A successful game of fetch I helped a lost dog’s AirTag ping its owner: An ode to replaceable batteries The most repair-friendly device Apple makes needs to stick with coin batteries. Kevin Purdy – May 21, 2025 5:31 pm | 24 This is Serene, a 7-year-old pitbull mix available for adoption at the Humane Rescue Alliance in Washington, DC. Credit: Humane Rescue Alliance This is Serene, a 7-year-old pitbull mix available for adoption at the Humane Rescue Alliance in Washington, DC. Credit: Humane Rescue Alliance Story text Size Small Standard Large Width * Standard Wide Links Standard Orange * Subscribers only   Learn more Out of all the books I read for my formal education, one bit, from one slim paperback, has lodged the deepest into my brain. William Blundell's The Art and Craft of Feature Writing offers a "selective list of what readers like." It starts with a definitive No. 1: "Dogs, followed by other cute animals and well-behaved small children." People, Blundell writes, are your second-best option, providing they are doing or saying something interesting. I have failed to provide Ars Technica readers with a dog story during nearly three years here. Today, I intend to fix that. This is a story about a dog, but also a rare optimistic take on a ubiquitous "smart" product, one that helped out a very good girl. Note: The images in this post are not of the aforementioned dog, so as to protect their owner's privacy. The Humane Rescue Alliance of Washington, DC, provided photos of adoptable dogs with some resemblance to that dog. Hello, stranger My wife and I were sitting with our dog on our front porch on a recent weekend morning. We were drinking coffee, reading, and enjoying DC's tiny window for temperate spring weather. I went inside for a moment; when I came back, my dog was inside, but my wife was not. Confused, I cracked open the door to look out. A dog, not my own, stuck its nose into the door gap, eager to sniff me out. "There's a dog here?" my wife said, partly to herself. "She just ran up on the porch. I have no idea where she came from." Rexi, a nearly 3-year-old mixed breed, is being fostered and ready for adoption at the Humane Rescue Alliance. The author's wife thinks Rexi looks the most like their unexpected dog visitor. Credit: Humane Rescue Alliance Rexi, a nearly 3-year-old mixed breed, is being fostered and ready for adoption at the Humane Rescue Alliance. The author's wife thinks Rexi looks the most like their unexpected dog visitor. Credit: Humane Rescue Alliance I secured my dog inside, then headed out to meet this fast-moving but friendly interloper. She had a collar, but no leash, and looked well-groomed, healthy, and lightly frantic. The collar had a silicone band on it, holding one of Apple's AirTags underneath. I pulled out the AirTag, tapped it against my phone, and nothing happened. While my wife posted on our neighborhood's various social outlets (Facebook, Nextdoor, and a WhatsApp group for immediate neighbors), I went into the garage and grabbed a CR2032 battery. That's not something everyone has, but I have a few AirTags, along with a bit of a home automation habit. After some pressing, twisting, and replacing, the AirTag beeped and returned to service. I tapped the AirTag against my phone, this time receiving a link to a webpage with the tag's serial number and the last four digits of its owner's phone number. I had not yet needed to actually find something truly lost with an AirTag, so I looked up how it worked. Once you set an AirTag in your Apple account to "Lost" status, you can then choose to have a full phone number and message appear to anybody who taps it with their device (iOS or Android). If you don't know that your AirTag or Find-My-compatible item is missing and mark it that way, you can't preemptively have it offer up details. Maybe Apple should change that, for certain kinds of tracking. Noma, a 1-year-old pit bull mix, at the Humane Rescue Alliance. Credit: Humane Rescue Alliance Noma, a 1-year-old pit bull mix, at the Humane Rescue Alliance. Credit: Humane Rescue Alliance I had to leave the house, leaving my wife to negotiate space and sight lines between our concerned, confused dog and this excited newcomer. The local animal control encouraged my wife to monitor social channels before dropping the dog off at their facility. After two hours of unexpected fostering, we were anxiously texting one another. We were glad to have gotten this dog off the street and into a home with leashes and a crate available, but we had to make a decision before the animal shelter closed for the day. Then the doorbell rang. The dog's owner, led by the AirTag, asked if we had her dog. She explained how the dog got loose and pledged to keep a fresh battery in there from now on. My wife said goodbye to her temporary charge, and I came home to find both her and my dog far more relaxed. Maybe the dog's owner would have seen postings on Facebook or Nextdoor, though I cannot blame anybody who doesn't want those networks in their life. Perhaps a neighborhood phone chain would have come through, or the shelter could have connected us. But Apple's coin battery-powered nub came through in the nick of time, and I'm grateful. That’s a good AirTag—now, stay Cresha, a 3-year-old mixed-breed dog, is available for adoption. Credit: Humane Rescue Alliance Cresha, a 3-year-old mixed-breed dog, is available for adoption. Credit: Humane Rescue Alliance I was working at iFixit when rumors circulated about Apple developing a "Tile-like" item tracker in early 2019. The teardown and communications teams at iFixit were largely expecting Apple to release another tiny product that was impossible to fix or have its batteries swapped, filling the gaps in landfills alongside AirPods. Tile, one of the first in the Bluetooth tracking market, had introduced replaceable batteries a few months prior. But Apple, at that point still defending its butterfly MacBook keyboards and holding tight to Lightning ports, seemed unlikely to go the way of the common denominator. But Apple chose wisely. After addressing some of the early concerns about their potential misuses (though others remain), AirTags have become very handy devices. Some dog owners go for GPS tracker collars, which might fare better in rural areas. But it's a good bet that somebody with an iPhone will get close enough to your dog—or wallet, or keys—to update its location. Even if they don't have an iPhone to provide a location ping, they can get some information on who owns this tag. Apple is seemingly gearing up to offer a new AirTag, one with purportedly greater range and fewer avenues for privacy-invading misuse. I humbly request that the new model continue to be powered by a coin cell battery. When something important goes missing—especially something that likes ear scritches and pumpkin treats—it is best not to have to find a charging cable or magnetic charging pad, or discover the cells inside are dead. Coin cells are not perfectly recyclable, because nothing really is, but they're generally much easier to handle than lithium-ion waste. I have AirTags on my family's bikes, keys, wallets, and a couple other things. Depending on what the next AirTag looks like, I'm keen to get one on my dog's collar, too. Take the battery warnings seriously, and they can help some wayward good boys and girls. And I hope they made this human, telling a story about coin batteries, momentarily interesting. Kevin Purdy Senior Technology Reporter Kevin Purdy Senior Technology Reporter Kevin is a senior technology reporter at Ars Technica, covering open-source software, PC gaming, home automation, repairability, e-bikes, and tech history. He has previously worked at Lifehacker, Wirecutter, iFixit, and Carbon Switch. 24 Comments

Indeed, Beckham has always sought inspiration from art and architecture. “I’ve always seen fashion as part of a broader conversation,” the designer says. A decade ago, she commissioned Iranian-British architect Farshid Moussavi to create her London store’s breathtaking interior, set respectfully within its Georgian framework yet a dynamic testament to the modernity of concrete, soaring ceilings, and display cases inspired by Donald Judd.Victoria and David Beckham Embrace the Sunshine State With New $80 Million MansionThe Beckhams are reportedly buying a waterfront Miami Beach spec estate“When I opened on Dover Street, I didn’t want a traditional retail space, I wanted somewhere you could exhale—somewhere that felt as welcoming as a home but could also double up as a space in which to showcase and celebrate other incredible talents,” she says, citing an ongoing partnership with Sotheby’s to curate exhibitions instore featuring seminal contemporary artists such as Jean-Michel Basquiat, Yoshitomo Nara, and George Condo. It has become a passion for both the designer and her husband, former footballer David, after being first introduced to collecting by Sir Elton John. “Art sharpens my eye and teaches me to see differently.”A trio of evening gowns in this year’s fall-winter collection have been informed by the Olii works of 20th century Argentinian artist and sculptor Lucio Fontana (a favorite in Beckham’s own modern art collection). “Transposing his way of treating canvas as fabric, the material of the gowns is ruched around wired holes placed at the neckline or abdomen as if it were paint, creating an intense and erotic perforated effect,” she explains.Last winter, Beckham invited the British interior designer Rose Uniacke to reimagine the store’s interiors to spectacular effect. Against walls swathed in a rich forest green (custom colored in a vegetable-resin paint by Uniacke for the designer), clothing and accessories jostled alongside extraordinary works like a tapestry woven from stainless steel by Simone Prouvé, a 19th-century gilded console, and a midcentury Italian walnut desk designed by Gio Ponti. “Rose has an extraordinary eye,” enthuses Beckham. “Her ability to balance restraint and richness is so rare. That deep green we used felt almost like a fabric in itself; it cocooned the pieces and gave them a new energy. Pairing that with antiques, sculptural furniture, and layered lighting gave the collection a more intimate, storied context.” It was a reminder, Beckham says, that clothes don’t live in a vacuum. “They come to life through space, atmosphere, and the people that live in them.”Victoria Beckham’s pre-SS 2026 residency at Centurion New York runs from May 21 through May 23, 2025. Victoriabeckham.com; americanexpress.com

Not every emergency calls for grabbing your bug-out bag and running out the door. Some are less severe, shelter-in-place, short-term scenarios. But no matter the situation, life is more dangerous in the dark, especially when you weren’t expecting the lights to go out. A little bit of preparation can go a long way when it comes to emergency illumination. “When power outages strike, having the right lights on hand can make all the difference,” says George Carrillo, former sheriff’s deputy and current CEO of the Hispanic Construction Council. “Not just in convenience but in ensuring the safety and comfort of your loved ones.” While candles can be handy in a pinch (especially if you have candles specifically meant for survival situations), you’ll want a more robust strategy for emergency illumination. Whether you need to be ready for a short electrical blimp or a prolonged blackout, it doesn’t take much to keep your home lit and provide your household with peace of mind.  Sterno 100-Hour Emergency Candles – Long Burning Unscented Candles for Emergencies These liquid wax candles provide up to 100 hours of steady illumination each. Sterno Why have emergency lighting? First off, let’s look at why you should plan ahead when it comes to emergency lighting. “I’ve seen how critical it is to be ready for the unexpected,” says Carrillo. “One area that’s often overlooked until it’s too late is emergency lighting.” You don’t want to wait until after the lights have already gone out to start looking for a solution. At that point, you’re in the dark, and finding and preparing lights will be much more difficult, if not impossible. This may be a mere inconvenience during a short blackout, but for longer outages it can have a significant impact on your household’s comfort and well-being. In more catastrophic scenarios, when the power might be out for long periods of time, emergency lighting or the lack thereof can make a major difference in terms of security. A dark house is not only a tripping hazard for those inside, but it’s a potential target for those outside looking to take advantage of the situation.  What’s more, the likelihood of experiencing a power outage is high. According to the US Census Bureau, one in four homes report losing power each year, with 70 percent of those reporting at least one outage longer than six hours. For a quarter of American homes, households, it’s not a matter of if but when. So your first step should involve getting lights before you need them. Once you have them, make sure they’re ready to go. Have backups to the backups According to Carrillo, “A layered approach to emergency lighting is essential.” That means equipping your home with multiple lighting elements that provide light in different ways. Carrillo advises having personal lights and room lights powered by a combination of batteries and solar. Personal lighting MagLite ML300L LED 3-Cell D Display Box, Black The classics are classics for a reason. MagLite Be sure that you have easy access to a few personal lighting options. That means flashlights, and Carrillo also suggests having a headlamp, “which allows hands-free lighting so you can handle tasks such as checking the breaker box or navigating cluttered areas without a hassle.” COAST POLYSTEEL 600 1000 Lumen LED Flashlight with Pure Beam Twist Focus Focusing allows you to control the width and concentration of the beam. Coast Polysteel He specifically recommends flashlights from “Maglite or the Coast Polysteel series because they’re compact, sturdy, and provide powerful beams to light your way,” as well as the Black Diamond Spot headlamp. BLACK DIAMOND Spot 400 LED Headlamp Black Diamond Room lighting It’s also important to have a number of stationary lanterns and other larger lighting options capable of illuminating a room. This not only helps with visibility to reduce accidents, but can make your home much more comfortable during an outage. Goal Zero Lighthouse Core Lantern and USB Power Hub It looks like an old school lantern, but it’s rechargeable and lasts for a long time on a charge. Goal Zero “The Goal Zero Lighthouse Core is an excellent choice,” says Carrillo, “offering long battery life and the added perk of charging other devices during an outage.” The Goal Zero Torch 500 is also a great option as it doubles as both flashlight and lamp, its rechargeable battery has an impressively long lifespan, and an integrated solar panel allows for charging in sunlight. Goal Zero 500 Lumen Torch Light, Multi-Use Weatherproof LED Flashlight and Solar Lantern More versatile lighting options offer options without taking up tons of space. Goal Zero While lanterns can be stored somewhere accessible, it’s also a good idea to keep one readily available in each room you expect to use the most, like your living room and bedrooms. (Consider keeping BioLite Inflatable Camping Lanterns in various drawers/cabinets.) Flood lights Most households under most power outage situations should be fine with the aforementioned indoor lighting. But if you expect the lights to be out for longer periods, worry about security, or simply may need to do something outdoors, consider using some form of battery-powered flood lights.  Beams MB3000 High Performance 500 Lumen Wireless Battery Powered Motion Sensing LED This light is useful even when there isn’t a blackout. Beams Flood lights come in several varieties. Some are designed for outdoor installation, much like a typical garage door motion detector light. The only difference is that in this case, you’ll need to look for models that can be powered by batteries or solar panels. For battery-powered models, we’re fans of the Beams MB3000, which is easy to install, adjustable, and plenty bright, and for solar, we suggest Intelamp for all the same reasons. DEWALT 20V MAX LED Work Light You can use the same batteries that run your power tools to provide light. DeWalt Alternatively, free-standing work lights can be a good option as you can move them as necessary. We like the Dewalt 20V MAX because it’s bright, versatile, and folds down for easy storage.  Power sources Whatever lights you choose, Carrillo recommends having multiple power sources. In addition to flashlights and lanterns that are rechargeable or use batteries (whether single-use or rechargeable), consider getting a backup hand-crank flashlight that can be powered no matter what happens. Eton – Scorpion II Rugged Multipowered Portable Emergency Weather Radio & Flashlight In addition to the illumination, this model also includes a radio. Eton Solar power has also become increasingly efficient, and these days, you can get flashlights that can charge in the sun during the day in preparation for the night. Solar power generators can provide a substantial source of backup power for charging rechargeable lights and other devices. The Jackery 2000 Plus is a good option as it offers an excellent balance between capacity and portability. The ultimate backup power source is a whole-home generator, which can provide enough juice to keep your entire home lit while using additional appliances or ensuring the consistent operation of essential medical equipment. The DuroMax XP13000HX is one of our top recommendations for emergency situations thanks to its high output, dual-fuel versatility, and all-around reliable build quality. DuroMax XP13000HX Dual Fuel Portable Generator A generator is an investment, but it can make a huge difference in an emergency. DuroMax Keep in mind that it is still wise to have flashlights and lanterns available even if you plan on lighting your home with a generator. Final thoughts on emergency lighting In the end, an effective emergency lighting array is pretty straightforward. “Preparedness doesn’t have to be complicated,” says Carrillo. “A flashlight in your bedside table, a lantern on the bookshelf, and a headlamp in your toolbox can transform how you handle emergencies. Having backup options like these ensures you’re prepared even during prolonged outages. The right tools not only provide safety and peace of mind but also allow you to face unforeseen challenges with confidence.”

20 Frank Lloyd Wright Houses That Changed AmericaThroughout the architect’s 70-year career, he created new blueprints for living that are still relevant to this dayWith a career that spanned 70 years, there are no shortage of facts about Frank Lloyd Wright to dissect. But it’s not just his buildings that offer fodder for intrigue, the architect was equally a magnet for personal controversy. With three wives and eight children (seven biological, one adopted), Wright spent much of his adult life racking up sensational, though not untrue, headlines like “Suit ends Wright Romance; Sculptress Who Fled With Architect to Japan Obtains Alimony” (New York Times, 1925) or “Issue Warrant for Wright; Architect's Wife Seeks to Re-enter Their Wisconsin Home” (also New York Times, also 1925). Each refers to the personal tumult that seemed to follow the architect through much of his adult life.Scholars have long been tempted to link these fascinating personal dramas to the singular genius of Wright’s work, particularly in how the architect would come to shape 20th-century home life in the U.S. But for all that’s common knowledge about Wright, there are a number of tantalizing details lying just below the surface. Below, ten little-known facts that offer a glimpse into the architect’s fascinating life.The most fascinating facts about Frank Lloyd Wright1. Wright’s childhood nursery was decorated with engravings of English cathedralsIn his autobiography, Wright discusses how his mother prophesied his future as an architect, decorating his nursery with buildings to encourage this development. She also famously purchased her son a Froebel Gifts block set, and used it heavily in his early childhood education.2. Wright abandoned his practice for a year in 1909 to run away with Mamah Borthwick CheneyThe pair were first connected in 1903 when Cheney and her husband Edwin commissioned Wright to build their Oak Park, Illinois, home. The amorous couple abandoned their spouses, children, and lives (and Wright his practice) in 1909 to spend a year together in Europe before relocating to Taliesin in 1911. This elopement would estrange Wright from several of his children for decades to come.The Edwin Cheney house in Oak Park, Illinois Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust3. A disgruntled servant carried out a brutal seven-person murder at Wright’s Taliesin estate in 1914While Wright was away on business in Chicago in 1914, a disgruntled servant at Taliesin set the structure’s living quarters on fire before murdering seven of the home’s residents, including Wright’s then-partner, Mamah Borthwick Cheney. The incident has been dramatized several times, including in an opera called Shining Brow (the English translation of “Taliesin”) that premiered in 1993 and the 2007 novel Loving Frank by Nancy Horan.4. Wright was vehemently against the American Institute of Architects (AIA)Wright was famous for his disdain for other architects, and he refused to join the AIA. According to the biography Frank Lloyd Wright by Meryle Secrest, Wright would refer to it as the “American Institute of Appearances,” and make other disparaging remarks about the institution publicly. “His slights had the effect of maintaining the gulf between himself and other professionals and of adding further weight to the idea of himself as a gifted maverick, an iconoclast,” Secrest writes. Even so, the organization awarded the architect its gold medal in 1949.Wright with Olgivanna Lazovich Hinzenburg ullstein bild5. In 1926, Wright was arrested in violation of the Mann Act, a stipulation that made it illegal for men to transport women across state lines for “immoral” purposesThough his divorce with second wife Miriam Noel was not yet final in 1926, Wright was already in a committed relationship with the woman who would become his third wife, Olgivanna Lazovich Hinzenburg. The pair had met at a Russian ballet and had a daughter together, Iovanna, in 1925. In 1926, Wright drove with Olgivanna to a cottage in Minnesota, crossing state lines and leading to a night in the county jail. The charges would later be dropped, and the pair would be formally married in 1928.Frank Lloyd Wright, the Fashion MuseFrom collaborations with Kith to partnerships with Maya Brenner, America’s favorite architect remains a steadfast source of inspiration for designers of all kinds6. Wright dabbled in fashion designWright was known for his obsessive eye for detail, insisting on specific furnishings and challenging clients who threatened to compromise his vision for their homes by trying to inject their own taste into the spaces. According to Wright biographer David Hanks, this interest in the total environment led him to create select clothing as well. The architect designed dresses for his wife Catherine Tobin Wright and female clients. Though little documentation exists around the designs, two images are shown in Hanks’s book The Decorative Designs of Frank Lloyd Wright.

“Can’t you do better than that?” This is one of the many legendary taunts offered up by victory screens in 1991’s Street Fighter II—in this case by E. Honda, a sumo wrestler who proves to be a surprisingly good boxer—but it probably refers to the opinions of a lot of gamers about the two live-action Street Fighter movies that have so far been made. Despite the iconic fighting video game series being one of the touchstones of ’90s gaming culture, and one which still produces genre-shaping hits as indicated by 2023’s Street Fighter 6, Hollywood has struggled to make a good movie out of the franchise. That might be changing if Legendary Pictures has anything to do with it. The studio behind the American Godzilla and Kong “MonsterVerse” movies is visibly moving forward with their new take on a big screen Street Fighter, and as first reported by Deadline, they have the growing cast to prove it. As per the trade site, Andre Koji, Noah Centineo, Roman Reigns, and no less than Jason Momoa have been cast in undisclosed roles in the film. Furthermore, the film is slated to be directed by Kitao Sakurai (Bad Trip). Obviously this will prove to be just the beginning of an ensemble that has plenty of space to grow—the original and still most influential Street Fighter II game features 12 characters alone in its most base version—but already from these four male leads, we get an idea of who might be the main characters for the new cinematic interpretation… as well as perhaps what direction the series could be taking. Andrew Koji Let’s start with the most obvious bit of casting: Andrew Koji is almost certainly intended to play Ryu, the Street Fighter franchise’s closest thing to a protagonist and hero. Video gamers might be most familiar with Koji from playing the villainous Storm Shadow opposite Henry Golding in 2021’s Snake Eyes movie, but the British Koji has some real martial arts bonafides in his career after starring in Cinemax’s Warrior where Koji portrayed Ah Sahm, a character that was once the dream role of Bruce Lee. He also appeared as an assassin opposite Brad Pitt in Bullet Train. In addition to Koji’s Japanese heritage, his casting as Ryu makes sense after Hollywood bizarrely sidelined the fan favorite character in previous adaptations. While the 1994 film is a kitschy camp classic in some circles, many still have frustration over Capcom choosing to make the main character all-American soldier Col. William Guile (likely to appeal to the American box office at the time). Ryu was played in that Steven E. de Souza movie by Byron Mann, but also as something of a sidekick to not only Guile but also the other American character, Ken Masters (Damian Chapa). And none of the above characters appeared at all in the other Hollywood Street Fighter movie, Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li (2009). So this is a chance to put the Hollywood lens where it always belonged… Noah Centineo Speaking of Ryu and Ken though, you cannot have one without the other. Usually depicted in the fighting games as BFFs (though not always), these respective Japanese and American playable characters act as doppelgängers with many of the same moves and power sets, including the beloved hadouken. So the young American Centineo, who is perhaps best known for appearing in Netflix’s To All the Boys I Love trilogy—as well as the Disney Channel’s Austin & Ally and as the superhero Atom Smasher in Dwayne Johnson’s Black Adam—makes perfect sense as Ken. More headstrong and arrogant than Ryu, Ken is a proper yankee foil to the stoic hero of the story, and the opportunity for a screenwriter to really play up some bromance dynamics. Jason Momoa Now we come to what is obviously the biggest name casting in the film, and where speculation gets a little harder. Who is Jason Momoa, the once and future DC actor with both Aquaman and Lobo on his resume, going to play? We don’t know for certain, but Jimmy Blanka seems like an obviously good guess. In the games, Blanka was a nominally human character until a plane crash in the Brazil rainforest somehow(!) resulted in a mutation that turned Blanka’s skin lime green, his hair orange, and his teeth into fangs. Even his blood is now charged by the shock of lightning! Look…. folks took video game storylines and lore a lot less seriouslyGame of Thrones or more recently Lobo. Granted, he also is now the family friendly face of another video game franchise for all ages via Minecraft, but we think Street Fighter will be a chance for him to return to his more familiar well with a new generation of budding action aficionados. Join our mailing list Get the best of Den of Geek delivered right to your inbox! Roman Reigns Finally we come to the most difficult piece of casting to wrap our heads around: WWE wrestler and former footballer Roman Reigns. The Georgia Tech alumni has been cast in an undisclosed role which offers a lot of possibilities, and it’s worth noting that the first wave of casting has not included any obvious choice for one of the Street Fighter franchise’s biggest villains: M. Bison and Viktor Sagat. Reigns could easily become a clean shaven Bison. But we suspect the American entertainer will be cast as the all-American Col. Guile instead. While it seems likely the new Street Fighter will seek to avoid the mistakes of the 1994 movie’s reputation, including by supplanting the Japanese Ryu with the American Guile (and then strangely insisting on casting a Belgian in the role), Guile is still a fan favorite. And again, once Reigns shaves the beard and trades in long locks for a platinum mane, he could certainly pass for a square-jawed hero. And who knows, maybe if the new Street Fighter follows the original games’ fighting tournament setup, the film might even begin with Guile taking a beating from Ken and Ryu? That would establish this no longer Jean-Claude Van Damme’s kind of action movie… *Editor’s Note: While no casting is confirmed after press time Jeff Sneider has reported that Reigns is actually cast as Akuma, a hidden final boss from a later iteration of Street Fighter II. It would make sense to cast Reigns as a villain, however it is worth noting Akuma is Japanese in the video game. The new Street Fighter movie does not currently have a release date.

AMD RX 9060 XT Specs & Price, Threadripper 9980X, 9970X, 9960X, & R9700 GPUsMay 21, 2025Last Updated: 2025-05-21We go over AMD’s Computex 2025 announcements which include the company’s new RX 9060 XT GPUs, Threadripper CPUs, AI Pro workstation GPU, and moreThe HighlightsAMD’s RX 9060 XT will have 8 and 16GB modelsAMD announced new Threadripper CPUs that include the 9980X, 9970X, 9960X along with PRO 9000 WX-series CPUsAMD also revealed the 9995WX, its new AI Pro workstation GPU, which will come with 128 AI accelerators, 32GB of GDDR6 memory, up to 1531 TOPS, and a 300W TDPTable of ContentsAutoTOC Grab a GN Tear-Down Toolkit to support our AD-FREE reviews and IN-DEPTH testing while also getting a high-quality, highly portable 10-piece toolkit that was custom designed for use with video cards for repasting and water block installation. Includes a portable roll bag, hook hangers for pegboards, a storage compartment, and instructional GPU disassembly cards.IntroAMD just announced its RX 9060 XT GPUs (coming in two memory configurations). We already knew about these but the company just formally announced them. AMD also revealed its “Radeon AI Pro R9700” workstation GPU, and the company’s latest Threadripper 9000 series and Threadripper PRO 9000 WX-series of CPUs. Unlike NVIDIA, AMD actually wants people to know about its products rather than about anti-consumer, anti-free-press actions, so AMD not only announced the products and gave information on them, but will also be sending out review samples well in advance and without conditions - which normally isn’t worth mentioning, but is worth pointing out because of the recent NVIDIA issues.Editor's note: This was originally published on May 20, 2025 as a video. This content has been adapted to written format for this article and is unchanged from the original publication.CreditsHostSteve BurkeCamera, Video EditingMike GaglioneVitalii MakhnovetsWritingTannen WilliamsWeb EditingJimmy ThangThe 9060 XT 16GB will be $350 with the 8GB model at $300. They will release on June 5th. The GPU die is the same for both models, but new from the 9070 (read our review) and 9070 XT (read our review) (which also shared a GPU die). The new die is Navi 44 for the 9060 XTs and sized at 199mm^2, down from 357mm^2 on the 9070-class cards.The company didn’t provide as many first-party testing results as they typically have in the past. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, because all of those results have to be taken with a grain of salt anyway, but we’ll mainly just be sticking to the specs today. We plan to review these cards once they launch. Our understanding is that, unlike the 5060, AMD plans to continue sampling GPUs as usual.Just a heads-up: The information in this article is from a pre-briefing, so this is based on conversations with AMD and not the live presentation itself.AMD Radeon RX 9060 XTThe 9060 XT will come in 16GB and 8GB versions. As for the features that will be shared between the two: Each will have 32 compute units, 32 hardware RT accelerators, 64 of what AMD calls its AI accelerators, and a 3.13 GHz boost clock. Both models will run PCIe gen 5.0 x16 slots, DisplayPort 2.1a, and HDMI 2.1b. AMD also lists a range of 150W-182W for board power, which explains the single PCIe 8-pin connector pictured in the rendering of the GPU. In speaking with AMD, the lower end of the range is for 8GB models.For reference, AMD’s 9070 XT has 64 compute units, 64 RT accelerators, and 128 AI accelerators, or double the amount of the 9060 XT’s CUs and accelerators. The 16GB 9060 XT matches the memory capacity of both the 9070 and 9070 XT, but with a weaker core. These 9060 XTs will be direct competitors to NVIDIA’s 5060 Ti cards, even mirroring the same VRAM configurations. Despite identical memory sizes, NVIDIA’s 50 series cards utilize a newer GDDR7 memory compared to AMD’s GDDR6. As for how much that matters, that depends on the architecture and how much it’s going to rely on the memory bandwidth and that extra speed. We’ll look at it in testing and see how it performs in the real world. Additional differences include the 9060 XT’s use of PCIe 5.0 x16 as opposed to the 5060 Ti’s (read our review) PCIe 5.0 x8 interface. In benchmarking at x8 vs x16 on gen 5, it’s not going to matter. The place where it might matter is socketing it into an older board where cutting the lane count in half is going to become a restriction in some configurations.AMD’s first-party benchmarks compared it against the 8GB RTX 5060 Ti, which we think is fair since it’s a price-parity comparison. We’ll do our own benchmarking pretty soon in our review. AMD Ryzen Threadripper 9000 and PRO 9000 WX-Series CPUs Grab a GN15 Large Anti-Static Modmat to celebrate our 15th Anniversary and for a high-quality PC building work surface. The Modmat features useful PC building diagrams and is anti-static conductive. Purchases directly fund our work! (or consider a direct donation or a Patreon contribution!)AMD also announced its newest Threadripper 9000 Zen 5 CPUs, including the 9980X, 9970X, and 9960X, codenamed “Shimada Peak.” These have been upgraded with increased memory support and enhanced AVX-512 for more demanding tasks.We’ll start with the standard AMD Ryzen Threadripper 9000 CPUs. This series includes the 9980X, 9970X, and 9960X.The 9980X is a 64C/128T CPU at 3.2 GHz base clock and with 256 MB of L3 cache. The 9970X has 32 cores, 64 threads, a 4.0 GHz base clock, and 128 MB of L3 cache. And finally, the 9960X will come with 24 cores, 48 threads, a 4.2 GHz base clock, and also 128 MB of L3 cache. All of these CPUs will also feature an up to 5.4 GHz max boost clock, PCIe 5.0, the same sTR5 socket, and a 350W TDP.For AMD’s Ryzen Threadripper PRO 9000 WX-Series: The company announced six new CPUs, which include the 9945WX, 9955WX, 9965WX, 9975WX, 9985WX, and the flagship 9995WX. Starting with the 9945WX and working our way up, these chips will come with core counts of 12, 16, 24, 32, 64, and finally 96 cores for the 9995WX. This mirrors the existing and prior 7000 series CPU configurations just now on Zen 5. Both the PRO and non-PRO Threadripper CPUs seem to resemble the same basic specs as the 7000 series of Threadripper processors. In these spec sheets, with a higher max boost frequency for the 9000 series CPUs, but a lot of the rest is familiar. One notable difference between the PRO WX and the non-PRO series of Threadrippers is that the workstation series offers “AMD PRO technologies,” which AMD describes as, “a robust suite of enterprise-grade features including multilayered security, advanced remote manageability, and long-term platform stability.” Additionally, at least in the past, the PRO WX-series cards supported the WRX90 chipset in addition to the TRX50 chipset.AMD hasn’t announced any prices at this time, but the press-brief lists availability for July 2025, so we should be expecting to see these soon.AMD Radeon AI Pro R9700Finally, AMD introduced its latest AI Pro workstation GPU. Intel also just announced its new Pro GPUs this past week and we already have a tear-down up of the B60.For specs, this RDNA 4 card will come with 128 AI accelerators, 32GB of GDDR6 memory, up to 1531 TOPS claimed, and a 300W TDP.Compared to one of its predecessor, the Radeon Pro W7700, the new R9700 increases TFLOPS (FP16) from 56.54 to 96, increases AI accelerators from 96 to 128, upgrades to PCIe Gen 5 from Gen 4, and doubles the memory size from 16 to 32GB. Unfortunately, AMD’s press-brief didn’t include any CU, stream processors, or memory bandwidth info for the R9700, so we’ll have to wait to see those exact specs.Due to the R9700’s noticeable configuration improvements over its predecessor, the new GPU ends up being slightly more comparable to the Radeon Pro W7800 which has 140 AI accelerators, 32GB of GDDR6 memory, and 90.5 (FP16) TFLOPS. In its press-brief, AMD included a slide to illustrate how 32GB of VRAM gives users more options in their ability to load larger AI models by highlighting four models that would exceed 16GB of VRAM, but can be used with 32GB of VRAM instead. Additionally, due to the GPU’s ability to load models with larger parameters or that are less quantized, the GPU may also see an uplift in the accuracy of the model’s responses.To expand upon that point, AMD includes another chart labeled “Large AI Models Performance” where it compares an RTX 5080 (read our review) to its AI Pro R9700. Once again, this chart demonstrates how 32GB offers access to run larger models that 16GB just can’t handle. These results are expected. We think a more meaningful comparison might’ve been using the RTX 5090 that also has 32GB of VRAM. This would represent a more like-for-like scenario but we don’t do a lot of ML testing so we’ll leave that for someone else. AMD also shows off the card’s “Multi-GPU PCIe 5 platform” that allows users to connect 4 AI PRO R9700s for some extremely demanding models that need up to 128GB of combined VRAM and theoretically 4x the computing power.We didn’t receive a price for this card, but AMD lists an availability of July 2025. Conclusion Visit our Patreon page to contribute a few dollars toward this website's operation (or consider a direct donation or buying something from our GN Store!) Additionally, when you purchase through links to retailers on our site, we may earn a small affiliate commission.That’ll wrap it up for AMD’s announcements.Unfortunately, it’s a bit difficult to get an idea for performance based on the specs alone, and even harder to get an idea for the value for something without a price.Ideally, we’d be able to get our hands on some of these once they’re publicly available, which should be soon according to AMD’s press-brief.

Isabel Lane is this year’s William “Bill” Menking Travel Award winner. Lane is a graduate student at Pratt Institute in the Urban and Community Planning program, a department in the Graduate Center for Planning and the Environment. Lane will travel to Quebec, Canada, where she’ll engage with farmers, planners, and policymakers to explore Montreal’s urban agricultural production. Lane will examine the extensive, province-wide food system that supports the region, which is 50 percent self-sustaining, Pratt said in a statement. The goal is to export this knowledge back to New York State, and potentially replicate this strategy in local urban and rural communities, bolstering low-cost, healthy produce access. “As a young person, one of Bill Menking’s many roles included organizing for farmworker unions; later, as an architect, he was not simply concerned with the final form, but with the labor conditions in its construction,” Lane said. Lane continued: “Tributes to Bill Menking portray him as a teacher who challenged his students to engage with big, cross-disciplinary questions and never distract from their work’s social implications. This is reflective of Pratt’s School of Architecture’s purpose—to prepare its students to meet moments “of consequence” with firm principles and technical proficiency towards progressive ideals. In this moment of excitement and traction for urban agriculture at scale, I hope that my travels allow me to share with the Pratt community a critical analysis of the opportunities and risks of planning for urban agriculture through the frameworks of social, racial, and environmental justice.” Before entering Pratt, Lane worked on a homestead farm in Maine. She continues this work today as an intern at the Urban Farm on Randall’s Island. All of these lived experiences inform her current research project at the intersection of food equity, resiliency, labor, and social justice. The selection committee that awarded Lane was led by Pratt professor Meredith TenHoor, assistant professor Yuliya Dzyuban, and assistant professor Mark Heller. The travel award was inaugurated in 2023 to honor The Architect’s Newspaper cofounder Bill Menking, who spent three decades teaching at Pratt in addition to organizing in the Architecture Lobby, steering the Storefront for Art and Architecture, researching radical Italian design, and a long list of many other feats. There is also a reading room indebted to Menking at Pratt. The 2024 recipient of William “Bill” Menking Travel Award was Quinn Gregory. He traveled to Amsterdam to research how messengers, planners, academics, and architects have impacted progressive street designs in big cities. Menking passed in 2020, the travel award helps honor his legacy.

At the Ricardo residence in the ’50s sitcom I Love Lucy, over-the-top housewife Lucy and Ricky, her excitable husband, were always getting into some sort of entertaining hijinks. But life at home for the married actors who portrayed them, Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, was much different. “They were very busy,” the late stars’s daughter, Lucie Arnaz, explained in a 2011 interview. “From probably the age of birth up through seven, they weren’t home a lot [aside from] very late at night and weekends.”When Ball wasn’t at work alongside her husband on the hit television comedy, “she was very businesslike about running her house,” their daughter said. The couple, who eloped in November 1940 after a whirlwind romance, bought an abode about 10 miles north of Hollywood in the San Fernando Valley, where they stayed for 15 years. Their domestic lives as Lucy and Ricky—broadcast into dwellings nationwide for six seasons—made them stars, but their actual home lives were still captured by the occasional photoshoot. Read on for a roundup of images of the TV-famous duo in their element as they raised a family in the 1950s.Photo: Bettmann/Getty Images1/21Desilu ranchShortly after Ball and Arnaz eloped, they purchased their beloved five-acre ranch in Chatsworth, California, a suburban neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley area. The couple paid around $16,000 in 1941 for the home, designed by architect Paul R. Williams, and named it Desilu, a portmanteau of their names and later the title of their production company. Ball and Arnaz made the property their own by adding a slew of amenities, including a swimming pool, which Arnaz filled with floating gardenias for a surprise party for Ball’s 30th birthday in 1941.Photo: George Rinhart/Corbis via Getty Images2/21Animal companionsBall and Arnaz weren’t the only two who lived at Desilu ranch. The Devonshire Street abode also hosted a bunch of the couple’s animal friends. The two adopted a handful of dogs, cats, chickens, and a cow known as the Duchess of Devonshire. According to Madelyn Pugh Davis, I Love Lucy writer and Ball’s personal friend, “[Ball would] fall in love with the chickens and wouldn’t kill them. She had the oldest chickens in the Valley.”Photo: FPG/Getty Image3/21Lucy’s design styleBall decorated Desilu in a style she once described as “early Victorian” meets “bastard American.” The single-story home featured whitewood siding and a long driveway that led to the main house, which was surrounded by eucalyptus and peppertrees. This 1945 photograph showcases Ball’s affinity for floral prints, which cover the walls.Photo: Archive Photos/Getty Images4/21Lucy and Desi’s growing familyBall and Arnaz’s two children grew up at the San Fernando Valley area property. Here, Ball and Arnaz celebrate the first birthday of their daughter, Lucie Arnaz, whom they welcomed on July 17, 1951. Ball was expecting—and showing—when she and Arnaz shot the pilot episode of I Love Lucy, but the show made no mention of the pregnancy.Photo: Archive Photos/Getty Images5/21Arts and craftsWhile Ball was known for putting in endless hours at work, she embraced the opportunity to savor her time off. A woman of many hobbies, the comedian loved painting in her spare time. She was no stranger to setting up an easel and canvas by the pool at home, where she could draw inspiration from the natural beauty of picturesque Southern California.Photo: Graphic House/Archive Photos/Getty Images6/21America’s sweetheartsAfter I Love Lucy premiered in October 1951, Ball and Arnaz soon became America’s favorite couple, both onscreen and off—and, according to Arnaz, it was all thanks to his wife. “There’s nobody else that can do what Lucy does with her face, with her walk,” he said, according to Warren G. Harris, author of the biography Lucy & Desi: The Legendary Love Story of Television’s Most Famous Couple. However, the two had their disagreements: Their estate had a small guesthouse that was said to have been used by Arnaz whenever they argued. In 1944, Ball filed for divorce. After it was granted, the two quickly reconciled, making the divorce null and void by California law.Photo: CBS via Getty Images7/21Working from homeGiven the San Fernando Valley ranch was not too far from Hollywood, it offered a prime location for I Love Lucy’s promotional photo needs, like this November 1951 shoot in the couple’s living room. Their mantel, beneath a collection of plates hanging on the wall, made a warm backdrop for a series of images ahead of the holidays; it was sparsely adorned for one shot, then set for a New Year’s–themed photo, and reset for some yuletide-themed press, festooned with various ornaments and matching stockings for Christmas.Photo: Bettmann/Contributor/Getty Images8/21The heart of the homeBall loved to be in the kitchen, as seen in this 1952 photograph. “She fashioned herself as a homemaker of sorts [and] really enjoyed when she could get in the kitchen and make chicken and dumplings,” daughter Lucie said in 2011. “She worried a lot about her household and how the kids were being taken care of and whether the garage was being cleaned out and the homework was being done.”Photo: Archive Photos/Getty Images9/21Hollywood famous hostessEntertaining celebrity friends at dinner parties was one of Ball’s favorite activities, according to Sarah Royal, author of A.K.A. Lucy: The Dynamic and Determined Life of Lucille Ball. Arnaz would cook for their guests, and after meals, friends would gather for coffee that was passed over through a serving hatch, a common midcentury feature between a kitchen and a dining room, through which dishes could seamlessly go in and out of the kitchen.Photo: Bettmann/Contributor/Getty Images10/21Kicking backThe couple sure made working from home look fun as they kicked back in their living room while checking scripts for a forthcoming TV shoot in this 1952 snapshot. From a set of rattan chairs clad in a floral print to the Asian-inspired silk seat in which Arnaz reclines here, the couple found a way to infuse their home with furniture that functioned for both work and play.Photo: CBS Photo Archive/Getty Images11/21Desi’s Cuban design influencesIn this 1953 photograph, Ball was expecting the couple’s second child. Arnaz, meanwhile, was always striving to make their family’s house feel like home. Inspired by his Cuban roots, he had a few small buildings erected on the property—including a game room, a poolhouse, and a barbecue pit—to mirror the sprawling ranch-style aesthetic he was familiar with growing up in Santiago de Cuba. Lemon and orange trees, which Arnaz planted, surrounded the home’s exterior.Photo: KM Archive/Getty Images12/21A new additionLucie’s younger brother, Desiderio Alberto “Desi Jr.” Arnaz IV, was born in 1953. The little one was ready for prime time before he could even walk. In fact, Desi Jr. appeared with his famous mother on the first national issue of TV Guide on April 3, 1953, under the headline “Lucy’s $50,000,000 baby.” In 2019, Lucie told Good Morning America that she and her younger brother savor the sweet memories of time at home with their mom. “Home and being together is a fond and favorite memory—if she made me a grilled cheese sandwich and we sat in the living room and we talked, that is a great moment in my memory,” Lucie said.Photo: Archive Photos/Getty Images13/21Star-studded pool partiesBall and Arnaz enjoyed hosting and were known for having their Hollywood pals over. The Los Angeles Times reports that they’d throw parties for famous friends such as Clark Gable and William Holden, and Arnaz would serve his signature spaghetti sauce.Photo: Archive Photos/Getty Images14/21Fun and gamesArnaz’s idea to have a game room constructed on their property meant nights often involved lively games of cards for the couple. The duo could frequently be found cutting a deck at home, whether in their game room or at their kitchen table. Here, the couple plays cards while seated on their rattan furniture. Art imitates life, or vice versa: One episode of I Love Lucy famously showed Lucy playing poker with Arnaz’s friends.Photo: Archive Photos/Getty Images15/21The Roxbury Drive home’s I Love Lucy cameoBall and Arnaz purchased a Beverly Hills home in 1955 for $85,000. The couple reportedly spent six months renovating the dwelling, located at 1000 North Roxbury Drive. The exterior was used in an episode of I Love Lucy when Lucy and Ethel get off a bus to see actor Richard Widmark’s house.Photo: Archive Photos/Getty Images16/21Leaving the Desilu ranchOne year after purchasing their Beverly Hills home (which offered the couple privacy, as its backyard was walled in), they sold the Desilu ranch to onetime child actress Jane Withers. Ball remained very fond of the ranch; according to the late actor’s publicist, the pair would sometimes drive by the property for a passing glimpse.Photo: Archive Photos/Getty Images17/21Dropping inIn fact, at least on one reported occasion after Withers purchased the property, Ball allegedly waltzed right in. One day, the sitcom actress happened to be in the area and decided to pop by for a visit—though it turned out Withers wasn’t home to host her. Realizing she still had the keys to her former abode, Ball unlocked the door, entered, and was eventually caught in the living room when Withers returned. It’s been said that Ball wasn’t a fan of the redecorating.Photo: Archive Photos/Getty Images18/21A musical homeMusic and dancing were a big part of Arnaz and Ball’s lives, both in their onscreen roles as entertainers as well as in their time relaxing at home, as seen in this 1955 photo. When they first met, Arnaz asked Ball if she knew how to rumba and, according to Harris’s Lucy & Desi biography, added: “I can teach you quickly, but only on condition that you go out with me tonight.”Photo: Gene Lester/Getty Images19/21Family timeIn this 1957 shot, Ball plays with her son in the backyard of their home. “Because she was a working mom in the ’50s, there probably was a lot of guilt involved in not being home with the kids because you’re supposed to be,” said daughter Lucie. “She played a very funny person in her show—very crazy, outrageous person—and all my friends used to think that my mother was really like that. But at home, of course, she wasn’t like that at all. She was very responsible.”Photo: Gene Lester/Getty Images20/21Lucy in the gardenIn her time at home in California, Ball fostered a lifelong love of gardening. Her Beverly Hills home, with its walled-in backyard, added an extra layer of privacy for her to dig into her hobby. The plot was lined with lush landscaping, potted plants, and mature trees. The pastime carried over to the small screen in one episode of I Love Lucy, which showed the sitcom star facing off against the other members of the local club to take home the honor of best garden. Ball later made an onscreen appearance in one of the country’s most famous gardens in the 1974 musical Mame, where she danced by the fountain at the botanical gardens at The Huntington in San Marino, California.Photo: Archive Photos/Getty Images21/21Lucy after DesiBall, pictured here in 1960—the same year she and Arnaz divorced—would have the Beverly Hills estate for the rest of her life. A year after the split, Ball married comedian Gary Morton. The two purchased a New York City apartment in the fall of 1983. It was the first place the two furnished together, Ball told AD in May 1984, adding she’s been so “comfortable” in her properties on the West Coast and wouldn’t allow Morton to “change anything about them.”

The AJ’s special LGBTQ+ issue – out tomorrow – explores thought-provoking discussions about queer culture, about whose voices are heard, about who gets to occupy space – and where, says Emily Booth The AJ’s going Out. And, really, you can’t miss it, given our amazingly colourful cover for this month's issue (photography by Wilson Hennessy, laser cuts by Luka Rocyn, art direction by the AJ’s ever-talented Maria Rodriguez). Indeed, our special edition (out tomorrow, 22 May) has been a whole team effort, led by our brilliant colleagues Gino Spocchia, Rob Wilson and Fran Williams, with a mission to explore, spotlight and, most importantly, celebrate the LGBTQ+ community’s rich contribution to architecture. The magazine lands just in time for Pride month, though we’re conscious that the issues raised within these pages go far beyond a single point in the diary. Advertisement We’ve endeavoured to share a wide range of voices through profiles, interviews, features, photographs and opinion pieces – while being acutely aware we can’t reflect every person, practice or project from such a diverse community. Source: Wilson HennessyBehind the scenes for the cover shoot Within the pages are thought-provoking discussions about queer culture, about whose voices are heard, who gets to occupy space – and where. Space is political, and that feels especially so at present. The RCA’s Gem Barton, who leads the Architecture LGBT+ Academic Champions Network (ACN), has a striking take: ‘To queer is to disrupt. To queer is to stretch, bend, reimagine and reject inherited structures that no longer serve us — if they ever did.’ Despite progress in LGBTQ+ visibility it can still sometimes feel like hard-won inclusivity has fallen behind. There are not, for example, many large practices led by an outwardly LGBTQ+ individual. Even today, coming out can be hard. So, from Gino’s excellent pieces featuring the community’s champions and leaders, looking at why we need LGBTQ+ housing, and even taking a deep dive into nightclub design; and from a special Sketchbook offering, to a detailed diary of upcoming events: we hope that the profession finds much affirmation and inspiration as the AJ goes Out. The May edition of the AJ will be published tomorrow. Subscribers will be able to read the digital edition here, or copies of the printed magazine will be available to buy here. An AJ subscription is better value – click here to view our packages.  Architecture LGBT+ 2025-05-21 Emily Booth comment and share TagsArchitecture LGBT+