Architizer’s Vision Awards are back! The global awards program honors the world’s best architectural concepts, ideas and imagery. Submit your work ahead of the Final Entry Deadline on July 11th! Behind the term “paper architecture” hides a strange paradox: the radical act of building without, well, building. Paper architecture is usually associated with speculative design projects, presented in the form of drawings, which can also be considered art pieces. However, even though it is often dismissed as a mere utopian or academic exercise, paper architecture has historically served as a powerful form of protest, advocating against political regimes, architectural orthodoxy or cultural stagnation. Unbound by real-world limitations such as materials, regulations and budgets, paper architects are free to focus on the messages behind their designs rather than constantly striving for their implementation. In parallel, due to its subtleness, paper architecture has become a platform that enables radical commentary via a rather “safe” medium. Instead of relying on more traditional forms of protest (such as strikes or marches) this powerful visual language, combined with scrupulous aesthetics and imagination can start a more formidable “behind-the-scenes rebellion”. Unearthing Nostalgia by Bruno Xavier & Michelle Ashley Ovanessians, A+ Vision Awards, 2023 Perhaps the most well-known paper architects, Archigram was a radical British collective that was formed in the 1960s in London. Their work Walking City or Plug-In City showcased visions of a playful, technologically driven architecture that deeply contrasted and, by extent, protested against the rigid regime of post-war modernism and its extensive bureaucracy. This pop-art-style architecture served as a powerful critique towards the saturated idea of functional monotony. Additionally, the Russian architect, artist, and curator, Yuri Avvakumuv introduced the term “paper architecture” within the restrictive cultural and political climate of late Soviet Russia (1984). Having to deal with heavy censorship, Avvakumuv turned to competitions and speculative drawings in an attempt resist that dominance of totalitarian architecture. Poetic, deeply allegorical and oftentimes ironic architectural renderings, critiqued the bureaucratic sterility of Soviet planning and the state-mandated architectural principles architects had to follow. Consequently, this profound demonstration of un-built architecture within the specific setting, turned into a collective cultural wave that advocated artistic autonomy and expression for the built environment. Klothos’ Loom of Memories by Ioana Alexandra Enache, A+ Vision Awards, 2023 The Amerian architect Lebbeus Woods was also one of the most intellectually intense practitioners of paper architecture, whose work touches upon global issues on war zones and urban trauma. His imaginative, post-apocalyptic cities opened up discussions for rebuilding after destruction. Works such as War and Architecture and Underground Berlin, albeit “dystopic”, acted as moral propositions, exploring potential reconstructions that would “heal” these cities. Through his drawings, he rigorously investigated and examined scenarios of ethical rebuilding, refusing to comply to the principles of popular commerce, and instead creating a new architectural practice of political resistance. Finally, operating within a very male-dominated world, Zaha Hadid’s earlier work — particularly on Malevich — served as a protesting tool on multiple levels. Influenced by Suprematist aesthetics, her bold, dynamic compositions stood against the formal conservatism of architectural ideas, where the design must always yield to gravity and function. In parallel, her considerable influence and dominance on the field challenged long-standing norms and served as a powerful counter-narrative against the gender biases that sidelined women in design. Ultimately, her images – part blueprints, part paintings – not only proved that architecture could be unapologetically visionary and abstract but also that materializing it is not as impossible as one would think. (Your) My Bedroom by Daniel Wing-Hou Ho, A+ Vision Awards, 2023 Even though paper architecture began as a medium of rebellion against architectural convention in the mid-20th century, it remains, until today, a vital tool for activism and social justice. Operating in the digital age, social media and digital platforms have amplified its reach, also having given it different visual forms such as digital collages, speculative renders, gifs, reels and interactive visual narratives. What was once a flyer, a journal or a newspaper extract, can now be found in open-source repositories, standing against authoritarianism, climate inaction, political violence and systemic inequality. Groups such as Forensic Architecture (Goldsmiths, University of London)  carry out multidisciplinary research, investigating cases of state violence and violations of human rights through rigorous mapping and speculative visualization. Additionally, competitions such as the eVolo Skyscraper or platforms like ArchOutLoud and Design Earth offer opportunities and space for architects to tackle environmental concerns and dramatize the urgency of inaction. Imaginative floating habitats, food cities, biodegradable megastructures etc. instigate debates and conversations through the form of environmental storytelling. The Stamper Battery by By William du Toit, A+ Vision Awards, 2023 Despite being often condemned as “unbuildable”, “impractical” or even “escapist,” paper architecture acts as a counterweight to the discipline’s increasing instrumentalization as merely a functional or commercial enterprise. In architecture schools it is used as a prompt for “thinking differently” and a tool for “critiquing without compromise”. Above all however, paper architecture matters because it keeps architecture ethically alive. It reminds architects to ask the uncomfortable questions: how should we design for environmental sustainability, migrancy or social equality, instead of focusing on profit, convenience and spectacle? Similar to a moral compass or speculative mirror, unbuilt visions can trigger political, social and environmental turns that reshape not just how we build, but why we build at all. Architizer’s Vision Awards are back! The global awards program honors the world’s best architectural concepts, ideas and imagery. Submit your work ahead of the Final Entry Deadline on July 11th! Featured Image: Into the Void: Fragmented Time, Space, Memory, and Decay in Hiroshima by Victoria Wong, A+ Vision Awards 2023 The post Paper Architecture: From Soviet Subversion to Zaha’s Suprematism appeared first on Journal.

The transformation of Hangzhou’s old steelworks into a park is a tribute to China’s industrial past in a city of the future The congressional hearing about Chinese AI engine DeepSeek held in the US this April has propelled Hangzhou, the heart of China’s new digital economy, to the headlines. With companies such as DeepSeek, Unitree and Alibaba – whose payment app allowed me to get on the metro without needing to buy a ticket – headquartered in Hangzhou, China’s future in AI, robotics and automation is emanating from this city. Getting off the metro in the suburban area of Gongshu, the sun was shining on an old steelworks, overgrown with vines and flowers now that it is being transformed by Jiakun Architects and TLS Landscape Architecture into the Grand Canal Steelworks Park. The unfolding trade war might help to accelerate China’s journey into an automated future, leaving the world of factories behind, yet this new public space shows an impulse to commemorate the country’s economic history, and the forces that have shaped its contemporary built environment. Starting in Hangzhou and travelling more than 1,700km to Beijing, the Grand Canal is an engineering project built 2,500 years ago to connect the different regions of eastern China. The country’s geography means rivers flow from west to east: from higher elevations, culminating in the Himalayas, to the basin that is the country’s eastern seaboard. Historically, it was difficult to transport goods from mercantile centres in the south, including Hangzhou and Suzhou, to the political centre in Beijing up north. As a civil engineering project, the Grand Canal rivals the Great Wall, but if the Great Wall aims to protect China from the outside, the Grand Canal articulates Chinese commerce from the inside. The historic waterway has been an important conduit of economic and cultural exchange, enabling the movement of people and goods such as grain, silk, wine, salt and gravel across the country. It became a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2014. The state‑owned enterprise collective was founded, and the physical facility of Hangzhou steelworks built, in the 1950s during the Great Leap Forward, when China strove for self‑sufficiency, and wended its way through the country’s economic trajectory: first the economic chaos of the 1960s, then the reforms and opening up in the 1980s. Steel remains an important industry today in China, home to more than half of the world’s production, but the listing of the Grand Canal enabled city leaders to move production to a new site and decommission the Hangzhou steelworks. External mandates, including entry into the World Trade Organization, the Beijing Olympics and UNESCO listings, have been instrumentalised in the country to pursue a range of internal interests, particularly economical and real estate ones.  In 2016, the factory was shut down in 150 days, in what the company describes as a ‘heroic’ effort, and the site attracted tourists of industrial ruins. In the competition brief, Hangzhou planners asked for ‘as much of the existing blast furnaces and buildings’ as possible to be preserved. When I arrived in China in 2008, Chinese cities were notorious for heritage demolition, but today urban planners and architects increasingly work to preserve historical buildings. Just like several industrial sites in Beijing and Shanghai have been transformed into major public and cultural spaces in the past decade, in the Yangtze River Delta – of which Hangzhou is a major hub – several industrial sites along the Grand Canal’s course are being given a new lease of life. Today, the three blast furnaces of Hangzhou steelworks remain, with the silhouettes of their smokestacks easily recognisable from a distance. The project preserves as much as possible of the aesthetics of a steel mill with none of the danger or dust, ready to welcome instead new community facilities and cultural programmes in a vast and restored piece of landscape. Situated in a former working‑class district that has been gentrifying and welcoming young families, the new park is becoming a popular venue for music festivals, flower viewing in springtime and year‑round picnics – when I visited, parents were teaching their children to ride a bicycle, and students from Zhejiang University, about a kilometre from the park, were having lunch on the grass. New programmes accommodated in the old coke oven and steel mills will include a series of exhibition halls and spaces welcoming a wide range of cultural and artistic workshops as well as events – the project’s first phase has just completed but tenant organisations have not yet moved in, and works are ongoing to the north of the park. On the day of my visit, a student art exhibition was on display near one of the furnaces, with works made from detritus from the site, including old packing containers. The rehabilitated buildings also provide a range of commercial units, where cafés, restaurants, shops, a bookshop, ice cream shop and a gym have already opened their doors to visitors.  Several structures were deemed structurally unsafe and required demolition, such as the old iron casting building. The architects proposed to partially reconstruct it on its original footprint; the much more open structure, built with reclaimed bricks, now houses a semi‑outdoor garden. Material choices evoke the site’s industrial past: weathered steel, exposed concrete and large expanses of glazing dominate the landscape. The widespread use of red, including in an elevated walkway that traverses the park – at times vaguely reminiscent of a Japanese torii gate in the space below – gives a warm and reassuring earthiness to the otherwise industrial colour palette. Elements selected by the designers underwent sanitisation and detoxification before being reused. The landscaping includes old machinery parts and boulders; recuperated steel panels are for instance inlaid into the paving while pipes for pouring molten steel have been turned into a fountain. The train tracks that once transported material continue to run through the site, providing paths in between the new patches of vegetation, planted with local grasses as well as Japanese maples, camphors and persimmon trees. As Jiawen Chen from TLS describes it, the aesthetic feels ‘wild, but not weedy or abandoned’. The landscape architects’ inspiration came from the site itself after the steelworks’ closure, she explains, once vegetation had begun to reclaim it. Contaminated soil was replaced with clean local soil – at a depth between 0.5 and 1.5 metres, in line with Chinese regulations. The removed soil was sent to specialised facilities for purification, while severely contaminated layers were sealed with concrete. TLS proposed phytoremediation (using plants to detoxify soil) in selected areas of the site ‘as a symbolic and educational gesture’, Chen explains, but ‘the client preferred to be cautious’. From the eastern end of the park, hiking trails lead to the mountain and its Buddhist temples. The old steel mill’s grounds fade seamlessly into the hills. Standing in what it is still a construction site, a sign suggests there will soon be a rowing centre here.  While Jiakun Architects and TLS have prioritised making the site palatable as a public space, the project also brings to life a history that many are likely to have forgotten. Throughout, the park incorporates different elements of China’s economic history, including the life of the Grand Canal and the industrial era. There is, for example, a Maoist steelworker painted on the mural of one of the cafés, as well as historical photographs and drawings of the steelworks peppering the site, framed and hung on the walls. The ambition might be in part to pay homage to steelworkers, but it is hard to imagine them visiting. Gongshu, like the other suburbs of Hangzhou, has seen rapid increases in its property prices.  The steelworks were built during the Maoist era, a time of ‘battling with earth, battling with heaven, battling with humanity’, to borrow Mao’s own words. Ordinary people melted down pots and pans to surpass the UK in steel production, and industry was seen as a sharp break from a traditional Chinese way of life, in which humans aspire to live in harmony with their environment. The priorities of the government today are more conservative, seeking to create a garden city to attract engineers and their families. Hangzhou has long represented the balmy and sophisticated life of China’s south, a land of rice and fish. To the west of the city, not far from the old steelworks, are the ecologically protected Xixi wetlands, and Hangzhou’s urban planning exemplifies the Chinese principle of 天人合一, or nature and humankind as one.  Today, Hangzhou is only 45 minutes from Shanghai by high‑speed train. The two cities feel like extensions of one another, an urban region of 100 million people. The creation of the Grand Canal Steelworks Park reflects the move away from heavy industry that Chinese cities such as Hangzhou are currently making, shifting towards a supposedly cleaner knowledge‑driven economy. Yet the preservation of the steelworks epitomises the sentimental attitude towards the site’s history and acts as a reminder that today’s middle classes are the children of yesterday’s steelworkers, drinking coffee and playing with their own children in grassy lawns next to shuttered blast furnaces.  The park’s second phase is already nearing completion, and the competition for the nearby Grand Canal Museum was won by Herzog & de Meuron in 2020 – the building is under construction, and should open at the end of this year. It is a district rich in history, but the city is resolutely turned towards the future.  2025-06-02 Reuben J Brown Share AR May 2025CircularityBuy Now

Ballerina is what happens when a studio wants to extend a franchise but really has no reason to do so except a financial one. Subtitled From The World of John Wick, this action thriller contains too much action and precious little thrills. Directed (maybe) by Len Wiseman of Underworld fame, Ballerina is set in the same universe as the four majestic adrenaline epics starring Keanu Reeves, and incorporates as many elements from those films as possible, including the Continental Hotel and the Ruska Roma, not to mention appearances from Ian McShane, Anjelica Huston, the late, great Lance Reddick, and Mr. Reeves himself. But what is also found in ample supply in the John Wick movies and sadly missing in Ballerina is heart, character, and a sense of conviction. At the center of the movie is a miscast, utterly bland Ana de Armas as Eve Macarro, whose father’s death sent her as a little girl into the custody of McShane’s Winston Scott and, eventually, the tutelage of the Director (Huston) of the Ruska Roma ballet/assassin school. It’s there that Eve goes through the usual training montage, with her inability to dance only matched by her evident aptitude at killing and fighting. Once her training is complete, Eve is sent out into the world on Ruska Roma business, but of course her main goal is avenging her dad, who was killed by members of a mysterious cult led by the enigmatic Chancellor (Gabriel Byrne). No sooner can you say “she’s gone rogue” than she does just that, jetting off to Prague in pursuit of a cult member (Norman Reedus) who’s trying to get himself and his own little daughter out from under the Chancellor’s thumb, while finding herself at odds with the Director and pursued by the Chancellor’s minions at every turn. The movie’s thin “lady vengeance” premise, which we’ve seen countless times before, is reheated once again by screenwriter Shay Hatten, who has co-written the last two John Wick entries but seems lost here. Unlike John Wick himself, whose single-minded quest for revenge over the death of his dog took on mythic overtones as more layers to both John and the surreal world of elegant criminality in which he moved were revealed, Eve has nothing to define her that hasn’t been done or said before. It doesn’t help that Armas, while up to the role’s physicality, offers nothing in terms of personality—she’s an empty vessel. Which is a shame, since she’s displayed earthiness (Knives Out), complexity (Blonde), and a sexy playfulness (No Time to Die) in previous work. The rest of the non-Wick cast is forgettable as well, with Byrne’s Chancellor and his entire regime badly underdeveloped, and Reedus completely wasted in what amounts to maybe two scenes. McShane, Reddick, and Huston just go through their paces, spouting lots of portentous lines about “choice” and “fate” that ring mostly hollow, as does a late-stage twist that carries no weight because one of the characters involved barely registers. As for the Baba Yaga himself, the largely non-verbal Reeves is the “Chekhov’s gun” of the film: introduced briefly in the first act, he inevitably turns up again in the third act, parachuted in by the magic of rumored reshoots even though his contribution to the narrative amounts to absolutely nothing. It’s always nice to see him, but if you took him out, it wouldn’t drastically change the picture. Speaking of reshoots, there’s a Frankenstein nature to the proceedings that provides evidence for the reports that Wick director (and franchise torch-bearer) Chad Stahelski refilmed much of the movie after Wiseman’s first draft came up short. While the first act is a murky, enervated slog, things seem to pick up in the middle, with a more eye-catching color scheme (such as a sequence in a neon-lit club reminiscent of a similar scene in the magnificent John Wick: Chapter 4), a creative, free-flowing use of the camera, and some of the more inventive, oddball action that has become part and parcel of the franchise—most notably in a scene where de Armas and an enemy smash a pile of dinner plates over each other’s heads with manic Three Stooges-like energy. Unfortunately, there’s also a sadistic edge to a lot of the action this time as well, particularly in a climactic fight involving flamethrowers that badly wants to emulate the famous overhead apartment shot from John Wick: Chapter 4 but goes on for far too long and ultimately becomes actively unpleasant. That’s a problem with even the better action on hand in Ballerina, as if the filmmakers want to make up for the film’s deficiencies by overdoing what the series is best known for. Hatten’s script was an original piece that was rewritten to fit into the John Wick universe, with elements introduced in John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum to pave the way for the arrival of Eve and Ballerina. But this reverse engineering highlights the pitfalls of trying to create a cinematic universe without stopping to wonder whether it’s a good idea. Watching John Wick stonily fight and slaughter his way through his off-center world and its population of funky, eccentric weirdos has been fantastic fun (the threat of an arc-undermining John Wick 5 notwithstanding) because of the unique nature of the character and that world. But dropping the more conventional, cliched tropes of Ballerina into the mix, along with a protagonist (and actor) not nearly as compelling, only exemplifies that the John Wick movies are character-driven first and foremost. All the brutal action, heavy-handed callbacks, and predictable cameos in the world can’t make this Ballerina into a better dancer. Ballerina opens in theaters in the U.S. on Friday, June 6. Join our mailing list Get the best of Den of Geek delivered right to your inbox!

Maybe it’s the state of the world, or just the state of my life, but it feels like everything in the world of digital content has gotten more fraught.Photo by Riccardo, PexelsIt’s a weekday morning and I’m sipping coffee, scanning my calendar for my meetings today, preparing my work, swimming in a slog of newsletters, flipping between tabs open to current events in our very anxious, uncertain world, and trying to start my day with a deep breath.​Yet I keep thinking: Why does this feel so hard?I know I don’t have to know it all right now. I’m taking another breath, remembering the words I wrote a couple years ago.It might be hard because things are tough right nowI’ll acknowledge the obvious: The world is a scary place.The pandemic alone brought mental health issues to an all-time high — nearly 41% of U.S. adults experienced “psychological distress” during the pandemic, and since then, it’s been a rolling collection of additional anxieties.There are political upheavals, cultural shifts, and other changes happening every day, every hour, that feel uncertain.Thousands are losing their jobs in America, particularly dedicated civil servants.Diversity, equity, and inclusion practices are being chopped and impacting the future of higher education, government enterprise, and beyond.The identities of millions are being challenged politically.And in between, those of us working in the digital space — websites, development, digital marketing, etc. — are trying to keep up on how to do our jobs and do them well. At least well enough to cut through the noise. At least well enough to help the person on the other side of the screen, whoever that may be and whatever they may need.As I’ve been combing through the news, I find myself getting depressed, anxious, angry. I don’t have a lot of influence individually of what I can change but I can join voices in my community, write letters to my representatives, and keep voting for the values that align with me and protect others.In your circle of influence, you can control your health, your mind, and how you show up for those around you. Focus on that and try to remember you’re Just Human.It might be hard because technology is changing how we do our jobsArtificial Intelligence (AI) has been around for a long time. In truth, we’ve used it in many forms over the years, from search engines to our phone voice assistants and more.But to my rattled brain, it feels like I woke up one morning and AI was everywhere and it was the only way forward to do our job, and gosh darnit if we don’t use it, we’re in trouble.One day I was just a content strategist, humming along, doing what I’ve done for 15 years. And then suddenly I need a robot to do it better. Yet some research tells us using AI makes us lonelier and makes work less enjoyable in some ways.Don’t get me wrong: AI has its place. I’ve found it incredibly useful for content editing, tightening, formatting content for HTML.But it’s new and I’m learning. So that’s OK, right?Apparently not. The speed at which AI is adopted and expected to be used is quite frankly, startling. Browse any job listing on LinkedIn and you’ll see AI and AI tools as part of the requirements for job.My advice: Learn what you want, at the pace that’s comfortable. You can’t learn it all today, or tomorrow. You can only learn a little bit at a time.Remember learning to read? Me neither. But I can assure you it wasn’t in a day or two. It took years. Just like learning to write in cursive took practice. And riding my bike took some falls.It took time and patience. We have the right to exercise that now, as grown-ups. So take your time. Say to yourself, “Let me try,” and dismiss the voice over your shoulder or in your head telling you to go faster.It might be hard because we’re taking this…too seriously?Hear me out: In a world that’s so deadly serious (no pun intended), it seems we’re bringing that heaviness into how we do our work.One thing you’ll never hear me call my work as a content strategist: Referring to it as a vocation. While I love the work I do, it’s not all I’m meant to be.I like to tell people: I work to make websites better. The end. I do that by:talking to real peopleunearthing challenges and opportunitiesemploying useful, approachable strategies to make user experience betterbuilding website navigation and architecture that connects pages and information in meaningful waysteaching accessibility, inclusionary content, and the value of making information easy to read and understand for all people​There’s more, of course, but you get the gist. And I’m one tiny fish in a sea of people who do this and do it well.But a quick scan of my inbox newsletters, LinkedIn posts, any other articles about user experience, and you’ll be bombarded with a five alarm fire of what we all need to be doing better, pushing harder, hustling, self-publishing, and learning All The Things.A quick tip: You don’t have to run a four-minute mile. Take your time. Time a breath. Walk, don’t run. Focus on what you do well, and identify things you want to learn now, and make time to practice them. Don’t drown in the overload.It might be hard because we’re being too hard on ourselvesDo something with me. Stop reading, stop thinking. Follow this instruction:Close your eyes.Take a deep breath in. Count to four. Hold for a count of three. Release for a count of four.In…1, 2, 3, 4…hold…Out…1, 2, 3, 4…We’re trying to keep up: At work, at home, everywhere in between. There are chores to be done, tasks to be completed, people to stay in touch with, events to attend, and somehow still need to squeeze in a restful night’s sleep.We’re going too fast and too hard.As I recognize this in myself, I’ve been exercising the right to say ‘no’ to things I can’t prioritize. I’ve been putting my phone down and in another room so I can pick up my embroidery or crochet hook and do something analog.I make time at the end of the night to put the dishes away, tidy the living room, clear my office desk.And I’ve been making time for the people and things that make time for me, who reach out and say “Let’s get together and have a laugh.”And for goodness sake, please find a way to laugh.That alone may be a tall order in a world of chaos right now. But as the great Kurt Vonnegut once said, “I’d rather laugh than cry. There’s less cleaning up to do afterward.”Slow down. When you have a moment of free time, don’t ask what you should be doing. Ask what you want to do.And at the end of the day, pat yourself on the back. “You made it another day,” you can say quietly to your rattled brain as you wind down for the evening. “Good job, you.”When did UX & content get so hard? was originally published in UX Collective on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Some people possess an innate talent for finding gifts on a budget. No matter the occasion (anniversary, Valentine's Day, Mother's Day) or recipient (wife, boyfriend, teens, in-laws), they somehow nail it every time — winning the unofficial "best gift-giver" award among those who are lucky to know them. If you're not the most intuitive gift giver, fear not. We've put together a list of the best gift ideas for under $50. These unique, budget-friendly gifts won't break the bank, and you might even see some solid discounts on them if you're lucky. Opens in a new window Credit: Uncommon Goods Acupressure Tension Release Mat For relieving tension Great for the person who loves trying out the latest alternative therapies, but is perhaps a bit squeamish around needles. Lay on it, roll it up and use it as a pillow, or even stand on it to help relieve tension built up in the body throughout the day. Buying Options $48 from Uncommon Goods Opens in a new window Credit: Crock-Pot Crock-Pot Electric Lunch Box For having a hot lunch For that person who has everything. We love this electric lunch box with an internal capacity of 20 ounces, an ideal side for a personal meal portion. Available in four different colors, the stainless steel interior can be removed and washed in the dishwasher. Buying Options See Details Opens in a new window Credit: Nisaku Hori Hori Garden Knife For those who love to garden A beloved tool for anyone who spends all their spare time in the garden. Part knife and part trowel, the stainless steel blade includes measurements so you always have a sense for depth when planting. Plus the serrated side helps tackle tough soil and weeds. Buying Options $29 from Amazon Opens in a new window Credit: Roku A Roku Express 4K+ For Netflix binge-watchers Mashable contributor Callum Bains called the Roku Express 4K+ a "fast, no-nonsense streaming device with a price to match." (It's our favorite budget media player on the market.) Plug it into a TV's HDMI port for all-in-one entertainment and hands-free voice control. Buying Options $39.99 from Amazon Opens in a new window Credit: Kasa Kasa Smart Plugs For a quick home upgrade Set a schedule for the living room lights, use the app to turn on the white noise machine in the nursery, or pair with an Alexa device to make them voice-activated. Smart plugs provide greater control over the devices within a home and are a quick and simply way to upgrade a space. Buying Options $29.99 from Amazon Opens in a new window Credit: YETI YETI Rambler Stackable Mug For coffee fiends If they frequently take their coffee into the great outdoors, whether that's on their porch or on a camping trip, grab them a Yeti Rambler mug. It's dishwasher-safe and comes in tons of colors, from basic black to fire-engine red. Buying Options $30 from Amazon Opens in a new window Credit: Dash Heart-shaped waffle maker For cute little breakfasts What's cuter than a tiny heart-shaped waffle maker? A tiny heart-shaped waffle maker with a tiny heart-shaped waffle inside. Breakfast is about to get so adorable — especially when they realize they can make heart-shaped hash browns, too. Buying Options $19.99 from Amazon Opens in a new window Credit: JBL Wireless JBL earbuds For daily commuters Who says you have to pay $300 for a decent pair of true wireless earbuds? JBL has proven time and again that it can deliver high-quality audio — and for a lot less than its competitors. These buds are available at Amazon for just a hair under $50, but you can usually grab them for a lot less. Buying Options $49.95 from Amazon Opens in a new window Credit: Hemlock Park A crackling wood-wick candle For candle-heads These unique candles ditch the standard cotton wicks for wood wicks, and that results in a crackling effect that will remind you of sitting around a campfire. If you're tired of the same old candles, they bring some excitement to the product category. This complex and woodsy scent uses pleasing notes of palo santo wood, myrrh, bergamot, amber, frankincense, and rosewood. Buying Options $24.95 from Amazon Opens in a new window Credit: Lodge Cast Iron A Lodge cast iron skillet For home chefs Cast iron skillets are the versatile workhorses of any kitchen — they retain heat tremendously well and can be used for almost any dish, from steak to skillet cookies. (They're also durable enough to be used over a campfire, if your recipient's into that.) Lodge's pans come pre-seasoned for immediate use and can last for decades with proper care. Buying Options $26.71 from Amazon Opens in a new window Credit: Stasher Stasher bags For eco warriors Stasher's popular reusable bags are made from heavy-duty, food-grade silicone that can be frozen, boiled, microwaved, baked, and tossed in the dishwasher. They come in myriad sizes, colors, and shapes, including snack pouches, bowls, and new "beauty bags" for makeup. Buying Options $18.99 from Amazon Opens in a new window Credit: Wild One / Mashable composite A Wild One Treat Pouch For dog parents "Walkies," but make it fashion. Wild One's Treat Pouch has a hidden compartment for a roll of poop bags and adjustable carrying straps that let you wear it like a crossbody bag or a fannypack. It's available in at least five colors (depending on the season) and overall super stylish — you'd never know it was made from recycled water bottles. Buying Options $44 from Amazon Opens in a new window Credit: National Geographic A National Geographic Earth Science Kit For young scientists If you know a kid who goes crazy for science experiments, this STEM gift kit will delight them to no end (and make you their favorite grown-up). It comes with over 15 activities — including crystal growing, building a volcano, and unearthing geological treasures — that are both easy to follow and easy to clean up after. Buying Options $29.99 from Amazon Opens in a new window Credit: LEGO A LEGO Orchid building kit For LEGO masters This bestselling kit from LEGO's Botanical Collection for adults builds into a realistic orchid with six large flowers, two newly opened buds, and a fluted pot (complete with some "bark mix" the actual plant would grow in). It contains 608 pieces, so it'll take the better part of an afternoon to assemble. No watering or pruning required! Buying Options $49.99 from Amazon Opens in a new window Credit: OXO An OXO Brew Compact Cold Brew Coffee Maker For coffee connoisseurs Starbucks gift cards are a nice gesture, but categorically lame. The Mashable's Choice Award-winning OXO Brew Compact Cold Brew Coffee Maker is a better way to gift someone their next caffeine fix: "[It] pays for itself in one or two brews, and the cold brew concentrate it produces is consistently strong, velvety smooth, and richly flavorful," wrote contributor Sam Stone. Buying Options $34.95 from Amazon Opens in a new window Credit: Apple An Apple AirTag For forgetters This quarter-sized Bluetooth tracker works seamlessly with the Find My app, which comes pre-installed on iPhones and iPads — super convenient for anyone who's already plugged into the Apple ecosystem. If an item the AirTag is attached to ever gets lost or misplaced, its owner can pull up its last-known location on their device or ask Siri to find it. Buying Options $29 from Amazon Opens in a new window Credit: AnotherStudio Houseplant ornaments For plant parents Made by the London-based design company AnotherStudio, these miniature metal ornaments are cute accessories for houseplant pots and terrariums. If you don't think your recipient would be into the mushrooms (available in brass and stainless steel), they also come in impressively detailed animal, flower, and fruit shapes. Buying Options $17.88 from Etsy Opens in a new window Credit: Hearth and Hand Cookbook stand by Hearth & Hand™ with Magnolia For the home chef Cooking from a recipe you found online is great — until you have to keep touching your phone every few minutes to see it. Gift the home chef in your life this aesthetically pleasing stand to give them a much-needed kitchen assist. Built to easily hold a cookbook at reading level, it'll just as easily accommodate a tablet, phone, or 2-in-1 laptop. Buying Options $19.99 from Target Opens in a new window Credit: Piecework Puzzles A Piecework puzzle For puzzlers Mashable's most dedicated puzzle fiends swear by Piecework, which makes unique puzzles out of stunning (and intricately detailed) photos. This 500-piece puzzle won't drive anyone too crazy, but if your puzzle fan loves a challenge, check out the brand's 1,000-piece sets. Buying Options $34 from Piecework Opens in a new window Credit: PetSafe A PetSafe Bolt Automatic Laser Light Cat Toy For cat parents For senior culture reporter Christianna Silva and their feisty cat, Colby Jack, the Mashable's Choice Award-winning PetSafe Bolt "was a godsend...It works reliably, solves a problem, turns off automatically, and is virtually hassle-free." It operates in two modes, so your recipient can control it themselves or set it to a random pattern and have their cat burn off some energy solo. Buying Options $23.95 from Amazon Opens in a new window Credit: Ninja Vitamix personal-size blender For making smoothies Personal, portable, and extremely adorable — that's the name of the game with this 16-oz travel blender from beloved kitchenware brand Ninja. Ideal for meal prepping the night before or stashing in a cooler for a quick, on-demand smoothie, this is one of those practical gifts that quickly turns into a fun (and did we mention cute?) daily ritual for its recipient. Buying Options $49.88 from Walmart Opens in a new window Credit: Shutterfly A custom Shutterfly photo book For sentimental types Starting around $25, Shutterfly's photo books can be personalized from top to bottom with different layouts, bindings, cover finishes, stickers, and ribbons — it's like scrapbooking on steroids. If you're looking for a gift idea that'll speak from the heart and be cherished for years to come, they're guaranteed to bring a tear to the eye of any parent or significant other. Buying Options See Details Opens in a new window Credit: Le Creuset A Le Creuset Mini Round Cocotte For foodies Yes, you can gift someone a Le Creuset cocotte for less than $50 — a *very small* Le Creuset cocotte, but the point technically still stands. Made from nonstick stoneware that's safe for oven, broiler, microwave, and dishwasher use, the 8-ouncer is a nice size for individual cobblers and pot pie. It's available in colors like Cerise (pictured), Artichaut, Nectar, Chambray, Azure, and more. Buying Options $32 from Le Creuset Opens in a new window Credit: BaBylissPRO A BaBylissPRO Nano Titanium Mini Straightening Iron For beauty buffs Ideal for on-the-go touch-ups, this miniature version of BaBylissPRO's premium flat iron can get as hot as 430°F. It features the exact same titanium-ceramic plates as the standard size (only these are half an inch wide), which are designed for even heating and reducing frizz. Buying Options $34.99 from Amazon Opens in a new window Credit: Clarkson Potter 'What's for Dessert: Simple Recipes for Dessert People' For bakers From "Dessert Person" Claire Saffitz comes this beginner-friendly cookbook with over 100 simple and efficient recipes for sweet treats. (Emphasis on "simple and efficient" — none of them require a stand mixer and only half need a hand mixer.) Entries are accompanied by beautiful retro-style photography and helpful troubleshooting tips. Buying Options $37.50 from Amazon Opens in a new window Credit: Annapurna Interactive 'Stray' For PlayStation gamers Available for PS4, PS5, and PC (via Steam), "Stray" is a 2022 third-person game that follows an orange tabby cat who's trying to escape a grungy cyberpunk city — and yes, you play as the cat. Mashable tech and games reporter Alex Perry described it as a stunning sci-fi adventure "with a sweet story, endearing characters, and some truly gross art design at times (in the best way)." Buying Options $39.99 from Best Buy Opens in a new window Credit: LIFX A LIFX Color smart bulb For techies LIFX Color smart bulbs are vibrant and easy to install — and unlike the Philips Hue variety, they don't require a bridge or a hub to work with WiFi. Mashable contributor RJ Andersen has replaced about half the bulbs in their house with these things: "Would I recommend [LIFX bulbs] to anyone looking to tip-toe into smart lighting? Absolutely," they said. Buying Options $39.99 from Amazon Opens in a new window Credit: Stanley A Stanley Quencher H2.0 FlowState Tumbler For hip sippers TikTok's favorite reusable drinking vessel is a 40-ounce, travel-friendly tumbler with a removable straw, a comfort-grip handle, and an insulated, stainless steel body that can keep drinks iced for up to 40 hours. It comes in a bunch of trendy colors, including some limited-edition ones that'll earn you some extra cool points. Buying Options $45 from REI Opens in a new window Credit: Kenneth Bachor / Mashable A Death Digital fisheye lens For amateur videographers Death Digital's fisheye iPhone lens makes it possible to recreate the unique style of '90s music and skateboarding videos with your smartphone. It earned our Mashable's Choice Award for its durable build quality and user-friendliness: "For under $50, it’s a great timeless accessory that’s small and easy to throw in your pocket," wrote contributor Kenneth Bachor. Buying Options $45 from Death Digital Opens in a new window Credit: Nintendo Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack For Nintendo Switch gamers Nintendo's premium membership tier unlocks online play, libraries of classic retro games, cloud saves, and access to select DLCs. (That includes 48 additional courses for "Mario Kart 8 Deluxe" and the "Happy Home Paradise" expansion for "Animal Crossing: New Horizons.") A year-long individual plan comes in just under $50, which is easily one of the best deals in gaming. Buying Options $49.99 from Nintendo Opens in a new window Credit: Yonanas A Yonanas soft-serve machine For ice cream lovers The Yonanas is a borderline brilliant kitchen gadget from Dole that can successfully turn frozen fruit into a smooth, soft serve-adjacent dessert — a great gift for regular ice cream eaters who want to switch things up, *or* anyone who follows a vegan, keto, or dairy-free diet. Another Mashable Choice Award-winner, it "seriously impressed" contributor Michelle Rostamian. Buying Options $49.99 from Amazon Opens in a new window Credit: Necessaire Necessaire body wash For pampering This eucalyptus-scented body wash from the trendy brand Necessaire is the perfect "fancy-version-of-a-staple" gift. (That's also why we're suggesting the large pump bottle.) There are also exfoliators, serums, and body lotions available, just in case you want to make it a set. Buying Options $38 from Amazon Opens in a new window Credit: Bloomscape A high-tech mister For advanced plant care For plant parents who really go the extra mile, the Mossify Mistr sprays a "continuous fine mist" to keep humidity-favoring plants happy. Think spray bottle, but fancy: This is great for the person who likes to have a USB-compatible version of everything. Buying Options $50 from Bloomscape

DOGE in court Trump admin tells Supreme Court: DOGE needs to do its work in secret DOJ complains of "sweeping, intrusive discovery" after DOGE refused FOIA requests. Jon Brodkin – May 21, 2025 5:08 pm | 73 A protest over DOGE's reductions to the federal workforce outside the Jacob K. Javits Federal Office Building on March 19, 2025 in New York City. Credit: Getty Images | Michael M. Santiago A protest over DOGE's reductions to the federal workforce outside the Jacob K. Javits Federal Office Building on March 19, 2025 in New York City. Credit: Getty Images | Michael M. Santiago Story text Size Small Standard Large Width * Standard Wide Links Standard Orange * Subscribers only   Learn more The Department of Justice today asked the Supreme Court to block a ruling that requires DOGE to provide information about its government cost-cutting operations as part of court-ordered discovery. President Trump's Justice Department sought an immediate halt to orders issued by US District Court for the District of Columbia. US Solicitor General John Sauer argued that the Department of Government Efficiency is exempt from the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) as a presidential advisory body and not an official "agency." The district court "ordered USDS [US Doge Service] to submit to sweeping, intrusive discovery just to determine if USDS is subject to FOIA in the first place," Sauer wrote. "That order turns FOIA on its head, effectively giving respondent a win on the merits of its FOIA suit under the guise of figuring out whether FOIA even applies. And that order clearly violates the separation of powers, subjecting a presidential advisory body to intrusive discovery and threatening the confidentiality and candor of its advice, putatively to address a legal question that never should have necessitated discovery in this case at all." The nonprofit watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) filed FOIA requests seeking information about DOGE and sued after DOGE officials refused to provide the requested records. US District Judge Christopher Cooper has so far sided with CREW. Cooper decided in March that "USDS is likely covered by FOIA and that the public would be irreparably harmed by an indefinite delay in unearthing the records CREW seeks," ordering DOGE "to process CREW's request on an expedited timetable." Judge: DOGE is not just an advisor DOGE then asked the district court for a summary judgment in its favor, and CREW responded by filing a motion for expedited discovery "seeking information relevant to whether USDS wields substantial authority independent of the President and is therefore subject to FOIA." In an April 15 order, Cooper ruled that CREW is entitled to limited discovery into the question of whether DOGE is wielding authority sufficient to bring it within the purview of FOIA. Cooper hasn't yet ruled on the motion for summary judgment. "The structure of USDS and the scope of its authority are critical to determining whether the agency is 'wield[ing] substantial authority independently of the President,'" the judge wrote. "And the answers to those questions are unclear from the record." Trump's executive orders appear to support CREW's argument by suggesting "that USDS is exercising substantial independent authority," Cooper wrote. "As the Court already noted, the executive order establishing USDS 'to implement the President's DOGE Agenda' appears to give USDS the authority to carry out that agenda, 'not just to advise the President in doing so.'" Not satisfied with the outcome, the Trump administration tried to get Cooper's ruling overturned in the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. The appeals court ruled against DOGE last week. The appeals court temporarily stayed the district court order in April, but dissolved the stay on May 14 and denied the government's petition. "The government contends that the district court's order permitting narrow discovery impermissibly intrudes upon the President's constitutional prerogatives," the appeals court said. But "the discovery here is modest in scope and does not target the President or any close adviser personally. The government retains every conventional tool to raise privilege objections on the limited question-by-question basis foreseen here on a narrow and discrete ground." US argues for secrecy A three-judge panel at the appeals court was unswayed by the government's claim that this process is too burdensome. "Although the government protests that any such assertion of privilege would be burdensome, the only identified burdens are limited both by time and reach, covering as they do records within USDS's control generated since January 20," the ruling said. "It does not provide any specific details as to why accessing its own records or submitting to two depositions would pose an unbearable burden." Yesterday, the District Court set a discovery schedule requiring the government to produce all responsive documents within 14 days and complete depositions within 24 days. In its petition to the Supreme Court today, the Trump administration argued that DOGE's recommendations to the president should be kept secret: The district court's requirement that USDS turn over the substance of its recommendations—even when the recommendations were "purely advisory"—epitomizes the order's overbreadth and intrusiveness. The court's order compels USDS to identify every "federal agency contract, grant, lease or similar instrument that any DOGE employee or DOGE Team member recommended that federal agencies cancel or rescind," and every "federal agency employee or position that any DOGE employee or DOGE team member recommended" for termination or placement on administrative leave. Further, USDS must state "whether [each] recommendation was followed." It is difficult to imagine a more grievous intrusion and burden on a presidential advisory body. Providing recommendations is the core of what USDS does. Because USDS coordinates with agencies across the Executive Branch on an ongoing basis, that request requires USDS to review multitudes of discussions that USDS has had every day since the start of this Administration. And such information likely falls within the deliberative-process privilege almost by definition, as internal executive-branch recommendations are inherently "pre-decisional" and "deliberative." Lawsuit: “No meaningful transparency” into DOGE The US further said the discovery "is unnecessary to answer the legal question whether USDS qualifies as an 'agency' that is subject to FOIA," and is merely "a fishing expedition into USDS's advisory activities under the guise of determining whether USDS engages in non-advisory activities—an approach to discovery that would be improper in any circumstance." CREW, like others that have sued the government over DOGE's operations, says the entity exercises significant power without proper oversight and transparency. DOGE "has worked in the shadows—a cadre of largely unidentified actors, whose status as government employees is unclear, controlling major government functions with no oversight," CREW's lawsuit said. "USDS has provided no meaningful transparency into its operations or assurances that it is maintaining proper records of its unprecedented and legally dubious work." The Trump administration is fighting numerous DOGE-related lawsuits at multiple levels of the court system. Earlier this month, the administration asked the Supreme Court to restore DOGE's access to Social Security Administration records after losing on the issue in both a district court and appeals court. That request to the Supreme Court is pending. There was also a dispute over discovery when 14 states sued the federal government over Trump "delegat[ing] virtually unchecked authority to Mr. Musk without proper legal authorization from Congress and without meaningful supervision of his activities." A federal judge ruled that the states could serve written discovery requests on Musk and DOGE, but the DC Circuit appeals court blocked the discovery order. In that case, appeals court judges said the lower-court judge should have ruled on a motion to dismiss before allowing discovery. Jon Brodkin Senior IT Reporter Jon Brodkin Senior IT Reporter Jon is a Senior IT Reporter for Ars Technica. He covers the telecom industry, Federal Communications Commission rulemakings, broadband consumer affairs, court cases, and government regulation of the tech industry. 73 Comments

Mike Rupp (left) and Shawn Henderson debut Pyrion, a new lighting collection available through Hostler | Burrows.With the debut of Pyrion, designer Shawn Henderson and Mike Rupp of Rupp Studio introduce a lighting collection that transforms tactile yet minimal table and floor lamps into collectible design pieces. Rooted in sculptural minimalism, each piece takes the form of a pyramid, its surface hand-finished with a spray metal technique that mimics the rich patina of cast bronze. Complementing this architectural form are handwoven shades from Colombian atelier VERDI, crafted from Yaré vine and metallic threads. They infuse each fixture with a tactile contrast of earthiness and refinement.The collaboration is a study in balance, shaped by a shared design language. “Pyrion came out of a shared love for restraint and richness—how one shape, when made with intention, can feel both powerful and quiet,” says Rupp.Ethan HerringtonThe pyramid informs the collection’s hand-polished lamp bases and custom shades created in partnership with VERDI.In this exclusive Q&A, Henderson, a member of ELLE DECOR’s A-List, discusses the origins of Pyrion, his obsession with proportion, and how a unique design tête-à-tête helped create this notable collaboration. Available exclusively through Hostler | Burrows in both New York City and Los Angeles.ELLE DECOR: HOW DID YOU FIRST BECOME ACQUAINTED WITH MIKE? AND WHAT INSPIRED A LIGHTING-SPECIFIC COLLECTION?Shawn Henderson: Mike and I have been friends for many years and have collaborated on design throughout much of that time. Casual conversations gradually turned into a shared curiosity about doing something creative together. We both feel there’s a real void in the market for special lighting, so it felt like the right place to begin—designing lamps that sit at the intersection of architecture, sculpture, and atmosphere, all things we’re naturally drawn to in our work.Ethan HerringtonPyrion is made up of three distinctive lamps in three shade colors. Pictured above is the Pyrion Table Lamp.WHAT WERE YOUR MAIN SOURCES OF INSPIRATION FOR THE COLLECTION? We kept coming back to the idea of a singular, architectural shape—something clean and elemental, but not cold. We were thinking about ancient forms, like pyramids and obelisks, and how to reinterpret that kind of presence in a way that feels modern and quiet.HOW DID YOU BOTH BEGIN THE DESIGN PROCESS? It started with a shape—literally a triangle. We sketched, talked through proportions, passed ideas back and forth. It was very collaborative but intuitive. We were both aligned in wanting to do less, not more—to find strength in simplicity and let the materials do the work.AND, THIS LED TO PYRAMIDS. WHAT’S MEANINGFUL TO YOU ABOUT THIS SHAPE? There’s something timeless and grounded about a pyramid. It’s a shape that feels rooted and powerful, but also quiet. We liked that tension. Architecturally, it’s incredibly stable—and symbolically, it carries a sense of permanence and intention, which aligned with how we wanted these pieces to feel.Ethan HerringtonEach lamp is hand finished and features lamp shades made of Yaré threads.TELL US A BIT MORE ABOUT YOUR MATERIAL CHOICES FOR THE COLLECTION? We used Vero metal, which is a hand-applied liquid metal coating. It allowed us to get the feel and finish of cast metal, but with more control over weight and form. The process is incredibly hands-on—each base is polished by hand, so the surface has that human touch to it.THERE IS A TACTILITY TO THE CORDED LAMPSHADES. HOW DID YOU COME TO WORK WITH THIS UNIQUE MATERIAL? We partnered with VERDI, a Bogotá-based atelier that creates beautiful textiles from natural materials and metal. When we saw what they were doing with Yaré and metallic threads, we knew it was the right match. The fiber comes from the Colombian Amazon, and it has this amazing strength and texture—woven with copper or steel, it creates something that’s both wild and refined. It felt like the perfect counterpoint to the sculptural metal base.Ethan HerringtonThe Pyrion Floor Lamp transforms illumination into sculpture.WHAT'S IT LIKE TO WORK WITH A FELLOW INTERIOR DESIGNER?It’s kind of like finishing each other’s sentences—but visually. There’s a shorthand. We both understand proportion, materiality, restraint. There’s also a shared understanding of how pieces need to live in a room—not just how they look on a pedestal. That makes for a really fluid and grounded collaboration.This interview has been edited for length and clarity.