Researchers from Korea University are paving the way for more efficient and cost-effective renewable energy generation by utilizing gold nanospheres designed to capture light across the entire solar spectrum.
Hung Lo et al. introduced plasmonic colloidal superballs as a versatile platform for broadband solar energy harvesting. Image credit: Hung Lo et al., doi: 10.1021/acsami.5c23149.
Scientists are exploring novel materials that efficiently absorb light across the solar spectrum to enhance solar energy harvesting.
Gold and silver nanoparticles have been identified as viable options due to their ease of fabrication and cost-effectiveness, yet current nanoparticles primarily absorb visible wavelengths.
To extend absorption into additional wavelengths, including near-infrared light, researcher Seungwoo Lee and colleagues from Korea University propose the innovative use of self-assembled gold superballs.
These unique structures consist of gold nanoparticles aggregating to form small spherical shapes.
The diameter of the superball was meticulously adjusted to optimize absorption of sunlight’s diverse wavelengths.
The research team first employed computer simulations to refine the design of each superball and predict the overall performance of the superball film.
Simulation outcomes indicated that the superball could absorb over 90% of sunlight’s wavelengths.
Next, the scientists created a film of gold superballs by drying a solution containing these structures on a commercially available thermoelectric generator, a device that converts light energy into electricity.
Films were produced under ambient room conditions—no cleanroom or extreme temperatures needed.
In tests using an LED solar simulator, the average solar absorption rate of the superball-coated thermoelectric generator reached approximately 89%, nearly double that of a conventional thermoelectric generator featuring a single gold nanoparticle membrane (45%).
“Our plasmonic superball offers a straightforward method to harness the entire solar spectrum,” said Dr. Lee.
“Ultimately, this coating technology could significantly reduce barriers for high-efficiency solar and photothermal systems in real-world energy applications.”
The team’s research is published in the journal ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces.
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Ro Kyung Hoon et al.. 2026. Plasmonic Supraball for Scalable Broadband Solar Energy Generation. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces 18 (1): 2523-2537; doi: 10.1021/acsami.5c23149
HHow often do you find yourself reaching for your phone? Are you quick to respond to notifications, getting lost in that small black screen during your commutes? What about while eating or as soon as you wake up? Does it give you a sense of richness and vitality? I’m equally guilty of the same habits. We swipe, like, and scroll in a world designed to capture our attention. But how can we dedicate just five or ten minutes to enrich our lives instead?
I enjoy seeking insights from artists. They encourage us to pause and consider different viewpoints and to appreciate the beauty of nature. The world is evolving right before our eyes, and artists remind us of the joy of creating and discovering within a landscape where AI might supplant our creativity. They help us see potential everywhere—whether it’s arranging words into sentences, crafting paragraphs into books, or using paint to conjure visuals. Their work can shift our perspectives, impart knowledge, and even instill a sense of calm.
It’s backed by science: 2024 survey commissioned by the British government highlights that engaging with art not only boosts physical and mental health but, as Sarah Carlsberg notes, “reduces healthcare costs and increases national productivity.” Recently, King’s College London reported that out of 50 participants aged 18 to 40 who viewed paintings, there was a 22% decrease in stress hormones. (In contrast, those who viewed digitally exhibited only an 8% reduction.)
No matter our situation, art and artists will always guide us. I’ve embraced the wisdom of creatives—whether for inspiration, reflection, relationship insights, or daily organization. This has led me to compile 366 short passages of daily wisdom into a new book titled how to live an artistic life.
Featuring insights from artists like Tracey Emin and Marina Abramovic, alongside writers like Ali Smith and Iris Murdoch, each entry includes reflections, rituals, encouragement, and creative exercises. The book follows the seasons (with January focusing on Beginnings, February on Love, August on Beauty, and November on Memory), allowing me to respond creatively to the artists’ words and engage everyone in the act of creation.
I wrote this book during a time of feeling uninspired and distracted. The words of these artists helped me rise above that fog. Did you catch writer Patricia Highsmith’s habit of making her workspace “as enjoyable as possible” by lounging in bed surrounded by cigarettes, coffee, and donuts? Or art critic Jerry Saltz’s advice to engage with those next to you in a museum by asking, “What do you think about that?” Dialogue sparks ideas. Museums have always served as spaces for conversation, community building, and direct connections—many of which are free to access in the UK.
“Cigarettes, mugs of coffee, donuts”… Author Patricia Highsmith discusses ways to enhance work life. Photo: Dino Fracchia/Alamy
When feeling overwhelmed, author Hisham Matar and broadcaster Claudia Winkleman suggest focusing on just one artwork at a time. Return to it later and take note of how your perception shifts with your circumstances. As you change, so does the artwork. If visiting a museum isn’t an option, consider exploring art online or in books, share it with someone, and inquire about their thoughts. As Smith remarked, “Whenever you stand in front of art, you participate in it and awaken something within you.”
Why do we engage with art? Perhaps it resonates with Paula Rego’s thought expressed to her son, director Nick Willing: “An artist travels to places unseen and returns with something both novel and instantly familiar.”
Living an “artistic life” doesn’t necessitate becoming an artist. It’s about enhancing what you already possess. As Laurie Anderson reminds us in her December entry (focusing on joy), prioritize “the things that make you feel free and truly good.” While many wellness programs come at a cost, artists like Abramovic emphasize the value of stillness: “Doing nothing is the genesis of something.”
Be present in the world. Engage with people. Visit places, big or small. Look up at the sky, rather than yourself mediated through technology. Let’s reclaim our focus and turn it towards one another. The new year is a gift. Go forth, seize it, and live artistically.
A recent investigation reveals that women’s running shoes may be limiting their athletic potential.
Published in BMJ Open Sports & Exercise Medicine, the research indicates a “significant gap in running shoe design” that overlooks women’s anatomical differences.
“Most so-called women’s running shoes are not genuinely designed for women,” asserts the study’s lead author, Dr. Chris Napier, an Assistant Professor of Biomedical Physiology and Kinesiology at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia, Canada, as noted in BBC Science Focus.
“We typically base our models on men’s feet, merely scaling them down and changing the color, a method often described as the ‘shrink and pink’ approach.”
However, Napier emphasized that this method does not “account for the real anatomical distinctions between male and female feet or the way women run.”
Consequently, women’s running shoes may not fit well, potentially hampering performance.
In this study, researchers gathered 21 women to discuss their preferences for running shoes and how their needs might evolve over their lifetimes.
The participants ranged in age from 20 to 70 and had between 6 and 58 years of running experience. Eleven individuals ran recreationally, averaging 30 km (19 miles) weekly, while 10 were competitive runners, averaging 45 km (28 miles) weekly.
Most women expressed a desire for shoes with a broader toe box, a narrower heel, and additional cushioning. Napier noted that this aligns with the general differences in foot shape between men and women.
“Women have distinct lower extremity anatomy, such as wider pelvises and shorter legs relative to body size. This influences running mechanics and the forces exerted on the legs,” says Napier.
Among the participants, mothers reported needing larger shoe sizes, wider fits, and more cushioning and support during and post-pregnancy.
Male and female runners have different shoe needs due to their diverse anatomy, preferences, and life stages – Credit: Alvaro Medina Jurado via Getty
This study is small and qualitative; participants were recruited via posters in stores in Vancouver, Canada, meaning findings may not be universally applicable.
Still, Napier hopes that the research will resonate with female runners.
“During our focus groups, many participants experienced an ‘aha’ moment when they realized their shoe issues were not isolated but a common experience among female runners,” he stated.
Napier also expressed hope that the study acts as a “wake-up call” for the footwear industry.
Footwear manufacturers have invested billions in developing running shoes that prevent injuries, enhance comfort, and improve performance.
Most running shoes are molded to a foot-shaped template based on male anatomy, which is then used across their products.
As a result, “a significant portion of the running community is essentially using shoes that are not intended for them,” Napier explained.
The iPhone 17 Pro marks Apple’s most significant redesign in years, replacing the traditional titanium sides and all-glass back with a sleek aluminum unibody. It features a bold full-width camera bump on the back, offering a vibrant array of colors.
This alone makes the iPhone 17 Pro appealing for those eyeing an upgrade to the latest model. However, the price tag has increased to £1,099 (€1,299/$1,099/$1,999), making it the first of Apple’s smaller Pro phones to breach the £1,000 threshold.
From the front, it resembles a modern iPhone, with a dynamic island that houses a selfie camera situated at the top of its impressively bright and smooth display. This is undoubtedly one of the best screens on any phone, though it’s similar to the upgraded display of the regular iPhone 17 this year.
Higher peak brightness and a new anti-glare coating help reduce reflections in bright light, enhancing outdoor usability. Photo: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian
The aluminum sides feature subtle rounding at the edges, providing a comfortable grip and minimizing slippage. Weighing over 200 grams, the phone leans towards the heavier side for a compact device.
A glass panel, slightly larger than a credit card, is embedded in the aluminum body to accommodate MagSafe or Qi2.2 chargers and accessories. The substantial metal “plateau” at the top houses a camera that surpasses the pixel camera bar in size. While aluminum won’t shatter upon impact like glass, it is prone to scratches, particularly around the edges of the plateau.
iOS 26’s home and lock screens exhibit a glass-like rounded appearance for text and icons. Photo: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian
Powered by iOS 26, the iPhone 17 Pro showcases Apple’s innovative “Liquid Glass” interface design, which generally performs well, although it introduces some transparency effects for buttons and other elements.
Specifications
Screen: 6.3in Super Retina XDR (120Hz OLED) (460ppi)
Processor: Apple A19 Pro
RAM: 12GB
Storage: 256, 512GB, or 1TB
Operating System: iOS 26
Camera: 48MP main, 48MP ultra-wide, 48MP 4x zoom, and 18MP front
The iPhone fully charges via USB-C in 76 minutes, or reaches 70% in 30 minutes with a 40W adapter (not included), and can be charged using a QI2 25W charger in 96 minutes. Belkin Ultracharge 2-in-1. Photo: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian
Equipped with the new Apple A19 Pro chip, the 17 Pro is the first iPhone to feature a steam chamber cooling system. This technology, commonly seen in high-performance Android devices, dissipates heat from the chip throughout the phone, maintaining prolonged peak performance.
Extended gaming sessions lead to improved frame rates and reduced heat buildup, ensuring that the phone remains cooler than its predecessors.
The phone’s battery life is impressive, lasting around 42 hours on a blend of 5G and WiFi, with approximately 6 hours of active screen usage—around 2 hours longer than last year’s model. During heavy usage or gaming, the 17 Pro can still finish the day with roughly 25% battery remaining. Regular users may find they need to charge their phones every couple of days.
Sustainability
The camera plateau prevents the iPhone 17 Pro from wobbling on flat surfaces, unlike its predecessors. Photo: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian
The battery is designed to endure over 1,000 full charge cycles while retaining at least 80% of its original capacity. Should you need a replacement, it costs £109, while a screen repair is priced at £349. Experts rated the phone a seven out of ten regarding repairability.
The device contains over 30% recycled materials, including aluminum, cobalt, copper, gold, lithium, rare earth elements, steel, tin, and tungsten. Apple is transparent about the environmental impact of its products in its reports. Additionally, the company promotes trade-in and free recycling programs, encompassing non-Apple products.
Camera
The streamlined camera app automates most features, with many functions tucked behind a sliding button. Photo: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian
The rear boasts three 48MP cameras alongside an 18MP selfie camera, enhancing the front-facer with new capabilities.
The main and ultra-wide cameras are largely unchanged from last year, delivering impressive photos across various lighting scenarios, making them especially good for detailed street photography. The main camera provides twice as much crop zoom, yielding excellent detail and color in well-lit settings, though dim lighting may introduce some grain.
A key addition this year is the upgraded telephoto camera, featuring a 4x zoom at 48MP and 5x at 12MP. Much like the main camera, it allows for 8x crop zoom. It performs well in bright conditions, with some detail degradation at higher zoom levels, while remaining functional in indoor lighting as well.
The zoom capability stretches to a maximum of 40x magnification, with noticeable quality loss beyond 15-20x. Photo: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian
Each of the three cameras comes equipped with numerous features, including top-tier video capabilities, and the option to record simultaneously from both the front and rear cameras, creating a picture-in-picture effect. Apple’s automatic portrait mode excels by working with both objects and subjects.
Notably, the selfie camera has received its first significant upgrade in years, featuring an 18MP sensor that incorporates Apple’s Center Stage technology, previously seen in iPads and Macs. It allows for automatic panning and zooming to keep you framed during video calls, and you can widen the shot for landscape selfies while in portrait mode. This clever design addresses the challenge of fitting multiple people into a shot without reorienting the phone.
Price
The iPhone 17 Pro starts at £1,099 (€1,299/$1,099/$1,999) for the model with 256GB of storage.
For context, the iPhone 16E is priced at £599, the iPhone 17 costs £799, the iPhone Air costs £999, the iPhone 17 Pro Max is listed at £1,199, the Google Pixel 10 Pro retails for £999, the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra is £1,099, and the FairPhone 6 is available for £499.
Verdict
The 17 Pro represents the most distinct iPhone evolution in years, and despite its functional variations from recent models, it is instantly recognizable.
Its new aluminum unibody design feels premium, although it may be more susceptible to scratches than glass. With top-notch performance and display, the battery life is commendable for such a compact device. Overall, it’s an excellent iPhone and a high-quality smartphone.
However, this year it faces competition from the Spotlight Super Susane iPhone Air and the enhanced standard iPhone 17.
The camera stands out as a significant differentiating factor, with the 17 Pro featuring superior camera capabilities, including a newly enhanced telephoto lens. This makes it one of the best camera phones available.
Consequently, for iPhone enthusiasts keen on excellent telephoto capabilities, the 17 Pro is the ideal choice—albeit at a premium price.
Pros: Enhanced 4x/8x telephoto, upgraded selfie camera, impressive display, USB-C, solid battery life, excellent performance, long-term software support, Face ID, and a compact design make it a remarkable camera.
Cons: Premium pricing, heavier than previous models, absence of cutting-edge AI features compared to rivals, and similar screen and size available in more affordable models.
Origami “Bloom” design unfolds into a flower-like structure
BYU Photos
A novel collection of origami-like petal structures may enhance the design of various systems, including telescopes and solar panels.
These origami structures, rooted in the traditional art of Japanese paper folding, are favored by engineers for their ability to collapse into compact forms while expanding into larger configurations. However, the complexity of some origami patterns can pose challenges in deployment.
Recently, Larry Howell from Brigham Young University in Utah and his team have introduced a new category of origami shapes known as Bloom Patterns, which unfurl in a single, smooth motion to create a bowl-like design resembling a flower. “We can develop innovative designs that have never existed before, all while crafting aesthetically pleasing forms,” Howell notes.
Although certain Bloom patterns were recognized by origami aficionados and scholars before, Howell and his colleagues identified them as part of a broader spectrum of shapes with shared attributes.
By categorizing the different variations of Bloom patterns and providing a mathematical framework for their functioning, the researchers successfully constructed operational versions using various materials, including thick acrylic and plastics, demonstrating that each shape can consistently unfold.
The ability to deploy everything at once presents a significant advantage for space structures, minimizing the risk of complete failure during the process, states Michael Bartlett from Virginia Tech. “Every component must function perfectly; if one element fails, the entire operation is compromised,” he emphasizes. “When I observe these [Bloom patterns], it becomes evident that deployment does not follow a strict sequential pattern to achieve full expansion.”
While space telescopes generally rely on flatter mirrors for observation, the curved geometry of the Bloom pattern can facilitate the deployment of dishes akin to those in ground-based telescopes, yielding more precise imaging, Howell explains.
Having a mathematical model detailing the unfolding mechanism of these Bloom patterns could expedite the design process for functional origami structures, remarks Jamie Pike from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne. “This provides us with insights to better anticipate the appearance of potential inventions and determine whether to pursue a certain direction or explore alternatives.”
Back in 2005, there was nothing quite as satisfying as closing a clamshell flip phone to end a call.
Now, two decades later, these devices are making a comeback, with rumors suggesting that Apple is developing its first flip phone.
Details remain scarce regarding its design, but it may take inspiration from Samsung’s flip models reminiscent of 2000s clamshell phones.
According to a JPMorgan report, the initial foldable iPhone is set to launch at a price point of $1,999 (£1,474) in September 2026, indicating a likely expansion in the foldable phone market, projected to hit 109 million units by 2025.
For the past 15 years, rectangular tablets have dominated phone design, raising the question: could Apple’s foray into flip phones signify a shift in direction?
Tech analysts suggest that the introduction of a new product reflects consumer demand for devices that offer extensive internet access on mobile phones rather than laptops or tablets. However, the premium pricing indicates these will remain luxury items.
“Apple and its competitors are constrained by a smartphone market that has lost its innovative edge. While essential for daily life, consumers are less excited about the next breakthrough,” remarked an industry expert.
This might explain why Apple is exploring fresh design concepts, such as the ultra-thin iPhone expected to debut in September.
Wood believes Apple’s entry into the foldable segment comes after competitors conducted their own experiments. Samsung’s initial Galaxy folding design faced screen issues, yet the upcoming Galaxy Flip and Fold 7 release boasts a sleeker design and enhanced display, aiming to represent the “next generation” of folding devices, especially following sales stagnation anticipated in 2024.
“Apple typically approaches developments carefully, focusing on refinement and reliability rather than rushing to market,” Wood noted.
He added that Samsung’s flip phone has garnered greater popularity than its fold model, owing to its affordability and unique attributes.
However, he believes Apple’s foray into foldable mini tablets may have a significant impact by enabling users to easily watch videos, view photos, and utilize larger display areas for document viewing while working remotely.
Margarita Panaioto, a high-tech researcher at the University of Manchester, pointed out that research indicates a preference for larger screens among users for gaming and viewing, combined with the trend of younger individuals using smartphones to go online. This suggests that foldable designs could serve as ideal compromises for future consumers.
Professor Ben Carter, who examines the societal impact of smartphones at King’s College London, concurred that foldable phones excel in video consumption, especially as video increasingly dominates content consumption. They provide larger screens, thereby enhancing the viewing experience.
He posited that a design reminiscent of a “mini laptop that can fold” could yield mental health benefits. His research shows that minimizing notifications effectively combats screen time and smartphone dependency.
If the screen is closed, the “Variable Reward Scheme” associated with notifications is also shut down. This similarly applies to gambling addiction, which thrives on uncertainty. “If we can reduce distractions like a laptop, that could help,” he stated, though he acknowledged the absence of evidence showing foldable phones are being used that way.
Such an approach might be particularly advantageous for children, who typically receive over 200 notifications daily. Nevertheless, due to the high costs of foldable phones, it’s unlikely many will be accessible to them until parents transition to the indirect model a few years after launch.
Professor David Ellis, chair of Behavioral Sciences at the University of Bath, added that additional benefits include improved screen protection and compact fit in pockets, alongside the “nostalgia associated with flip phones.”
However, he cautioned that it may not be the transformative product many anticipate, noting that Apple does not have a “100% success rate” — citing the Vision Pro headset as a notable failure.
Leonardo da Vinci’s concept for a flying device might have outperformed today’s drones in terms of functionality and noise reduction.
Rajat Mittal, a researcher at Johns Hopkins University in Maryland, along with his team, found that Da Vinci’s “air screws”—which were never actually constructed or tested during his time as a military engineer in 1480—could potentially require less power to achieve the same lift as conventional drone rotors.
The device closely resembles an Archimedes screw, a helical pump that lifts water as it rotates. Although Da Vinci envisioned it being powered by human effort, employing a lightweight electric motor could have enabled it to actually achieve flight.
Mittal’s team created a simulation of the air screw, testing it in a virtual wind tunnel across various rotational speeds and comparing it with traditional drone rotors, including a two-blade variant.
They discovered that the air screws can maintain the same lift while rotating at a slower speed, indicating reduced power consumption.
By measuring the pressure and wind flow around the virtual screw, the team also estimated its potential output.
“I was taken aback,” Mittal remarked. “We initially believed that the spiral screw’s shape would yield terrible aerodynamic performance, but it turns out it might surpass traditional blades.”
Mittal and his team aim to investigate ways to optimize Da Vinci’s design for improved efficiency without sacrificing its distinguishable noise-reducing properties.
As drones become more prevalent in urban settings for deliveries and emergency services, the challenge of noise pollution has prompted researchers to explore alternative rotor designs that generate less noise for similar lift outputs.
“An author can produce the same thrust with a slower rotation, which is exactly what Da Vinci’s design achieves. This will indeed contribute to quieter operations,” noted Cheryl Grace from Boston University, Massachusetts. “It’s not necessary for it to strictly follow Da Vinci’s blueprint, but it’s fantastic that his concept aligns with this idea.”
However, to validate the practicality of Da Vinci’s design in real-world applications, testing its performance during flight—rather than just hovering—and evaluating the impact of rotor weight on its efficiency is crucial, Grace added.
Renaissance science: Italy
Explore the brilliant scientific minds and discoveries of the Renaissance that have positioned Italy as a leader in scientific advancement.
Could a new approach lead to error-free quantum computers?
Nord’s numbers
Canadian startups in quantum computing assert that the new Qubit technology will enable the development of smaller, more affordable, and error-free quantum computers. However, reaching that goal presents a significant challenge.
Traditional computers mitigate errors by storing redundant copies of information across multiple locations. This method, known as redundancy, requires quantum computers to utilize many additional qubits, potentially hundreds of thousands, to replicate this redundancy.
Julianne Camiland Lemire and her team at Nord’s numbers have engineered a qubit that promises to reduce this requirement to just a few hundred. “The fundamental principle of our hardware is to utilize qubits with inherent redundancy,” she notes.
Competing qubit technologies include small superconducting circuits and ultra-cold atoms. The Nord Quartique qubit employs a superconducting cavity filled with microwave radiation. Inside this cavity, photons are trapped and bounce back and forth, allowing information to be encoded within quantum states.
This design is not entirely new; however, it’s the first instance of employing “multimode encoding.” Researchers utilize multiple properties of photons simultaneously to store information, thereby enhancing resilience against common quantum computing errors.
Victor Albert from the University of Maryland mentions that effective quantum error correction necessitates more qubits, meaning information is stored in interconnected groups rather than isolated qubits, safeguarding the system from individual failures.
The innovative Qubit incorporates a second technique that enables the effective storage of information in a four-dimensional mathematical framework.
This is why NORD’s quantitative project anticipates that their error-resistant quantum computers will be up to 50 times smaller than those utilizing superconducting circuit qubits, the most advanced yet. Moreover, the company estimates that machines built with their Qubits will consume as much power as those using conventional methods.
Despite these advancements, Nord has not yet released data on multiple kits. Furthermore, ensuring the multimode encoding functions correctly is still pending, indicating that the new Qubit has yet to be applied in computational tasks. Significant technical hurdles remain before these teams can achieve scalable quantum computing.
“It’s too early to conclude whether this fault-resistant approach will inherently outperform other methods,” remarks Barbara Telhal at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands.
Michel Devoret from Yale University observes that while the new development is “not groundbreaking,” it enhances the science of quantum error correction and reflects the company’s grasp of technical difficulties.
Lemire expresses that the team is actively working on building additional Qubits and refining existing designs. They aim to implement a “perfect mechanism” for manipulating information stored within the Qubit, essential during quantum computational processes. The goal is to create a practical quantum computer featuring over 100 error-resilient qubits by 2029.
OnePlus is aiming to show that in 2025, the top premium Android phone doesn’t necessarily have to be from Samsung or Google.
The latest model in the Sharp Sub-Brand series, OnePlus 13, is priced at 899 pounds (1,049 euros/$899), slightly lower than Google and Samsung’s offerings.
Oneplus offers a range of colors, including a blue microfiber back option, as seen in the photo.
The large screen features a thin bezel and curved edges. Photo: Samuel Gibbs/Guardian
The 6.8-inch screen on the OnePlus 13 is vibrant, sharp, and colorful, comparable to the best in the market. The metal frame gives it a retro look, similar to the OnePlus X from 2015, but the phone is still manageable. It is IP68 water-resistant, capable of withstanding immersion for 30 minutes at a depth of 1.5 meters.
Fast Performance with the Latest Chip
The OnePlus 13 is one of the first phones to feature the new Snapdragon 8 Elite chip from Qualcomm, offering a 40% speed boost over its predecessor. The phone feels fast in daily use, with quick responses to all interactions.
The phone includes a unique alert slider for easy mode switching. Photo: Samuel Gibbs/Guardian
The battery life is impressive, offering up to 50 hours on a full charge with mixed usage of 5G and WiFi. It supports fast charging and wireless charging for added convenience.
Connection: 5G, ESIM, Wifi 7, NFC, Bluetooth 5.4, and GNSS
Water resistance: IP68/69 (30 minutes/80C Water Jet 1.5 meters for 30 seconds)
Size: 162.9 x 76.5 x 8.5mm
Weight: 210g
Sustainability
Oneplus 13 is well built but lacks recycled materials. Photo: Samuel Gibbs/Guardian
The battery is designed to retain at least 80% of its original capacity after 1,600 full charging cycles, with the option to replace it for £80.
While the phone does not contain recycled materials, it is repairable. Screen replacement costs £280. Oneplus’ environmental impact is covered in their parent company OPPO’s annual sustainability report.
Oxygen OS 15 with AI Features
AI elements in Oxygen OS 15 offer new features and functionalities. Photo: Samuel Gibbs/Guardian
Oxygen OS 15 on the OnePlus 13 is a tweaked version of Android 15, with added AI tools for improved functionality. The phone runs smoothly with some customization options available.
The phone comes with AI tools from Google and OnePlus, enhancing user experience. While software updates may be slightly delayed compared to competitors, OnePlus offers four-year Android updates with security patches until 2031.
Camera
The camera app on the OnePlus 13 offers a host of features for photography enthusiasts. Photo: Samuel Gibbs/Guardian
The OnePlus 13 boasts a triple rear camera setup and a 32MP front camera, delivering detailed images in various conditions. The camera app includes various modes for enhanced photography experiences.
Overall, the OnePlus 13 offers a compelling package with top-notch performance, innovative features, and a competitive price point compared to its rivals. It sets a new standard for Android phones in 2025.
Pros: Sleek design, excellent screen, long battery life, fast performance, top-tier chip, great camera, water resistance, AI tools.
Cons: Some rough edges in Oxygen OS, limited AI features, shorter software support compared to competitors.
“Everyone remembers the first Nokia,” says Mark Mason, who joined the carrier’s design team during its heyday in the 1990s. “When you say that name, it brings back memories.”
This is not as far-fetched as it sounds. In 1998, the Finnish consumer electronics manufacturer was the world’s best-selling mobile phone brand, accounting for 40% of the global market and 70% of the UK market.
Nokia’s cultural influence will be properly recognized for the first time in January, when the company’s design archive will be on display. Finland’s Aalto University has acquired the archive and will make it available through selected portals online as well as displaying it on its campus in Espoo.
Nokia’s influence on Finland is indisputable, but the Finnish Institute for Economic Research (Etla) reports that Nokia has contributed A quarter of Finland’s economic growth from 1998 to 2007 – The brand’s international pop culture value is also undeniable.
“Nokia was one of the first telcos to truly emphasize design and difference, offering everything from very affordable phones to the latest cutting-edge phones.” says technical editor Jonathan Bell. wallpaper* magazine. “In the world before Apple, Google, and even Samsung, they stood above all the other players.”
Nokia’s factory ringtone – Gran Valse from 1902 by Francisco Tarrega – became very popular in the 1990s and 2000s. the bird learned to sing it. In 2009, it was reported that the song was listened to an estimated 1.8 billion times a day worldwide. This equates to 20,000 times per second.
Keanu Reeves uses the famous “banana” cell phone, the Nokia 8110, in 1999’s The Matrix. Photo: Landmark Media/Alamy
The Nokia 8110 handset (better known as Banana) starred in the 1999 film. matrix. The brand quickly became endowed with cultural prestige.
Style journalist Murray Healy face He was a magazine editor during Nokia’s heyday in the 1990s, and currently serves as the editorial director of a fashion magazine. perfection. “In the late ’90s, when cell phones were boring, serious, precious, expensive mini-monoliths associated with yuppies, here came this cheap, curvaceous, happy-looking, slightly toy-like device,” he says. says. “It’s pocket-sized, the battery lasts forever, and it doesn’t seem to break down.”
Healy says the Nokia 3210, launched in 1999, was key in ushering in a culture of complete customization with its colorful, changeable chassis. “You can also print the name of your favorite band on it.”
Nokia was also the first mobile phone manufacturer to support SMS texting, and its mobile keypads were perfectly designed for it.
“All of these factors made the product immediately appealing to a youth market that was already adept at avoiding exorbitant call charges with text messages,” Healy says.
Mason, who spent 20 years at Nokia and is now a design expert at the British Design Council, says it was a great time for creativity. “We created a design language early on that put humans at the center. Our slogan was ‘Human Technology’ and Nokia’s slogan was ‘Connecting People.’ Everything we did was centered around that. The keyboard was also curved like the Mona Lisa’s smiling face. When you looked at it, it smiled back at you. “
Aalto University’s archives contain marketing images, sketches, market profiling and presentations that provide new insights into what was once one of the world’s most innovative companies.
Anna Valtonen is the lead researcher at the Nokia Design Archive and a former designer at the company. Her favorite piece on the record is an audiotape in which the designer explains what she’s been working on. “Combined with visual material, it creates a more human story. It not only gives color to the document, but also outlines what the designer was trying to achieve.”
By 1999, Nokia’s operating profits reached $4 billion, but the good times didn’t last long.
Ben Wood, Chief Analyst and Head of Marketing at CCS Insights, said: “This is the sad story of a once-great company that not only defined but dominated an industry for more than a decade, but was forgotten sooner than anyone imagined.”
Nokia’s decline was due to a combination of factors. Complacency played a big role. The company could not accept the competitive threat posed by new approaches, especially more powerful touchscreen smartphones such as the iPhone.
Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel holds a Nokia slide-out phone in Berlin in 2013. Photo: Fabrizio Bensch/Reuters
Since 2007, Nokia’s market value has fallen by about 90% and it was acquired by Microsoft in 2013.
Nokia’s design archive is a window into an optimistic era, when personal devices and technology were seen as purely positive additions to family life and well-being. But the clunky, bulky phones are finding a new audience among young people whose parents grew up with the brand and now want their children to have less access to social media.
Nokia devices are manufactured by Finnish independent mobile phone manufacturer Human Mobile Devices (HMD), which has been in production since 2016 and whose staff is mostly made up of former Nokia employees.
Valtonen said working with the archives gave him a sense of more than nostalgia. “It gave me a feeling of optimism and forward-looking thinking more than anything else. There are so many changes happening in technology at such a fast pace that it’s important to take a moment to pause and take a look behind the scenes. It’s great to get a glimpse of all the work being done, and I hope this material inspires people and makes them realize the potential for innovation.”
Mason’s hope is unashamedly nostalgic. “I can’t be too excited about my time at Nokia. It’s like a family and I’ve created a design icon. I hope people dig their old phones out of their drawers. – You’ll probably still be able to use it. If you cut me, you’ll have bright blue Nokia blood.”
In today’s world, side jobs have become a central part of many people’s lives. Nearly 50% of British individuals are engaging in side hustles. Nine out of 10 individuals under the age of 34 who have a side hustle plan to turn it into a full-time business. Balancing a side hustle along with a full-time job can be challenging, even for the most skilled multitaskers. Here are some tips for managing multiple gigs without disrupting your work environment.
Separate and Support Each Other View your day job as a source of motivation and insight rather than a hindrance to your side hustle. This approach can make your life more coherent and less draining.
Surprisingly, finding inspiration in both roles can help you focus better on each gig.
Reshmi Bennett, an award-winning chef from Surrey, runs a bakery called Anges de Sucre alongside publishing a recipe book for children to promote creativity in the kitchen. Bennett’s bakery has been thriving since its establishment in 2011, and she successfully manages both ventures, especially during the pandemic. Bennett shared, “During the lockdown, I had some free time, so I started writing a novel and selling it on Amazon.”
“Balancing the two roles can be challenging, so I try to organize my schedule as efficiently as possible. When I’m at my day job, I focus on fulfilling bakery orders and meeting customer needs. I pour all my energy into this. I also try to apply the skills and experiences I gain at the bakery, like recipe testing, to my side hustle. This way, I can continue managing both roles at a realistic pace.”
Work Smarter Emma Thomson, hailing from Romford, Essex, founded a jewelry business while working as a medical secretary for the NHS. Thomson juggled both roles during her lunch breaks for six years before transitioning to full-time entrepreneurship. She shared, “I unintentionally started this business. It began as a coping mechanism for my anxiety and depression, and gradually, people started asking where they could purchase my jewelry.”
jeweler emma thomson
Her top advice? “Optimize the time you spend in your main job as much as possible. I worked 10 hours a day for 3 days straight at my NHS job instead of the standard 8-hour day. Although it was long, I had four full days to focus on my business and take a day off if needed. This significantly reduced fatigue and stress. Additionally, scheduling and automating social media content proved to be beneficial, as I didn’t have to personally oversee much of my social media presence.”
Enhance Your Visual Identity Develop a strong visual identity for both your day job and side hustle. Whether presenting internally to your team or creating social media content for your side gig, leveraging your design skills and adaptability can strengthen your personal brand. Improved design skills can benefit you in both roles and help you excel at both. Consider using apps like Adobe Express for creating high-quality content effortlessly.
Candace Mason runs an herbal tea business for women.
Outsource Whenever Possible Successfully managing a family bus and coach company alongside a women’s herbal tea business requires a diverse set of skills. Candace Mason from Tring, Hertfordshire, emphasizes the importance of good organization. She runs two very distinct and separate businesses, managing her life effectively using online tools like Trello for project management. Having a streamlined calendar and booking system is crucial for efficient operation. Mason acknowledges the value of outsourcing tasks like bookkeeping, recognizing the importance of accepting that one person cannot do everything.
Stick to Your Schedule Strictly Leanne Alston of Bradford, West Yorkshire, owns a private hotel while working full-time as a mental health team manager in the NHS. Alston attributes her success to strict scheduling in all areas of her life. “I create a weekly schedule, detailing my 9-to-5 job requirements and sleep routine. I then allocate time for meeting private clients, organizing social media, exercising, socializing, and personal projects. Some days require specific planning, while others are more relaxed, but having a written schedule eliminates mental clutter and provides visual clarity. Prioritizing health is crucial; neither your day job nor side hustle can thrive if your well-being is neglected.”
Psychotherapist Leanne Alston
“I meticulously plan my week to accommodate my 9-to-5 responsibilities, sleep, and personal activities, including meetings with clients, social media management, exercise, and socializing. Some days require specific planning, while others are more relaxed. Having everything written down eliminates mental clutter and provides visual clarity, making it easier to follow through on tasks. One important suggestion is to prioritize your health, as neither your day job nor side project will thrive if your well-being is neglected.”
Stay True to Yourself We often hear about bringing our “authentic selves” to work. While the wisdom of this approach is debatable, aligning your personal and professional personas can simplify your life, especially if you have a side hustle. This consistency reduces the energy spent on adapting between roles and opens up opportunities for cross-pollination.
Charlotte Walsh started a reusable straw business
Try Time Chunking Charlotte Walsh, an engineer from North Yorkshire, founded a silicone straw company to address the challenge of finding high-quality, reusable straws for her children. Walsh shared, “I launched the business in 2019 and now work full-time, handling everything from order dispatch to securing compliance for high street retail partners. By segmenting tasks into chunks through time chunking, you can prioritize urgent tasks and make significant daily progress without distractions from emails or new requests.”
Be Punctual Lastly, never compromise on punctuality, even if you’re working late nights. Losing your professionalism can lead to a loss of trust, which may require even more time and effort to regain.
Personal branding has undergone a radical transformation. The way we present ourselves in the workplace and in the job market has evolved, thanks to the tools available to us and social changes like the merging of work and personal life. Just 25 years ago, a resume was all you needed to secure a new job. However, today, the internet, social media, and smartphones have revolutionized the way we showcase ourselves to the world. These tools enable us to transform our resumes into polished websites or captivating slide decks. Social media platforms provide an avenue for anyone to cultivate and manage their personal brand in real time.
The current landscape is witnessing a significant shift as increasingly advanced tools allow individuals to create professional visual and video content using just their smartphones. With the proliferation of platforms and social channels, along with the emergence of technologies like artificial intelligence, the possibilities are virtually limitless.
So, what are the guidelines for personal branding in this new era?
Utilize modern tools
Personal branding expert Jennifer Holloway emphasizes the importance of packaging the best aspects of oneself to appeal to the target audience. Leveraging available tools can help in creating a sophisticated website with striking images and polished videos, crafting engaging social media content, and developing well-designed marketing materials.
Smartphone editing tools and the abundance of visual content on social media have inadvertently enhanced our visual skills. As the competition grows, standing out from the crowd necessitates a higher level of skill. Apps like Adobe Express can be game-changers by facilitating the creation of eye-catching designs quickly and effortlessly, while tools like generative AI enable the adoption of new design capabilities.
Be authentic – yet genuine
Daisy Morris, an Adobe Express evangelist and author, highlights the importance of personal branding reflecting one’s unique traits without feeling overly curated. Authenticity plays a crucial role, but the concept has become somewhat cliché. Striving for authenticity can sometimes create a conflict between one’s true self and their ideal self. It’s vital to strike a balance between highlighting one’s strengths and ensuring all information conveyed is accurate.
Holloway stresses the need for truthfulness in personal branding to avoid potential discrepancies in the future. The goal is to provide a glimpse of what one would experience in a personal encounter, ensuring alignment between the online persona and the real self.
Embrace experimentation
Not every strategy works for everyone, so experimenting with various media, platforms, and channels is essential. Researching suitable channels and focusing efforts on a select few can amplify the impact of a personal brand, fostering a unique message tailored to the chosen audience.
Exercise discretion in sharing
While openness is often encouraged, it’s acceptable to maintain privacy in certain aspects of life. Crafting a personal brand should align with one’s comfort level, whether leaning towards transparency or a more professional stance.
Patiently pursue success
Social media may promote instant success stories, but building a successful personal brand requires dedication and time. Avoid getting caught up in the allure of rapid success and focus on developing engaging content at a sustainable pace.
Learn from others
Observing successful personal brands can offer valuable insights and inspiration. Staying informed about evolving technologies and best practices is crucial to thriving in the dynamic realm of personal branding.
Stephen Bartlett, a visionary entrepreneur, understands that having a vision is not enough. In partnership with Adobe Express, a quick content app, he uses carefully crafted manifestos to align with people’s goals and values to turn visions into actionable steps. This approach, known as the Manifest-o Method, provides a framework for guiding entrepreneurs in the early stages. By creating a manifesto, Bartlett aims to help people develop daily habits that bring them closer to their goals and alleviate fears about the journey.
Unlike a traditional business plan or mission statement, a manifesto goes beyond structure and focuses on belief, intent, and purpose. It serves as a daily reminder of why you embarked on your path in the first place. Bartlett, known for his work with Flight Studio, leverages Adobe Express to create manifestos for business development.
Creating a manifesto involves reflecting on core values and goals. It is a statement of intent that defines your position and objectives. Manifestos, when well-designed, carry more weight and are more enduring. Bartlett emphasizes the importance of distilling beliefs into actionable steps and making manifestos visually appealing. Creative digital tools like Adobe Express make designing manifestos easy and enjoyable.
Regularly reviewing and updating your manifesto is essential to ensure it remains a dynamic tool for growth. It should inspire you to take action and move closer to your goals. The Manifest-o method is not limited to business; it can also be applied to personal life, helping clarify values and priorities.
Scientists have discovered a technique that can bend light around corners, inspired by the way clouds scatter sunlight. This type of light bending could lead to advances in medical imaging, electronics cooling, and even nuclear reactor design.
Daniele Faccio Researchers at the University of Glasgow, UK, and their colleagues say they are shocked that this type of light scattering has gone unnoticed. This works on the same principle as clouds, snow, and other white substances that absorb light. When a photon hits the surface of such a material, it is scattered in all directions, with little penetration and reflection in the direction it came from. For example, when sunlight hits a high cumulonimbus cloud, it reflects off the top of the cloud, making that part of the cloud appear brighter and whiter. However, because little light reaches the bottom of the cloud, this area appears gray even though it is made of the same water droplets.
“The light bounces around and tries to penetrate in a sense, reflecting off all the molecules and defects,” Faccio says. “And in the end, the light doesn’t get in, it just gets reflected. That’s scattering.”
To replicate this process, the team 3D printed the object from an opaque white material, leaving a thin tunnel of transparent resin inside. When light hits a material, it tunnels and scatters, just like light hits snow or clouds. However, rather than scattering randomly in all directions until they are evenly distributed, the photons are directed back into the resin tunnel by the opaque material. The team used this to create a variety of objects that channel light in an organized way.
3D printed white blocks with curved channels guide scattered light
university of glasgow
Although functionally similar to fiber optic cables that transmit light along their length, these 3D printed objects operate on fundamentally different principles. Fiber optic cables control light by infinitely reflecting it inside. When a photon attempts to leave the cable’s plastic or glass inner core, it hits another material with a lower index of refraction and is internally reflected. In this way, light can be carried several kilometers at a time, even around bends.
The researchers say the material increases light transmission by more than two orders of magnitude compared to the same transparent, non-tunneled solid block, and can also direct light around curves. It is much less efficient than fiber optics, making it difficult to achieve long distances, but it is also very easy and cheap.
This light-bending method could provide a new way to perform medical imaging by taking advantage of existing translucent material tunnels, such as tendons or body fluids, within the spinal column. Faccio said the exact same principle works in the direction of heat and neutrons, so it could be applied to a variety of engineering applications, such as cooling systems and nuclear reactors.
“It was not at all clear that this would work. We were shocked,” Faccio said, adding that the phenomenon could have easily been discovered decades or even centuries ago. I believe there is. “It’s not like we’ve created or discovered a really niche, weird equation that has some weird properties.”
CBeloved actor, film star, and refugee advocate Atheé Blanchett stands at the podium addressing the European Parliament: “The future is now,” she says authoritatively. So far, so normal, but then you’re asked, “But where are the sex robots?”
The footage is from an actual speech Blanchett gave in 2023, but the rest is fictional.
Her voice was generated by Australian artist Xanthe Dobie using text-to-speech platform PlayHT for Dobie’s 2024 video work, Future Sex/Love Sounds, which imagines a feminist utopia populated by sex robots and voiced by celebrity clones.
Much has been written about the world-changing potential of large-scale language models (LLMs), including Midjourney and Open AI’s GPT-4. These models are trained on massive amounts of data, generating everything from academic papers, fake news, and “revenge porn.” Music, images, software code.
While supporters praise the technology for speeding up scientific research and eliminating routine administrative tasks, it also presents a wide range of workers, from accountants, lawyers, and teachers to graphic designers, actors, writers, and musicians, with an existential crisis.
As the debate rages, artists like Dobie are beginning to use these very tools to explore the possibilities and precarity of technology itself.
“The technology itself is spreading at a faster rate than the law can keep up with, which creates ethical grey areas,” says Dobie, who uses celebrity internet culture to explore questions of technology and power.
“We see replicas of celebrities all the time, but data on us, the little people of the world, is collected at exactly the same rate… It’s not a question of technology capabilities. [that’s bad]That’s how flawed, stupid, evil people choose to use it.”
Choreographer Alisdair McIndoe is another artist working at the intersection of technology and art: His new work, Plagiary, premieres this week at Melbourne’s Now or Never festival before running in a season at the Sydney Opera House, and uses custom algorithms to generate new choreography for dancers to receive for the first time each night.
Although the AI-generated instructions are specific, each dancer is able to interpret them in their own way, making the resulting performance more like a human-machine collaboration.
In Alisdair McIndoe’s Plagiary at Now or Never festival, dancers respond to AI-generated instructions. Photo: Now or never
Not all artists are fans of technology. Nick Cave, January 2023 Posted a scathing review He called the song ChatGPT generated by imitating his work “nonsense” and a “grotesque mockery of humanity.”
“Songs come from suffering,” he says, “which means they’re based on complex, inner human conflicts of creation. And as far as I know, algorithms don’t have emotions.”
Painter Sam Leach doesn’t agree with Cave’s idea that “creative genius” is an exclusively human trait, but he encounters this kind of “total rejection of technology and everything related to it” frequently.
Fruit Preservation (2023), directed by Sam Leach. Photo: Albert Zimmermann/Sam Leach
He justifies his use of sources by emphasizing that he spends hours “editing” with a paintbrush to refine the software’s suggestions. He also uses an art critic chatbot to question his ideas.
For Leach, the biggest concern about AI isn’t the technology itself or how it’s being used, but who owns it: “There are very few giant companies that own the biggest models and have incredible power.”
One of the most common concerns about AI is copyright. This is an especially complicated issue for people working in the artistic sector, whose intellectual property is being used to train multi-million dollar models, often without their consent or compensation. For example, last year, it was revealed that 18,000 Australian books had been used in the Book3 dataset without permission or compensation. Booker Prize-winning author Richard Flanagan described this as “the biggest act of copyright theft in history.”
And last week, Australian music rights organization APRA AMCOS Presenting the survey results They found that 82% of members are concerned that AI will reduce their ability to make a living from music.
BThis month in design news, tinkering and hobby crafts get the respect they deserve. Read our articles to see where these wonderful activities are being treated as art. We also cover the history of Casio watches and the emerging future of the Apple Watch. Sign up for the Design Review newsletter to receive more articles like this on architecture, sustainability, and crafts every month.
Origami created by origami artist Darryl Bedford (London) Photo: Darryl Bedford
Oscar Wilde once said, “If you want to have fun in life, you have to take something seriously.” So he must have been impressed by the diverse works and collections on display in the new Art Angel exhibition, “Come As You Really Are,” which just opened in Croydon, UK. In January, British-Gujarati artist and filmmaker Hetan Patel put out a call for all passionate people — collectors, crafters, weekend painters — to send in photos and stories about their hobbies. From 1,500 responses, Patel has put together a stunning exhibition featuring everything from handmade banjos and origami to Warhammer figurines and My Little Pony collections. The artist is a huge Spider-Man fan, and the exhibition includes his own Spider-Man-inspired works. “Come As You Really Are” is currently on display at Grantsville in Croydon, but will be touring the UK for the next 18 months.
Patel said: “Sharing something so personal carries with it a vulnerability that often comes in private spaces with the responsibilities of everyday life. But there is great power in collective sharing, and that is at the heart of this project. We hope you will join us in celebrating the unstoppable nature of self-expression that hobby can represent.”
For more information on “Come As You Really Are” and tour locations, Art Angel Website
TinyPod models available in various sizes Photo: TinyPod
If the memory of the iPod still brings back nostalgia, the TinyPod might be just what you need. The new gadget is a strap-less Apple Watch in a case with the familiar old iPod click wheel, which you can use as a limited-function smartphone. You can make calls, send texts, and listen to music, but you can’t easily access social media or play videos. The Tinypod’s selling point is that it’s a “phone away from the phone,” and if you want to limit your screen time without reverting to a dumb phone, this could be the middle ground.
Sure, the TinyPod requires you to have an old Apple Watch gathering dust in a drawer, requires you to turn off wrist detection, and doesn’t count steps, but finding new uses for excess tech always seems like a good idea.
Approximately one in five Londoners is of South Asian descent, and the community has an impact across London’s streets and neighborhoods, and this rich history is celebrated in Blue Crow Media’s latest city guide map.
The publisher has earned a reputation for producing beautiful maps that combine hidden history with outstanding graphics. Previous titles include Brutalist London and Black History London. This latest map was created by urban planner and author Krish Nathaniel and Bushra Mohammed, director of Msoma Architects. It features 50 London locations, including Neasden Abbey, Drummond Street, the Statue of Noor Inayat Khan, and the Koh-i-Noor Diamond.
“In the UK, there’s often a comfortable assumption that our multi-ethnic history started in the 1950s. For South Asians, the story is much longer than many people know. We wanted to make that history visible and visitable,” says Nathaniel. “We want to show the intertwined stories that span every country and faith across the South Asian subcontinent and its diaspora. Anyone from the South Asian community can find themselves in this map, whether they’re 16 or 60.”
The South Asia History London Map is available at: Blue Crow Media and various independent bookstores.
A refurbished coastal pot by architect and leatherworker Martha Summers. Photo: Martha Summers
If you’re wondering whether to repair or replace your belongings, check out Architecture of Repair on Instagram before your next move. The feed explores the possibilities of repair and showcases the work of the Beyond Repair collective. Everyday objects like IKEA lamps, broken bottles, and moth-eaten rugs are restored to beautiful, usable condition by collective members like Phineas Harper, CEO of education charity Open City, architect Sanjukta Jitendar, and Smith Modak, CEO of the UK Green Building Council.
Some of these incredible pieces are also currently on display at the Rotterdam Architecture Biennale in the Netherlands, so be sure to check them out if you want to take a closer look.
“Around 62% of the 222 million tonnes of waste the UK produces each year comes from construction and building,” Harper said. “The UN estimates that e-waste alone is growing five times faster than recycling rates. The transition to a fair and green economy must be focused on restoring a culture of repair, care, maintenance, and restoration.”
Let’s take another look at the IKEA lamp.
“Beyond Repair” is on display at the Rotterdam Architecture Biennale until October 13th. Instagram: @architectureofrepair
It’s hard to believe Casio watches are still 50 years old, but this year the Japanese electronics manufacturer is celebrating the milestone. Everyone’s favorite brand of affordable keyboards and calculators is showcasing some of their vintage classic watches, with a focus on classics from the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s.
If you grew up proudly wearing a G-Shock or adored an old-fashioned calculator watch, prepare to feel a tsunami of nostalgia.
Casio’s first digital watch was the Casiotron, introduced in 1974. It was the world’s first watch with an automatic calendar function. When Casio released a limited special edition of this watch earlier this year, it sold out in the UK within five minutes, with more due to be released later this year.
For more information on the Vintage Series, please visit Casio’s Website.
TThe famously difficult dark fantasy epic Elden Ring is the second best-selling game in the world in 2022, and with the release of its expansion Shadow of the Erdtree last Friday, everyone is once again debating whether the game is too difficult. Every game developed by From Software since Demon’s Souls in 2009 has sparked this debate, but I’m not going to get into it, because it’s neither interesting nor particularly important. These games are what they are, and you can either choose to get into it or, of course, walk away.
This vision is inherited from the game’s director, Hidetaka Miyazaki, who rose to fame with Dark Souls in 2011 and has also served as FromSoftware’s president since 2014. Though tough, there’s also an element of faith and encouragement in this approach to game design: Elden Ring and other games believe that if you just play patiently and ask other players for help, you’ll eventually win and feel much better.
Miyazaki is an interesting character and one of the most influential artists in the gaming and entertainment world. He was named the “100 Most Influential People in the World” by Time magazine. The 100 most influential people I first interviewed him last year, just before the European launch of Demon’s Souls in 2010. Following his career since then has been one of the highlights for me. I recently interviewed him again in Los Angeles, and it might be comforting for some of us to know that playing his games is sometimes painful, even for him.
“With any game, before launch I’ll spend as much time playing it as I can,” he told me, “but after launch I don’t want to touch it too much because I think I’ll find things that I’ve missed or issues that bother me. And once I’m a player, I don’t have the power to do anything significant to change that, so I stop playing it once it’s out.”
“However, in preparation for Shadow of the Erdtree, I played through the main story of Elden Ring. I’m absolutely terrible at video games, so my approach and playstyle was to use everything I had at my disposal, every assistance, every help the game offered, and all of my knowledge as a game designer…The freedom and open-world nature of Elden Ring probably lowered the barrier to entry, and I may have benefited from that more than anyone else as a player.”
Hidetaka Miyazaki at the E3 Expo in California in 2013. Photo: Daniel Botsarski/WireImage
Watching Miyazaki pick up the controller and agonize over the world he’s created (and its imperfections that only he would notice) made me laugh heartily. It’s a true commitment to his game design philosophy of improving through failure, a mantra that seems to permeate his entire life. Miyazaki is a very hands-on director, and all of his games clearly bear his influence, but during his decade as president of From Software, he has tried to pass on his knowledge and artistic approach to others, giving them the space to fail as well.
“The budget, the size, the scope, everything has expanded to a level where I think there is not as much room for failure as there was before,” he told me. “From Software has its own way of hedging, so to speak. For most of our projects, we have partners who fund the projects. … From a business management perspective, we are not betting everything on one project. At the same time, we need to find the right projects where we can afford to fail. Even if they are small in scope or size, or a small module within a bigger one, we need to have room to fail. I think that’s where a lot of young game directors can try and learn from. Understanding and identifying where we can afford to fail is how we develop talent.”
Miyazaki considers Elden Ring a “turning point” for FromSoftware: “There will be a clear difference between before and after Elden Ring… [2023’s mech game] “Armored Core VI,” he says. He expects to see more games from the company’s other directors soon, rather than just himself. “I think Elden Ring is the limit for FromSoftware right now, in terms of scale. We’ve used all the resources and talent available to us. … There are concerns about scaling up even further. Perhaps having multiple projects is the next step, and other younger talents will have the opportunity to manage and oversee the game design of smaller projects.”
Shadow of the Elder Tree is the end of Elden Ring for now. With the exception of Dark Souls, Miyazaki generally doesn’t make sequels. Demon’s Souls, Sekiro, Bloodborne, and Elden Ring are all standalone works, and I get the impression he likes it that way. Interestingly, though, he wouldn’t mind someone else continuing The Land Between in a different medium.
“I don’t see any reason to rule out another interpretation or film of Elden Ring,” he told me, “but I don’t think myself or FromSoftware have the knowledge or the ability to create something in another medium. That’s where a very strong partner would come in. We’d need to build a lot of trust and agreement on whatever we’re trying to achieve, but I’m certainly interested.”
If any Soul Geek readers work in arthouse film production, consider this an opportunity to jump on.
What to Play
Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD. Photo: Nintendo
Now, let’s talk about something completely different. Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD This week there is a welcome blast from the past (I Reviewed by IGNOriginally released on Nintendo 3DS in 2013, this fantastically unique and spooky adventure is better than any Ghostbusters game ever made.
Mario’s clumsy, timid little brother has five elaborate diorama mansions to clear out of ghosts and secrets. The animation here is unparalleled, the ghosts are brimming with personality along with ectoplasm, and Luigi himself is an underrated star of slapstick comedy.
Available on: Nintendo Switch Estimated play time: 12 hours
IIt's a quiet morning in a London gallery studio voltaire And Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley invited me to prototype her latest artwork. It's a horror-inspired video game in which players fight to overcome the issues holding them back, from fear of failure to addiction. This is also the centerpiece of her first organized solo exhibition with the theme of change. I worked on the game, but by the fourth round I was still crap. Artificial screams echo around the empty gallery. “That must be super difficult!” laughs Brathwaite-Shirley. “It's all based on what I'm trying to overcome or have overcome. It didn’t take one turn, it took many.”
The Rebirthing Room is Brathwaite-Shirley's latest participatory work. The idea came to me after a conversation with a curator about the usefulness of Art Her Gallery. “We were talking about how we could do more with the space. What could we do with it other than just showcasing work?” she says. “That’s when I thought, “It would be great if you came to the gallery and left a different person.'
The 29-year-old started making interactive art in 2020 after misguided comments from visitors made her question the purpose of her work. At the time, her portfolio consisted of videos and animations documenting her London burlesque scenes and her black transgender peers. The work, rendered in what she describes as her “beautiful retro aesthetic,” created an alternate reality for community members. It is an unconventional archival method to fill in the blind spots in historical records. “Someone said to me, “I really like your work because it allows me to be visual and ignore what you're saying,'' Brathwaite-Shirley recalls. “I thought, “This is the best feedback of my life, because I can't do that anymore!''
Another history…”Thou shalt not accept” in 2023. Photo: Perttu Saksa/Courtesy of the artist and Helsinki Biennale
Since then, she has started incorporating choices made by the audience to advance the work. In 2022 she released her Get Home Safe, an arcade her-style game inspired by her own experiences wandering around Berlin at night. The player is tasked with guiding the protagonist safely through dark streets. Meanwhile, “I Can't Follow You Anymore,” released in browser-based last year, asks audiences to navigate a revolution and decide who will be saved or sacrificed. “In interactive work, you have to make an effort to see something,” she says. “What fascinates me is the choices people make and the feelings they leave behind. I think that's when the real works of art start to emerge.”
Keen to prioritize content over aesthetics, Brathwaite-Shirley's new work takes advantage of the rudimentary pre-rendered graphics of early computer games. It's intentionally lo-fi, built from 2D animation, iPad drawings, and old software, with a VHS-style finish. The forest grass on the screen is made from edited photographs of her hands, and the sounds are an extension of her archival project, developed from recordings of her screaming into her mobile phone. . “I never want to touch this super shiny stuff,” she says. “I like to make people's brains work a little bit more.”
With disorienting sound effects and low lighting, Rebirthing Room is a fully immersive experience. Surrounding the screen and handmade controllers operated by the audience are giant trees covered in cloth and rows of real corn, a reference to the horror movies she grew up watching.
“I don’t need this super shiny thing”…Screenshot of the playback room Photo: Image provided by the artist
“What I love about horror is that it makes you want to experience experiences and emotions that you would never experience in normal life,” she says. “If a movie is really good, there's something about it that sticks around. It's that perfect balance of being really scary, but also interesting enough to keep you watching.”
In addition to being a nifty device to “fool” viewers into their own values and beliefs, Brathwaite-Shirley's digital universe, full of demons, villains, and gore, is well-suited to the current climate. You can feel it when you are there. She says it's important to highlight not only the hostility from her outsider group, but all the “nasty nuances” that exist within her own self. She said: “I feel like we're in a very censored time; [where] Even speaking about views that your particular political group subscribes to feels dangerous because you feel like you have to say it the way they want to hear it. Therefore, for me, presenting a utopia in the environment we are currently in is a huge waste. ”
Challenging audiences is something she would like to see more of in the art world, but she feels it prioritizes too much of a fun, Instagram-friendly experience. Her purpose is not to make her people enjoy her own work. She finds the more visceral and emotional responses more interesting. She told me that when she finishes a show with nothing but praise, she feels like her work is of no use.
She is interested in how viewers will respond to Room of Rebirth. Will they play until they succeed? Or will they just give up like I did? only time will tell. “I’m looking forward to seeing how we can go even further next time,” she says.
Robot dodecahedron mounted on a submersible (circled area)
brennan phillips
The robotic dodecahedron can capture fragile deep-sea animals, collect tissue samples, and build three-dimensional scans of the creatures, potentially speeding up the cataloging of deep-sea life. Up to 66% of marine species are still unknown to science.
brennan phillips RAD2 Sampler and colleagues at the University of Rhode Island have developed the RAD2 Sampler, which is designed to be mounted on any submersible to collect fresh tissue samples in situ from living animals. They hope this will reveal more about the creature than existing techniques, which are typically exposed to stress when pulled up from the depths.
RAD2 is a dodecahedron with an internal volume large enough to hold a basketball. It can be folded and unfolded on command to temporarily capture organisms for detailed examination and take small tissue samples that are stored directly on board the submarine for later genetic analysis. It is designed to.
The ultimate goal is to take a small biopsy and release the animal relatively unscathed, but RAD2's current technique (called tissue cutting) is “a little more crude,” Phillips said.
RAD2 has already been tested on two expeditions, collecting up to 14 tissue samples a day at a depth of around 1200 meters. “We could get small pieces of tissue, and sometimes we could get whole animals,” he says. “It depended on how big it was. So I can't say we've been able to release the animal unharmed after that, but we're moving towards that.”
The robot sampler is also equipped with a 4K resolution video camera to capture high-quality footage of the animal in motion, and a virtual model of the animal is constructed by various 3D scanning devices. In the future, Phillips said, he might be able to put sensors on each of his 12 sides of the dodecahedron and take different measurements of living things at once.
Phillips called other sampling methods “outdated” and said they essentially require people to manually put things into jars for later analysis, or use submersibles to do the same thing. Masu.
Preservation at the point of collection using RAD2 improves the quality of tissue samples and also allows researchers to detect which genes are expressed, further informing animal behavior and physiology. Phillips said it could shed some light. “This is a luxury item,” he says. “This is the best you can get with this animal, better than anyone we’ve ever had.”
eva stewart Researchers at the University of Southampton in the UK say that while digital data on deep-sea life can be a useful tool for research, there is no substitute for capturing and preserving entire samples.
“There are thousands of type specimens here. [at the university]” says Stewart.Some of them were collected by Swedish scientists carl linnaeusShe died in 1778 and says: Once you have the specimen, you are done. Even as our science changes, we can keep coming back to it. ”
But Stewart said underwater scans are useful for gelatinous and other delicate animals that are difficult to collect intact, and for how the creatures behave in their natural environment, rather than after being hoisted onto the deck of a boat. I agree that it may be helpful to understand.
“We've been conducting research to examine gene expression in sea cucumbers because we want to understand how sea cucumbers behave when they're stressed or affected by things like climate change,” says Stewart. he says. “But when you collect them and bring them to the surface, it's stressful. So being able to harvest tissue from them in a more natural way means you know what their natural baseline is, so they can It means we may be able to see more clearly what happens when placed in different environments.”
Researchers test batteries using new materials designed by AI
Microsoft's Dan DeLong
Artificial intelligence can accelerate the process of discovering and testing new materials, and researchers have used that ability to develop batteries that are less dependent on the expensive mineral lithium.
Lithium-ion batteries power not only electric cars but also many devices we use every day. They will also become a necessary part of green power grids, as batteries will be needed to store renewable energy from wind turbines and solar panels. However, lithium is expensive and mining it damages the environment. Finding a replacement for this important metal can be expensive and time-consuming, requiring researchers to develop and test millions of candidates over years. Utilizing AI, nathan baker Microsoft and its colleagues accomplished this task in a few months. They designed and manufactured a battery that uses up to 70% less lithium than some competing designs.
The researchers focused on types of batteries that contain only solid parts, looking for new materials for battery components called electrolytes, through which charge is transferred. They started with 23.6 million candidate materials, designed by tweaking the structure of an established electrolyte and replacing some lithium atoms with other elements. The AI algorithm filtered out materials that were calculated to be unstable or have weak chemical reactions that make the battery work. The researchers also considered how each material behaved when the battery was actively operating. After just a few days, their list contained just a few hundred candidates, some of whom had never been studied before.
“But we're not materials scientists,” Baker says. “So I called the experts who have worked on large-scale battery projects at the Department of Energy and said, 'What do you think? Are we crazy?'
vijay murugesan He works at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Washington state and was one of the scientists who answered the phone. He and his colleagues proposed additional screening criteria for AI. After further rounds of elimination, Murugesan's team finally selected one of his AI proposals and synthesized it in the lab. It was noticeable because half of what Murugesan expected to be lithium atoms were replaced with sodium. This is a very novel recipe for an electrolyte, he said, and the combination of the two elements raises questions about the fundamental physics of how the material works in batteries. Masu.
His team built a working battery using this material, albeit with a lower conductivity than similar prototypes that use more lithium. Both Baker and Murugesan said much work remains to optimize the new batteries. However, the manufacturing process took about nine months, from the time Murugesan first talked to his Microsoft team until the battery was functional enough to light a light bulb.
“The methodology here is cutting edge in terms of machine learning tools, but what really elevates this is that things have been created and tested,” he says. Rafael Gomez-Bombarelli from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology was not involved in this project. “It's very easy to make predictions. It's hard to convince someone to invest in an actual experiment.” He said the team will accelerate calculations that physicists have been making for decades, and It is said that AI was used to strengthen it. However, this approach may also encounter obstacles in the future. For this kind of work, he said, the data needed to train the AI is often sparse, and materials other than battery components may require more complex ways of combining elements. he says.
Space propulsion developer Morpheus Space today announced its first software product, a mission simulation and design platform called Journey.
Morpheus product manager Jim Gianakopoulos said in a recent interview (and in a recent product walkthrough) that the product has been in the works for nearly two years. This was born out of the typical thruster sales process. Customers come to Morpheus to ask if the startup’s lineup of electric propulsion systems can meet their mission requirements. However, the process is highly technical, fragmented, and manual.
“We found that to be a deterrent,” Giannakopoulos said. “Just by giving the user a place of control to actually simulate the entire mission themselves, analyze and refine it, and see what kind of propulsion system fits, it empowers them. Masu. [their] needs. “
Journey aggregates all the data typically spread across Excel sheets, Python, and other systems and quickly spits out mission and system designs. The software allows customers to input measurements, operations, launch dates, and other requirements for a custom system. The software is designed to be easy to use, even for non-technical users, with templates for common attributes such as satellite size.
In particular, the Journey platform does more than just match customers to Morpheus’ unique propulsion system. Depending on mission requirements, we may also recommend third-party chemical propulsion systems and various subsystems such as attitude determination, control systems, and communications.
The platform’s first product is called Preliminary Mission Design (PMD), and the company also plans to roll out a higher-fidelity Advanced Mission Design (AMD). The platform is designed to support customers from mission conception through end-of-orbit operations.
Morpheus has five to six early customers who are using PMD products to inform early mission and system designs. AMD plans to release a closed beta within the next two weeks. Morpheus was founded in 2018 with offices in Germany and El Segundo, California. Last September, the company closed its $28 million Series A round led by Alpine Space Ventures.
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