Sexual relationships with AI chatbots have become all too common — but for some real-life partners, it still feels like cheating when it's happening behind their back.That's the takeaway from a recent HuffPost column in which Marisa Cohen, a licensed marriage and family therapist, affirmed that having intimate encounters with anyone — or anything — without your partner's consent is damaging to the relationship, point-blank.The piece was responding to a post on Reddit, which — though they're often anonymous and an exercise in creative fiction writing — served as an interesting jumping-off point to explore the ethics of the topic.In the post, which has since been deleted but copied in part by HuffPost, a woman described her sense of betrayal when she walked in on her husband of 14 years having phone sex with a talking chatbot that was "very tailored to his desires.""It felt like a knife went through me," the OP wrote, "and I couldn’t stop shaking."An interesting wrinkle: the woman and her husband had agreed prior to tying the knot that "emotional cheating" was kosher as long as it wasn't physical. Still, the woman said she was "stung"  that her hubby was having such sexual conversations with the chatbot "almost every night" — and even more so when he added that he talked to it for hours about non-sexual subjects too.Were he having those conversations with a human woman, that would technically be within the bounds of their relationship's rules. But for whatever reason, it seemed to bother the OP worse that her spouse was having his affair with a chatbot."I know he’s gonna say it’s not a big deal no matter what," she wrote, "and I think this is what will upset me the most."Does the woman have a right to be upset? It depends on the nitty-gritty of her interpretation of her agreement with her husband, which is why ongoing communication is a staple of successful open relationships.That's important, because as Cohen points out, the situation represents a gray area. Is phone sex with an AI crossing the line into the "physical intimacy" with outside partners that they left off the table? It's a head-scratcher, and different reasonable people may well come to different conclusions."What one partner views as engaging with AI in a completely acceptable way, another may view as cheating," the therapist told HuffPost. "This is something that must be discussed, so that both partners are aware of how the other feels.""People that are involved in emotional cheating are sharing experiences with another (in this case AI) at the expense of sharing these moments, memories, or insights with their partners," Cohen said. "This can create a distance between partners."It's also worth noting that when they first married, there was no way the woman could have expected the "emotional cheating" clause in her relationship — one that sounds pretty suspicious, or at least like a slippery slope — to include an AI chatbot, because such technology was neither widespread nor sophisticated at the time. And even if she had, those boundaries can change — as the OP noted, she'd also been upset when finding out her husband had been whacking it to porn earlier in their marriage."It is important that both partners want to work on their relationship and that the emotional affair is acknowledged and ended," Cohen told HuffPost. "This becomes more complicated in this case, as the partners may have different beliefs as to whether cheating has occurred."More on chatbot relationships: Women With Body Image Issues Are Asking ChatGPT Something TerribleShare This Article

View of the south façade before construction of a new residential project that now conceals Le Christin from Boulevard René Lévesque. PROJECT Le Christin, Montreal, Quebec ARCHITECT Atelier Big City PHOTOS James Brittain   PROJECT Les Studios du PAS, Montreal, Quebec ARCHITECT L. McComber in collaboration with Inform  PHOTOS Ulysse Lemerise   Nighttime, April 15, 2025. A thousand volunteers are gathering in Montreal, part of a province-wide effort to try and put numbers on a growing phenomenon in cities like Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, and many others. The volunteers are getting ready to walk around targeted areas in downtown Montreal and around certain subway stations. Temporary shelters are also visited. First conducted in the spring of 2018, this survey showed that 3,149 people were in a vulnerable situation at the time. Four years later, a similar effort revealed that Montreal’s homeless population had risen to 4,690 people—and that there were some 10,000 people experiencing homelessness in the whole of the province. The 2025 numbers are expected to be significantly higher. For the organizers, this one-night snapshot of the situation is “neither perfect nor complete.” However, for nonprofit organizations and governmental bodies eager to prevent a vulnerable population from ending up on the streets, the informal census does provide highly valuable information.  Two recent initiatives—very different from one another—offer inspiring answers. The most recent one, Le Christin, was designed by Atelier Big City (led by architects Anne Cormier, Randy Cohen, and Howard Davies) and inaugurated in 2024. Studios du PAS, on the other hand, was designed by Montreal firm L. McComber, and welcomed its first tenants in 2022. Both projects involved long-standing charities: the 148-year-old Accueil Bonneau, in the case of Le Christin, and the 136-year-old Mission Old Brewery for Studios du PAS. Le Christin was spearheaded, and mostly financed, by the Société d’habitation et de développement de Montréal (SHDM), a non-profit, para-municipal corporation created in 1988. Studios du PAS was first selected by the City of Montreal to be built thanks to the Rapid Housing Initiative (RHI) program run by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC). Le Christin also received a financial contribution from the CMHC towards the end of the process. Boldly coloured blind walls signal the presence of Le Christin in the center of a densely occupied city block, with entrance to the left along Sanguinet Stree. Le Christin Although sited in a very central location, near the buzzing St. Catherine and St. Denis streets, Le Christin is hard to find. And even when one suddenly spots two seven-storey-high walls, coloured lemon-zest yellow and mango orange, it’s difficult to figure out what they are about. A stroll along the tiny Christin Street finally reveals the front façade of this new facility, now home to some of Montreal’s most vulnerable citizens.  View of Le Christin’s modulated front façade. Galvanized steel panels at ground level add a soft touch while protecting the building from potential damage caused by snow plows. Le Christin is unique for a number of reasons. First among them is its highly unusual location—at the centre of a dense city block otherwise occupied by university buildings, office towers, and condo blocks. Until a few years ago, the site was home to the four-storey Appartements Le Riga. The Art Deco-style building had been built in 1914 by developer-architect Joseph-Arthur Godin, who was a pioneer in his own right: he was one of the first in Montreal to experiment with reinforced concrete structures, a novelty in the city at the time. A century later, Le Riga, by then the property of SHDM, was in serious need of repair. Plans had already been drafted for a complete renovation of the building when a thorough investigation revealed major structural problems. Tenants had to leave on short notice and were temporarily relocated; the building was eventually demolished in 2019. By that time, Atelier Big City had been mandated to design a contemporary building that would replace Le Riga and provide a “place of one’s own” to close to 150 tenants, formerly homeless or at risk of becoming so.    Le Christin – Site Plan and Ground Floor Plan The entire operation sparked controversy, particularly as Le Christin started to rise, showing no sign of nostalgia. The architects’ daring approach was difficult to fathom—particularly for those who believe social housing should keep a low profile.  The program, originally meant for a clientele of single men, gradually evolved to include women. In order to reflect societal trends, the architects were asked to design 24 slightly larger units located in the building’s east wing, separated from the rest of the units by secured doors. Thus, Le Christin is able to accommodate homeless couples or close friends, as well as students and immigrants in need. A tenants-only courtyard is inserted in the south façade. In order to provide the maximum number of units requested by SHDM, each of the 90 studios was reduced to 230 square feet—an adjustment from Atelier Big City’s initial, slightly more generous plans. In a clever move, an L-shaped kitchen hugs the corner of each unit, pushing out against the exterior wall. As a result, the window openings recede from the façade, creating a sense of intimacy for the tenants, who enjoy contact with the exterior through large windows protected by quiet Juliet balconies. Far from damaging the initial design, the added constraint of tightened units allowed the architects to modulate the building’s façades, creating an even stronger statement. On the unit levels, corridors include large openings along the south façade. Each floor is colour-coded to enliven the space; overhead, perforated metal plates conceal the mechanical systems. An extra floor was gained thanks to the decision to expose the various plumbing, electrical, and ventilation systems. Well-lit meeting rooms and common areas are found near Le Christin’s front entrance, along with offices for personnel, who are present on the premises 24 hours a day. Apart from a small terrace above the entrance, the main exterior space is a yard which literally cuts into the building’s back façade. This has a huge impact on the interiors at all levels: corridors are generously lit with sunlight, a concept market developers would be well advised to imitate. The adjacent exit stairs are also notable, with their careful detailing and the presence of glazed openings.  The fire stairs, which open onto the exterior yard at ground level, feature glazing that allows for ample natural light. Le Christin has achieved the lofty goal articulated by SHDM’s former director, architect Nancy Schoiry: “With this project, we wanted to innovate and demonstrate that it was possible to provide quality housing for those at risk of homelessness.” The low-slung Studios du PAS aligns with neighbourhood two-storey buildings. Studios du PAS In sharp contrast with Le Christin’s surroundings, the impression one gets approaching Studios du PAS, 14 kilometres east of downtown Montreal, is that of a small town. In this mostly low-scale neighbourhood, L. McComber architects adopted a respectful, subdued approach—blending in, rather than standing out.  The project uses a pared-down palette of terracotta tile, wood, and galvanized steel. The footbridge links the upper level to shared exterior spaces. The financing for this small building, planned for individuals aged 55 or older experiencing or at risk of homelessness, was tied to a highly demanding schedule. The project had to be designed, built, and occupied within 18 months: an “almost impossible” challenge, according to principal architect Laurent McComber. From the very start, prefabrication was favoured over more traditional construction methods. And even though substantial work had to be done on-site—including the installation of the roof, electrical and mechanical systems, as well as exterior and interior finishes—the partially prefabricated components did contribute to keeping costs under control and meeting the 18-month design-to-delivery deadline. Les Studios du PAS The building was divided into 20 identical modules, each fourteen feet wide—the maximum width allowable on the road. Half the modules were installed at ground level. One of these, positioned nearest the street entrance, serves as a community room directly connected to a small office for the use of a social worker, allowing staff to follow up regularly with tenants. Flooded with natural light, the double-height lobby provides a friendly and inclusive welcome. The ground level studios were designed so they could be adapted to accommodate accessibility needs. Some of the ground floor units were adapted to meet the needs of those with a physical disability; the other units were designed to be easily adaptable if needed. All studio apartments, slightly under 300 square feet, include a full bathroom, a minimal kitchen, and sizeable storage space hidden behind cabinet doors. Most of the apartments include a small exterior alcove, which provides an intimate outdoor space while creating a subtle rhythm along the front façade. Inside the studio units, storage cupboards for clothes and belongings were added as an extension of the kitchen wall. Conscious of the tradition of brick residential buildings in Montreal, yet wanting to explore alternate materials, the architects selected an earth-toned terracotta tile from Germany. The 299mm x 1500mm tiles are clipped to the façade, allowing for faster installation and easier maintenance. All units enjoy triple-glazed windows and particularly well insulated walls. A high-performance heat pump was installed to lower energy demand—and costs—for heating and cooling needs. Wood siding was used to soften the upper-level balconies, which provide protected outdoor spaces for residents.   Pride and Dignity Le Christin and Les Studios du PAS have little in common—except, of course, their program. Architecturally speaking, each represents an interesting solution to the problem at hand. While Le Christin is a high-spirited, flamboyant statement, Studios du PAS is to be praised for its respectful attitude, and for the architects’ relentless search for interesting alternatives to traditional construction norms. Atelier Big City is one of few firms in Canada that has the guts—and the talent—to play with bold colours. Decades of experimentation (not just with public buildings, but also within their own homes), led up to Le Christin, which is perhaps their strongest building to date. Their judicious choices of colour, brick type, and materials transmit a message of pride and dignity. Both projects demonstrate enormous respect and generosity to their residents: they provide architecture that treats them not as an underclass, but as regular people, who need the stability of dignified housing to start rebuilding their lives. Odile Hénault is a contributing editor to Canadian Architect.   Le Christin CLIENT Société d’habitation et de développement de Montréal (SHDM) | ARCHITECT TEAM Anne Cormier, Randy Cohen, Howard Davies, Fannie Yockell, Gabriel Tessier, Sébastien St-Laurent, Lisa Vo | STRUCTURAL DPHV | MECHANICAL/ELECTRICAL BPA | CIVIL Genexco | LIGHTING CS Design | AREA 4,115 m2 | Construction BUDGET $18.9 M | COMPLETION November 2023   Les Studios du PAS  CLIENT PAS de la rue | ARCHITECT TEAM L. McComber—Laurent McComber, Olivier Lord, Jérôme Lemieux, Josianne Ouellet-Daudelin, Laurent McComber. Inform—David Grenier, Élisabeth Provost, Amélie Tremblay, David Grenier | PROJECT MANAGEMENT Groupe CDH | STRUCTURAL Douglas Consultants | MECHANICAL/ELECTRICAL Martin Roy & associés | CIVIL Gravitaire | CONTRACTOR Gestion Étoc | AREA 1,035 m2 | BUDGET $3.4 M | COMPLETION September 2022 As appeared in the June 2025 issue of Canadian Architect magazine The post A Place to Call Home: Le Christin and Les Studios du PAS, Montreal, Quebec appeared first on Canadian Architect.

Last year Hunger Games social media accounts made shocking news when they announced there would be a new book and movie in the series. Shortly afterward, Collins released the novel on March 18, 2025 where it promptly sold 1.2 million copies in its first week in the U.S.—three times more than what Mockingjay, which closed out Collins’ original Hunger Games trilogy, did in the same time frame.  Sunrise on the Reaping follows Peeta and Katniss’ mentor, Haymitch Abernathy, when he is chosen to compete in the 50th Hunger Games, which due to the anniversary means there will be double the amount of tributes. The novel tells the story of Haymitch’s life in District 12 and his rebellion against the Capitol, which led him to become the unfriendly mentor we know from the original series.  This is the second prequel Collins has released after The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, which followed a young Coriolanus Snow on his journey to becoming the ruthless president in the original trilogy. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes movie grossed $349 million worldwide, and Collins and Lionsgate are likely eager to repeat that success at the box office with a Sunrise on the Reaping film.  The most successful movie in the franchise has been The Hunger Games: Catching Fire with a worldwide box office gross of almost $845 million. Hunger Games hasn’t been able to recreate those numbers since. But the Sunrise on the Reaping movie will follow a character the audience already connects with (as opposed to despite like Coriolanus), which may encourage more casual fans to see it. The announcement of Sunrise on the Reaping release brought new life to the Hunger Games audience, with many fans speculating about casting and production choices for the already confirmed movie adaptation, which is set to release in November 2026.  The Sunrise on the Reaping movie starts production in July and reportedly has a budget of over $150 million, according to a Deadline report, which could make it the largest budget Hunger Games movie to date. Fans of the franchise have been eagerly awaiting information about the highly anticipated movie adaptation, and they won’t have to wait long to get it. Here’s a look at some of the casting choices so far and what the expectations are for the upcoming film.  Amazon Joseph Zada as Haymitch Abernathy There were many fan castings following the release of the book involving popular actors such as Outer Banks’ Rudy Pankow and Harris Dickinson from Babygirl. Instead the lead role went to industry newcomer Joseph Zada, who will bring a fresh perspective. Zada is an Australian actor who began his career in 2019 in a film directed by his father, Jeremy Cumpston. He continued acting and has only been involved in four projects before his casting in Hunger Games, two movies (Bilched and The Speedway Murders), one small role in the Australian TV show Total Control, and a lead role in the currently airing Australian show, Invisible Boys. The Sunrise on the Reaping movie will be Zada’s first Hollywood blockbuster role.    In Sunrise on the Reaping, Haymitch’s character suffers unimaginable loss and faces treacherous conditions in the arena, so it will be interesting to see what Zada brings to the emotional impact of his journey.  Zada will also be starring in another anticipated book-adaptation, We Were Liars, which is set to release in June. Also of note, at age 20, Zada is actually the appropriate age to be playing a 16-year-old, which differs from both fan casting and a franchise that previously has cast actors over 25 as teenagers. Photo by: Nick Morgulis Mckenna Grace as Maysilee Donner Maysilee is a fierce but kindhearted character, which is not uncommon ground for Mckenna Grace. Grace is one of the more well-known additions to the cast, having starred in Gifted alongside Chris Evans, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, and Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire. Many fans were in favor of this choice on social media as well.   Grace will have the task of conveying the multiple layers to Maysilee’s arc. At the start of the novel, the character is viewed as a stuck-up rich girl but as the story progresses, Haymitch realizes there is more to her that meets the eye, and the two characters form a strong bond. Grace’s performance will ride on her ability to capture Maysilee’s development in a way that will have audiences empathizing with her until the very end. Grace already has almost three million followers on Instagram and five million on TikTok because of her popularity with a Gen Z audience, which likely appealed to the Lionsgate marketing department as well. She’s also only 18 years old, making this another case of the filmmakers again avoiding the common Hollywood issue of folks pushing 30 playing teens.  A24 Jesse Plemons as Plutarch Heavensbee Plutarch is a recurring character in the original trilogy, having a pivotal role in Mockingjay where he helps Katniss take down President Snow and the Capitol. In the film version, he was played by Philip Seymour Hoffman in one of the actor’s final roles. In Sunrise on the Reaping, we see Plutarch’s rise to power and how he gained the trust of the president while also helping the rebel cause. Join our mailing list Get the best of Den of Geek delivered right to your inbox! Jesse Plemons was cast to play a younger Plutarch in the upcoming movie. It will be hard to live up to Hoffman’s charisma and talent, but Plemons seems up for the job. In fact, Plemons and Hoffman have actually shared the screen together when Plemons played Hoffman’s son in the 2012 film The Master. Plemons has been in the industry for a while and, most notably, played a role in the popular TV series Breaking Bad. He was also nominated for an Oscar as a supporting actor in The Power of the Dog. Max/WBD Whitney Peak as Lenore Dove Whitney Peak was cast to play Lenore Dove, the musical, free-spirited girlfriend of Haymitch, who is a part of the traveling musical band in District 12, or the “Covey.” Peak is a relatively new actress, best known for her roles in teen dramas like Chilling Adventures of Sabrina on Netflix and the Gossip Girl reboot on Max.  We will see if Peak can capture the same wild, whimsical energy that Rachel Zegler did when she played a very similar role as Lucy Gray Baird in The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes movie. Zegler captured the hearts of Hunger Games fans, helping her to land roles afterward like Y2K and the latest Broadway production of  Romeo and Juliet. Zegler has already expressed her support for Peak’s casting on social media, writing, “I know she’s gonna do the Baird name proud.” Searchlight Pictures Kelvin Harrison Jr. as Beetee Beetee is a major character in the second Hunger Games novel, Catching Fire, where he uses his intelligence and knowledge of the arena to help stop the Games. In Sunrise on the Reaping, we learn about his family and his previous involvement in the rebellion, making his actions in the original trilogy more impactful. Young Beetee will be played by Kelvin Harrison Jr. who has had roles in other major movies like Elvis, The Trial of Chicago 7, Luce, and Waves and has been acting since 2013.  The character was previously played by Jeffrey Wright in the original trilogy, who unsurprisingly did a good job of coming across as shy and dorky while simultaneously using his intelligence to take down the Capitol. Harrison will act as a mentor to young Haymitch in Sunrise on the Reaping and aid him in his rebellion against the Capitol, showing that just because he’s nerdy doesn’t mean he’s not dangerous.  Netflix Maya Hawke as Wiress  Wiress is one of Haymitch’s mentors in the novel who won the Hunger Games the year before by outsmarting the gamemakers and the other tributes. Wiress will be played by Maya Hawke, who is known for being the daughter of famous actors Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman as well as her role in the popular TV series Stranger Things. Many fans of her and the franchise were satisfied with the charismatic choice.  Like Beetee, Wiress’s character is introduced in Catching Fire as the smart but mentally disturbed tribute from District 3. In Sunrise on the Reaping, we see that she used to be able to communicate normally before the Capitol tortured her for her involvement in the rebellion. She was played in the original movies by Amanda Plummer, who embodied her eccentric, odd demeanor well, but Hawke will be playing a more sane and coherent version of Wiress. She will have to embody the young, capable victor who encourages the District 12 kids to use their intelligence to succeed in the Hunger Games without having to kill.  Amazon Prime Lili Taylor as Mags The kind and loveable mentor Mags will be played by Lili Taylor. The American actress has had roles in many successful movies, including Mystic Pizza, The Conjuring, I Shot Andy Warhol and Dogfight. Mags was also introduced in Catching Fire as Finnick’s mentor and a sweet, maternal figure. We see more of her in Sunrise on the Reaping as she helps Haymitch and the District 12 tributes prepare and shows us what she was like before the Capitol’s influence on her.  Mags was played in the Catching Fire movie by Lynn Cohen, but she was nonverbal and frail after years of Capitol torment. The Mags in this movie will be different, more energetic and able-bodied while still retaining the same affectionate nature. We will see her taking care of the tributes and making them feel like human beings even though they are headed to almost certain death.  Sony Pictures Ben Wang as Wyatt Callow Wyatt Callow is one of the District 12 tributes and a mathematical genius. Wyatt is known to take bets on the Hunger Games and calculate the odds of each tribute for his father, which Haymitch doesn’t like. The two characters get off to a rocky start, but Haymitch eventually realizes Wyatt is a good person with how loyal he is to their group.  Ben Wang will be playing Wyatt in the upcoming adaptation. Wang is also about to star in Karate Kid: Legend and has also appeared in the Mean Girls remake and the Disney+ series American Born Chinese.  Wyatt is socially awkward, but kind-hearted, and Wang will have to portray the depth of his character beyond just his intelligence.  Focus Features Ralph Fiennes as President Snow The ruthless President Snow will be played by the legendary Ralph Fiennes. The British actor has received multiple Academy Award nominations for his roles in Schindler’s List, Conclave, and The English Patient. His legacy also extends to some of the most popular movies of the last 30 years, running the gamut from Skyfall to The Grand Budapest Hotel. Fiennes is one of the most veteran members of the cast and someone that the younger actors can look up to as a mentor.  Of course Fiennes is no stranger to playing ruthless dictators either since his transformation into the role of Voldemort in the Harry Potter series is etched into the memories of generations. Fiennes will be playing the heartless president of Panem in Sunrise on the Reaping when he confronts Haymitch, the rebellion, and the 50th Hunger Games. There is no doubt that Fiennes will be able to portray Snow in the movie just as intimidating and coldhearted as fans have imagined him to be. Hulu Elle Fanning as Effie Trinket The most recent casting announcement has been Elle Fanning as the Capitol mentor Effie Trinket. Fanning was actually who many fans suggested should play the role, and it seems like the Hunger Games producers that request seriously. Fanning is the sister of the actress Dakota Fanning and has been in a number of popular films including A Complete Unknown, Maleficent, and The Great TV series.  Effie is a constant character throughout the original series (where she is played by Elizabeth Banks onscreen), and in Sunrise on the Reaping, we get to see how she obtained her position in District 12 and her first meeting with her fellow mentor Haymitch. Effie is sympathetic toward the district kids, but the Capitol propaganda prevents her from fully understanding their struggles. She thinks it’s sad they have to go into the Hunger Games but believes it’s necessary to keep the peace. Fanning will have to play the naïve and extravagant character who has a very ignorant outlook toward the real world. HBO Kieran Culkin as Caesar Flickerman  Caesar Flickerman is the charismatic entertainer and showman we see in the original trilogy interviewing the tributes before they enter the arena. In Sunrise on the Reaping, we get to see more of a younger Caesar conducting interviews before the 50th Hunger Games, but we also get some insight into how he can manipulate and sell a certain narrative to the Capitol audience. The character was previously played by Stanley Tucci who completely transformed himself into the role and really brought the preening media personality to life. And now Kieran Culkin has been cast for the upcoming prequel where he will get the chance to commit to the same eccentric hair, makeup, and outfits that Tucci made iconic.  Culkin is a seasoned actor and will almost certainly be up for the challenge. After all, he just won an Oscar for A Real Pain, and before that he won an Emmy (and was nominated for several more) due to his turn as Roman Roy on HBO’s Succession. Of course for a whole generation of movie watchers, he will always be Fuller from Home Alone. Molly McCann as Louella McCoy and Iona Bell as Lou Lou Louella and Lou Lou are two very similar looking characters who will each have to play very different roles. Louella will be played by Molly McCann who will have to play the sweet, innocent girl who Haymitch vows to protect when she is reaped in the Hunger Games at just 13. McCann is a young Irish actress who has already been a part of 19 projects, including movies and TV shows, and nominated for an Irish Film and TV award in 2021.  On the other hand, Iona Bell is cast as Lou Lou, who is an unknown girl from District 11 who was tortured by the Capitol and has been driven to almost insanity as a result. Bell is a British actress who has only been a part of one project before this casting. The teenage actress is currently filming in a few independent films, as well as a movie with Taika Waititi (Fing!) which will come out later this year. Her character in Sunrise on the Reaping is an odd one, but you can’t help but sympathize with her because of what she’s been through. 

Tucked into a residential lot in Victoria, Australia, Palm House demonstrates how an outdated home can be sensitively reimagined to meet the evolving needs of contemporary family life – without erasing its history. Designed by Leeton Pointon Architects + Interiors, the project breathes new life into a post-war 1940s suburban dwelling that had grown tired, dark, and disconnected from the outdoors. At the heart of the project is a core belief in working with what exists. Rather than resorting to complete demolition, the architects chose to retain the majority of the original structure. This choice not only reduced environmental impact but also allowed the design team to allocate resources strategically – enhancing key functional spaces like the kitchen, pantry, laundry, and communal living zones. By doing so, the new intervention becomes a focused, high-quality addition rather than a sprawling overhaul. The new extension, aptly described as a “garden room,” serves as the heart of the home. Set within a carefully curated landscape, the addition embraces its environment through expansive glazing, creating a seamless transition between interior and exterior. As one moves through the original portion of the house, a framed view through an arched portal gradually reveals the light-filled pavilion and the lush garden beyond. This newly established relationship with the outdoors marks a shift from the house’s original inward-facing character. Natural light, previously absent, now floods the living areas. Garden views extend in all directions, and ventilation flows with ease – qualities that significantly enhance the comfort, wellness, and joy of daily life. Despite the complex spatial language of Palm House, its material palette remains refreshingly simple. Concrete, glass, and wood work in harmony to create a contemporary yet calming environment. These materials were chosen for their enduring qualities, while adding a modern layer to the original historic home. Internally, the layout allows for easy movement throughout while creating nuanced distinctions between spaces. Generous open-plan areas encourage connection, along with gentle curves and changes in ceiling height that form more intimate nooks for retreat. The modern furnishings curated by Karyne Murphy Studio lean toward soft textures, natural hues, and minimalist compositions, reinforcing the calm and contemplative atmosphere throughout. A defining element of the extension is its sculptural concrete roof. Its sweeping curves create a rhythm and softness not typically associated with the material. This roof not only defines the architectural character but also serves practical functions: shielding the home from excessive summer heat, providing thermal mass for energy efficiency, and framing views both upward and outward. The expressive oculus skylights punctuating the roofline act as dramatic light sources. They direct shifting patterns of sunlight throughout the day, animating the interior with shadows and reflections. Sustainability is a core principle in Palm House’s design and addition. By reusing the existing building structure and focusing new construction on essential areas, the architects dramatically reduced material waste and reduced costs. Passive design strategies – including orientation, shading, thermal mass, and natural ventilation – were integrated from the outset. Solar panels are concealed within the roofline, water tanks are hidden yet accessible, and the landscaping supports food production and biodiversity without compromising aesthetics. For more information on Palm House or Leeton Pointon Architects + Interiors, visit leetonpointon.com. Photography by Lisa Cohen, courtesy of BowerBird.

drop it like it's hot The key to a successful egg drop experiment? Drop it on its side Eggs are less likely to crack when dropped horizontally vs. vertically, contradicting conventional wisdom. Jennifer Ouellette – May 26, 2025 11:05 am | 7 A physics teacher drops a package designed to protect three eggs from a fall of ten meters Credit: Ben Wildeboer/CC BY-SA 3.0 A physics teacher drops a package designed to protect three eggs from a fall of ten meters Credit: Ben Wildeboer/CC BY-SA 3.0 Story text Size Small Standard Large Width * Standard Wide Links Standard Orange * Subscribers only   Learn more Egg drop competitions are a staple of high school and college physics classes. The goal is for students to build a device using bubble wrap, straws, or various other materials designed to hold an egg and keep it intact after being dropped from a substantial height—say, ten meters (nearly 33 feet). There's even a "naked egg" version in which a raw egg is dropped into a container below.  The competition is intended to teach students about structural mechanics and impact physics, and it is not an easy feat; most of the dropped eggs break. MIT engineering professor Tal Cohen decided to investigate why the failure rate was so high and reported her team's findings in a paper published in the journal Communications Physics. "The universal convention is that the egg should be in a vertical orientation when it hits the ground," Cohen told Physics Magazine. But their results from controlled trials simulating the egg drop challenge in the lab calls this conventional wisdom into question. It is not an unreasonable assumption to make. Another popular physics party trick is to walk on several cartons of eggs without breaking them. Typically it only takes about five and a half pounds of force to crack a single eggshell, much less than the average adult human. As I wrote for Slate back in 2012, "The key is to align the eggs so that the narrow pole is pointing upward, and step in such a way to distribute your weight over the entire surface area, to avoid overloading any one eggshell." (Being barefoot also helps.) In fact, I noted at the time a surprisingly long history of scientific studies of eggshells and how cracks propagate, particularly in the 1950s and 1960s, when they served as useful models for failure analysis when building airplanes. The toughness comes from the egg shell's structure; it is made up mostly of calcium carbonate (calcite) crystals, similar to tooth enamel or sea shells,  embedded within a protein matrix. The egg shell is strengthened further by a thin inner collagen layer. This tends to keep damage localized as cracks spread little by little rather than one clean break. Chef instructor demonstrates the one-handed technique for cracking an egg in 1954's Sabrina. Paramount Pictures Chef instructor demonstrates the one-handed technique for cracking an egg in 1954's Sabrina. Paramount Pictures Sabrina needs a new egg. Paramount Pictures Sabrina needs a new egg. Paramount Pictures Chef instructor demonstrates the one-handed technique for cracking an egg in 1954's Sabrina. Paramount Pictures Sabrina needs a new egg. Paramount Pictures Cohen et al. give a shoutout in their introduction to Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels, specifically the longstanding quarrel between the people of Lilliput and Blefuscu on the best orientation for cracking an egg. Of course, there is the classic chef's one-handed egg-cracking technique—immortalized in the 1954 romantic comedy, Sabrina—which involves holding the egg between the fingers and thumb and rapping the edge sharply against the rim of the bowl to achieve a clean break. Alas, this usually ends in a crushed eggy mess when attempted by amateurs. (Practicing with a golf ball can improve one's skill.) MIT scientists have previously studied precisely how much force to apply to the center of an egg. Specifically, the scientists devised a mathematical formula linking the ovoid geometry of the eggshell and its rigidity—a property that, along with strength (a related but distinct concept), accounts for how much force a given object can withstand before breaking. It's the narrow tip that is the most crack-resistant part of the egg, since the shell becomes more rigid the more the egg curves. That's why pressing down on both the bottom and top of an egg with your fingers won't work. But turn the egg horizontally and press right at the center, and the shell cracks easily. Stiffness vs. toughness So what's going on with these latest MIT findings? To find out, Cohen et al. bought 180 chicken eggs—Costco's Kirkland Signature brand— and conducted their own egg drop experiments in the lab. They dropped 60 eggs each from three different heights (8, 9, and 10 millimeters) onto a hard surface in three different orientations: horizontal, vertical on the sharp end, and vertical on the blunt end. They also subjected an additional 60 eggs to compression tests to determine the force required to break the eggs in both the vertical and horizontal orientations. Experimental snapshots for vertical (top) and horizontal (bottom) egg drops. Credit: A. Sutanto et al., 2025 The results: over half of the eggs broke when dropped vertically from an 8-millimeter (31-inch) height, regardless of which end of the egg was pointing downwards. Yet less than ten percent of the horiztonally-dropped eggs broke. The eggs broke when the force exceeded 45 Newtons, an impressive per-egg load bearing capacity that is independent of its orientation. There was a key difference, however, between how vertically and horizontally  squeezed eggs deformed in the compression experiments—namely, the former deformed less than the latter. The shell's greater rigidity along its long axis was an advantage because the heavy load was distributed over the surface. (It's why the one-handed egg-cracking technique targets the center of a horizontally held egg.) But the authors found that this advantage when under static compression proved to be a disadvantage when dropping eggs from a height, with the horizontal position emerging as the optimal orientation.  It comes down to the difference between stiffness—how much force is needed to deform the egg—and toughness, i.e., how much energy the egg can absorb before it cracks. Cohen et al.'s experiments showed that eggs are tougher when loaded horizontally along their equator, and stiffer when compressed vertically, suggesting that "an egg dropped on its equator can likely sustain greater drop heights without cracking," they wrote. "Even if eggs could sustain a higher force when loaded in the vertical direction, it does not necessarily imply that they are less likely to break when dropped in that orientation. In contrast to static loading, to remain intact following a dynamic impact, a body must be able to absorb all of its kinetic energy by transferring it into reversible deformation." "Eggs need to be tough, not stiff, in order to survive a fall," Cohen et al. concluded, pointing to our intuitive understanding that we should bend our knees rather than lock them into a straightened position when landing after a jump, for example. "Our results and analysis serve as a cautionary tale about how language can affect our understanding of a system, and improper framing of a problem can lead to misunderstanding and miseducation." DOI: Communications Physics, 2025. 10.1038/s42005-025-02087-0  (About DOIs). Jennifer Ouellette Senior Writer Jennifer Ouellette Senior Writer Jennifer is a senior writer at Ars Technica with a particular focus on where science meets culture, covering everything from physics and related interdisciplinary topics to her favorite films and TV series. Jennifer lives in Baltimore with her spouse, physicist Sean M. Carroll, and their two cats, Ariel and Caliban. 7 Comments

When you describe it in words, the Indianapolis 500 might seem like a boring watch: Cars go round and round an oval track 200 times, totaling 500 miles over the course of a few hours. But if you were a driver, you’d be having a hell of a different experience. Think screaming speeds of 230 miles per hour, pulling 4 Gs on corners, with one’s reflexes and split-second decisions drawing a thin line between victory and tragedy . . . over the course of a few hours. It’s a level of intensity that TV networks have been trying to bring viewers into for years with in-car cameras and things like driver radio communiques. It has been working. Last year, NBC—which covered the spectacle from 2019–2024—netted the most streams of the race ever and averaged 5.34 million total viewers, up from 4.9 million in 2023 and 4.8 million in 2022. This year marks FOX’s first time ever broadcasting it, and they likely want that trend to continue, so they’re throwing all the tech they have at it. And that includes the innovative, diminutive Driver’s Eye, dubbed the world’s smallest live broadcast camera, which brings fans directly into drivers’ helmets (quite literally) like never before. For the first time in Indy 500 history, viewers will have a view of the race exactly as its stars see it from within their helmets—from dramatic passes and vehicle-quaking jousts to the very mechanics of how they operate their cars at such speeds. [Photo: Bell Racing] “Driver’s Eye brings the human factor,” says Alex Miotto Haristos, COO of Racing Force Group, which owns the tech. “It brings the struggle.” And it could bring the ratings, too—especially if it catches on in the series like it has in Formula 1. [Photo: Bell Racing] MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE The UK-born, Italy-raised Haristos is perhaps an unlikely creator of racing gear. He began his career in management consulting and later real estate before acquiring an electronics company and launching it as Zeronoise in 2018 with Stephane Cohen of Bell Racing Helmets. Haristos doesn’t come from a racing background, but rather dubs himself a business engineer who saw it as an opportunity. He says he quickly found himself falling down the rabbit hole into a passion project given the sheer challenging nature of the Driver’s Eye tech, which they began developing in 2019. Ray Harroun driving his Marmon Wasp, the first winner of the Indy Race in 1911. [Photo: Bettmann/Getty Images] That challenge is very real when you’re working on a product meant to be inserted into a race-car driver’s most critical piece of safety gear, particularly in a sport where said driver’s head is sticking out of the car. Racing helmets are modern design marvels that evolved out of leather and cloth versions in the Indy 500’s early days to steel helmets in 1916. According to IndyCar, every driver has a primary and one or two backups, and they’re all custom-fit and produced per FIA (Federation Internationale de l’Automobile) standards. (Want to buy your own? Haristos says that’ll cost you between $5,000 and $8,000.) The outer shell features ultralight carbon fiber; there’s a fireproof liner; a built-in airbag to assist in helmet removal without neck strain; numerous elements to ensure maximum aerodynamics in 200+ mph runs; and audio insulation so drivers can communicate with their teams over the roar of 33 engines on the track.  “Your job is to not alter any feature of the helmet,” Haristos says. “The helmet you don’t touch. You have to work with what you have, and you have to manage to integrate everything seamlessly. This is the trick.” [Photo: Bell Racing] The team set out to capture exactly what a driver was seeing on the racetrack, raw and unfiltered, shakes and all—and quickly understood that they couldn’t work on the outer surface of a helmet because it would be a safety issue. So they homed in on the side padding of the helmet that Haristos says is around a centimeter away from the eye, which, given the sensitive proximity, went through the FIA for approval, as well. The organization mandated a minuscule size and weight for the camera, so rather than starting with what image quality they wanted to achieve and so on, “We started working backwards. And in the beginning it was like, No, this is impossible.” Ultimately, the team had to break apart camera design as we know it—a single unit—and separate the internal systems to make it work. They stripped out everything they could for what needed to go in the helmet, and were left with a tiny sensor with the ability to capture high-res video (in the case of the Indy 500, in 1080p, 60fps) in the smallest of real estate. Today, that unit clocks in at 8.8 x 8.8 mm, and weighs less than a dime. Then, they moved the rest of the camera’s guts to the car itself. Which is also a feat, particularly in Indy racing, which involves older cars that are already stuffed to the max from additions over the years.  “You can’t do one thing without affecting another,” says Michael Davies, FOX EVP of field and technical management and operations. “There’s no change that you can make on a car that doesn’t fuck something else up. And I’m always reminded of something a very smart man said, which is that when you solve a problem, you inevitably create another one, but you must make sure that the problem you create is smaller than the one that you solved.” Haristos says that for Indy, they were told that the only available space was on the side of the car by the radiator—not an ideal spot, given the high temperature and so on. So they had to develop a custom housing that was more efficient and could operate at a higher temp while still fitting into the tightest of spaces.  Ultimately, from the helmet camera to the housing, it was crucial that the additions all felt seamless to the driver.  “Comfort in motorsport translates into confidence,” Haristos says. “Confidence translates into performance.” [Photo: Bell Racing] CROSSING THE POND Safety equipment manufacturer OMP Racing acquired Zeronoise in 2019—and they also acquired Bell, a major purveyor of helmets to Formula 1 and the Indy 500, with 23 of the 33 drivers donning its headwear for the latter. (All the brands would eventually coalesce under the newly formed Racing Force Group in 2021; last year, it ​did $74.1 million in revenue, up 4.8% from 2023.) After they developed the first iteration of Driver’s Eye, the team got it into Formula E racing in 2020, and was able to finalize the development of the tech, testing it in Formula 1 in 2021—and giving race fanatics a new, visceral way to experience the sport. It gained ground, and in 2023 became mandatory in Formula 1. FOX tested Driver’s Eye in some NASCAR races that same year, and now on Sunday you’ll be able to watch the Indy 500 from the perspective of 2023/2024 winner Josef Newgarden, Scott Dixon, Alex Palou, Will Power, Marcus Ericsson and Felix Rosenqvist.  Josef Newgarden [Photo: Bell Racing] Of course, there’s more tech wizardry at play behind the scenes than merely hooking up a camera. The Driver’s Eye is mounted in a dark helmet with a massive underexposure—and the track is a massive overexposure. Drivers race with different filters and colors on their visors, which they can tear off in layers periodically throughout the race as they get dirty. Moreover, the Indy 500 is hours long, there are varying weather scenarios, the sun and shadows are moving, and everything is very much in a state of flux. Haristos says Driver’s Eye compensates for all of it, from white balance to the varying visor colors, with a mix of automatic and manual controls, making for a seamless sync with the rest of the program. (Which, let’s be honest, is critical—a director has to use the shots, lest Driver’s Eye be rendered obsolete.)  From a production standpoint, FOX’s Davies says that since the system allows for a view of drivers’ hands on the controls and exactly what they’re looking at in any given moment, it’s also a boon to race commentators, who have told him that’s it’s the most useful angle for them in being able to craft a narrative around what’s happening on the track. Moreover, he says the raw nature of the footage truly shows the athleticism at play on the part of the drivers, something that can get lost in traditional shots. “We can really cover the event from the inside out, instead of the outside in,” he says. And on top of that, he adds, it’s something sponsors like—and request. Thus a bevy of IndyCar racing’s household names. now driving with the cameras embedded in their helmets.  The Driver’s Eye is just one tiny tool in FOX’s arsenal, which seems designed to shock and awe—and plant a flag in their take on the race. For the first time, live drones will be deployed, including custom high-speed FPV drones; there are more than 100 cameras in play, 108 mics, 16 in-car cameras offering views of drivers’ faces and cockpits, and more (including 5.1 surround sound “that’ll blow your head off”). “We’re playing some pretty big hits here and looking forward to seeing how it enhances the big race,” Davies says. “You can see it in a completely different way—even if you’ve watched Indy for as long as it’s been on TV.”

The summer is upon us, or at least the season will officially be here by the end of the month. With the days getting longer, you might be spending more time outside being active and enjoying the extra sun. It also means you’ll want to sit back and kick your feet up after an even longer day. There’s no better way than to check out a hot new show. Here, we have selected five great TV shows you need to watch in June 2025. All but one are new series. The exception is the third and final season of one of the most-watched foreign shows on Netflix. Recommended Videos Need more recommendations? Then check out the best new shows to stream this week, as well as the best shows on Netflix, the best shows on Hulu, the best shows on Amazon Prime Video, the best shows on Max, and the best shows on Disney+.  Stick (June 4) Apple TV+ Owen Wilson stars in this sports comedy that sounds like a mix of Ted Lasso and Happy Gilmore. He’s Pryce Cahill in Stick, a former professional golfer whose career ended decades ago, long before he was ready to throw in the proverbial clubs. With his life in shambles, Pryce gains a reignited flame for the sport and puts all his golf balls into the basket of a rising young player named Santi (Peter Dager), who he believes he can turn into a star. Marc Maron and Judy Greer are among its main cast, with Timothy Olyphant in a guest role. Wilson serves as executive producer. Stick consists of 10 episodes, with the first three premiering at once before a weekly release schedule. Whether or not this comedy ranks among the best shows on Apple TV+ remains to be seen, but the cast and the premise, albeit one that’s been done time and time again, could be a winning formula.  Stream Stick on Apple TV+.  Ironheart (June 24) Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures (image from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever) The foray of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) into television continues with Ironheart, the 14th series produced by Marvel Studios and the latest in the overall canon that links them all together. Following the events in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Dominique Thorne reprises her role as Riri Williams. Now an MIT student, Riri returns home and deals with conflicts in technology and magic. As fans will recall, in the 2022 movie, Riri created her own Iron Man-like suit of armor, proving that she’s a downright genius. With just six episodes in the short series, Ironheart will complete Phase Five of the MCU. Anthony Ramos, Lyric Ross, and Alden Ehrenreich also star, while several others, including Sacha Baron Cohen, have undisclosed roles.  Stream Ironheart on Disney+. Countdown (June 25) Elizabeth Morris / Amazon Prime Video If you’ve been missing Jensen Ackles since Supernatural ended and you’re waiting for his return as Soldier Boy in The Boys universe, Countdown will satisfy your fix. Ackles stars in this crime drama as Mark Meachum, an LAPD detective tasked with working alongside a covert task force looking to solve the murder of a Homeland Security officer. As Mark and the team investigate, they uncover an even bigger conspiracy brewing that puts everyone in the city in danger. If you love shows like The Night Agent, Countdown could be Amazon Prime Video’s answer to that smash hit Netflix show. Jessica Camacho (All Rise), Eric Dane (Grey’s Anatomy), and Violett Beane (Death and Other Details) also star. Stream Countdown on Amazon Prime Video. Squid Game season 3 (June 27) Noh Ju-han / Netflix Cue the ominous music as Squid Game is back for its third and final season. While it was a long wait between seasons 1 and 2, it has only been six months since season 2 premiered, which ended with a devastating cliffhanger. The South Korean dystopian survival thriller centers around a sick and twisted game that pits desperate people against one another in deadly versions of classic children’s games to win a huge cash prize. Serving as social commentary on capitalism and class disparity, Squid Game runs deeper than the violence. Season 2 left off with Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) rallying players to fight back. But unbeknownst to him, his new friend Hwang In-ho (Lee Byung-hun) is the Front Man, the mastermind who runs the entire operation. It will be an exciting conclusion to the story that was only intended to be a single season long. But the incredible reception led to these two final seasons that will bring justice, heartache, or likely both. Stream Squid Game on Netflix.  Smoke (June 27) Apple TV+ Inspired by the podcast Firebug, Smoke stars Taron Egerton as Dave Gudsen, a detective who works with Detective Michelle Calderone (Jurnee Smollett), a talented arson investigator, to try and stop two serial arsonists from burning down all of the Pacific Northwest. The crime drama is inspired by supposed real events — the story of a fictional serial artist that many believe might actually have been a confession. Created by the same team behind Black Bird, which also starred Egerton and was produced by Apple Studios, Smoke also features John Leguizamo, Greg Kinnear, and Anna Chlumsky among its cast.  Stream Smoke on Apple TV+. 

Welcome back to Week in Review! Tons of news from this week for you, including a hacking group that’s linked to the Spanish government; CEOs using AI avatars to deliver company earnings; Pocket shutting down — or is it?; and much more. Let’s get to it!  More than 10 years in the making: Kaspersky first revealed the existence of Careto in 2014, and at the time, its researchers called the group “one of the most advanced threats at the moment.” Kaspersky never publicly linked the hacking group to a specific government. But we’ve now learned that the researchers who first discovered the group were convinced that Spanish government hackers were behind Careto’s espionage operations. 23andWe: Regeneron announced this week that it’s buying genetic testing company 23andMe for $256 million, including the company’s genomics service and its bank of 15 million customers’ personal and genetic data. The pharma giant said it plans to use the customer data to help drug discovery, saying that it will “prioritize the privacy, security, and ethical use of 23andMe’s customer data.” Let’s hope so! Google I/O: Google’s biggest developer conference typically showcases product announcements from across Google’s portfolio, and to nobody’s surprise, AI was the talk of the town. But what we didn’t bank on was Sergey Brin admitting that he made “lots of mistakes” with Google Glass.  This is TechCrunch’s Week in Review, where we recap the week’s biggest news. Want this delivered as a newsletter to your inbox every Saturday? Sign up here. News Image Credits:OpenAI io, not I/O: OpenAI is acquiring io, the device startup that CEO Sam Altman has been working on with Jony Ive, in an all-equity deal that values that startup at $6.5 billion. Besides the fact that the announcement was accompanied by perhaps the strangest corporate headshot of all time, we spotted some other unexpected news: Klarna CEO Sebastian Siemiatkowski’s family investment office, Flat Capital, had bought shares in io six months earlier, which means those io shares will be converted into shares in the for-profit arm of OpenAI. Not bad! AI avatar contagion? Speaking of Klarna’s CEO, Siemiatkowski used an AI version of himself to deliver the company’s earnings this week. And he’s not the only one! Zoom CEO Eric Yuan followed suit, also using his avatar for initial comments. Cool? Techcrunch event Join us at TechCrunch Sessions: AI Secure your spot for our leading AI industry event with speakers from OpenAI, Anthropic, and Cohere. For a limited time, tickets are just $292 for an entire day of expert talks, workshops, and potent networking. Exhibit at TechCrunch Sessions: AI Secure your spot at TC Sessions: AI and show 1,200+ decision-makers what you’ve built — without the big spend. Available through May 9 or while tables last. Berkeley, CA | June 5 REGISTER NOW Out of Pocket: Mozilla is shutting down Pocket, the beloved read-it-later app, on July 8. The company didn’t say why it’s shutting Pocket down, only that it will continue to invest in helping people discover and “access high quality web content.” But maybe it can be saved: Soon after, Digg founder Kevin Rose posted on X that his company would love to buy it. Web 2.0 is back, baby.   AI on my face: Apple is reportedly working on AI-powered glasses, similar to Meta’s Ray-Bans, sometime next year. They’ll have a camera and microphone and will work with Siri. Sure, why not?  Uh, no thank you: At its very first developer conference, Anthropic unveiled Claude Opus 4 and Claude Sonnet 4, which can analyze large datasets, execute long-horizon tasks, and take complex actions, according to the company. That’s all fine and good until I learned the Claude Opus 4 model tried to blackmail developers when they threaten to replace it with a new AI system. The model also gives sensitive information about the engineers responsible for the decision.  Ah, now I feel better: But don’t worry! Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei said that today’s AI models hallucinate at a lower rate than humans do. That might be true, but at least humans don’t immediately turn to blackmail when they don’t like what they hear.  Bluesky blue checks: The decentralized social network Bluesky quietly rolled out blue verification badges for “notable and authentic” accounts. People can now apply for verification through a new online form. But Bluesky is leaning on other systems beyond the blue badge to verify users.  Analysis Image Credits:Camille Cohen / AFP / Getty Images Google’s new look: For what seems like 100 years, Google hasn’t changed much. Sure there are ads and boxes and now AI summaries that, for better or worse, get you to the right answers — usually. But the premise has always been the same: Type your query into a box, and Google will surface results.  At this year’s Google I/O, we started noticing a change. As Maxwell Zeff, writes, “At I/O 2025, Google made clear that the concept of Search is firmly in its rearview mirror.” The largest announcement of I/O was that Google now offers AI mode to every Search user in the United States, which means users can have an AI agent search (or even purchase things) for them. 

Attorneys Karen Dunn (left) and Jeannie Rhee (right), along with their fellow partners, Bill Isaacson and Jessica Phillips, have resigned from Paul Weiss to start their own firm. Kevin Lamarque/REUTERS 2025-05-24T01:27:10Z Save Saved Read in app This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now. Have an account? Four top Paul Weiss partners announced Friday that they've resigned to start their own firm. Paul Weiss is one of the firms that made a deal with Trump to reverse an EO against the firm. The Big Law firms that have negotiated with Trump have faced criticism from others in the profession. Four partners at Paul Weiss announced Friday that they are leaving the white-shoe firm, which two months ago struck a deal with the Trump administration.Karen Dunn, a star litigator who has helped Democratic candidates prepare for presidential debates, her longtime partners Bill Isaacson and Jessica Phillips, and the former prosecutor Jeannie Rhee said in an email addressed to "partners and friends" that they are starting their own firm.The high-profile departures underscore the ongoing turmoil at Big Law firms surrounding the firms' handling of punitive executive actions from President Donald Trump's administration. The departing lawyers did not give a reason for leaving in their statement.Several major firms — including Perkins Coie and Jenner & Block — chose to challenge the legality of the orders in court, and have so far been successful after two judges declared two different orders unconstitutional. Other firms, including Paul Weiss, chose to make deals with the administration, prompting concern among associates and partners over their willingness to cooperate rather than fight.The new firm's name isn't clear. Since April, several domain names containing Dunn's name and those of other lawyers have been registered anonymously. None of the websites contains any details, and it's not clear who registered them.The lawyers have represented prominent clients like Google, Amazon, and Apple over the years. Isaacson is one of the country's top antitrust litigators. Antitrust issues have been a focus for both former President Joe Biden and Trump, who have criticized the power of large tech companies. Rhee managed the firm's Washington, DC, office, and Dunn co-chaired its litigation department."It has been an honor to work alongside such talented lawyers and to call so many of you our friends," their departing email said. "We hope to continue to collaborate with all of you in the years to come and are incredibly grateful for your warm and generous partnership."Paul Weiss's chair, Brad Karp, said in a statement, "We are grateful to Bill, Jeannie, Jessica, and Karen for their many contributions to the firm. We wish them well in their future endeavors."The departures come several months after the Trump administration began targeting Big Law firms with punitive executive actions. Among them was Paul Weiss, which faced an executive order that revoked the security clearances of the firm's attorneys and ordered a review of its government contracts.On March 20, Trump announced on Truth Social that he would drop the executive order against Paul Weiss after negotiating a deal that would require the firm to end any diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives in its hiring practices and contribute $40 million of pro bono legal services to causes aligned with the administration's priorities, such as veterans affairs issues and the administration's antisemitism task force.Business Insider previously reported that the copy of the deal shared internally among Paul Weiss partners omitted language regarding DEI that was present in the president's announcement.Other firms that chose to negotiate with Trump also saw high-profile departures from partners and associates concerned with their firms' decisions not to challenge the administration.Wilkie Farr lost its longest-serving lawyer in April after Joseph Baio, a partner who'd worked there for 47 years, resigned over the firm's preemptive deal with Trump, The New York Times reported.Another firm, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, made a preemptive deal with the Trump administration in late March to avoid a similar executive order against it. The decision led to a series of public resignations from several Skadden associates, including Rachel Cohen and Brenna Frey.Cohen told Business Insider she had not been in touch with the attorneys who had resigned from Paul Weiss on Friday.

The idea of becoming a real estate investor for as little as $5 may seem too good to be true. And for many users of Landa, a proptech company that promised just that — it has been. Landa emerged from stealth in August 2022, announcing a total of $33 million in funding and a pledge to help everyday Americans access residential real estate investment through fractional shares. CEO Yishai Cohen and former CTO Amit Assaraf founded Landa in 2019 in an effort to make real estate investment more inclusive. The app’s only requirements were that users be over age 18 and U.S. residents. They could start investing with just $5, and buy and sell shares as well as see real-time updates on their properties from the Landa app. (Assaraf left the company in December of 2023, according to his LinkedIn profile. He has not responded to requests for comment.) Today, Landa’s investment portal site is down and its app is inoperable. Users claim they can’t access their funds and haven’t been paid dividends in months. The startup is embroiled in litigation, including a lawsuit from its early venture investor Viola. One early user told TechCrunch that Landa stopped paying dividends to him on his shares in January. When he asked Landa about it, they “punted the question,” he said. “I repeatedly emailed them about it and just got deflecting answers, nothing real,” the user said. “Then a few months after that, the app became unusable. It would not open.” Techcrunch event Join us at TechCrunch Sessions: AI Secure your spot for our leading AI industry event with speakers from OpenAI, Anthropic, and Cohere. For a limited time, tickets are just $292 for an entire day of expert talks, workshops, and potent networking. Exhibit at TechCrunch Sessions: AI Secure your spot at TC Sessions: AI and show 1,200+ decision-makers what you’ve built — without the big spend. Available through May 9 or while tables last. Berkeley, CA | June 5 REGISTER NOW The user then asked if he could delete his account, which he had opened in 2021, and sell the shares. But he found Landa had disabled his ability to sell shares. “They have essentially frozen me out of my funds and just shut down the app,” the user said. “Where is the money? Why won’t they return it to me?” Over 130 complaints have been filed against Landa to the Better Business Bureau, with dozens of people echoing similar allegations. For instance, on May 1, one user who filed such a complaint shared they had invested over $8,000 through Landa and stopped receiving dividends last fall. The user said Landa customer service replied to their emails by saying that the company is “working on it.”  In mid-April, when TechCrunch asked Landa about the issue — including the status of its downed site and whether the company itself had shut down — CEO Cohen said:  “Of course not. The site will be back up.” When asked why the app was not working and why users had not received dividends in months, Cohen’s terse reply still seemed to refer to the website, blaming the servers: “It’s unrelated to dividends. It’s from our servers. We are on it.” Upon further prodding, Cohen on April 18 shared the following statement: “We are aware of the issues currently affecting our platform and product, and want to assure all investors that we are actively working to restore full functionality as soon as possible. We have kept investors informed through all updates, including the server access issue. We appreciate the continued support of our investors and resident community, and remain committed to delivering on our vision of making real estate investing accessible to everyone.” Cohen did not respond to our request for a status update on May 20. Investors NFX and 83North did not respond to our multiple requests for comment.  Embroiled in a lawsuit  It’s not just users who are upset with Landa. The company’s primary lenders are suing.  Viola Credit and L Finance filed a lawsuit in New York State Supreme Court against Landa in November 2024, accusing it of “numerous defaults” on more than $35 million worth of loans they extended to the company. (Viola is also an investor in Landa through its venture division.) The lenders also accused it of missing property tax payments that led to the forced sale of those properties, neglecting properties, and even failing to collect rents. The lawsuit — first reported by real estate industry publication Bisnow — states that after over a year of attempting to get Landa to honor their commitments, the lenders removed Landa as manager of the homes and appointed an independent property manager and a chief restructuring officer.  After further negotiations failed, the creditors later asked the court for, and were granted, an injunction blocking Landa from accessing bank accounts, interfering with their attempts to restructure the business, and reclaiming money they say is owed — including proceeds from property sales. Despite the injunction, the lenders returned to court in January 2025, claiming Landa told tenants to send rent payments to a different bank account not covered by the ruling. They discovered this while making repairs to one property’s septic system. They also accused Landa’s CEO of trying to sell or refinance some properties. The court ordered Landa to explain itself. Instead, in early March, Landa asked the court for a restraining order against Viola Credit and L Finance, claiming the independent manager was “installed unlawfully.”  Judge Jennifer G. Schecter was not pleased. In March, she ordered both sides to find a solution “that’s good for all of your clients.” She denied Landa’s request for an injunction and ordered the company to pay nearly $100,000. A few weeks later, Landa filed a formal countersuit. The case is still pending. Challenging model Landa is just one of several startups that emerged in recent years offering fractional real estate investing. It is also apparently not the only one that has struggled — especially after mortgage interest rates began soaring in 2022.  Fintor raised millions of dollars before seemingly pivoting to offer an “AI Agent to automate finance and real estate operations with human level performance.” Dallas-based Nada, which offered index-like real estate investment products called “Cityfunds,” allowing non-accredited investors to buy into a city’s home equity market with as little as $250, also appears to have pivoted. Its website now promotes a new tagline: “Access home equity to finance anything.”  Arrived was perhaps the highest-profile of the bunch — and the only one that seems to be actively operating under the same model. In May of 2022, TechCrunch reported that Arrived raised $25 million in a Series A funding round including Bezos Expeditions, to allow people to buy shares in single-family rentals with “as little as $100.” According to its website, the startup has to date paid out over $13 million in dividends and interest and has 766,000 registered investors. As for those people who invested with Landa, the future of their money appears uncertain. As of May 23, Landa’s investor portal website still redirects to a “come-back-soon” maintenance message.