On the desktop, most people use the official HTML and JavaScript-based client for Discord in either a browser or a still-smells-like-a-browser Electron package. Yet what if there was a way …read more

“Wait, can users actually add products to the cart?”Every prototype faces that question or one like it. You start to explain it’s “just Figma,” “just dummy data,” but what if you didn’t need disclaimers?What if you could hand clients—or your team—a working, data-connected mock-up of their website, or new pages and components, in less time than it takes to wireframe?That’s the challenge we’ll tackle today. But first, we need to look at:The problem with today’s prototyping toolsPick two: speed, flexibility, or interactivity.The prototyping ecosystem, despite having amazing software that addresses a huge variety of needs, doesn’t really have one tool that gives you all three.Wireframing apps let you draw boxes in minutes but every button is fake. Drag-and-drop builders animate scroll triggers until you ask for anything off-template. Custom code frees you… after you wave goodbye to a few afternoons.AI tools haven’t smashed the trade-off; they’ve just dressed it in flashier costumes. One prompt births a landing page, the next dumps a 2,000-line, worse-than-junior-level React file in your lap. The bottleneck is still there. Builder’s approach to website mockupsWe’ve been trying something a little different to maintain speed, flexibility, and interactivity while mocking full websites. Our AI-driven visual editor:Spins up a repo in seconds or connects to your existing one to use the code as design inspiration. React, Vue, Angular, and Svelte all work out of the box. Lets you shape components via plain English, visual edits, copy/pasted Figma frames, web inspos, MCP tools, and constant visual awareness of your entire website. Commits each change as a clean GitHub pull request your team can review like hand-written code. All your usual CI checks and lint rules apply.And if you need a tweak, you can comment to @builderio-bot right in the GitHub PR to make asynchronous changes without context switching.This results in a live site the café owner can interact with today, and a branch your devs can merge tomorrow. Stakeholders get to click actual buttons and trigger real state—no more “so, just imagine this works” demos.Let’s see it in action.From blank canvas to working mockup in five promptsToday, I’m going to mock up a fake business website. You’re welcome to create a real one.Before we fire off a single prompt, grab a note and write:Business name & vibe Core pages Primary goal Brand palette & toneThat’s it. Don’t sweat the details—we can always iterate. For mine, I wrote:1. Sunny Trails Bakery — family-owned, feel-good, smells like warm cinnamon. 2. Home, About, Pricing / Subscription Box, Menu (with daily specials). 3. Drive online orders and foot traffic—every CTA should funnel toward “Order Now” or “Reserve a Table.” 4. Warm yellow, chocolate brown, rounded typography, playful copy.We’re not trying to fit everything here. What matters is clarity on what we’re creating, so the AI has enough context to produce usable scaffolds, and so later tweaks stay aligned with the client’s vision. Builder will default to using React, Vite, and Tailwind. If you want a different JS framework, you can link an existing repo in that stack. In the near future, you won’t need to do this extra step to get non-React frameworks to function.(Free tier Builder gives you 5 AI credits/day and 25/month—plenty to follow along with today’s demo. Upgrade only when you need it.)An entire website from the first promptNow, we’re ready to get going.Head over to Builder.io and paste in this prompt or your own:Create a cozy bakery website called “Sunny Trails Bakery” with pages for: • Home • About • Pricing • Menu Brand palette: warm yellow and chocolate brown. Tone: playful, inviting. The restaurant is family-owned, feel-good, and smells like cinnamon. The goal of this site is to drive online orders and foot traffic—every CTA should funnel toward "Order Now" or "Reserve a Table."Once you hit enter, Builder will spin up a new dev container, and then inside that container, the AI will build out the first version of your site. You can leave the page and come back when it’s done.Now, before we go further, let’s create our repo, so that we get version history right from the outset. Click “Create Repo” up in the top right, and link your GitHub account.Once the process is complete, you’ll have a brand new repo.If you need any help on this step, or any of the below, check out these docs.Making the mockup’s order system workFrom our one-shot prompt, we’ve already got a really nice start for our client. However, when we press the “Order Now” button, we just get a generic alert. Let’s fix this.The best part about connecting to GitHub is that we get version control. Head back to your dashboard and edit the settings of your new project. We can give it a better name, and then, in the “Advanced” section, we can change the “Commit Mode” to “Pull Requests.”Now, we have the ability to create new branches right within Builder, allowing us to make drastic changes without worrying about the main version. This is also helpful if you’d like to show your client or team a few different versions of the same prototype.On a new branch, I’ll write another short prompt:Can you make the "Order Now" button work, even if it's just with dummy JSON for now?As you can see in the GIF above, Builder creates an ordering system and a fully mobile-responsive cart and checkout flow.Now, we can click “Send PR” in the top right, and we have an ordinary GitHub PR that can be reviewed and merged as needed.This is what’s possible in two prompts. For our third, let’s gussy up the style.If you’re like me, you might spend a lot of time admiring other people’s cool designs and learning how to code up similar components in your own style.Luckily, Builder has this capability, too, with our Chrome extension. I found a “Featured Posts” section on OpenAI’s website, where I like how the layout and scrolling work. We can copy and paste it onto our “Featured Treats” section, retaining our cafe’s distinctive brand style.Don’t worry—OpenAI doesn’t mind a little web scraping.You can do this with any component on any website, so your own projects can very quickly become a “best of the web” if you know what you’re doing.Plus, you can use Figma designs in much the same way, with even better design fidelity. Copy and paste a Figma frame with our Figma plugin, and tell the AI to either use the component as inspiration or as a 1:1 to reference for what the design should be.(You can grab our design-to-code guide for a lot more ideas of what this can help you accomplish.)Now, we’re ready to send our PR. This time, let’s take a closer look at the code the AI has created.As you can see, the code is neatly formatted into two reusable components. Scrolling down further, I find a CSS file and then the actual implementation on the homepage, with clean JSON to represent the dummy post data.Design tweaks to the mockup with visual editsOne issue that cropped up when the AI brought in the OpenAI layout is that it changed my text from “Featured Treats” to “Featured Stories & Treats.” I’ve realized I don’t like either, and I want to replace that text with: “Fresh Out of the Bakery.”It would be silly, though, to prompt the AI just for this small tweak. Let’s switch into edit mode.Edit Mode lets you select any component and change any of its content or underlying CSS directly. You get a host of Webflow-like options to choose from, so that you can finesse the details as needed.Once you’ve made all the visual changes you want—maybe tweaking a button color or a border radius—you can click “Apply Edits,” and the AI will ensure the underlying code matches your repo’s style.Async fixes to the mockup with Builder BotNow, our pull request is nearly ready to merge, but I found one issue with it:When we copied the OpenAI website layout earlier, one of the blog posts had a video as its featured graphic instead of just an image. This is cool for OpenAI, but for our bakery, I just wanted images in this section. Since I didn’t instruct Builder’s AI otherwise, it went ahead and followed the layout and created extra code for video capability.No problem. We can fix this inside GItHub with our final prompt. We just need to comment on the PR and tag builderio-bot. Within about a minute, Builder Bot has successfully removed the video functionality, leaving a minimal diff that affects only the code it needed to. For example: Returning to my project in Builder, I can see that the bot’s changes are accounted for in the chat window as well, and I can use the live preview link to make sure my site works as expected:Now, if this were a real project, you could easily deploy this to the web for your client. After all, you’ve got a whole GitHub repo. This isn’t just a mockup; it’s actual code you can tweak—with Builder or Cursor or by hand—until you’re satisfied to run the site in production.So, why use Builder to mock up your website?Sure, this has been a somewhat contrived example. A real prototype is going to look prettier, because I’m going to spend more time on pieces of the design that I don’t like as much.But that’s the point of the best AI tools: they don’t take you, the human, out of the loop.You still get to make all the executive decisions, and it respects your hard work. Since you can constantly see all the code the AI creates, work in branches, and prompt with component-level precision, you can stop worrying about AI overwriting your opinions and start using it more as the tool it’s designed to be.You can copy in your team’s Figma designs, import web inspos, connect MCP servers to get Jira tickets in hand, and—most importantly—work with existing repos full of existing styles that Builder will understand and match, just like it matched OpenAI’s layout to our little cafe.So, we get speed, flexibility, and interactivity all the way from prompt to PR to production.Try Builder today.

Sleep can be a mysterious process even under ideal conditions, but when you’re in a completely alien environment like a hotel room or other temporary lodging it can become seemingly impossible. But if you take a little control over your environment, you can get more—and better—sleep no matter where you find yourself at night.Make the space feel more like homeStudies have shown that aspects of our home environment like sound and smell can help us be more relaxed and and happy when we’re away, so replicating those aspects of your life in an unfamiliar spot can help you sleep:Sound. If you normally sleep with a white noise machine, bring it with you when you travel, or find a travel-size model or phone app that simulates it.Smell. Everyone’s home has a unique scent map. Bringing those scents with you can trick your brain into feeling “at home” in a strange place. Using the same lotions, shampoos, and soaps on the road can recreate that scent matrix. Bringing an item of clothing that smells like the dryer sheets or detergent you use at home into bed with you can also help make an unfamiliar bed seem inviting.Routine. Another way to make an unfamiliar place seem more like home is to keep to your usual routine. However you approach bedtime at home—whether it’s reading a book, meditating for a few moments, or watching a little mindless television—do it as much as possible in your temporary digs. Try to hit the sack around the same time as usual, if you can, and keep to the same bathroom routine as well. Control the environmentAs much as possible, you want to control the physical environment that you’re sleeping in. If you’re used to sleeping in a pitch-black room, block light sources as much as possible by clipping curtains shut (binder clips work well for this), putting tape or Post-It notes over incidental light sources like alarms and thermostats, and blocking gaps under doors that allow light to leak in.If you prefer some light while you’re sleeping, bring a nightlight with you that you can plug in to make sure even the darkest room is illuminated. And adjust the temperature, if you can—most people sleep better when the room is a little on the cool side, about 60 to 65 degrees. But if you’re used to sleeping in a warmer or even colder environment, try to get as close to that as you can.Select a strategic locationIf you have control over the location of your room (when staying at a hotel, for example), use that control to select a spot that’s conducive to a good night’s sleep. That starts with the location of the building itself—if you have a choice of guest rooms or hotels to spend the night, choose one far away from busy streets or other sources of noise. Then look for a spot that’s far from common areas like elevators or lobbies—or your friend’s living room where everyone stays up all night chatting.Get out of bed (for a little while) Finally, if you’re struggling to fall asleep in a strange place despite all of these efforts, give up and get out of bed. Forcing yourself to lie there and count the minutes as they slip past you just reinforces the connection between stress and anxiety and that bed, making it even less likely that you’ll fall asleep. Instead, after about 20 minutes it’s best to get up and do something relaxing for a short period of time. This resets your body and mind and breaks the association between frustration and the bed, making it easier to relax when you try again.

While there’s more than one way to format Unity C# code, agreeing on a consistent code style for your project enables your team to develop a clean, readable, and scalable codebase. In this blog, we provide some guidelines and examples you can use to develop and maintain your own code style guide.Please note that these are only recommendations based on those provided by Microsoft. This is your chance to get inspired and decide what works best for your team.Ideally, a Unity project should feel like it’s been developed by a single author, no matter how many developers actually work on it. A style guide can help unify your approach for creating a more cohesive codebase.It’s a good idea to follow industry standards wherever possible and browse through existing style guides as a starting point for creating your own. In partnership with internal and external Unity experts, we released a new e-book, Create a C# style guide: Write cleaner code that scales for inspiration, based on Microsoft’s comprehensive C# style.The Google C# style guide is another great resource for defining guidelines around naming, formatting, and commenting conventions. Again, there is no right or wrong method, but we chose to follow Microsoft standards for our own guide.Our e-book, along with an example C# file, are available for free. Both resources focus on the most common coding conventions you’ll encounter while developing in Unity. These are all, essentially, a subset of the Microsoft Framework Design guidelines, which include an extensive number of best practices beyond what we cover in this post.We recommend customizing the guidelines provided in our style guide to suit your team’s preferences. These preferences should be prioritized over our suggestions and the Microsoft Framework Design guidelines if they’re in conflict.The development of a style guide requires an upfront investment but will pay dividends later. For example, managing a single set of standards can reduce the time developers spend on ramping up if they move onto another project.Of course, consistency is key. If you follow these suggestions and need to modify your style guide in the future, a few find-and-replace operations can quickly migrate your codebase.Concentrate on creating a pragmatic style guide that fits your needs by covering the majority of day-to-day use cases. Don’t overengineer it by attempting to account for every single edge case from the start. The guide will evolve organically over time as your team iterates on it from project to project.Most style guides include basic formatting rules. Meanwhile, specific naming conventions, policy on use of namespaces, and strategies for classes are somewhat abstract areas that can be refined over time.Let’s look at some common formatting and naming conventions you might consider for your style guide.The two common indentation styles in C# are the Allman style, which places the opening curly braces on a new line (also known as the BSD style from BSD Unix), and the K&R style, or “one true brace style,” which keeps the opening brace on the same line as the previous header.In an effort to improve readability, we picked the Allman style for our guide, based on the Microsoft Framework Design guidelines: Whatever style you choose, ensure that every programmer on your team follows it.A guide should also indicate whether braces from nested multiline statements should be included. While removing braces in the following example won’t throw an error, it can be confusing to read. That’s why our guide recommends applying braces for clarity, even if they are optional.Something as simple as horizontal spacing can enhance your code’s appearance onscreen. While your personal formatting preferences can vary, here are a few recommendations from our style guide to improve overall readability:Add spaces to decrease code density:The extra whitespace can give a sense of visual separation between parts of a lineUse a single space after a comma, between function arguments.Don’t add a space after the parenthesis and function arguments.Don’t use spaces between a function name and parenthesis.Avoid spaces inside brackets.Use a single space before flow control conditions: Add a space between the flow comparison operator and the parentheses.Use a single space before and after comparison operators.Variables typically represent a state, so try to attribute clear and descriptive nouns to their names. You can then prefix booleans with a verbfor variables that must indicate a true or false value. Often they are the answer to a question such as, is the player running? Is the game over? Prefix them with a verb to clarify their meaning. This is often paired with a description or condition, e.g., isPlayerDead, isWalking, hasDamageMultiplier, etc.Since methods perform actions, a good rule of thumb is to start their names with a verb and add context as needed, e.g., GetDirection, FindTarget, and so on, based on the return type. If the method has a bool return type, it can also be framed as a question.Much like boolean variables themselves, prefix methods with a verb if they return a true-false condition. This phrases them in the form of a question, e.g., IsGameOver, HasStartedTurn.Several conventions exist for naming events and event handles. In our style guide, we name the event with a verb phrase,similar to a method. Choose a name that communicates the state change accurately.Use the present or past participle to indicate events “before” or “after.” For instance, specify OpeningDoor for an event before opening a door and DoorOpened for an event afterward.We also recommend that you don’t abbreviate names. While saving a few characters can feel like a productivity gain in the short term, what is obvious to you now might not be in a year’s time to another teammate. Your variable names should reveal their intent and be easy to pronounce. Single letter variables are fine for loops and math expressions, but otherwise, you should avoid abbreviations. Clarity is more important than any time saved from omitting a few vowels.At the same time, use one variable declaration per line; it’s less compact, but also less error prone and enhances readability. Avoid redundant names. If your class is called Player, you don’t need to create member variables called PlayerScore or PlayerTarget. Trim them down to Score or Target.In addition, avoid too many prefixes or special encoding.A practice highlighted in our guide is to prefix private member variables with an underscore (_) to differentiate them from local variables. Some style guides use prefixes for private member variables (m_), constants (k_), or static variables (s_), so the name reveals more about the variable.However, it’s good practice to prefix interface names with a capital “I” and follow this with an adjective that describes the functionality. You can even prefix the event raising method (in the subject) with “On”: The subject that invokes the event usually does so from a method prefixed with “On,” e.g., OnOpeningDoor or OnDoorOpened.Camel case and Pascal case are common standards in use, compared to Snake or Kebab case, or Hungarian notations. Our guide recommends Pascal case for public fields, enums, classes, and methods, and Camel case for private variables, as this is common practice in Unity.There are many additional rules to consider outside of what’s covered here. The example guide and our new e-book, Create a C# style guide: Write cleaner code that scales, provide many more tips for better organization.The concept of clean code aims to make development more scalable by conforming to a set of production standards. A style guide should remove most of the guesswork developers would otherwise have regarding the conventions they should follow. Ultimately, this guide should help your team establish a consensus around your codebase to grow your project into a commercial-scale production.Just how comprehensive your style guide should be depends on your situation. It’s up to your team to decide if they want their guide to set rules for more abstract, intangible concepts. This could include rules for using namespaces, breaking down classes, or implementing directives like the #region directive (or not). While #region can help you collapse and hide sections of code in C# files, making large files more manageable, it’s also an example of something that many developers consider to be code smells or anti-patterns. Therefore, you might want to avoid setting strict standards for these aspects of code styling. Not everything needs to be outlined in the guide – sometimes it’s enough to simply discuss and make decisions as a team.When we talked to the experts who helped create our guide, their main piece of advice was code readability above all else. Here are some pointers on how to achieve that:Use fewer arguments: Arguments can increase the complexity of your method. By reducing their number, you make methods easier to read and test.Avoid excessive overloading: You can generate an endless permutation of method overloads. Select the few that reflect how you’ll call the method, and then implement those. If you do overload a method, prevent confusion by making sure that each method signature has a distinct number of arguments.Avoid side effects: A method only needs to do what its name advertises. Avoid modifying anything outside of its scope. Pass in arguments by value instead of reference when possible. So when sending back results via the out or ref keyword, verify that’s the one thing you intend the method to accomplish. Though side effects are useful for certain tasks, they can lead to unintended consequences. Write a method without side effects to cut down on unexpected behavior.We hope that this blog helps you kick off the development of your own style guide. Learn more from our example C# file and brand new e-book where you can review our suggested rules and customize them to your team’s preferences.The specifics of individual rules are less important than having everyone agree to follow them consistently. When in doubt, rely on your team’s own evolving guide to settle any style disagreements. After all, this is a group effort.

For Gen Z, homeownership or even just living alone brings a new set of responsibilities, and, often, a lot of confusion. How do you manage a home without letting it manage you? How do you keep it clean without feeling like you’re constantly at war with dust bunnies and mildew? SCOP helps you with that! A sleek, intelligent, and modular cleaning system designed specifically for the needs, habits, and lifestyles of today’s youth. SCOP is more than a robot vacuum; it’s a quiet, ambient home assistant that handles the unseen, unnoticed tasks you didn’t even know were weighing you down. Gone are the days when cleaning simply meant sweeping and mopping. Gen Z knows better. Home maintenance today is about convenience, wellness, and vibes. But even with the occasional chore, it’s easy to overlook what’s not right in front of you, like the dampness creeping into corners, the musty smell that slowly blends into the air, or the dust silently collecting behind the couch. These are the invisible chores, and SCOP is here to make them visible and manageable. SCOP consists of three core components: SCOP-Hub: A robotic vacuum that doesn’t just clean floors, it acts as the brain of the operation, moving around your space, collecting data, and sensing invisible environmental changes. Think of it as your home’s subtle yet all-seeing eye. SCOP-Humi: A moisture-fighting module using silica gel to prevent mold in areas prone to dampness. It’s perfect for dealing with rainy days, laundry forgetfulness, or muggy bathrooms. SCOP-Odor: This plasma ionizer tackles unpleasant smells at the molecular level. Whether it’s lingering food smells, pet odors, or that “I’ve lived here too long” funk, Odor handles it. Together, they work in harmony, scanning, detecting, acting, and predicting. Once SCOP identifies an issue, it recommends or even automatically deploys the appropriate module. Your only job? Toss, hang, or place Humi and Odor where the SCOP-Hub suggests. SCOP’s design language is minimalist, modern, and quietly confident. The entire set blends seamlessly into your living space, feeling more like curated home decor than cleaning equipment. It’s not another plastic gadget cluttering your floor; it’s an integrated part of your interior. One of SCOP’s most innovative features is its intelligence in when and what to clean. It learns your patterns, when you leave the house, where you tend to leave wet clothes, what corners gather dust, and builds a smart routine. It logs this in the SCOP Log, a sort of memory bank that helps it predict and suggest tasks before problems even occur. Say you’ve got pets, SCOP automatically triggers dust control. If you’re out on a rainy day and leave damp laundry behind, it deploys the Humi module without waiting for you to notice the smell of mildew. That’s the power of predictive, invisible task management. SCOP recognizes that your schedule is packed. It doesn’t ask for your time, it just does what needs to be done and lets you know afterward. No deep dives into cleaning routines, no complicated settings. You don’t have to be a home expert. SCOP already is. It’s a solution made for small homes with big personalities. For shared apartments where no one wants to take out the trash. For city-dwellers who crave order but don’t want to obsess over it. In a world where tech is everywhere, SCOP stands out by being exactly where you need it, without demanding your attention. It shifts the mindset from doing chores to living in a place that just takes care of itself. By mapping your home’s unique personality and addressing even its most hidden needs, SCOP allows you to finally exhale and focus on what truly matters: living.The post The Smart Cleaning System Revolutionizing Home Care for Gen Z Renters and Owners first appeared on Yanko Design.

From holding up the bathroom line with your skincare routine to playing music without headphones, there are numerous etiquette mistakes people make when flying on airplanes.That's why Business Insider asked etiquette coach Mariah Grumet about the things passengers should avoid doing while on a flight.Here's what she had to say. Reclining your seat without regard for others Reclining your seat is OK, but be courteous to the person sitting behind you. Cherdchanok Treevanchai/Getty Images When — or whether — to recline your seat on a flight is a hot topic when it comes to plane etiquette.Grumet told BI that even though some may find it rude, she thinks passengers should be able to recline since they paid for their seats.However, she said passengers should still be mindful of the person sitting behind them when deciding when to recline.For example, Grumet advises against reclining if the person behind you has things on their tray. Stinking up the plane with food or grooming products Avoid bringing smelly food and toiletries on the plane. Stephen Schauer/Getty Images Grumet said it's really important to be mindful of anything with a strong scent.For example, if a passenger brings a tuna sandwich onto the plane, the smell can be disturbing to those around them.Grooming can come with extra smells, too. Items like nail polish or perfume could be distracting or irritating to fellow passengers, so Grumet advised leaving those at home. Being rude to parents Giving parents dirty looks can just add fuel to the fire. d3sign/Getty Images Young children may act out if they're hungry or exhausted from a long day. Even if the crying is annoying and disruptive, Grumet said it's important to be respectful to the parent."It's likely that the parent is already super embarrassed as is, and you don't want to add fuel to the fire by whispering or giving dirty looks," she said.This also applies to children who are a bit older. Grumet added that even if they're running down the aisle or doing something you think can be controlled, it's still important to be kind. Rushing to the front at the end of the flight Unless you have a connecting flight, always let those in front of you exit first. AlxeyPnferov/Getty Images "The most polite way to deboard a plane is to let the people in the front go first," Grumet told BI.However, she pointed out that many passengers try to rush to the front as quickly as possible.Even if you had a difficult flight, Grumet said you should allow those ahead of you to go first. The exception to this is if you're running to make a connecting flight.In that case, she advised notifying an airline staff member to help you get off the plane as quickly as possible.This story was originally published on August 22, 2024 and most recently updated on May 30, 2025.

Just a week after its launch, Mud has already left a paw print on the pet care industry. The brand's debut product, The Everyday Wash for Dirty Dogs, is more than a niche grooming product: it's a manifesto. Developed over 18 months and recently awarded at D&AD 2025, the brand aims to challenge a culture of canine coddling. According to co-founders Angelina Pischikova and Karina Zhukovskaya, too often, dogs are treated as ornaments rather than animals. "Dogs don't want to smell like a candle shop," says Angelina. "They have 300 million scent receptors. Most washes are hell for them." Instead, The Everyday Wash is made with oat, aloe, panthenol and bioenzyme odour-fighting tech. It smells like... nothing – but that's on purpose. Not only is it pH-balanced, 100% dog-safe, plant-based and purposefully unscented, but the bottle even swaps out a standard pump for a fully recyclable, squishy nozzle, keeping both form and function canine-conscious. For Angelina and Karina, Mud™ isn't just a clean product; it's a clean break. "We exist to honour the wild in every dog," says Karina. "We think it's time to shift cultural convention away from treating pets as lifestyle accessories and toward recognising them as instinct-driven animals with emotional depth and needs of their own." While the launch range is intentionally minimal, more products are in the works – all guided by a philosophy rooted in respect rather than control. It's this perspective that sets Mud™ apart in a market saturated with pastel palettes, pun-based names and synthetic fragrances. "There is no other brand that does what we do in the category," says Angelina. And she's not just talking about the ethos. Mud™'s design system is just as provocative as its product. The brand's identity, developed in-house, is reactive by nature, including online; the logo expands or contracts based on local weather data. On the packaging, it vanishes and reappears thanks to thermal ink technology. "It's a metaphor for the mess, the rinse, and the return to it," says Karina. "The logo reacts to the weather – expanding with rain, contracting in the dry – just like the mud under their paws." This responsiveness extends to the user experience. The thermal ink on the bottle invites physical interaction, while the weather-reactive digital elements offer a subtle, sensory delight that encourages engagement, play, and even shareability. It's branding as conversation, not a billboard. Mud is also produced in small batches in the UK. Bottles are 100% recyclable and printed directly with eco-compliant inks, eliminating the need for wasteful labels and adhesives. It's a product that feels good and does good, all without shouting about it. For the founders, sustainability is inextricably linked to ethics. "Most dog shampoos are just human ones in disguise," says Karina. "We don't put anything in the bottle that doesn't serve your dog. Nothing that messes with their fur, their senses, or the earth beneath their paws." [2ximage] What Mud™ is ultimately selling isn't just pet care – it's perspective and a rewilding of the pet industry. They're reasserting that animals are not accessories, and if the early traction is any indication, it's a message that resonates well beyond the dog-owning demographic. "We already had people say, 'I don't even have a dog, but your brand and the info on the website changed how I think about them,'" says Angelina. "That's an amazing response." With more products in development, Mud is only just getting started, but its early moves suggest a brand with bite. Clearly, it's not afraid to get dirty, ask difficult questions, and bring a bit of instinct back into a sanitised world.

We may earn a commission from links on this page.As you're planning your big move, you'll likely find yourself talking to a number of moving companies to figure out which one has policies, prices, and availability that work best for your needs. Through that process, you might be surprised to learn that there are things movers won't touch, though the exact types of objects they won't move do vary from company to company. This isn't their way of getting one over on you during a vulnerable time, though you might feel like it is. Rather, according to Rob Rimeris, owner of EverSafe Moving Co., "it's about respect and risk." What moving companies generally won't touchRimeris says his company won't move weapons, open liquids, or valuables like personal identification or heirlooms. That aligned with what I heard from a number of other pros, who also mentioned jewelry, cash, paperwork, passports, medication, anything "irreplaceable," anything flammable, cleaning products, fire extinguishers, paint, and fireworks. Some companies won't even transport your plants or perishable food. And, of course, they're not transporting your dog or other pets. Many pros told me that you should contact your moving company with an itemized list of what you want moved in advance. Your company might be fine moving some of these things and they'll let you know. Get that in writing. So what do you do with the stuff they won't move?First, ask moving companies for a written list of what they will not transport, just so you have an idea of what is going to fall under your responsibility and so you can avoid surprise refusals or fees when they get there. ValuablesKeep your valuables on you during the move, especially things like identification documents, prescriptions, and your birth certificate and social security card. It's a good idea to move those things yourself in your personal vehicle from one home to the next.Because these things are so important, consider a portable lockbox (around $30 or so). It's small enough to move around with you but can keep everything organized and untouchable. Hazardous materialsAs for any hazardous materials, don't transport those yourself—for the same reasons the movers don't want to. Kris Kay, director of operations at UNITS Moving and Portable Storage, cautions that you should contact local disposal centers for proper handling of anything like gasoline or propane tanks. Tiam Behdarvandan, CEO and founder of Let's Get Moving, says that even a small leak can cause a dangerous situation. Anything old or half-used can be disposed of at a local hazardous waste facility. If you have full canisters of gas or other hazardous materials and don't want to dispose of them, ask your local disposal center for specific recommendations on transport. PetsIf you're moving locally, Shainaiqua D'Sa, content marketing lead at Attic Self Storage, advises that "children and pets can unintentionally slow down the moving process," so you should arrange for someone to look after them on the day of the move. You should also flag your vet about the move well in advance. Alex Girard, who recently moved across the country, was surprised to find that his cat needed to be given a "certificate of health" before she was able to fly on a commercial airline to their new city, for instance. Your vet may also prescribe medication to calm your animal down if you have to fly or travel a long distance with them. Seek specific advice on all things travel-related from the vet, like how big your carrying case should be, and contact your airline if you're flying to get information on their policies around animal travel. Like your valuables, you need to keep pet supplies on you. From food to poop bags, these will need to travel with you personally—and you should pack more than you think you'll need in case of any hiccups. Pet identification, medications, accessories, and a favorite item that smells like you should also be included. PlantsPlants are tricky. Start by watering them well a few days before the move and then find a box slightly bigger than the pot, stuffing packing materials around it to keep it cushioned inside. (As with valuables and delicate objects, you can use t-shirts, towels, or other soft goods for this.) Then, cover the plant itself with a large plastic bag, like a trash bag. You should move the plant in a sturdy, temperature-controlled environment, like in your personal vehicle. If you have to fly, it'll be a little more complicated. The TSA allows plants in both carry-on and checked luggage, but you need to contact your airline directly to find out about their policies. Perishable foodsA few weeks in advance, obviously, try to eat these if you can. Decluttering is the best way to save time, space, and money ahead of a move. Consider donating to a food kitchen, especially if you're moving a long distance. Otherwise, these, too, need to be boxed up and taken with you, whether in your personal vehicle or on a plane. Depending on how far you have to travel, consider picking up a cooler. Travel-safe versions with carry straps can be as low as $15.The less straightforward objectsThere are some items that movers will move (or could refuse on a case-by-case basis) but they, too, are important to mention in advance. "Like most movers, we do not handle hazardous or prohibited materials like gas canisters, explosives, or chemicals," says Marshall Aikman, owner of Amazing Moves Moving and Storage. "If you need to move something unusual like a piano, a safe, or antiques, make sure to tell us ahead of time because these require special handling and planning."A few different pros I spoke to mentioned things like pianos and aquariums, actually, and while they will generally move them, they do need to know about them in advance. You might have to pay extra fees for certain objects, depending on what they are and which company you're going with, so get that information in advance to avoid budgetary surprises on the day of the move. If possible, try to move those yourself, but keep in mind that a fee might be worth paying if the other option is literally moving a piano on your own. If you don't declare these things in advance, fees won't be your only problem. Without advance knowledge of tricky, heavy objects, movers may not show up with the right tools and materials, meaning they can't move those and there's nothing you or they can do about it. In the best-case scenario, they have to take extra time to go get the right tools, which can cost you hourly fees and precious time. In the worst-case scenario, they can't do that and you're stuck there with some huge thing you also don't have the tools to move. In the event you find yourself in a situation where you have to move a piano, safe, aquarium, or other unwieldy object, you need moving blankets. Matt Graber, co-owner of Cool Hand Movers, says, "If you're doing your own move, don't skip blanket wrapping furniture pieces. It will protect the pieces themselves in transit, but also reduce the chance of nicking walls and doorways with the edges of bulky items." A 12-pack is about $60. Secure them around the object with heavy-duty tape and place sliders under the legs or corners. Even if you are doing the move yourself, it would be beneficial to contact moving companies for quotes on what it would cost for them to simply help you get these bulky items out of your space and into your U-Haul. Again, movers will move heavier items in most cases, but you have to tell them in advance.

Hello, my name is Oleksandr, I’m a Senior UX/UI Designer at Ubisoft. At Games Gathering Kyiv ’24, I gave a presentation titled “Layers of Player Experience. Why is everyone on the team a UXer”. This article is a supplement and an alternative form of that presentation.Tutorials Menu in The Last of Us Part IITo have an experience, we first need a user (player). As a result, users interact with the product and gain that experience.A game is a tool — a generator of experiences, emotions, and memories for the audience. And that’s why games are bought, loved and hated. It is for the experience they provide. Exceptions, when we tend to accumulate: we buy games during some Steam sale, so we will never launch them.You can’t design an experience; you can design a product through which people gain an experience. That is, our Figma prototype is UI, and as soon as we let people use it. They share thoughts, impressions, expectations, feelings… this is UX. And even memes talk about it.UX MemesOur goal is not a game, but the player’s experience. I came across a thought that stood out to me:“The Game Direction is the concrete manifestation of the Target Game Experience and is the first thing you should aim for. This makes game development a sort of “reverse-engineering process”At the moment, in the essence of UX, and in our context of Player Experience, I have identified 4 layers-components that influence the perception of the product.UX LayersFunctionalityLet’s start with the first one: functionality is the basic and most objective part. It answers the question: Does the game work properly?For example, does it meet such requirements as load time, memory usage, number of frames per second (FPS), etc. In an ideal world, there are no crashes, friezes, softlocks (inability to progress in the game, although the game technically works), servers can withstand a large number of players, excellent optimization for different platforms and adaptation for input/output devices, various edge cases, Poka-yoke protection, etc. are also considered and covered. And of course, it affects the audience experience. Some critical moments can make the game completely unplayable, while others become memes.Assassin’s Creed UnityUsabilityThe next level is usability — it defines how easy and convenient the product is to use.The main task of this area is to minimize cognitive (attention, memory, …) and physical (muscles, vision, hearing, fine motor skills…) loads during interaction. In many products and services, teams aim to track and remove all friction and difficulties users may face. In games, however, we look for and remove only those obstacles that are not there by design (intended challenge).For example, in the VR shooter Half Life Alyx, reloading is implemented as follows: you need to press a button on the controller to eject the empty magazine from the weapon, then reach back to grab a new one and carefully install it. From a usability perspective, this is not ideal, requiring a certain physical dexterity, and it would technically be simpler to assign these actions to a single button. But this would reduce the challenge in the game, the immersion in the world, and would likely not improve the overall gaming experience.Half Life AlyxOn the other hand, if players get lost in the menu, cannot perform the actions they need, do not understand why their character dies every time, fails a mission, or cannot master a certain mechanic due to lack of and poor tutorials. Something definitely needs to be done about this. Otherwise, players may feel frustrated — like the game is being unfair or not entirely honest with them.Usability in games relies on the same methods and research as other software development. Covers the following sections and disciplines:Interaction Design, IxDVisual DesignHeuristics, for example Jakob Nielsen’s in gamesPlatform Guidelines (PC, Xbox, PS, Switch, Steam Deck…)Accessibility Standards: Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) and Xbox Accessibility Guidelines (XAG)Primary research:Card sorting (information architecture development)Moderated and unmoderated usability tests (find interaction issues in a product at the current stage of development)Eye-tracking (heat maps)A/B testing (can say which of 2 solutions works better, but won’t say why)Secondary research:Market and competitor analysis (definition of patterns, interaction standards, glossary of terms…)Open source data analysis (streams, articles, social networks, forums…)Closed source data analysis (telemetry)Usability is an important aspect of a game. Moreover, even for the entire platform or industry. The market is full of direct and indirect competitors (apps, streaming, social networks…), all fighting for our time and attention.Let’s look at the Quick Resume function on Xbox Series, which allows you to instantly switch between multiple games, preserving their state, like Alt-Tab between windows. Moreover, thanks to it, after turning off the console, players can continue the game exactly from where they left off, just by pressing one button:I press the Xbox logo on the gamepad → the console turns on → the TV automatically turns on via HDMI-CEC and selects the HDMI console source → the console launches the last session game → I get into the game exactly where I stopped.This greatly simplifies interaction, reduces the number of steps for players to reach Value, and bypasses competitors, as the operating system screen of the TV often contains preview sections for Netflix, YouTube, etc. Our brain already finds this action, playing a game, more appealing because it requires less effort.In the book “Show Your Work” by Austin Kleon, author of the bestsellers “Steal Like an Artist” and “Show Your Work”, writes:“Your attention is one of the most valuable things you have, so everyone wants to steal it from you.”https://medium.com/media/d464918f88fb6d2a57eeedab67211cc7/hrefAestheticsLet’s go further — there’s a branch of philosophy called aesthetics. It’s the study of sensory, non-utilitarian ways of understanding the world, a critical reflection on art, culture, and nature.In our field, aesthetics relates to the physical and digital form of the product. It encompasses sensory aspects such as appearance, sound, tactility, taste, and smell. Accordingly, I have identified 5 types of aesthetics:VisualMusic/AuditoryTactileTasteScentVisual AestheticsIt doesn’t always mean “beautiful”, “pleasant to the eye”. It’s about how the game looks… what impressions it evokes because of this. It can be “beautiful” as is usually considered, and “ugly”, “terrible”, or even “disgusting”, “repulsive”. Each game has its own proportion, somewhere more beauty — the Ori series, Ghost of Tsushima, Just Dance, … Somewhere ugliness, horror, and disgust — Scorn, Resident Evil, Dead Space, Little Nightmares…It’s the same in art — just look at the works of Zdzisław Beksiński, H.R. Giger, or Ukrainian artist Ivan Marchuk, the founder of the plentanism technique.Paintings by Zdzislaw BeksinskiPaintings “Awakening” and “Sorrow” by Ivan MarchukAesthetics should correspond to the game’s setting and lore, support immersion in this fictional world. An interesting unique visual style is another way to stand out in the market. For example, the creators of Cuphead were inspired by the aesthetics of 1930s cartoons, surrealism, and the jazz era.CupheadThe game is known for its distinctive crafted animation and soundtracks, which make it recognizable and stand out among others. The loud title of the marketing book “Differentiate or Die” comes to mind.In design and development, there is often a challenge: to find a balance between functionality, convenience, and aesthetics. You can overdo it with visual effects, animations, which will reduce performance and optimization. Get carried away with graphic elements, and this will add “visual noise”, lower readability, and accordingly, worsen usability.This dilemma is present in other subject areas as well. For example, chess sets. Pieces can be extremely detailed, made of expensive materials, but not very usable because players confuse their roles due to a certain unique, non-standard appearance. These obstacles do not contribute to the game and can ruin the entire experience, especially if the mistake leads to critical consequences in the match. Or take industrial design: for some time, Apple devices did not have as many ports/interfaces as their competitors’ devices. That is, for the sake of aesthetics, they neglect certain convenience and practicality. Maybe too convenient things form “convenient” people? ;)Auditory AestheticsIt greatly influences the atmosphere, emotions, and mood of the players. These include all the sounds that accompany the game: soundtracks, ambient sounds, sound design, dialogues, dubbing, and more. This has a significant impact on the gaming experience, even down to the goosebumps.This game component can be reflected in other products, such as vinyl records. It offers a new experience for users, providing auditory, tactile, and visual aesthetics.Alan Wake 2 Vinyl RecordsTactile AestheticsThese refer to the sensations related to physical perception during the game — from how we interact with peripheral devices.A few examples: gamepad vibration (Haptic Feedback), Dual Sense adaptive triggers, steering wheel and pedals, special gloves or suits with tactile feedback. All this serves to provide greater immersion and inform about the game state.Special game editions with additional materials, such as 3D models, figurines, maps, or other items from the game world, can also be considered part of tactile aesthetics. This adds a physical aspect to the game interaction experience, can enhance the sense of involvement and value for players. It provides a certain tactile contact with the game universe, even when our PC or console is turned off due to a power outage.S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl Ultimate EditionTaste AestheticsHmm, can we try a game by taste? “Of course!” — marketing and business will joyfully exclaim. But no one will force us to gnaw on consoles or game discs. The approach is more gentle and courteous.So, on the shelves of grocery stores, we’ll find Nuka-Cola from the Fallout universe, Butterbeer, or Beans with different flavors from the Potterverse. The line between the game world and reality is blurring, and here we enter the realm of product placement: Calorie Mate (energy bars popular in Japan) appear in Metal Gear Solid, Monster Energy drinks in Death Stranding, and Nonstop in S.T.A.L.K.E.R..Nuka-Cola from the Fallout universeScent AestheticsI began exploring this topic and discovered GameScent — a device that reacts to game events such as shooting, explosions, racing, storms, and forests, releasing corresponding smells. It’s a form of 4D gaming, an attempt to expand the gaming experience to another sense. But I think we should be careful with this — who knows what it might emit when burning cannabis fields in Far Cry 3.GameScentBut in fact, if we delve deeper, we can think about certain new niches. The Moth and Rabbit perfume brand, founded in 2016, is known for its unique approach. They create unisex perfumes inspired by movies and stories, such as Parasite, The Lobster, La Haine, and The Color of Pomegranates. The focus is not only on the scent but also on the emotional and sensory experience.I feel like perfumers and marketers could easily craft fragrance concepts for games like GTA, RDR2, or The Last of Us… Thus adding a new dimension of experience for the audience. I will share my own associations — what perfumes remind me of different parts of Far Cry.FUN (Engagement)Now we have reached the core, the center that creates the desire to use this or that entertainment product. You can fix bugs, work on optimization, improve usability, and create aesthetics as much as you want. However, if a game has no fun, it is not interesting to play, and it is most likely doomed to fail.There is an expression Usable yet Useless. Because many products appear on the market that don’t find their purpose, have no value for the customers. And of course, we know a lot of such examples among published games. Or those that were canceled in development because the team never found the “FUN recipe” in practice. That said, projects can also be canceled for many other reasons — finances, the market, team issues, tech limitations, shifting priorities, or strategic decisions…Well, fun is a rabbit hole — a vast and complex topic that touches many areas. A person’s impression of it is individual, personal, and subjective.“We are not many standard selves, but many different universes” — Vasyl Symonenko.Making a game that works for everyone is possible (Functionality). Making a game that is interesting and liked by everyone — I don’t think so. Here, I will try to describe certain components of fun as simply as possible.MotivationAgain, it’s not easy because there is no single theory of motivation. But the dominant framework, which is also described in management books, is the self-determination theory (SDT). It suggests that our motivation comes from both intrinsic drivers (internal desires) and extrinsic drivers (external rewards).Let’s start with the three intrinsic ones:Competence is a need to feel successful, skilled, and to see yourself progress and develop. It’s about growth and providing players with the right level of challenge to showcase their skills. Competence is one of the key drivers. A nice real-life example would be when you give a riddle to your friends. Time passes, and they don’t want you to give them the answer — they want to solve it themselves to experience the feeling of “We did it!”Autonomy is a need for self-expression, to feel that you have an impact, that your choices matter. This is a certain level of freedom in the game, the ability to customize characters, their belongings, make decisions, participate in dialogues that change the further course of events…Relatedness is a need to have meaningful social connections, whether through cooperation or competition, because we are social beings. Accordingly, these are all kinds of coop or competitive modes in online or offline game mods.Extrinsic drivers are external rewards. Ideally, they also immerse and help progress, providing some recognition, feedback on the players’ competence. Goals and rewards should be meaningful to the players (make sense, have value, logical justification).More on player motivation in this talk by Celia Hodent, former Director of User Experience at Epic Games.EmotionEmotions are very important, they affect our perception, decision-making and memory — the more emotional the experience, the better we will remember it. Here I have highlighted:Immersion, which is also shaped by aesthetics.The feeling of the game — 3C (Camera, Characters and Controls)Linking Narrative (how the story is presented) — Story (what happens in the game world) — Plot (how it is revealed to the players)Surprises and new content: locations, seasons, tournaments, modes, etc.So to speak, we ride the emotional roller coaster. In any case, it is better in the game than in life. So as not to complain like Chris Isaak in the song Wicked Game “What a wicked game you play to make me feel this way”.FlowThe state of flow, a concept introduced by psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, occurs at the appropriate level of challenge and skills. The mental state in which a person is fully engaged in what they are doing is a feeling of focus, concentration, and success during the activity. Flow can occur during various activities such as sports, work, daily life, creativity, and others.State of FlowThe main components and conditions in a game are:Difficulty curve — the level of challenges, “match of skills and challenges”Learning curve — onboarding players and step-by-step distributed tutorials (learn by doing);Pacing — a rhythm of stress and rest. The best rest is a change of activity.The state of flow is so captivating that we lose track of time.Ethical Aspects and ResponsibilityThis is about the conscious and unconscious use of deceptive design patterns (aka Dark), to increase business revenue. It is an exploitation of our biases and perception. Some companies have lawsuits regarding these decisions in certain countries.There is also a book written in a simple, concise form “Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products” — Nir Eyal, Ryan Hoover. It allowed me to look at various products, services from a different angle and notice, recognize their methods of engagement.Summary about FunIn the book “A Theory of Fun for Game Design” by Raph Koster, there is a phrase “Learning is the drug”. The feeling of fun is the brain’s emotional reaction to learning. Even curiosity is enjoyable in itself, which is why we dislike spoilers — or at least, part of us does.Just as in games we solve puzzles, learn combos, scripts, and timings for further progress, so is it in life. A cat that drops things from the table for its learning (or just to annoy) or scientists trying to solve the mystery of the universe. Our brain always wants to find a pattern, a cause-and-effect relationship, to create structure in chaos. And as soon as it finds it, it becomes uninteresting and boring. As Dua Lipa sings in her song “New Rules”, “Now I’m standin’ back from it, I finally see the pattern.”Brand ConnectionWe can combine these layers and add another one around that also affects the game’s perception by the audience and its loyalty. This is the company’s brand, its philosophy, position, previous experience with its products and services. As well as personal brand: Neil Druckmann (The Last of Us), Dan & Sam Houser (GTA), Hideo Kojima (Death Stranding), etc.https://medium.com/media/f9db10894c4401ea10cc154898d1c065/hrefTeamEach of these components of the Game UX is handled by specific teams and stakeholders. In the image below, I have only indicated a part of the job titles that came to mind. In game development, especially for large projects, there are significantly more roles, and the credits are proof of that. Management is responsible for effective coordination and cooperation of these teams. Moreover, the R&D process of the game is impossible without the support of other company departments — HR, infrastructure, operational team, finance, etc.UX Layers & TeamAll these layers-components are closely interconnected, influencing and depending on each other. People from “Fun” tell we need a game world without seams and loading, while people from “Functionality”, having studied this issue, say that at the moment it is impossible, or requires additional resources, technologies. The search for a solution, a compromise is ongoing.Although my main focus is usability and aesthetics. It is necessary to collaborate with a large number of different teams. For example, when I worked on the High Contrast Mode feature, I first aligned with the Game Design team and then shared prototypes with the Render team, which made its implementation possible. All these layers-components are important for players’ experiences.On the FinalA game can bring not just fun, but also a deeper experience, raising and revealing important themes. It is an important medium for exploring social, ethical, and psychological issues. Games evoke emotions and empathy, allowing players to experience stories, situations that raise questions about morality, responsibility, and human values.Valiant HeartsWe love games with all their advantages and disadvantages. After all, there are no perfect products, as they are created by imperfect people, and perhaps a bit by hallucinating AI.“There is a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in.” — Leonard Cohen, Anthem.Thank you!Why is everyone on the team a UXer? Layers of player experience was originally published in UX Collective on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Get the Popular Science daily newsletter💡 Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. A smelly, sometimes toxic “killer belt of seaweed” might put a damper on Floridians’ Memorial Day weekend plans. Sargassum is back just in time for the unofficial start of summer and this year’s influx of the brown algae would be record breaking at 31 million tons.  What is Sargassum? Sargassum is a genus of large brown seaweed. As a seaweed, it is also a type of algae. It floats along the ocean in island-like masses and does not attach to the seafloor the way that kelp does.  According to NOAA, this brown algae is abundant in the world’s oceans. It has many leafy appendages, branches, and its signature berry-like structures. These round “berries” are actually gas-filled structures called pneumatocysts. They are primarily filled with oxygen and add buoyancy to the plant structure and allow it to float on the surface of the water, similar to a life jacket.  Importantly, Sargassum provides food and a floating habitat for several marine species including various fishes, sea turtles, marine birds, crabs, and shrimp. Some animals, like the sargassum fish will spend their whole lives around Sargassum’s gas-filled floats and the seaweed is a nursery area for some commercially important fishes, including mahi mahi, jacks, and amberjacks. Smaller fishes, such as filefishes and triggerfishes, reside in and among brown Sargassum. CREDIT: NOAA/Life on the Edge Exploration. Is it harmful to humans? When Sargassum washes up on shore, it begins to rot. That rotting triggers the production of hydrogen sulfide gas, which smells like rotten eggs. These odors themselves are not harmful to humans when inhaled in well ventilated areas like the beach. But the gases can accumulate enough to cause harm if they are breathed in within enclosed spaces.  “Hydrogen sulfide can irritate the eyes, nose, and throat,” writes Florida’s Department of Health in St. John’s County. “If you have asthma or other breathing illnesses, you will be more sensitive to hydrogen sulfide. You may have trouble breathing after you inhale it.” Coming into contact with the jellyfish or other stinging organisms embedded in the rotting seaweed can cause rashes on the skin. Any workers for volunteers collecting and transporting the seaweed should wear gloves, boots, and gas-filter half masks for protection. 2025’s mega bloom In Florida and the Caribbean, Sargassum season runs from April to August, with June and July as the peak months for setting in along the shoreline. However, the blobs have been spotted along shorelines since March this year. The bloom has already broken its own size record set in June 2022 by 40 percent–and is still growing. The annual bloom now stretches over 5,500 miles of ocean between Africa and the Caribbean and weighs an estimated 31 million tons.  “Sargassum goes from being a very beneficial resource of the North Atlantic to becoming what we refer to as … a harmful algal bloom, when it comes ashore in excessive biomass,” Brian LaPointe, a research professor at Florida Atlantic University’s Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, told CNN. “What we have seen since 2011 are excessive inundation events all around the Caribbean region, the Gulf, as well as the South Florida region.” Why is this year’s bloom so big? Increasing ocean temperatures due to climate change is one of the reasons for such a large bloom. The Atlantic and waters around Florida have seen record-breaking high temperatures in recent years, creating ideal conditions for the seaweed to thrive. The excess nitrogen in the water from the burning of fossil fuels or dust from the Sahara is believed to be one of the forces behind this supercharged bloom. An experimental tracking map from NOAA for May 6 through 12, showing where sargassum is likely to wash ashore in Florida. CREDIT: NOAA Scientists can use satellites to track the seaweed and issue warnings if needed. The CariCOOS Sargassum map shows that the bulk of the bloom is currently east of Puerto Rico, but it has already been spotted along Florida’s Atlantic coast. NOAA encourages anyone who encounters Sargassum on the beach to report it with this form.