brush to remove pet hair and avoid entanglements. The robots are self-emptying robot vacuums with a self-washing mop roller. The only difference is the portable spot cleaner, which only the E28 has. The Eufy Omni E28 robot vacuum and mop has dual brush rollers and a roller mop. Maria Diaz/ZDNETThe spot cleaner proved to be very effective. It's heavy, like most spot cleaners when full of water, but it has a retractable handle on top that makes it easy to carry around. You also don't have to press any buttons or move anything to release it; just unplug it, pull the retractable handle, and go. I didn't like that the spot cleaner powers the base station, so if you take it somewhere else in your home to clean, the robot's charging station is left without power until you return it. This is fine for quick cleanups, but it can be annoying when a forgetful house member takes the spot cleaner upstairs and leaves it in a room for two days after they're done. Also: This simple Amazon tablet became one of my biggest smart home upgrades yetThe spot cleaner has a self-cleaning hose attached, but no other attachments. The hose ends in a static brush head that sprays clean water, which you use to clean messes on soft surfaces, like carpets, rugs, and upholstery. Since it isn't motorized, you must manually brush the rug or fabric with the brush head to scrub it clean. Once you're done, you just have to press a button along one end of the brush head to make the spot cleaner cycle clean water through the hose without spilling, cleaning the hose for you.  These pictures were taken three minutes apart. The leftshows yogurt stains on an ottoman. I sprayed a liquid spot cleaner and went over it with the brush and water; the results are on the right. Maria Diaz/ZDNETThere's no separate detergent tank for the spot cleaner, though you could add some detergent directly into the clean water tank. I recommend using just water in the clean water tank and spraying your preferred carpet or upholstery cleaning solution directly on the stains to pre-treat them. You can then scrub the mess clean with the Eufy E28 brush and rinse out the detergent. ZDNET's buying adviceThe Eufy Omni E28 is designed to solve a big problem for many US customers: the need for regular floor cleanings and the ability to quickly clean up messes on soft surfaces in a single device. This device isn't meant to replace your existing carpet cleaner, but it's perfect for consumers who may need a spot cleaner and are also in the market for one of the best robot vacuum and mops available.Also: Spring cleaning takes me no time with my favorite smart home devicesI'm not a fan of fully carpeted living spaces, but my home has carpeted bedrooms, one of which we use as our TV room. With three young kids who have movie nights and play time in that TV room, its carpet unfortunately sees a lot of spills. I was in the market for a spot cleaner for a while, but decided to buy a full carpet cleaner instead, which I use to clean our carpets at least once every quarter.  The E28 cleaned up the soy sauce stains comparably to the larger carpet cleaner. Maria Diaz/ZDNETBut there are always little messes in between -- whether it's spilled ketchup on the carpet, a muddy shoeprint on the entryway rug, or yogurt on the fabric ottoman. So I appreciate having the Eufy Omni E28's spot cleaner always handy. Instead of dragging out a heavy carpet cleaning machine and filling it with water to clean a 6-inch in diameter spill, I can just unplug and grab the E28, clean the mess, and return it to the dock with little work on my end. It's also priced quite well for a first-of-its-kind device with a flagship-level robot vacuum and mop. The Eufy Omni E28 robot vacuum, mop, and spot cleaning combination is now available on Eufy's website and Amazon for The Eufy E25 robot vacuum and mop without the spot cleaner will be available in June for When will this deal expire? While many sales events feature deals for a specific length of time, deals are on a limited-time basis, making them subject to expire at any time. ZDNET remains committed to finding, sharing, and updating the best offers to help you maximize your savings so you can feel as confident in your purchases as we feel in our recommendations. Our ZDNET team of experts constantly monitors the deals we feature to keep our stories up-to-date. If you missed out on this deal, don't worry -- we're always sourcing new savings opportunities at ZDNET.com. Show more Featured #latest #robot #vacuum #innovation #will
    WWW.ZDNET.COM
    The latest robot vacuum innovation will leave clean freaks drooling (and it's $450 off)
    ZDNET's key takeaways The Eufy E28 robot vacuum, mop, and spot cleaner combination is available for $999.The mop performs better than more expensive flagships, and the water tank system doubles as a portable spot cleaner with a self-cleaning hose.Unplugging the spot cleaner also unplugs the charging station, and the spot cleaner requires you to brush it to scrub. more buying choices The Eufy E28 Omni robot vacuum and mop just hit its lowest price ever at $850, a total of $450 off with an on-page Amazon coupon.Robot vacuum manufacturers are constantly trying to outdo one another. One company develops a detachable cordless vacuum for the robot's dock, and the next makes the robot's dustbin a detachable cordless vacuum. Now, Eufy is upping the ante with the first robot vacuum to also have a detachable spot cleaner for carpet and upholstery. Also: Finally, I found a robot and handheld vacuum combo that's ideal for apartment dwellersThe Eufy Omni E28 is a robot vacuum and mop with a portable spot cleaner for carpets and upholstery. You can run your robot vacuum as you would any other, but you can also pick up the top with a built-in retractable handle and do some deep cleaning on carpets, rugs, or upholstery. I've been testing this robot vacuum over the past couple of weeks, and I'm happy to report on its performance.  details View at Amazon Essentially, the deep cleaner you carry is the Omni station's clean and dirty water tank, so it's where the robot autonomously sources clean water for its mop when it's at the dock. The deep cleaner has a handle for spot-cleaning with a hose, so you can set it down near where you want to clean and plug it in without holding it as you clean. Aside from detachable cordless vacuums, a mop roller system is another big thing for robot vacuums; many makers, including SwitchBot, Yeedi, and Ecovacs, are moving away from detachable rotating mop pads and using mop rollers instead. Eufy's also done this before with the flagship S1 Pro.  Maria Diaz/ZDNETThe Omni E28 also has a mop roller, which looks similar to the S1 Pro but not identical. The Eufy Omni S1 Pro is unequivocally the best mopping robot vacuum I've ever tested, so I was excited to test the new Omni E28, which features a very similar system. Thankfully, the Omni E28 didn't disappoint. The large mop roller covers the length of the vacuum's width and leaves no streaks behind during mopping. Streaky floors are one of my biggest pet peeves when testing robot vacuum and mop combinations, and they're a more common occurrence than I'd like. Also: My favorite indoor security camera has no subscription fees and is on sale right nowEufy is also launching an E25 robot vacuum, which features the same HydroJet self-cleaning mop system as the E28. The robot's mop roller is continuously scraped clean as it spins, and it keeps clean and dirty water in separate tanks within its body, so it only mops with clean water. The mop also exerts more downward pressure to ensure deep cleaning than the S1 Pro, with 1.5kg (3.3 lbs) instead of 1kg.  Maria Diaz/ZDNETHowever, continuously spraying the roller with clean water inside the robot keeps it moist. Scraping off the dirt and wringing out the dirty water as the roller spins ensures your floors are clean instead of streaky or filmy. The Eufy Omni E28, like the S1 Pro, is the closest thing to a manual mopping result you can get from a robot vacuum and mop. Also: I love a vacuum and mop to clean dry and wet messes, especially when it's on saleThe E28 and E25 robot vacuums have 20,000Pa of suction power and anti-tangle technology, including a DuoSpiral double roller brush to remove pet hair and avoid entanglements. The robots are self-emptying robot vacuums with a self-washing mop roller. The only difference is the portable spot cleaner, which only the E28 has. The Eufy Omni E28 robot vacuum and mop has dual brush rollers and a roller mop. Maria Diaz/ZDNETThe spot cleaner proved to be very effective. It's heavy, like most spot cleaners when full of water, but it has a retractable handle on top that makes it easy to carry around. You also don't have to press any buttons or move anything to release it; just unplug it, pull the retractable handle, and go. I didn't like that the spot cleaner powers the base station, so if you take it somewhere else in your home to clean, the robot's charging station is left without power until you return it. This is fine for quick cleanups, but it can be annoying when a forgetful house member takes the spot cleaner upstairs and leaves it in a room for two days after they're done (totally not me). Also: This simple Amazon tablet became one of my biggest smart home upgrades yet (and it's on sale)The spot cleaner has a self-cleaning hose attached, but no other attachments. The hose ends in a static brush head that sprays clean water, which you use to clean messes on soft surfaces, like carpets, rugs, and upholstery. Since it isn't motorized, you must manually brush the rug or fabric with the brush head to scrub it clean. Once you're done, you just have to press a button along one end of the brush head to make the spot cleaner cycle clean water through the hose without spilling, cleaning the hose for you.  These pictures were taken three minutes apart. The left (before) shows yogurt stains on an ottoman. I sprayed a liquid spot cleaner and went over it with the brush and water; the results are on the right (after). Maria Diaz/ZDNETThere's no separate detergent tank for the spot cleaner, though you could add some detergent directly into the clean water tank. I recommend using just water in the clean water tank and spraying your preferred carpet or upholstery cleaning solution directly on the stains to pre-treat them. You can then scrub the mess clean with the Eufy E28 brush and rinse out the detergent. ZDNET's buying adviceThe Eufy Omni E28 is designed to solve a big problem for many US customers: the need for regular floor cleanings and the ability to quickly clean up messes on soft surfaces in a single device. This device isn't meant to replace your existing carpet cleaner, but it's perfect for consumers who may need a spot cleaner and are also in the market for one of the best robot vacuum and mops available.Also: Spring cleaning takes me no time with my favorite smart home devicesI'm not a fan of fully carpeted living spaces, but my home has carpeted bedrooms, one of which we use as our TV room. With three young kids who have movie nights and play time in that TV room, its carpet unfortunately sees a lot of spills. I was in the market for a spot cleaner for a while, but decided to buy a full carpet cleaner instead, which I use to clean our carpets at least once every quarter.  The E28 cleaned up the soy sauce stains comparably to the larger carpet cleaner. Maria Diaz/ZDNETBut there are always little messes in between -- whether it's spilled ketchup on the carpet, a muddy shoeprint on the entryway rug, or yogurt on the fabric ottoman. So I appreciate having the Eufy Omni E28's spot cleaner always handy. Instead of dragging out a heavy carpet cleaning machine and filling it with water to clean a 6-inch in diameter spill, I can just unplug and grab the E28, clean the mess, and return it to the dock with little work on my end. It's also priced quite well for a first-of-its-kind device with a flagship-level robot vacuum and mop. The Eufy Omni E28 robot vacuum, mop, and spot cleaning combination is now available on Eufy's website and Amazon for $1,000. The Eufy E25 robot vacuum and mop without the spot cleaner will be available in June for $900. When will this deal expire? While many sales events feature deals for a specific length of time, deals are on a limited-time basis, making them subject to expire at any time. ZDNET remains committed to finding, sharing, and updating the best offers to help you maximize your savings so you can feel as confident in your purchases as we feel in our recommendations. Our ZDNET team of experts constantly monitors the deals we feature to keep our stories up-to-date. If you missed out on this deal, don't worry -- we're always sourcing new savings opportunities at ZDNET.com. Show more Featured
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  • After the flood: Malecón de Villahermosa in Villahermosa, Mexico, by Taller Mauricio Rocha, TaAU and Alejandro Castro

    With reclaimed land previously allocated to cars, the Grijalva River boardwalk offers generous public spaces and reconnects the Mexican city of Villahermosa to its river
    In Villahermosa, nature reigns supreme. Surrounded by rivers, lagoons, wild vegetation and the scorching heat of a humid tropical climate, the city’s identity is shaped by intense and unpredictable natural forces. The capital of the Mexican state of Tabasco was founded in 1564 on the banks of the Grijalva River, a vital trade route that has significantly shaped the city’s development. For locals, the river has long been both blessing and threat; major floods have been recorded since the 17th century. A devastating flood in 2007 submerged what officials estimated to be 80 per cent of the city, damaging or destroying more than 120,000 homes.
    In the aftermath of the inundation, high concrete retaining walls were built along both banks of the Grijalva River to prevent further flooding. While this was an understandable measure at first glance, it consequently caused residents to lose both their visual and physical connection with the river. As a result, people moved, particularly from the western bank where the historical centre is located, to new areas further away from the Grijalva River. The riverfront was left to deteriorate into a troubled zone. On the eastern bank, the neighbourhood of Gaviotas was already considered unsafe before the flood, yet it maintained more of its residential character.
    In 2022, 15 years after the dramatic flood, then‑president Andrés Manuel López Obrador, more commonly known as AMLO, announced the construction of a new 6km‑long riverfront promenade in Villahermosa, the capital of his home state. The idea was to enable the population to once again take pride in and live with their river, looking to Paris and Rome as examples. The monumental task, with its large urban scale and the population’s psychological trauma, was entrusted to the Ministry of Agricultural, Territorial and Urban Developmentas part of their Programa de Mejoramiento Urbano. This programme aimed to use architecture as an ‘instrument of social transformation’. High expectations were placed on these projects; architects were asked to create ‘places of national pride’ while improving everyday living conditions.
    The architectural trio of Alejandro Castro Jiménez Labora, Mauricio Rocha Iturbide, and Óscar Rodríguez Castañeda, along with their teams, were commissioned to design a linear park along both banks of the Grijalva. Each architect contributed their strength: Castro brought his expertise in poetic urban furniture; Rocha his sensitive and atmospheric architectural approach; and Rodríguez his thoughtful urban and traffic planning skills. The SEDATU team provided technical and participatory expertise, enabling contextual sensitivity by sharing essential information about the site’s topography, soil conditions and water flows.
    From the city’s existing observatory, the Torre del Caballero landmark, visitors enjoy an excellent view over the redesigned riverbanks. The historical centre and the Gaviotas neighbourhood now form a single ensemble, while the intervention carefully responds to the different conditions found along the length of the river. The project’s main objective is to reclaim some of the land previously allocated to cars and create a promenade for pedestrians and slower vehicles, punctuated with public spaces and facilities. On both sides of the river, cars are now limited to just one or two grey asphalt lanes. Running alongside are generous cycle paths and pedestrian walkways made of earth‑coloured concrete. Speed bumps in the same material and colour connect the pavements on either side of the road while helping to limit traffic speed to 30km/h, further enhancing pedestrian safety.
    Several design elements are found along almost the entire promenade. A ribbon of light‑grey benches delineates the edge of the elevated riverfront; stone walls, steps and ramps are used to negotiate the slight changes in level; planters and lush vegetation soften the transition to the walkways, creating a welcome buffer from street traffic. The most visually striking components are the tall, red‑pigmented concrete light poles on the elevated path, adorned with elegant L‑shaped steel light fixtures, which establish a strong and cohesive visual rhythm.
    Only upon closer inspection you notice the 2007 retaining walls peeking through the dense tropical vegetation. Removing these unattractive concrete barriers was never an option; they stand as a symbol of successful flood protection for the local population. The architectural team ingeniously built the elevated promenade atop the existing wall – an effective concealment from the street side while simultaneously inviting residents to reconnect with the Grijalva. 
    At the foot of the observatory, directly below the retaining wall, the earth‑toned concrete platforms of the Carlos A Madrazo Becerra Park stretch towards the river. Visitors can access the park via a ramp from the promenade on the western bank or by ferry from the opposite side. In the park, concrete furnishings invite visitors to linger among tropical vegetation set against tall natural stone walls. Importantly, it is a space that is durable and requires minimal maintenance – a survival formula for public parks in the Mexican context. Small traces on the concrete benches reveal that the park weathered its baptism of fire last year: the design accommodates the river’s natural dynamics, adapting to fluctuating water levels without compromising public safety. Beyond providing much‑needed shade, the extensive planting of native, low‑maintenance plants on both riverbanks has improved soil stability.
    Above the park, on a broad extension of the elevated pathway, stand three long, elegant buildings with large cantilevered roofs supported by hefty beams resting on distinctive double columns. The tall glass walls that enclose the interiors are set back, creating a visual flow between interior and exterior spaces. While the beams evoke timber construction, they – like the columns – are made of the same pigmented concrete used for the promenade paving. Despite their refined composition, these structures have remained largely unused since their completion over a year ago, neither serving their intended function as restaurants nor hosting alternative uses. Even the beautifully designed park sees only limited public engagement. The ambitious goal of SEDATU with the PMU projects to ‘counteract violence and strengthen the social fabric’ appears, for now, to have fallen short in this area. According to national statistics, Villahermosa ranks first in perceived insecurity among Mexican cities. This sense of insecurity is tangible on the promenade by the city centre, where buildings that look abandoned contribute to an atmosphere of neglect.
    The situation is markedly different on the opposite riverbank, in the Gaviotas neighbourhood. Construction of the 3.5km promenade on this side began in 2021 with three open pavilions housing several small kiosks, which quickly evolved into popular taco stands. The Plaza Solidaridad, revitalised by the architectural trio, draws people from the surrounding vibrant neighbourhood. Further south, the final section that was built is a large sports area and children’s playground, which were embraced by the local community even before their official inauguration in February 2024. Especially after sunset, when the air cools, the well‑lit Gaviotas riverfront comes to life. During daylight hours, however, air‑conditioned shopping centres remain the preferred gathering places for the residents of Villahermosa.
    Rocha describes the city’s new promenade as a ‘jazz composition’, a striking metaphor that speaks of rhythmic complexity and the freedom to improvise. With just a few designed elements and carefully selected colours, the architects have harmoniously layered the river’s urban spaces. The project is earning international recognition but, in Mexico, it faced sharp criticism and was overshadowed by accusations of nepotism. Castro is a friend of AMLO’s son, and the fact that the intervention took place in the home state of the then‑president, coupled with its substantial budget by local standards, drew considerable attention. According to residents, this undermined public acceptance. When asked about the negative press, Rocha speaks of the need to develop a ‘crisis muscle’; he says architects working on public projects in Mexico must ‘let go of perfectionism’ as much lies beyond their control. 
    During AMLO’s six‑year term, which ended in 2024, SEDATU implemented 1,300 PMU projects in 193 highly marginalised municipalities across the country. While many of these interventions undoubtedly improved people’s quality of life, the Villahermosa riverside project also reveals architecture’s limitations, exposing some of the programme’s weaknesses: architectural interventions often act as sticking plasters on an extensively damaged urban fabric. They are handed over from a national ministry with comprehensive expertise and funding to local governments lacking the means to sustain them. Although SEDATU conducted participatory consultations during the project’s implementation, this engagement was absent once the project was completed. Public acceptance and appropriation can take time; what this project does is send an invitation out.

    2025-06-05
    Reuben J Brown

    Share

    AR June 2025RoadsBuy Now
    #after #flood #malecón #villahermosa #mexico
    After the flood: Malecón de Villahermosa in Villahermosa, Mexico, by Taller Mauricio Rocha, TaAU and Alejandro Castro
    With reclaimed land previously allocated to cars, the Grijalva River boardwalk offers generous public spaces and reconnects the Mexican city of Villahermosa to its river In Villahermosa, nature reigns supreme. Surrounded by rivers, lagoons, wild vegetation and the scorching heat of a humid tropical climate, the city’s identity is shaped by intense and unpredictable natural forces. The capital of the Mexican state of Tabasco was founded in 1564 on the banks of the Grijalva River, a vital trade route that has significantly shaped the city’s development. For locals, the river has long been both blessing and threat; major floods have been recorded since the 17th century. A devastating flood in 2007 submerged what officials estimated to be 80 per cent of the city, damaging or destroying more than 120,000 homes. In the aftermath of the inundation, high concrete retaining walls were built along both banks of the Grijalva River to prevent further flooding. While this was an understandable measure at first glance, it consequently caused residents to lose both their visual and physical connection with the river. As a result, people moved, particularly from the western bank where the historical centre is located, to new areas further away from the Grijalva River. The riverfront was left to deteriorate into a troubled zone. On the eastern bank, the neighbourhood of Gaviotas was already considered unsafe before the flood, yet it maintained more of its residential character. In 2022, 15 years after the dramatic flood, then‑president Andrés Manuel López Obrador, more commonly known as AMLO, announced the construction of a new 6km‑long riverfront promenade in Villahermosa, the capital of his home state. The idea was to enable the population to once again take pride in and live with their river, looking to Paris and Rome as examples. The monumental task, with its large urban scale and the population’s psychological trauma, was entrusted to the Ministry of Agricultural, Territorial and Urban Developmentas part of their Programa de Mejoramiento Urbano. This programme aimed to use architecture as an ‘instrument of social transformation’. High expectations were placed on these projects; architects were asked to create ‘places of national pride’ while improving everyday living conditions. The architectural trio of Alejandro Castro Jiménez Labora, Mauricio Rocha Iturbide, and Óscar Rodríguez Castañeda, along with their teams, were commissioned to design a linear park along both banks of the Grijalva. Each architect contributed their strength: Castro brought his expertise in poetic urban furniture; Rocha his sensitive and atmospheric architectural approach; and Rodríguez his thoughtful urban and traffic planning skills. The SEDATU team provided technical and participatory expertise, enabling contextual sensitivity by sharing essential information about the site’s topography, soil conditions and water flows. From the city’s existing observatory, the Torre del Caballero landmark, visitors enjoy an excellent view over the redesigned riverbanks. The historical centre and the Gaviotas neighbourhood now form a single ensemble, while the intervention carefully responds to the different conditions found along the length of the river. The project’s main objective is to reclaim some of the land previously allocated to cars and create a promenade for pedestrians and slower vehicles, punctuated with public spaces and facilities. On both sides of the river, cars are now limited to just one or two grey asphalt lanes. Running alongside are generous cycle paths and pedestrian walkways made of earth‑coloured concrete. Speed bumps in the same material and colour connect the pavements on either side of the road while helping to limit traffic speed to 30km/h, further enhancing pedestrian safety. Several design elements are found along almost the entire promenade. A ribbon of light‑grey benches delineates the edge of the elevated riverfront; stone walls, steps and ramps are used to negotiate the slight changes in level; planters and lush vegetation soften the transition to the walkways, creating a welcome buffer from street traffic. The most visually striking components are the tall, red‑pigmented concrete light poles on the elevated path, adorned with elegant L‑shaped steel light fixtures, which establish a strong and cohesive visual rhythm. Only upon closer inspection you notice the 2007 retaining walls peeking through the dense tropical vegetation. Removing these unattractive concrete barriers was never an option; they stand as a symbol of successful flood protection for the local population. The architectural team ingeniously built the elevated promenade atop the existing wall – an effective concealment from the street side while simultaneously inviting residents to reconnect with the Grijalva.  At the foot of the observatory, directly below the retaining wall, the earth‑toned concrete platforms of the Carlos A Madrazo Becerra Park stretch towards the river. Visitors can access the park via a ramp from the promenade on the western bank or by ferry from the opposite side. In the park, concrete furnishings invite visitors to linger among tropical vegetation set against tall natural stone walls. Importantly, it is a space that is durable and requires minimal maintenance – a survival formula for public parks in the Mexican context. Small traces on the concrete benches reveal that the park weathered its baptism of fire last year: the design accommodates the river’s natural dynamics, adapting to fluctuating water levels without compromising public safety. Beyond providing much‑needed shade, the extensive planting of native, low‑maintenance plants on both riverbanks has improved soil stability. Above the park, on a broad extension of the elevated pathway, stand three long, elegant buildings with large cantilevered roofs supported by hefty beams resting on distinctive double columns. The tall glass walls that enclose the interiors are set back, creating a visual flow between interior and exterior spaces. While the beams evoke timber construction, they – like the columns – are made of the same pigmented concrete used for the promenade paving. Despite their refined composition, these structures have remained largely unused since their completion over a year ago, neither serving their intended function as restaurants nor hosting alternative uses. Even the beautifully designed park sees only limited public engagement. The ambitious goal of SEDATU with the PMU projects to ‘counteract violence and strengthen the social fabric’ appears, for now, to have fallen short in this area. According to national statistics, Villahermosa ranks first in perceived insecurity among Mexican cities. This sense of insecurity is tangible on the promenade by the city centre, where buildings that look abandoned contribute to an atmosphere of neglect. The situation is markedly different on the opposite riverbank, in the Gaviotas neighbourhood. Construction of the 3.5km promenade on this side began in 2021 with three open pavilions housing several small kiosks, which quickly evolved into popular taco stands. The Plaza Solidaridad, revitalised by the architectural trio, draws people from the surrounding vibrant neighbourhood. Further south, the final section that was built is a large sports area and children’s playground, which were embraced by the local community even before their official inauguration in February 2024. Especially after sunset, when the air cools, the well‑lit Gaviotas riverfront comes to life. During daylight hours, however, air‑conditioned shopping centres remain the preferred gathering places for the residents of Villahermosa. Rocha describes the city’s new promenade as a ‘jazz composition’, a striking metaphor that speaks of rhythmic complexity and the freedom to improvise. With just a few designed elements and carefully selected colours, the architects have harmoniously layered the river’s urban spaces. The project is earning international recognition but, in Mexico, it faced sharp criticism and was overshadowed by accusations of nepotism. Castro is a friend of AMLO’s son, and the fact that the intervention took place in the home state of the then‑president, coupled with its substantial budget by local standards, drew considerable attention. According to residents, this undermined public acceptance. When asked about the negative press, Rocha speaks of the need to develop a ‘crisis muscle’; he says architects working on public projects in Mexico must ‘let go of perfectionism’ as much lies beyond their control.  During AMLO’s six‑year term, which ended in 2024, SEDATU implemented 1,300 PMU projects in 193 highly marginalised municipalities across the country. While many of these interventions undoubtedly improved people’s quality of life, the Villahermosa riverside project also reveals architecture’s limitations, exposing some of the programme’s weaknesses: architectural interventions often act as sticking plasters on an extensively damaged urban fabric. They are handed over from a national ministry with comprehensive expertise and funding to local governments lacking the means to sustain them. Although SEDATU conducted participatory consultations during the project’s implementation, this engagement was absent once the project was completed. Public acceptance and appropriation can take time; what this project does is send an invitation out. 2025-06-05 Reuben J Brown Share AR June 2025RoadsBuy Now #after #flood #malecón #villahermosa #mexico
    WWW.ARCHITECTURAL-REVIEW.COM
    After the flood: Malecón de Villahermosa in Villahermosa, Mexico, by Taller Mauricio Rocha, TaAU and Alejandro Castro
    With reclaimed land previously allocated to cars, the Grijalva River boardwalk offers generous public spaces and reconnects the Mexican city of Villahermosa to its river In Villahermosa, nature reigns supreme. Surrounded by rivers, lagoons, wild vegetation and the scorching heat of a humid tropical climate, the city’s identity is shaped by intense and unpredictable natural forces. The capital of the Mexican state of Tabasco was founded in 1564 on the banks of the Grijalva River, a vital trade route that has significantly shaped the city’s development. For locals, the river has long been both blessing and threat; major floods have been recorded since the 17th century. A devastating flood in 2007 submerged what officials estimated to be 80 per cent of the city, damaging or destroying more than 120,000 homes. In the aftermath of the inundation, high concrete retaining walls were built along both banks of the Grijalva River to prevent further flooding. While this was an understandable measure at first glance, it consequently caused residents to lose both their visual and physical connection with the river. As a result, people moved, particularly from the western bank where the historical centre is located, to new areas further away from the Grijalva River. The riverfront was left to deteriorate into a troubled zone. On the eastern bank, the neighbourhood of Gaviotas was already considered unsafe before the flood, yet it maintained more of its residential character. In 2022, 15 years after the dramatic flood, then‑president Andrés Manuel López Obrador, more commonly known as AMLO, announced the construction of a new 6km‑long riverfront promenade in Villahermosa, the capital of his home state. The idea was to enable the population to once again take pride in and live with their river, looking to Paris and Rome as examples. The monumental task, with its large urban scale and the population’s psychological trauma, was entrusted to the Ministry of Agricultural, Territorial and Urban Development (SEDATU) as part of their Programa de Mejoramiento Urbano (Urban Improvement Programme, or PMU). This programme aimed to use architecture as an ‘instrument of social transformation’. High expectations were placed on these projects; architects were asked to create ‘places of national pride’ while improving everyday living conditions. The architectural trio of Alejandro Castro Jiménez Labora, Mauricio Rocha Iturbide, and Óscar Rodríguez Castañeda, along with their teams, were commissioned to design a linear park along both banks of the Grijalva. Each architect contributed their strength: Castro brought his expertise in poetic urban furniture; Rocha his sensitive and atmospheric architectural approach; and Rodríguez his thoughtful urban and traffic planning skills. The SEDATU team provided technical and participatory expertise, enabling contextual sensitivity by sharing essential information about the site’s topography, soil conditions and water flows. From the city’s existing observatory, the Torre del Caballero landmark, visitors enjoy an excellent view over the redesigned riverbanks. The historical centre and the Gaviotas neighbourhood now form a single ensemble, while the intervention carefully responds to the different conditions found along the length of the river. The project’s main objective is to reclaim some of the land previously allocated to cars and create a promenade for pedestrians and slower vehicles, punctuated with public spaces and facilities. On both sides of the river, cars are now limited to just one or two grey asphalt lanes. Running alongside are generous cycle paths and pedestrian walkways made of earth‑coloured concrete. Speed bumps in the same material and colour connect the pavements on either side of the road while helping to limit traffic speed to 30km/h, further enhancing pedestrian safety. Several design elements are found along almost the entire promenade. A ribbon of light‑grey benches delineates the edge of the elevated riverfront; stone walls, steps and ramps are used to negotiate the slight changes in level; planters and lush vegetation soften the transition to the walkways, creating a welcome buffer from street traffic. The most visually striking components are the tall, red‑pigmented concrete light poles on the elevated path, adorned with elegant L‑shaped steel light fixtures, which establish a strong and cohesive visual rhythm. Only upon closer inspection you notice the 2007 retaining walls peeking through the dense tropical vegetation. Removing these unattractive concrete barriers was never an option; they stand as a symbol of successful flood protection for the local population. The architectural team ingeniously built the elevated promenade atop the existing wall – an effective concealment from the street side while simultaneously inviting residents to reconnect with the Grijalva.  At the foot of the observatory, directly below the retaining wall, the earth‑toned concrete platforms of the Carlos A Madrazo Becerra Park stretch towards the river. Visitors can access the park via a ramp from the promenade on the western bank or by ferry from the opposite side. In the park, concrete furnishings invite visitors to linger among tropical vegetation set against tall natural stone walls. Importantly, it is a space that is durable and requires minimal maintenance – a survival formula for public parks in the Mexican context. Small traces on the concrete benches reveal that the park weathered its baptism of fire last year: the design accommodates the river’s natural dynamics, adapting to fluctuating water levels without compromising public safety. Beyond providing much‑needed shade, the extensive planting of native, low‑maintenance plants on both riverbanks has improved soil stability. Above the park, on a broad extension of the elevated pathway, stand three long, elegant buildings with large cantilevered roofs supported by hefty beams resting on distinctive double columns. The tall glass walls that enclose the interiors are set back, creating a visual flow between interior and exterior spaces. While the beams evoke timber construction, they – like the columns – are made of the same pigmented concrete used for the promenade paving. Despite their refined composition, these structures have remained largely unused since their completion over a year ago, neither serving their intended function as restaurants nor hosting alternative uses. Even the beautifully designed park sees only limited public engagement. The ambitious goal of SEDATU with the PMU projects to ‘counteract violence and strengthen the social fabric’ appears, for now, to have fallen short in this area. According to national statistics, Villahermosa ranks first in perceived insecurity among Mexican cities. This sense of insecurity is tangible on the promenade by the city centre, where buildings that look abandoned contribute to an atmosphere of neglect. The situation is markedly different on the opposite riverbank, in the Gaviotas neighbourhood. Construction of the 3.5km promenade on this side began in 2021 with three open pavilions housing several small kiosks, which quickly evolved into popular taco stands. The Plaza Solidaridad, revitalised by the architectural trio, draws people from the surrounding vibrant neighbourhood. Further south, the final section that was built is a large sports area and children’s playground, which were embraced by the local community even before their official inauguration in February 2024. Especially after sunset, when the air cools, the well‑lit Gaviotas riverfront comes to life. During daylight hours, however, air‑conditioned shopping centres remain the preferred gathering places for the residents of Villahermosa. Rocha describes the city’s new promenade as a ‘jazz composition’, a striking metaphor that speaks of rhythmic complexity and the freedom to improvise. With just a few designed elements and carefully selected colours, the architects have harmoniously layered the river’s urban spaces. The project is earning international recognition but, in Mexico, it faced sharp criticism and was overshadowed by accusations of nepotism. Castro is a friend of AMLO’s son, and the fact that the intervention took place in the home state of the then‑president, coupled with its substantial budget by local standards, drew considerable attention. According to residents, this undermined public acceptance. When asked about the negative press, Rocha speaks of the need to develop a ‘crisis muscle’; he says architects working on public projects in Mexico must ‘let go of perfectionism’ as much lies beyond their control.  During AMLO’s six‑year term, which ended in 2024, SEDATU implemented 1,300 PMU projects in 193 highly marginalised municipalities across the country. While many of these interventions undoubtedly improved people’s quality of life, the Villahermosa riverside project also reveals architecture’s limitations, exposing some of the programme’s weaknesses: architectural interventions often act as sticking plasters on an extensively damaged urban fabric. They are handed over from a national ministry with comprehensive expertise and funding to local governments lacking the means to sustain them. Although SEDATU conducted participatory consultations during the project’s implementation, this engagement was absent once the project was completed. Public acceptance and appropriation can take time; what this project does is send an invitation out. 2025-06-05 Reuben J Brown Share AR June 2025RoadsBuy Now
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  • Alienware Aurora R16 RTX 5080 Gaming PCs Start at Just $2,450 Shipped

    Alienware is offering competitive prices on RTX 5080 equipped gaming PCs to kick off June. Right now you can pick up an Alienware Aurora R16 RTX 5080 gaming PC from shipped. This is a good price for a well-engineered gaming rig with powerful current generation components, 240mm AIO water cooling, and sensible airflow design that can handle 4K gaming at high frame rates. In the current market, buying a prebuilt gaming PC is the only way to score an RTX 5080 GPU without paying an exorbitant markup. If you were to try to find a 5080 GPU for your do-it-yourself PC build, you'll probably spend nearly as much for the GPU as you would for an entire system.Alienware Aurora RTX 5080 Gaming PC From Alienware Aurora R16 Intel Core Ultra 7 265F RTX 5080 Gaming PCat AlienwareAlienware Aurora R16 Intel Core Ultra 9 285K RTX 5080 Gaming PCAlienware Aurora R16 Intel Core Ultra 9 285K RTX 5080 Gaming PCNew for 2025Alienware Area-51 Intel Core Ultra 7 265 RTX 5080 Gaming PCThe prices on the Alienware Aurora R16 model starts range from the bottom end of to the top end of Each tier up offers either a CPU upgrade or increased RAM and/or storage:- Intel Core Ultra 7 265F, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD- Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, 32GB RAM, 2TB SSD- Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, 64GB RAM, 4TB SSDAlienware Area-51 RTX 5080 Gaming PC for New for 2025Alienware Area-51 Intel Core Ultra 7 265 RTX 5080 Gaming PCDell unveiled the new Alienware Area-51 gaming PC at CES 2025. The chassis looks similar to the 2024 R16 system with aesthetic and cooling redesigns and updated components. The I/O panel is positioned at the top of the case instead of the front, and the tempered glass window now spans the entire side panel instead of just a smaller cutout. As a result, the side panel vents are gone, and instead air intakes are located at the bottom as well as the front of the case. Alienware is now pushing a positive airflow design, which means a less dusty interior. The internal components have been refreshed with a new motherboard, faster RAM, and more powerful power supply to accommodate the new generation of CPUs and GPUs.The GeForce RTX 5080 GPU will run any game in 4KThe RTX 5080 is the second best Blackwell graphics card, surpassed only by the RTX 5090. It's about 5%-10% faster than the previous generation RTX 4080 Super, which is discontinued and no longer available. In games that support the new DLSS 4 with multi-frame generation exclusive to Blackwell cards, the gap widens.Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080 FE Review, by Jacqueline Thomas"If you already have a high-end graphics card from the last couple of years, the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080 doesn’t make a lot of sense – it just doesn’t have much of a performance lead over the RTX 4080, though the extra frames from DLSS 4 Multi-Frame Generation do make things look better in games that support it. However, for gamers with an older graphics card who want a significant performance boost, the RTX 5080 absolutely provides – doubly so if you’re comfortable with Nvidia’s AI goodies."Eric Song is the IGN commerce manager in charge of finding the best gaming and tech deals every day. When Eric isn't hunting for deals for other people at work, he's hunting for deals for himself during his free time.
    #alienware #aurora #r16 #rtx #gaming
    Alienware Aurora R16 RTX 5080 Gaming PCs Start at Just $2,450 Shipped
    Alienware is offering competitive prices on RTX 5080 equipped gaming PCs to kick off June. Right now you can pick up an Alienware Aurora R16 RTX 5080 gaming PC from shipped. This is a good price for a well-engineered gaming rig with powerful current generation components, 240mm AIO water cooling, and sensible airflow design that can handle 4K gaming at high frame rates. In the current market, buying a prebuilt gaming PC is the only way to score an RTX 5080 GPU without paying an exorbitant markup. If you were to try to find a 5080 GPU for your do-it-yourself PC build, you'll probably spend nearly as much for the GPU as you would for an entire system.Alienware Aurora RTX 5080 Gaming PC From Alienware Aurora R16 Intel Core Ultra 7 265F RTX 5080 Gaming PCat AlienwareAlienware Aurora R16 Intel Core Ultra 9 285K RTX 5080 Gaming PCAlienware Aurora R16 Intel Core Ultra 9 285K RTX 5080 Gaming PCNew for 2025Alienware Area-51 Intel Core Ultra 7 265 RTX 5080 Gaming PCThe prices on the Alienware Aurora R16 model starts range from the bottom end of to the top end of Each tier up offers either a CPU upgrade or increased RAM and/or storage:- Intel Core Ultra 7 265F, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD- Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, 32GB RAM, 2TB SSD- Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, 64GB RAM, 4TB SSDAlienware Area-51 RTX 5080 Gaming PC for New for 2025Alienware Area-51 Intel Core Ultra 7 265 RTX 5080 Gaming PCDell unveiled the new Alienware Area-51 gaming PC at CES 2025. The chassis looks similar to the 2024 R16 system with aesthetic and cooling redesigns and updated components. The I/O panel is positioned at the top of the case instead of the front, and the tempered glass window now spans the entire side panel instead of just a smaller cutout. As a result, the side panel vents are gone, and instead air intakes are located at the bottom as well as the front of the case. Alienware is now pushing a positive airflow design, which means a less dusty interior. The internal components have been refreshed with a new motherboard, faster RAM, and more powerful power supply to accommodate the new generation of CPUs and GPUs.The GeForce RTX 5080 GPU will run any game in 4KThe RTX 5080 is the second best Blackwell graphics card, surpassed only by the RTX 5090. It's about 5%-10% faster than the previous generation RTX 4080 Super, which is discontinued and no longer available. In games that support the new DLSS 4 with multi-frame generation exclusive to Blackwell cards, the gap widens.Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080 FE Review, by Jacqueline Thomas"If you already have a high-end graphics card from the last couple of years, the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080 doesn’t make a lot of sense – it just doesn’t have much of a performance lead over the RTX 4080, though the extra frames from DLSS 4 Multi-Frame Generation do make things look better in games that support it. However, for gamers with an older graphics card who want a significant performance boost, the RTX 5080 absolutely provides – doubly so if you’re comfortable with Nvidia’s AI goodies."Eric Song is the IGN commerce manager in charge of finding the best gaming and tech deals every day. When Eric isn't hunting for deals for other people at work, he's hunting for deals for himself during his free time. #alienware #aurora #r16 #rtx #gaming
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    Alienware Aurora R16 RTX 5080 Gaming PCs Start at Just $2,450 Shipped
    Alienware is offering competitive prices on RTX 5080 equipped gaming PCs to kick off June. Right now you can pick up an Alienware Aurora R16 RTX 5080 gaming PC from $2,449.99 shipped. This is a good price for a well-engineered gaming rig with powerful current generation components, 240mm AIO water cooling, and sensible airflow design that can handle 4K gaming at high frame rates. In the current market, buying a prebuilt gaming PC is the only way to score an RTX 5080 GPU without paying an exorbitant markup. If you were to try to find a 5080 GPU for your do-it-yourself PC build, you'll probably spend nearly as much for the GPU as you would for an entire system.Alienware Aurora RTX 5080 Gaming PC From $2,450Alienware Aurora R16 Intel Core Ultra 7 265F RTX 5080 Gaming PC (16GB/1TB)$2,449.99 at AlienwareAlienware Aurora R16 Intel Core Ultra 9 285K RTX 5080 Gaming PC (32GB/2TB)Alienware Aurora R16 Intel Core Ultra 9 285K RTX 5080 Gaming PC (64GB/4TB)New for 2025Alienware Area-51 Intel Core Ultra 7 265 RTX 5080 Gaming PC (32GB/1TB)The prices on the Alienware Aurora R16 model starts range from the bottom end of $2,349.99 to the top end of $3,149.99. Each tier up offers either a CPU upgrade or increased RAM and/or storage:$2,349.99 - Intel Core Ultra 7 265F, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD$2,799.99 - Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, 32GB RAM, 2TB SSD$3,249.99 - Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, 64GB RAM, 4TB SSDAlienware Area-51 RTX 5080 Gaming PC for $3,599.99New for 2025Alienware Area-51 Intel Core Ultra 7 265 RTX 5080 Gaming PC (32GB/1TB)Dell unveiled the new Alienware Area-51 gaming PC at CES 2025. The chassis looks similar to the 2024 R16 system with aesthetic and cooling redesigns and updated components. The I/O panel is positioned at the top of the case instead of the front, and the tempered glass window now spans the entire side panel instead of just a smaller cutout. As a result, the side panel vents are gone, and instead air intakes are located at the bottom as well as the front of the case. Alienware is now pushing a positive airflow design (more intake than exhaust airflow), which means a less dusty interior. The internal components have been refreshed with a new motherboard, faster RAM, and more powerful power supply to accommodate the new generation of CPUs and GPUs.The GeForce RTX 5080 GPU will run any game in 4KThe RTX 5080 is the second best Blackwell graphics card, surpassed only by the $2,000 RTX 5090. It's about 5%-10% faster than the previous generation RTX 4080 Super, which is discontinued and no longer available. In games that support the new DLSS 4 with multi-frame generation exclusive to Blackwell cards, the gap widens.Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080 FE Review, by Jacqueline Thomas"If you already have a high-end graphics card from the last couple of years, the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080 doesn’t make a lot of sense – it just doesn’t have much of a performance lead over the RTX 4080, though the extra frames from DLSS 4 Multi-Frame Generation do make things look better in games that support it. However, for gamers with an older graphics card who want a significant performance boost, the RTX 5080 absolutely provides – doubly so if you’re comfortable with Nvidia’s AI goodies."Eric Song is the IGN commerce manager in charge of finding the best gaming and tech deals every day. When Eric isn't hunting for deals for other people at work, he's hunting for deals for himself during his free time.
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