It's the same every year. Like clockwork, both social media and real media clamour to do what they do best: moan. Not about politics. Not about the trains. Not even about the weather. No, it's Glastonbury Festival time, which means it's time for the annual whinge-fest over how much it costs and how bad the line-up is. It's a tradition as sacred as Glastonbury itself. Within minutes of the headliners being announced, someone somewhere will tweet "WHO?" as if that settles the matter. The tickets, they declare, are extortionate. The food is overpriced. The toilets are... well, they're not wrong there, to be fair. And yet Glastonbury sells out. Every. Single. Time. In minutes. Not hours, not days, but minutes; just 35 of them, this time around. A digital stampede of fans crashes the ticketing servers, elbows each other out of the virtual queue, and desperately parts with £373.50 of their hard-earned cash. If people really thought it wasn't worth it, why would that happen? Deep down, Glastonbury fans know it is worth it. Not just for the vibes. Not just for the bragging rights. In terms of basic maths alone, it remains a much cheaper way to see all your favourite bands compared with buying tickets to individual gigs. Let's break it down. From this year's stacked, genre-hopping, generation-spanning line-up, these are my 10 ride-or-die bands, the ones I'm determined to see come hell or high water at this year's Glastonbury. And next to them is a reasonable estimate of how much it would cost to see them individually on tour. Alanis Morissette: £60-£135 Charli XCX: £85-£200+ English Teacher: £25-£35 Gracie Abrams: £100-£400+ John Fogerty: £35-£130+ Lola Young: £25-£40 Olivia Rodrigo: £120-£200+ Raye: £50-£100+ Wet Leg: £30-£40 Wolf Alice: £40-£60 You can quickly see how these individual tickets would add up, and that's before the beer-soaked chips and £17 parking surcharges at the O2. But at Glastonbury, they're all included, alongside more than two thousand other acts. Plus five nights of camping, firewood, circus performers, standup comedy, theatre performers, secret gigs, DnB raves, late-night poetry slams, kids' clubs, drone shows, the visionary chaos of Shangri-La, a bloke dressed as a badger doing tai chi at 4am, and the very real possibility of watching Chris Martin duet with a kestrel. All for less than the price of one premium Olivia Rodrigo ticket at the Birmingham NEC with a half-decent sightline. © Amy Fern © George Harrison © Amy Fern No one involved with the festival will ever say this out loud... but in truth, this is underpricing. Glastonbury doesn't cost too much; it's that it's charging less than it's worth. The organisers know it, the scalpers know it, and deep down, so do we. Why else would the event remain massively oversubscribed year after year? The lesson for freelancers Herein lies the lesson for anyone who's ever said yes to a freelance gig, then immediately regretted it because the fee barely covers your oat milk habit. Every time you flinch at raising our rates, worrying, "What if they say no?" you need to remember that people will always complain about the price. But then they pay it anyway, if what you're offering is good. Just like a Glastonbury ticket, your work has value that goes beyond the sum of its parts. Clients might baulk at a day rate, grumble at a quote, or attempt the classic "Can you do it for exposure?". But if they really want you, they'll find the budget. Sure, you could try to undercut your peers. Offer the cheapest design package. Throw in extra concepts for free. Discount your fee before they even ask. But all that gets you is the creative equivalent of being the sad burger stand next to the rave tent: underpaid, undervalued, and slightly sticky. Here's the uncomfortable truth: clients don't always know what things should cost. They base their expectations on their last hire, a Fiverr ad, or what their mate's cousin paid a graphic design student in 2017. © George Harrison © Yushy Pachnanda © JodyHartley But it's not your job to price yourself within their comfort zone. It's your job to price yourself according to your value. If clients can't afford you, that's not rejection; that's redirection. Someone else—someone better, someone ready—will always pay you what you're worth. Just like someone always buys the last Glastonbury ticket. So ignore the noise. Just like the festival, you're not for everyone, and that's fine. Your rates should make you feel slightly nervous, not make your client feel overly comfortable. That's how you grow. That's how you stay booked. That's how you avoid burnout and build a business rather than a bargain bin. In other words, next time you feel the urge to knock 20% off your quote "just to be safe", picture yourself standing in a Somerset field surrounded by 200,000 sweaty strangers who all agreed—despite the price, despite the moaning, despite the toilets—that it was absolutely worth it. And then charge accordingly.

The relationship between strategists and designers is key to creating effective work that meets clients’ needs. But strategists can feel misunderstood, and even undervalued, in their attempts to set a project’s direction through clear and meaningful thinking. We spoke with a range of in-house and independent strategists about what they wish designers knew about their work. Is the role of strategists changing, like so many design industry roles right now? If so, how? “The lightning speed turnaround” of creative work is creating new pressures, says Gardiner Richardson’s associate director and strategic lead, Matt Forster. Partly this is down to the rise of AI, which is front-of-mind according to independent strategist Manfred Abraham, who has held senior roles at Interbrand and Wolff Olins. The two big shifts, he says, are AI’s potential to bring efficiency to the process – using information gathering and analytics to inform insights – and the dramatic changes that AI will bring to the consumer landscape. “Imagine a world where your personal AI agent makes your life much easier,” he says. “What are consumers going to do with their extra time? Strategists will have to work in close collaboration with creatives to be able to imagine the future for our clients.” Beyond AI, consumers’ withering attention spans, coupled with the proliferating demands on their time, creates a big challenge. “Brands are looking for strategists to show them high interest areas of culture where they have a credible role to play, making it easier for them to reach their audience,” says Matt Boffey, chief strategy officer, UK & Europe, at Design Bridge and Partners. As the world becomes more complex, there is a renewed appetite for clarity, says Polly Clark, a strategy consultant for agencies like Buddy Creative in Cornwall. “I’m seeing that simplicity is even more important than ever,” she says. “Overly complex or convoluted thinking isn’t helpful for anyone, and just slows everything down.” And some strategists have noticed a bit of mission creep. “Increasingly, clients are expecting strategists to contribute at a broader business level not purely brand strategy, design or comms,” says Louise Kennedy, who recently joined Into The Light as head of strategy. What don’t designers understand about your role? “Strategy is not a threat or a limit to designers’ creativity,” says Gardiner Richardson’s Matt Forster. “It’s a springboard to a controlled creative leap.” Into the Light’s Louise Kennedy points out that “designers, on the whole, are visual and often want to get to the ‘creative ask’ very quickly so they can start doing what they do best. “But many of us strategists enjoy taking people on the journey of how we got there by unpacking context and patterns. What designers might see as wordy, we see as fascinating storytelling, but perhaps we tell them more than they need to know, to protect our own egos.” There seems to be a recurring tension between the idea of strategists as left brain thinkers – rigorous, analytical, and logical – against designers as right-brain thinkers – more creative and emotional. But Manfred Abraham points out this is a false – if persistent – way of looking at strategy. “Some designers have missed that there might be a strong right brain there as well!” he says. What don’t clients understand about your role? “Unless clients have experienced it before, they aren’t immediately going to understand the value of strategy,” Gardiner Richardson’s Matt Forster says. “They may have worked with agencies who underpin their creative approaches on little substance. “Once we’ve explained our strategic process, why we follow it and the value it will create for all their creative communications and wider business, it’s a no brainer.” Nor does every client understand the commercial power of great design. “In the brand consulting and growth space specifically, clients often think that strategy is communication strategy,” says Manfred Abraham. “The strategies we develop go much further than that – communications is a part of it.” And adding all this value takes time – more than some clients realise. “I think for clients, it is understanding the need to protect the time and space to do a proper job at this stage and the benefit that will bring,” says Into The Light’s Louise Kennedy. “We might even need to commission new insight work if we feel there are big gaps in knowledge,” she adds. How do you balance multiple client meetings with getting the deep thinking done? This, most strategists agree, is a precarious juggling act. “It sometimes feels like ‘manager time’ has won out over ‘maker time,’” says Design Bridge and Partners’ Matt Boffey. “Days are apportioned into slots, from 30 minutes to an hour, which is perfect for meetings but inadequate for building momentum on substantial projects. The goal, he insists, isn’t to eliminate meetings. “Collaboration remains essential. Rather, it’s to create conditions where both discussion and deep work can thrive. We must be careful that ‘talking’ doesn’t completely squeeze out ‘doing’.” He encourages his team to block time between meetings to mentally stretch, as you might after a gym session. “And I’m a strong advocate for reserving longer periods, either half days or full days, for the ‘deep work’ required when writing a discovery debrief or developing brand strategy.” Although Louise Kennedy blocks out time in this way, she finds it doesn’t always work for her. “Often in those moments I can get brainfreeze as I feel under pressure to produce something smart,” she says. “So I like to read everything on a project then leave it for at least a day so my brain can digest it fully and start working behind the scenes.” External consultants can work the schedule that suits them. On most days, Manfred Abraham gets up at 5.30am because that’s when his brain is at its best. It’s also a time of day free of client meetings, “so it’s great thinking time,” he says. Polly Clark, on the other hand, embraces this juggling act. “It’s always something I’ve needed to do, and actually helps sharpen my thinking. Switching focus means I can come back to things fresher, and stops me getting caught up in the weeds.” What’s the worst thing a designer can say to a strategist? Matt Forster – “That they still don’t get it – which means I haven’t involved them enough, explained it well enough or done a good enough job.” Louise Kennedy – “’I’m confused’ or worse, ‘I’m confused and bored’.” Matt Boffey – ‘“Great, the client’s bought the strategy, now we can really start the work.” “This sounds like strategy has become a hurdle to clear before creativity begins, where it should be the foundation that makes creativity powerful and purposeful. The best work happens when strategists and designers see their contributions as interconnected parts of a unified process, rather than unrelated elements.” Polly Clark – “In the past I’ve heard designers question what strategy brings. That’s been when the strategy hasn’t made sense of the challenge, or is overly convoluted – which is sure to make everyone switch off.” Manfred Abraham – “That great design doesn’t need strategic thinking. It’s simply not true. We are great individually but we are brilliant together.”

How Deepfakes Are Created Generative AI models enable the creation of highly realistic fake media. Most deepfakes today are produced by training deep neural networks on real images, video or audio of a target person. The two predominant AI architectures are generative adversarial networks (GANs) and autoencoders. A GAN consists of a generator network that produces synthetic images and a discriminator network that tries to distinguish fakes from real data. Through iterative training, the generator learns to produce outputs that increasingly fool the discriminator¹. Autoencoder-based tools similarly learn to encode a target face and then decode it onto a source video. In practice, deepfake creators use accessible software: open-source tools like DeepFaceLab and FaceSwap dominate video face-swapping (one estimate suggests DeepFaceLab was used for over 95% of known deepfake videos)². Voice-cloning tools (often built on similar AI principles) can mimic a person’s speech from minutes of audio. Commercial platforms like Synthesia allow text-to-video avatars (turning typed scripts into lifelike “spokespeople”), which have already been misused in disinformation campaigns³. Even mobile apps (e.g. FaceApp, Zao) let users do basic face swaps in minutes⁴. In short, advances in GANs and related models make deepfakes cheaper and easier to generate than ever. Diagram of a generative adversarial network (GAN): A generator network creates fake images from random input and a discriminator network distinguishes fakes from real examples. Over time the generator improves until its outputs “fool” the discriminator⁵ During creation, a deepfake algorithm is typically trained on a large dataset of real images or audio from the target. The more varied and high-quality the training data, the more realistic the deepfake. The output often then undergoes post-processing (color adjustments, lip-syncing refinements) to enhance believability¹. Technical defenses focus on two fronts: detection and authentication. Detection uses AI models to spot inconsistencies (blinking irregularities, audio artifacts or metadata mismatches) that betray a synthetic origin⁵. Authentication embeds markers before dissemination – for example, invisible watermarks or cryptographically signed metadata indicating authenticity⁶. The EU AI Act will soon mandate that major AI content providers embed machine-readable “watermark” signals in synthetic media⁷. However, as GAO notes, detection is an arms race – even a marked deepfake can sometimes evade notice – and labels alone don’t stop false narratives from spreading⁸⁹. Deepfakes in Recent Elections: Examples Deepfakes and AI-generated imagery already have made headlines in election cycles around the world. In the 2024 U.S. primary season, a digitally-altered audio robocall mimicked President Biden’s voice urging Democrats not to vote in the New Hampshire primary. The caller (“Susan Anderson”) was later fined $6 million by the FCC and indicted under existing telemarketing laws¹⁰¹¹. (Importantly, FCC rules on robocalls applied regardless of AI: the perpetrator could have used a voice actor or recording instead.) Also in 2024, former President Trump posted on social media a collage implying that pop singer Taylor Swift endorsed his campaign, using AI-generated images of Swift in “Swifties for Trump” shirts¹². The posts sparked media uproar, though analysts noted the same effect could have been achieved without AI (e.g., by photoshopping text on real images)¹². Similarly, Elon Musk’s X platform carried AI-generated clips, including a parody “Ad” depicting Vice-President Harris’s voice via an AI clone¹³. Beyond the U.S., deepfake-like content has appeared globally. In Indonesia’s 2024 presidential election, a video surfaced on social media in which a convincingly generated image of the late President Suharto appeared to endorse the candidate of the Golkar Party. Days later, the endorsed candidate (who is Suharto’s son-in-law) won the presidency¹⁴. In Bangladesh, a viral deepfake video superimposed the face of opposition leader Rumeen Farhana onto a bikini-clad body – an incendiary fabrication designed to discredit her in the conservative Muslim-majority society¹⁵. Moldova’s pro-Western President Maia Sandu has been repeatedly targeted by AI-driven disinformation; one deepfake video falsely showed her resigning and endorsing a Russian-friendly party, apparently to sow distrust in the electoral process¹⁶. Even in Taiwan (amidst tensions with China), a TikTok clip circulated that synthetically portrayed a U.S. politician making foreign-policy statements – stoking confusion ahead of Taiwanese elections¹⁷. In Slovakia’s recent campaign, AI-generated audio mimicking the liberal party leader suggested he plotted vote-rigging and beer-price hikes – instantly spreading on social media just days before the election¹⁸. These examples show that deepfakes have touched diverse polities (from Bangladesh and Indonesia to Moldova, Slovakia, India and beyond), often aiming to undermine candidates or confuse voters¹⁵¹⁸. Notably, many of the most viral “deepfakes” in 2024 were actually circulated as obvious memes or claims, rather than subtle deceptions. Experts observed that outright undetectable AI deepfakes were relatively rare; more common were AI-generated memes plainly shared by partisans, or cheaply doctored “cheapfakes” made with basic editing tools¹³¹⁹. For instance, social media was awash with memes of Kamala Harris in Soviet garb or of Black Americans holding Trump signs¹³, but these were typically used satirically, not meant to be secretly believed. Nonetheless, even unsophisticated fakes can sway opinion: a U.S. study found that false presidential ads (not necessarily AI-made) did change voter attitudes in swing states. In sum, deepfakes are a real and growing phenomenon in election campaigns²⁰²¹ worldwide – a trend taken seriously by voters and regulators alike. U.S. Legal Framework and Accountability In the U.S., deepfake creators and distributors of election misinformation face a patchwork of tools, but no single comprehensive federal “deepfake law.” Existing laws relevant to disinformation include statutes against impersonating government officials, electioneering (such as the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act, which requires disclaimers on political ads), and targeted statutes like criminal electioneering communications. In some cases ordinary laws have been stretched: the NH robocall used the Telephone Consumer Protection Act and mail/telemarketing fraud provisions, resulting in the $6M fine and a criminal charge. Similarly, voice impostors can potentially violate laws against “false advertising” or “unlawful corporate communications.” However, these laws were enacted before AI, and litigators have warned they often do not fit neatly. For example, deceptive deepfake claims not tied to a specific victim do not easily fit into defamation or privacy torts. Voter intimidation laws (prohibiting threats or coercion) also leave a gap for non-threatening falsehoods about voting logistics or endorsements. Recognizing these gaps, some courts and agencies are invoking other theories. The U.S. Department of Justice has recently charged individuals under broad fraud statutes (e.g. for a plot to impersonate an aide to swing votes in 2020), and state attorneys general have considered deepfake misinformation as interference with voting rights. Notably, the Federal Election Commission (FEC) is preparing to enforce new rules: in April 2024 it issued an advisory opinion limiting “non-candidate electioneering communications” that use falsified media, effectively requiring that political ads use only real images of the candidate. If finalized, that would make it unlawful for campaigns to pay for ads depicting a candidate saying things they never did. Similarly, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Department of Justice (DOJ) have signaled that purely commercial deepfakes could violate consumer protection or election laws (for example, liability for mass false impersonation or for foreign-funded electioneering). U.S. Legislation and Proposals Federal lawmakers have proposed new statutes. The DEEPFAKES Accountability Act (H.R.5586 in the 118th Congress) would, among other things, impose a disclosure requirement: political ads featuring a manipulated media likeness would need clear disclaimers identifying the content as synthetic. It also increases penalties for producing false election videos or audio intended to influence the vote. While not yet enacted, supporters argue it would provide a uniform rule for all federal and state campaigns. The Brennan Center supports transparency requirements over outright bans, suggesting laws should narrowly target deceptive deepfakes in paid ads or certain categories (e.g. false claims about time/place/manner of voting) while carving out parody and news coverage. At the state level, over 20 states have passed deepfake laws specifically for elections. For example, Florida and California forbid distributing falsified audio/visual media of candidates with intent to deceive voters (though Florida’s law exempts parody). Some states (like Texas) define “deepfake” in statutes and allow candidates to sue or revoke candidacies of violators. These measures have had mixed success: courts have struck down overly broad provisions that acted as prior restraints (e.g. Minnesota’s 2023 law was challenged for threatening injunctions against anyone “reasonably believed” to violate it). Critically, these state laws raise First Amendment issues: political speech is highly protected, so any restriction must be tightly tailored. Already, Texas and Virginia statutes are under legal review, and Elon Musk’s company has sued under California’s law (which requires platforms to label or block deepfakes) as unconstitutional. In practice, most lawsuits have so far centered on defamation or intellectual property (for instance, a celebrity suing over a botched celebrity-deepfake video), rather than election-focused statutes. Policy Recommendations: Balancing Integrity and Speech Given the rapidly evolving technology, experts recommend a multi-pronged approach. Most stress transparency and disclosure as core principles. For example, the Brennan Center urges requiring any political communication that uses AI-synthesized images or voice to include a clear label. This could be a digital watermark or a visible disclaimer. Transparency has two advantages: it forces campaigns and platforms to “own” the use of AI, and it alerts audiences to treat the content with skepticism. Outright bans on all deepfakes would likely violate free speech, but targeted bans on specific harms (e.g. automated phone calls impersonating voters, or videos claiming false polling information) may be defensible. Indeed, Florida already penalizes misuse of recordings in voter suppression. Another recommendation is limited liability: tying penalties to demonstrable intent to mislead, not to the mere act of content creation. Both U.S. federal proposals and EU law generally condition fines on the “appearance of fraud” or deception. Technical solutions can complement laws. Watermarking original media (as encouraged by the EU AI Act) could deter the reuse of authentic images in doctored fakes. Open tools for deepfake detection – some supported by government research grants – should be deployed by fact-checkers and social platforms. Making detection datasets publicly available (e.g. the MIT OpenDATATEST) helps improve AI models to spot fakes. International cooperation is also urged: cross-border agreements on information-sharing could help trace and halt disinformation campaigns. The G7 and APEC have all recently committed to fighting election interference via AI, which may lead to joint norms or rapid response teams. Ultimately, many analysts believe the strongest “cure” is a well-informed public: education campaigns to teach voters to question sensational media, and a robust independent press to debunk falsehoods swiftly. While the law can penalize the worst offenders, awareness and resilience in the electorate are crucial buffers against influence operations. As Georgia Tech’s Sean Parker quipped in 2019, “the real question is not if deepfakes will influence elections, but who will be empowered by the first effective one.” Thus policies should aim to deter malicious use without unduly chilling innovation or satire. References: https://www.security.org/resources/deepfake-statistics/. https://www.wired.com/story/synthesia-ai-deepfakes-it-control-riparbelli/. https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-24-107292. https://technologyquotient.freshfields.com/post/102jb19/eu-ai-act-unpacked-8-new-rules-on-deepfakes. https://knightcolumbia.org/blog/we-looked-at-78-election-deepfakes-political-misinformation-is-not-an-ai-problem. https://www.npr.org/2024/12/21/nx-s1-5220301/deepfakes-memes-artificial-intelligence-elections. https://apnews.com/article/artificial-intelligence-elections-disinformation-chatgpt-bc283e7426402f0b4baa7df280a4c3fd. https://www.lawfaremedia.org/article/new-and-old-tools-to-tackle-deepfakes-and-election-lies-in-2024. https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/regulating-ai-deepfakes-and-synthetic-media-political-arena. https://firstamendment.mtsu.edu/article/political-deepfakes-and-elections/. https://www.ncsl.org/technology-and-communication/deceptive-audio-or-visual-media-deepfakes-2024-legislation. https://law.unh.edu/sites/default/files/media/2022/06/nagumotu_pp113-157.pdf. https://dfrlab.org/2024/10/02/brazil-election-ai-research/. https://dfrlab.org/2024/11/26/brazil-election-ai-deepfakes/. https://freedomhouse.org/article/eu-digital-services-act-win-transparency. The post The Legal Accountability of AI-Generated Deepfakes in Election Misinformation appeared first on MarkTechPost.

I do not consider myself a very woo-woo person, someone who's in touch with their spirituality, or even someone particularly sentimental. The concept of meditating, like so many other things I regard "too mystical," has never appealed to me, but I'll tell you what does: Working out, being physically healthy, and staying on top of my goals. That's why Peloton's approach to meditation sessions appealed to me more than others have before.I'm always browsing the Peloton app for new workout options and recently stumbled across the guided meditation classes it offers alongside cycling, walking, yoga, strength training, and more. At first, I didn't see the appeal. I use the app and its classes to get sweaty, burn calories, and enhance my body's performance, after all. But as it turns out, these are really cool and can put you in a better mental space, which clears the way for you to do all that other stuff. Since discovering them, I've been streaming them quite a bit. Here's why you should, too.What are Peloton's meditation classes all about?Using Peloton's app—which is included on the touchscreens of its at-home workout equipment, can be downloaded to your phone, or even streamed on devices like a Roku—you can access a variety of class types. Tap Meditation from the home screen and you'll be shown hundreds of meditation options that range in length from five minutes to 30. As with any Peloton offering, they're led by a number of different instructors; if you take enough of them, you'll find a favorite or two, but what really stands out is that there are different categories available, such as:sleep mindfulness anxiety focus recoverygratitudehappinessrelaxingEach class is designed for a specific purpose, so you can choose if you want to "flow and let go," embrace a bright morning, or even take one designed for use on your evening commute. You can filter by class type, which lets you break down the classes by categories like "Daily Meditation," "Meditation Basics," "Emotions," "Theme," or "Walking Meditation." There are even some for pre- and post-natal meditation. You don't need any special equipment; the instructors usually lead off simply by suggesting how you should position your body. Meditations can be added to class Stacks, which are Peloton's version of playlists that cycles through pre-selected classes, allowing you to customize your entire workout before it begins. If you have your Apple Watch linked up to your Peloton account (and you should!) the app will track your heart rate and input the meditation into your Apple Health tracker, listing it as "Mind & Body" under your sessions. Why I like Peloton's meditationsAs I said, I'm not a very spiritual or soulful person, so I appreciate that the meditation classes I've taken through the app aren't overly mushy. Rather, they're pretty straightforward: The instructors speak clearly and plainly, don't rely too much on frivolous imagery, and instead, draw your attention to your breathing and body in a way that actually helps you feel more connected to both. For as much energy as I put into working out and strengthening my body, I do struggle with things like the "mind-muscle connection" or just identifying how different parts of my body are feeling, so these sessions, where I'm asked to focus intently on certain areas and connect to how I'm feeling in a given moment, are actually pretty beneficial to my quest to become stronger and healthier overall.I first tried the Peloton meditations a few weeks ago while waiting for the bus. I was having a very busy day and had had absolutely no time to work out, not even on my Peloton bike, which was adding to my stress while I waited for the bus to pull up and take me to more busy activities. I didn't want to lose my Peloton streak, so I opened the app to see if there was a quick walking workout I could get in, maybe by strolling to the next-farthest bus stop, and saw the meditations option. I picked a five-minute meditation and listened to it while I stood on the sidewalk—and it did chill me out, help me focus, and reinvigorate me a little, almost the same as a traditional workout would have, but without taking up as much time or making me a sweaty mess. I tried a few others over the next few days and found them really useful, especially during long hours in the car on my Memorial Day road trip or earlier this week and when my team was losing a baseball game and I was not enjoying the experience of watching. Obviously, these classes are a lot different from Peloton's usual offerings. I'm not sweating, straining myself, or enhancing my cardiovascular or respiratory function. Instead, I'm strengthening my mind, training myself to focus on my breathing and feelings. Those abilities translate really well to being able to continue my fitness journey as well as just handle whatever is going on in an average day. I think these are especially useful as a pick-me-up, a kickstart for the day, or a post-workout wind-down. I also appreciate how accessible the classes are. You can toggle on closed captions, for instance, and the audio and video components are high-quality, making the instructors easy to understand. The background music never muffles the instructors' voices, there is a diverse selection of instructors and class types, and there really does seem to be something for everyone, whether you want to walk and listen or only have five minutes to devote to grounding yourself.

Insurance is a modern necessity—and it can often be a literal lifesaver. When any sort of disaster strikes, whether it’s to your property, your business, or your health, getting a payment on your claim can mean the difference between getting through the emergency in one piece and being buried under bills for years to come.While it might seem pretty straightforward, anyone who’s actually dealt with insurance companies knows that their least favorite thing to do in this world is pay out on claims. In fact, studies have found that 17% of claims made to HealthCare.gov insurers and 18% of claims made to private insurers are denied—with some insurance companies rejecting nearly 50% of all claims.In fact, some insurers employ several legal but underhanded tricks to avoid paying out on claims. Here are five common tricks insurance companies will use against you.Moving as slowly as possibleThe simplest trick an insurance company can play is to drag their feet on your claim—there’s a reason the phrase “deny and delay” has become linked to the insurance industry as a whole. This tactic works because your insurer knows you’re desperate for a settlement on your claim; that’s the whole point of insurance. The longer they make you wait, the more likely you’ll accept whatever they offer you, even if you know it’s much less than you’re entitled to.Delay tactics vary, but can include:Documentation overload. Insurance companies sometimes request huge amounts of (sometimes unnecessary) documentation that takes a lot of time to procure and organize.Personnel swaps. Insurers may change the adjuster and other employees on your case, with each new person requiring some time to review the claim and get up to speed.Claiming no response. Your insurer asked for something, and you provided it. Weeks later they claim they never received it, and ask that you submit it again.The best way to counter these tactics is meticulous record-keeping. If you feel that your insurer is asking for unnecessary documentation, ask them to explain why they need the documents—this sometimes makes document requests magically vanish. Send all written communications via certified mail and turn on read receipts for emails and other electronic communications.Love bombingInsurers are often extremely nice to you when you initially start dealing with them. They express sympathy, use the words “I’m sorry” in the context of your injuries or loss, and generally sound warm and friendly. That’s nice, and may even be genuine. But it’s also a tactic they use to delay or eventually find reasons to deny your claim.Studies have found that apologies can be weaponized, and that people will tolerate delays and settle for less if they think the other party is taking responsibility or expressing empathy. Being excessively nice to you can fool you into thinking you can rely on the insurer to handle things on your behalf. This lets the company delay as much as possible, stringing you along. Love bombing like this can also get you to say things you shouldn’t say—as we’ll see in the next entry.Twisting your wordsAnother reason an insurance adjuster or other employee might apologize to you? Because it can gently goad you into expressing regrets of your own which can then be used against you. Any expression of apology or regret could be interpreted as an admittance of fault. And establishing a friendly, sympathetic rapport with you could be a tactic to get you to say more than you should by speculating on causes or your responsibility in a claim.For example, while speaking with a friendly adjuster about a car accident you were involved with, you might tell them you wish you’d noticed the other car driving erratically—if you had, you might have avoided the accident. This might seem like a simple observation, but it could be twisted into an admittance that you weren’t paying attention—and thus your claim is denied.Insurers will also sometimes demand that you submit a recorded statement, often very quickly after the incident covered by the claim. They will sometimes state that this is best for you, as it will get the claim moving more quickly. But a rushed recorded statement can also lead to a denied claim—if you’re wrong or inaccurate about anything in your statement, this could be used as a basis for denial.To avoid the tactics listed above, follow a few simple rules for dealing with insurers:Lawyer up. Hiring a lawyer to help you deal with insurance claims might seem like overkill, but you should always have a lawyer with you when speaking with insurers. An experienced attorney can ensure you don’t say anything that could hurt your claim.Never record. You’re typically not required to submit recorded statements, so don’t do it. Insist that all communications be done in person or over the phone, with your attorney present.Be suspicious. If an adjuster or other representative of the insurance company is overly friendly, don’t fall for it. Their sympathy might be genuine, but it can still get you into trouble if you let your guard down.RushingIronically, an effective tactic to delay and deny claims is to rush things. You file your claim, and before you can get organized, hire a lawyer, and recover from whatever happened, the insurer is on the phone, offering a settlement. This is often combined with pressure—like sending you a letter stating that you have two weeks to accept the settlement offer, or the company will “close the file.”This is usually designed to reduce the payout—that easy, fast settlement is probably for a lot less than the amount you’re actually entitled to—and to force errors on your part. By rushing to pull together information, you’ll probably make mistakes that can then be used to deny the claim.You can defend against this in two simple ways:Slow down. Ignore pressure to respond immediately or by arbitrary deadlines. Take your time, gather information, and respond when you’re ready. An attorney can help by acting as a buffer between you and the company.Know the statute. If your insurer tells you it will close your claim file, let it happen. It’s a meaningless administrative action. Your state’s laws will have a defined Statute of Limitations on your claim—a period of time when you’re legally allowed to pursue the claim. As long as you’re within that time period, you can force the insurer to re-open the claim.LowballingIf your insurer doesn’t think it can totally deny your claim, it may offer you a lowball settlement. You shouldn’t accept an insurance company’s calculations as gospel. In fact, the most important piece of information you can have about the claims process is that you are allowed to hire your own insurance adjuster. A public insurance adjuster works for you, not the insurance company, and will often arrive at a much higher figure for your claim.Hiring your own adjuster also insulates you from internal delays, as you won’t have to wait on your insurer’s processes or play phone tag with their adjuster. In addition to an experienced lawyer, a public adjuster can also ensure that you have all the support and knowledge you need to navigate the often murky world of insurance claims.

Estimating the time required to complete a task is riddled with pitfalls.Let’s start with two key concepts you must understand — after managing and designing projects for over 20 years, I’ve seen these patterns play out again and again.Hofstadter’s lawHofstadter’s law is a self-referential adage about time that goes like this:“It always takes longer than you expect, even when you take into account Hofstadter’s law.”This law highlights how difficult it is to accurately estimate the time required to complete complex tasks. Its recursive nature reflects the widespread experience that, no matter how complex a task appears, calculating the time needed is hard, even with our best efforts. (See the header image.)Why is that?Optimism biasThe main reason stems from the tendency known as optimism bias — the inclination to be overly optimistic and thus overestimate favorable outcomes. In fact, we tend to overestimate our own abilities as well.It’s worth noting that this bias is actually quite necessary for humans: without it, we wouldn’t take risks, start businesses, or grow. However, when it comes to estimation, it can seriously backfire. This phenomenon naturally leads to…Planning fallacyOverly optimistic forecasts about the outcomes of plans are almost everywhere. Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky introduced the term planning fallacy to describe how we consistently underestimate the necessary resources (money, time) when planning complex projects. This phenomenon pushes us toward optimistic planning. Unsurprisingly, we’re much more realistic when reviewing someone else’s plan.In short:We overestimate favorable outcomes and our abilities, and we underestimate the required resources and constraints.What can we do?As I mentioned earlier, I’ll share how I personally handle this. The phenomenon is not new, and there are countless methods available.2x + 15 ruleFor smaller tasks (~1–20 hours), I use this technique. I look at the task, estimate the number of hours, double it, and add 15 minutes. The extra 15 minutes is to get started and immerse yourself in the task. Most of the time, it works quite well and is incredibly simple.Hofstadter multiplierMy teammates track and record the actual time spent on tasks, which is useful for several reasons. First, it helps everyone gain experience with how long typical tasks take, which they can then compare to their own estimates, improving their estimation skills. Second, you can determine your own — or a particular person’s — so-called Hofstadter multiplier. We’re all different, so this is a more advanced, personalized version of the 2x + 15 rule.Complex projectsThe earlier solutions work well for simpler tasks, but complex projects require additional considerations. But first, it’s important to clarify one question:How much energy can you, or do you want to, invest in the estimate/proposal?From there, more questions arise:Is it a rough indicative proposal or a detailed, itemized one?What inputs, expertise, and professionals are needed for the estimate?Is all necessary information available?How much capacity do you have (if any) for the estimation and/or execution?Do you realistically have a chance of winning the work? :)Your answers to these questions will influence the path you choose.Going back to the planning fallacy for a moment: it can be mitigated by involving a third party or by relying on real data from similar past projects.That’s why it’s crucial to keep precise records of the time spent on every task so that the data is available later.You will log the time for every task. — Obi-Wan KenobiMoving on…In an ideal world, the best approach is for the team that will actually execute the project to estimate it together. But consider how much it costs if a 4–5 person team individually reviews and interprets the materials, discusses them together, collects missing information, breaks down the project into items, and estimates each one using some method. It’s incredibly time-consuming and expensive.Therefore, as a substitute, it’s good to have an experienced person who’s seen many projects and/or to rely on actual hours from similar past projects. In this case, you only need to account for the differences and unknowns (the risks) at the time of the proposal. Estimation becomes much simpler, faster, and cheaper.For indicative proposals, I almost always use this latter method, with one important addition: always assume a ±20% variation.Whoa, be careful!It may seem like you’ve done something similar before, but hidden behind the scenes are major differences. This can lead to nasty surprises if you rely on data from nearly similar projects. In such cases, it’s wise to consult multiple external teams to benchmark the work. This helps refine the estimate and creates a healthy competitive environment.And when a detailed, itemized proposal is necessary… There’s no shortcut: you’ll need to apply a methodology. I won’t even attempt to cover this topic here, as there are entire books written about the relevant methodologies.FinallyI’ve been in the product design profession for over 20 years, and I often play the game where, after hearing the requirements, I throw out a number almost off the top of my head. It works surprisingly often, but of course, I wouldn’t even call it indicative. Still, it’s fun.Estimating time for complex projects was originally published in UX Collective on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Over the past few weeks, VMware customers holding onto their perpetual licenses, which are often unsupported and in limbo, have reportedly begun receiving formal cease-and-desist letters from Broadcom. The message is as blunt as it is unsettling: your support contract has expired, and you are to immediately uninstall any updates, patches, or enhancements released since that expiration date. Not only that, but audits could follow, with the possibility of “enhanced damages” for breach of contract. This is a sharp escalation in an effort to push perpetual license holders toward VMware’s new subscription-only model. For many, it signals the end of an era where critical infrastructure software could be owned, maintained, and supported on long-term, stable terms. Now, even those who bought VMware licenses outright are being told that support access is off the table unless they sign on to the new subscription regime. As a result, enterprises are being forced to make tough decisions about how they manage and support one of the most foundational layers of their IT environments. VMware isn’t just another piece of enterprise software. It’s the plumbing. The foundation. The layer everything else runs on top of, which is precisely why many CIOs flinch at the idea of running unsupported. The potential risk is too great. A vulnerability or failure in your virtual infrastructure isn’t the same as a bug in a CRM. It’s a systemic weakness. It touches everything. This technical risk is, without question, the biggest barrier to any organization considering support options outside of VMware’s official offering. And it’s a valid concern.  But technical risk isn’t black and white. It varies widely depending on version, deployment model, network architecture, and operational maturity. A tightly managed and stable VMware environment running a mature release with minimal exposure doesn’t carry the same risk profile as an open, multi-tenant deployment on a newer build. The prevailing assumption is that support equals security—and that operating unsupported equals exposure. But this relationship is more complex than it appears. In most enterprise environments, security is not determined by whether a patch is available. It’s determined by how well the environment is configured, managed, and monitored. Patches are not applied instantly. Risk assessments, integration testing, and change control processes introduce natural delays. And in many cases, security gaps arise not from missing patches but from misconfigurations: exposed management interfaces, weak credentials, overly permissive access. An unpatched environment, properly maintained and reviewed, can be significantly more secure than a patched one with poor hygiene. Support models that focus on proactive security—through vulnerability analysis, environment-specific impact assessments, and mitigation strategies—offer a different but equally valid form of protection. They don’t rely on patch delivery alone. They consider how a vulnerability behaves in the attack chain, whether it’s exploitable, and what compensating controls are available.  Read more about VMware security Hacking contest exposes VMware security: In what has been described as a historical first, hackers in Berlin have been able to demo successful attacks on the ESXi hypervisor. No workaround leads to more pain for VMware users: There are patches for the latest batch of security alerts from Broadcom, but VMware users on perpetual licences may not have access. This kind of tailored risk management is especially important now, as vendor support for older VMware versions diminishes. Many reported vulnerabilities relate to newer product components or bundled services, not the core virtualization stack. The perception of rising security risk needs to be balanced against the stability and maturity of the versions in question. In other words, not all unsupported deployments are created equal. Some VMware environments—particularly older versions like vSphere 5.x or 6.x—are already beyond the range of vendor patching. In these cases, the transition to unsupported status may be more symbolic than substantive. The risk profile has not meaningfully changed.  Others, particularly organisations operating vSphere 7 or 8 without an active support contract, face a more complex challenge. Some critical security patches remain accessible, depending on severity and version, but the margin of certainty is shrinking.   These are the cases where enterprises are increasingly turning to alternative support models to bridge the gap—ensuring continuity, maintaining compliance, and retaining access to skilled technical expertise. Third-party support is sometimes seen as a temporary fix—a way to buy time while organizations figure out their long-term plans. And it can serve that purpose well. But increasingly, it’s also being recognized as a strategic choice in its own right: a long-term solution for enterprises that want to maintain operational stability with a reliable support partner while retaining control over their virtualization roadmap.What distinguishes third-party support in this context isn’t just cost control, it’s methodology.   Risk is assessed holistically, identifying which vulnerabilities truly matter, what can be addressed through configuration, and when escalation is genuinely required. This approach recognises that most enterprises aren’t chasing bleeding-edge features. They want to run stable, well-understood environments that don’t change unpredictably. Third-party support helps them do exactly that, without being forced into a rapid, costly migration or a subscription contract that may not align with their business needs.  Crucially, it enables organisations to move on their own timeline. Much of the conversation around unsupported VMware environments focuses on technical risk. But the longer-term threat may be strategic. The end of perpetual licensing, the sharp rise in subscription pricing, and now the legal enforcement of support boundaries all points to a much bigger problem: a loss of control over infrastructure strategy.  Vendor-imposed timelines, licensing models, and audit policies are increasingly dictating how organizations use the very software they once owned outright. Third-party support doesn’t eliminate risk—nothing can. But it redistributes and controls it. It gives enterprises more agency over when and how they migrate, how they manage updates, and where they invest. In a landscape shaped by vendor agendas, that independence is increasingly critical.  Broadcom’s cease-and-desist letters represent a new phase in the relationship between software vendors and customers—one defined not by collaboration, but by contractual enforcement. And for VMware customers still clinging to the idea of “owning” their infrastructure, it’s a rude awakening: support is no longer optional, and perpetual is no longer forever. Organizations now face three paths: accept the subscription model, attempt a rapid migration to an alternative platform, or find a support model that gives them the stability to decide their future on their own terms.  For many, the third option is the only one that balances operational security with strategic flexibility.  The question now isn’t whether unsupported infrastructure is risky. The question is whether the greater risk is allowing someone else to dictate what happens next. 

Banksy Unveils New Lighthouse Mural With the Words ‘I Want to Be What You Saw in Me’ in France The anonymous street artist announced the uncharacteristically personal artwork on May 29. It’s located on a wall in the French city of Marseille The new Banksy mural is on a wall beside a covered street in Marseille, France. Viken Kantarci / AFP via Getty Images After a five-month hiatus, Banksy is back with a new lighthouse mural in France. Compared to many of his previous works, the piece is uncharacteristically personal. The anonymous street artist announced his latest creation in an Instagram post on May 29. Located on a beige wall beside a sidewalk, the black lighthouse appears to merge with a painted shadow of a nearby metal safety post. Stenciled over the artwork are the words, “I want to be what you saw in me.” “There is no official explanation for the phrase,” write the Associated Press’ Thomas Adamson, Bishr Eltoni and Jill Lawless. “But its emotional pull is unmistakable—a quiet plea for recognition, love or redemption.”Banksy’s post appeared on Instagram with no caption, initially leaving the new mural’s location a mystery. However, BBC Verify, a team of investigative journalists and fact-checkers, quickly deduced that the mural is located on a backstreet called Rue Félix Frégier in the French city of Marseille, according to BBC News’ Cachella Smith and Amy Walker. Reactions to the new artwork were mixed. As the Art Newspaper’s Anny Shaw writes, “It could be a defection from the commercialism he simultaneously critiques and profits from, but I guess I’ve been made to expect more—either by technique or by message—from an artist whose entire practice, cheesy as it may be, is enmeshed in social and class consciousness.” Banksy has been creating street art around the world for decades. Some of his most well-known pieces include Rage, the Flower Thrower, a commentary on war, and Girl With Balloon. The artist’s works have sold for staggeringly high prices at auction; his most expensive piece is Love Is in the Bin, which fetched more than $25 million in 2021. Last summer, Banksy completed a series of animal-themed paintings in London, including a pair of elephants, monkeys swinging from a bridge and a howling wolf painted on a satellite dish. Until the lighthouse, his most recent verified mural was a black-and-white painting of a veiled woman breastfeeding a baby—a reference to the Madonna and child—which he announced in an Instagram post on December 16, 2024. Much of Banksy’s career has been “politically charged,” drawing attention to issues like Palestinian suffering and the refugee crisis, writes the Art Newspaper. For instance, his recent London animal artworks may have been “a comment on the impact of humans on biodiversity.” Swinger, a mural Banksy painted in New Orleans in 2008 Infrogmation of New Orleans via Wikimedia Commons under CC BY 2.0 However, the new lighthouse mural is a departure for Banksy, who “seems to be getting more philosophical in his middle age,” per the publication. His latest work could be “a moment of rare self-reflection—after all, this is the first time Banksy has referred to himself in the first person in a public mural.” Nobody knows what Banksy’s intentions were, though many onlookers have theories. The Guardian’s Matthew Weaver suggests that “I want to be what you saw in me” may be a reference to a lyric from “Softly,” a 2001 country song by the band Lonestar: “I want to be what you see in me / I want to love you the way that you love me.” Banksy rarely includes text in his pieces. When he does, he “usually incorporates extant signage or graffiti when adding his touch rather than writing out his own phrases,” according to Hyperallergic’s Rhea Nayyar. “That being said, this particular text takes the street artist’s already on-the-nose symbolism to another level,” with the “heavy-handed captioning” coming across as “overly sentimental.” “Some commentators have said that at best, the latest offering attempts to open a vaguely profound conversation about being a ‘guiding light’ or ‘finding the light within.’ At worst, it veers into ‘live, laugh, love’ territory,” writes the Art Newspaper. “This message could be Banksy’s most personal yet—but its execution risks it also being his most banal.” Get the latest stories in your inbox every weekday.

All in all, the mattress is a great choice for those who like a plush sleep experience. “I would highly recommend it, especially if you’re interested in switching to an eco-friendly bed—it’s an amazing alternative to a regular mattress!” Gore says. “I noticed that I tossed and turned less throughout the night while snoozing on this mattress because my body locked into position once I dozed off.”For Firmer-Leaning SleepersMy Green Mattress Natural Escape MattressUpsidesSupportive designShips in a box for streamlined deliveryDownsidesWhite-glove delivery is not an optionSpecsOrganic certifications: GOTS and GOLS certified organic, GreenGuard Gold certifiedMattress type: InnerspringHeight: 11 inchesFirmness: Medium-firmWarranty: Free shipping and returns, 20-year warranty, 120-night sleep trial periodWhen contributor Kristi Kellogg was asked if she would recommend this bed to a friend, her answer was simple: “Ab-so-lutely.” This straightforward response comes after an incredibly streamlined delivery and setup process. “The mattress showed up in a box that was as tall as me, and I was able to push it into my garage without event,” she says.The mattress itself consists of layers of organic latex and wool, plus cotton quilting, which unfurl out of the packaging into a supportive sleep surface. The medium-firm mattress is also just as comfortable as typical firm mattresses, according to Kellogg. “I feel super supported, and haven’t experienced any back pain sleeping on it,” she says. If you prefer a more pillowy experience, she also notes that My Green Mattress sells plush mattress toppers that give you an extra two inches of softness and pressure point relief.Best for a Range of SleepersAvocado Green MattressUpsidesIt has the most organic certifications in this listBoasts over 15,000 five-star reviewsHas a classic firm feelDownsidesThe medium and plush firmness levels cost extraSpecsOrganic certifications: GreenGuard Gold certified, Oeko-Tex Standard 100 certified, FSC Pure Talalay latex certified, GOTS certified organic wool and cotton, climate neutral certifiedMattress type: Latex hybridHeight: 11 inchesFirmness: Firm, medium, plush optionsWarranty: 25-year warranty, one-year sleep trialAvocado is one of the most popular mattress brands out there, and with over 15,000 five-star reviews for its flagship “Green” model, it was only a matter of time before we put it to the test ourselves. Designed for back and stomach sleepers, contributor Katy Olson has it in her space and loves that it’s “firm, but not overly firm.” While she has the standard firmness level, you can also choose between medium feel for a pillow top layer or plush for a pressure-relieving support layer. Plus, she says the high-quality materials have even helped relieve some of her nightly sneezing from allergies. It consists of GOLS-certified organic Dunlop latex, GOTS-certified organic wool and cotton, plus nearly 1,379 individually wrapped support coils. This combination is designed to target seven ergonomic zones that prop your body up while you snooze.For Side SleepersHappsy Organic MattressUpsidesGreat for people who need more supportIncludes four support and soft layersDownsidesLight alfalfa smell upon mattress unboxing, according to our testerOnly two firmness options offered, and may be too firm for certain types of sleepersSpecsOrganic certifications: GOTS certifiedMattress type: HybridHeight: 10 inchesFirmness: Medium-firm and plush-firm optionsWarranty: Free shipping and returns, 20-year warranty, 120-night sleep trialJust like the other bed-in-a-box experience noted above, Kellogg was “shocked and delighted by how easy it was to remove the rolled up, compressed mattress and then watch as it unrolled and sprung to life.” Kellogg says it’s an “undeniably firm” bed that “still has ample cushioning to keep it comfortable” for any sleeping position—especially side sleepers who could use some soft support.She loves her Happsy bed for its use of eco-friendly materials like organic cotton and wool backed by a 100% GOTS organic certification. “Additionally, they are free of the glue and adhesives that are typically found in between a mattress’ comfort layers and coil systems.”More AD-Approved Organic MattressesBirch Natural MattressUpsidesStrong edge supportSoft yet supportive designDownsidesIt has a limited lifetime warrantySpecsOrganic certifications: Fair Trade, GreenGuard Gold, GOLS certifiedMattress type: HybridHeight: 11 inchesFirmness: Medium-firmWarranty: Limited lifetime warranty, 100-night sleep trialEven stripped of its bedding, this mattress makes a great first impression on design alone. “The details in the color and materials made it stand out right out of the box,” says senior digital design editor Zoë Sessums. “It’s firm, but doesn’t feel stiff, and soft without making you sink—to me, it’s Goldilocks perfection.” For context, on a firmness scale of one to 10 on the site, it ranks at about a seven. It’s also designed with cradling comfort in mind. The mattress cover is made with organic cotton, which has a soft and stretchy design as well as a breathable feel. For those who like to sit on the side of the bed, this mattress also has two reinforced side edges for extra edge support.Parachute Eco MattressUpsidesAmple giveStylish constructionDownsidesShort sleep trialSpecsOrganic certifications: While the site doesn’t note specific certifications, the brand claimsthat the bed is made from 100% certified organic cotton, tempered steel, and pure New Zealand woolMattress type: HybridHeight: 12 inchesFirmness: Medium-firmWarranty: 90-day sleep trial, 10-year warranty, and free white-glove delivery and returnsFrom duvet covers to sheet sets, Parachute Home is one of the best places to buy bedding for more reasons than one—starting with its mattress. Like the airy linens the brand is known for, this mattress is breathable from its internal steel pocketed coils—which contains five times as many as a standard bed. It also boasts additional layers of pure New Zealand wool and cotton. Contributor Kristen Flanagan has the bed in her space and considers it just right for her sleep preferences: Not too firm, but not too soft, good motion isolation, and very intentionally made.Although it has a firm design, the actual feel of the mattress took Flanagan by surprise. “There is plenty of give, but you don’t sink into it or leave an imprint. My back feels very supported. The hand-tufting makes the top soft but not too mushy,” she says, adding that its balanced support converted her into a medium-firm mattress person.Coyuchi Natural REM MattressUpsidesGreat for use with or without a box springDownsidesLow-lying heightSpecsOrganic certifications: GOTS certified organic cotton and wool and GOLS certified organic latexMattress type: HybridHeight: 11 inchesFirmness: Medium-firmWarranty: 365-night sleep trial, lifetime warranty, free shipping and returnsSenior commerce editor Nashia Baker sings this hybrid mattress’ praises for its combination of contouring comfort and support. While we’re used to resting on Coyuchi’s soft bed sheets, this mattress is great for its plush hand feel. And despite being the retailer’s first-ever mattress, the bed excels at accommodating all sleep positions, Baker says. As a self-proclaimed combination sleeper, she understands the woes of side, back, and stomach sleepers alike, but praises the blend of materials (like organic wool, latex, cotton, and coils) for keeping her cozy and propped up during sleep. “This bed has just enough give to feel comforting and support from the coils to maintain its shape, which I have a strong feeling will last for many years to come,” she affirms.Brentwood Home Oceano Luxury Hybrid MattressUpsidesIncludes cushy planted-based foamStrong cooling technologyHandcrafted in the U.S.DownsidesLess ideal for those looking for back supportSpecsOrganic certifications: GOTS certified organic wool and cotton, CertiPUR-US certified cooling gel memory foam with BioFoam, natural silk fibersMattress type: Memory foamHeight: 14 inchesFirmness: Medium-softWarranty: 25-year warranty, one-year sleep trialIf you like soft mattresses made of memory foam, this Brentwood bed is a great pick. Contributor Nick Mafi loves this bed for its cradling comfort and the brand ’s manufacturing practices. “Brentwood Home has been around since 1987 and I love that they handcraft their mattresses in their own GOLS-certified factory just outside of Los Angeles,” he says. “By making their products in the US, Brentwood Home can ensure that their environmental, labor, and social responsibility standards are being met.”Mafi notes that its cooling technology is top-notch, as the blend of foam and thousands of individually pocketed coils provide ample airflow to keep him from sweating. Just keep in mind that it’s a true medium-soft mattress, so it’s most ideal for those who are looking for a plush feel like stomach sleepers. “This mattress wouldn’t be a good fit for someone who needs a huge amount of back support,” Mafi says. “It is on the softer side, so I sink in a little (which I personally find super luxurious!).”How We TestedNot to be redundant if you’re a regular AD Shopping reader, but our editors are serious about their beauty rest. We’ve put on Sleep Week for the last five years to prove it—highlighting our team’s favorite sleep must-haves for catching Z’s. Since a mattress is the core of any bedroom, we routinely test beds throughout the year by sussing out the industry’s best and sleeping on them like any reader would in their home. Our editors and contributors slept on the organic mattresses in this list for at least a month (our standard testing period) to give you their thorough reviews on how it affected their sleep.Comfort: From soft beds to mattresses designed for side sleepers, our editors pay close attention to how well they sleep on all of their beds—and this organic mattress story is no different. Our team of writers and contributors noted key callouts like firmness levels, edge support, and motion transfer to assess how easily they were able to fall and stay asleep.Materials: We prioritized beds on this list with certified organic latex, wool, and cotton. For hybrid models, we looked for steel pocketed coils as part of the build. In addition, we looked at the care labels and certifications to ensure there weren’t harmful chemicals or substances like flame retardants or fiberglass included.Temperature Regulation: Another important factor is breathability on the beds. Whether you’re a hot sleeper or just want a bed to keep you cool when summer comes around, most of the beds are naturally temperature-regulating from materials like organic latex. That aside, many hybrid mattresses are already well-ventilated due to the coils at their base that improve airflow.Sleep Trial Period: To get a real feel for the bed before fully committing, most mattress brands offer a sleep trial starting around 100 days with some even reaching up to a year.