ONTDEK trending artikelen op ZINIO

What is modeling responses Ed.: In an episode of FineScale Modeler Weekly, Tim Kidwell and I addressed the question, “What is modeling?” and we asked viewers and readers to respond. Here’s a sampling of those comments. – Aaron Skinner I just watched your video on “What Qualifies as Modeling” and wanted to say that I couldn’t agree more. At its core, modeling is replication of something real or imagined. Designing parts yourself, whether by hand or for 3D-printing, is just a different level of detail some people use the same way some modelers use aftermarket resin details. 3D-printing is a medium, like all the other materials (PC, PS, wood, PE, resin, etc.) that go into our kits and dioramas and does not inherently affect the definition of what is and isn’t a model.…

JUDGING by some recent newspaper headlines, the prospects of an effective treatment for Alzheimer’s disease have never been better. In the past couple of years, positive trial results have been announced for three drugs that clear a protein called amyloid – which is thought to play a crucial role in this form of dementia – from the brain. But not everyone is convinced. Sceptics point out that these treatments won’t have much impact on symptoms. They can also cause dangerous brain bleeds or swelling and aren’t practical for widespread use. So, are the amyloid-busting drugs worth getting excited about or are they just a mirage? Certainly, some kind of breakthrough is sorely needed against Alzheimer’s, the most common form of dementia. Due to rising life expectancies, Alzheimer’s is on the increase and current…

The core task for every antivirus utility is to exterminate any malware infestations that took root before its installation and then maintain vigilance to prevent any further attacks. Some products stick to those essential activities, while others, like ESET NOD32 Antivirus, go quite a bit beyond them. Among other bonus features, NOD32 includes a Host Intrusion Prevention System, a scanner for your PC’s firmware, and an elaborate device control system. It scores well in most tests, both lab tests and our hands-on tests, but it did turn in a few poor scores. In addition, some of its advanced features may be too complex for the average user. PROS: Some excellent scores from independent labs. Some good scores in our hands-on tests. HIPS component blocks exploits. Comprehensive device control. CONS: Poor score in…

YEARS AGO, I heard reports of amateur astronomers glimpsing a huge emission nebula in our galaxy, cataloged as IC 1396. Deep astroimages showed an expansive, complex nebula in Cepheus, about 3° in diameter on the northern side of the brightest visual band of the Milky Way, above Cygnus. Being a huge fanboy of all things that shine with the dim glow of ionized hydrogen and oxygen ions, I had to see it! Based on years of success observing faint, challenging galaxies, I confidently aimed my telescope towards Cepheus, eagerly anticipating visions of a grand nebulosity. But the best I could manage was the faint impression that something was there. I was sorely disappointed. Frustrated, I dismissed other observers’ written reports as wishful thinking. As it turned out, the fault was my own.…

At this year’s WWDC, Apple lifted the lid on the next generation M-series chip: M2, which extends the remarkable features of M1, with industry-leading power efficiency, a unified memory architecture, and custom technologies that unlock a whole host of possibilities for the Mac. INTRODUCING THE M2 CHIP Apple changed the game for the Mac when it announced the M1 chip in 2020, and since the launch of the first MacBook Pro and Mac mini, we’ve come a long way. Alongside the launch of the M1 Pro and the M1 Max, we’ve recently seen the launch of the first M1-powered iPad, and the M1 Ultra, which offers professional computing performance for the next generation of videographers, coders, and professionals. The M1 was built on the architecture of the A14 chip used for the…

Chloë Grace Moretz should be on the road. She stars in two major films being released this year, so there’s a lot to promote. But since the pandemic has halted regular life, she is stationed at her home in Los Angeles, which presents her with a couple of new realities: being at her abode (this is the longest stretch ever) and having loads of free time. From age 5, Chloë has spent most of her life traveling or on a set. Since she can remember, her days have run on a rigid schedule planned to the hour. Then, poof, her routine suddenly dismantled, and Chloë became unmoored. “In the beginning it felt nice to take a break. I thought it might last for a few weeks. Then it became very real…

Наши недостатки часто служат продолжением достоинств, и с жильем бывает точно так же. Заказчики Александра Волкова соединили две квартиры на последнем этаже московской новостройки и получили в свое распоряжение 250 м2 с зимним садом и большими лоджиями. Вид отсюда открывается на три стороны, а зданий конкуриру ющей высоты рядом нет. Можно только позавидовать, но на оборотной стороне этой медали – дефицит прямых углов и несущие колонны в самых неожиданных местах. “Просто хаос!” – говорит Александр. На объективные архитектурные сложности наложились потребности заказчиков: у них большая семья, так что квартиру надо было поделить на множество комнат – гостиную и кухню-столовую, спальню, гостевую и три детских. Мелкая нарезка помещений при высоте потолков 4,2 м – не самая простая задача. “У комнат получаются очень неудачные пропорции, как в колодце, – рассказывает Александр. – Основная…

Difficulty rating Materials necklace 19–20 in. (48–51 cm) • dagger beads -- 24 5 x 16 mm (red peacock) -- 24 3 x 10 mm (silver) • 24 3 mm fire-polished beads (gold) • 40 g 2.5 x 5 mm SuperUno beads (opaque red) • accent beads -- 2 6 mm bicone crystals (Swarovski, light Siam) -- 2 5 mm round beads (silver plated) -- 2 4 mm round beads (gold plated) • toggle clasp (gold plated) • 2 22 x 10 mm cones (gold plated) • 12 in. (30 cm) 20-gauge wire (gold plated) • 2 4–6 mm jump rings • S-Lon nylon cord (Tex 210, red) • Big Eye needle or cord stiffener • kumihimo disk with 8 plastic bobbins and counterweight; or marudai with 8 tama and counterweight • 1 10 mm or larger split ring • chopstick and painter’s tape (if using marudai) • 2 pairs of…

Many of us dream of having a large model railroad in a basement or garage, with scale miles of track and long trains. But we’re often confronted with the reality of a lack of separate space to dedicate to a layout. By re-examining the space we have, it might be possible to build a layout in another part of the home that shares other family activities. It would take a tolerant spouse to agree to building a layout in the formal living room, dining room, or master bedroom. But family rooms and dens, with their ubiquitous televisions and children’s toys, are fertile ground for a model railroad. That’s exactly what I did. When I wanted to build a modern HO layout to complement my existing O scale Civil War-era layout, I…

Since turnouts play a prominent role on model railroads, they deserve attention before and after installation, as well as during routine maintenance. Taking the time to ensure turnouts perform well will guarantee more reliable, and therefore more enjoyable, operation. Though all commercial turnouts meet National Model Railroad Association (NMRA) standards, each company has its own manufacturing processes. I use Micro Engineering’s code 70 turnouts exclusively on The Hills Line, my new HO scale layout depicting Iowa Interstate’s Hills Industrial Spur. While installing turnouts on my model railroad, I’ve developed a series of tips, tricks, and tweaks to make sure they perform as flawlessly as possible. These techniques can be used as-is or adapted for other turnouts. James McNab is the host of anew series on Model RailroaderVideo Plus. Check out “The HillsLine”…

I SPENT MY FIRST HOUR IN PUERTO ESCONDIDO doing what many had done before me: driving along a snaking two-lane highway in a euphoric delirium. Though I was only a few miles from the centre of the town on the Pacific coast of Mexico’s Oaxaca state, I felt an acute sense of being unmoored from the world I knew, stirred by a landscape of mountains and ocean and little else. I slowed for a herd of goats. I slowed for a man in a cowboy hat steering a tractor. I slowed, often, to scan the coastline for crashing waves, itching for a glimpse of their elegant fury. It is not pure stoner hokum to say that Puerto, as everyone calls the place, is built on a wave, on the search for…

EVEN IF IT’S BEEN a while since health class, you likely know how estrogen impacts reproductive health. Its levels rise as we reach puberty; then each month it surges, causing the uterine lining to prep for a potential fertilized egg, and drops, kick-starting menstruation. As the years go on, levels ricochet up and down in perimenopause and drop at menopause. And along the way, estrogen gets blamed for breakouts and breakups, mood dips and weight gains. But what else does the hormone do? The better question may be “What doesn’t it do?” “Estrogen touches basically every cell,” says Jen Gunter, MD, a gynecologist and author of The Menopause Manifesto (Citadel, 2021). “Until recently, we didn’t recognize its importance beyond reproduction,” adds Elizabeth Poynor, MD, a gynecologic surgeon and founder of the…

The Hisense 350-sq. ft. Window Air Conditioner is a reasonably priced Wi-Fi-enabled window AC unit that you can control with your voice, your phone, or the included remote. It’s easy to install and did an admirable job of cooling in our tests. It doesn’t offer power usage reports or compatibility with Apple HomeKit and IFTTT like some other smart air conditioners we’ve tested, but it also costs less than many 8,000-BTU models, making it an affordable option for small to medium spaces. PROS: Reasonably priced. Easy to install. Fast cooling. Voice control. Relatively quiet. CONS: Lacks usage reporting. Doesn’t support HomeKit or IFTTT. BOTTOM LINE: The Hisense 350-Sq. Ft. Window Air Conditioner is a smart AC unit that can be controlled by your phone, voice, or remote, and does a fine job of…

After releasing the relatively affordable Studio Buds ($149.99) earlier this year, Beats is back with a new pair of noise-cancelling true wireless earphones, the Beats Fit Pro. Aptly named, the focus here is on in-ear fit security, with built-in earfins made of a pliable material that truly helps create a more secure seal in your ear. They’re also armed with active noise cancellation (ANC), and since Beats is owned by Apple, you get the company’s H1 chip, which enables features including Spatial Audio with head tracking, Adaptive EQ, hands-free Siri, and one-touch iOS pairing. The sonic performance is classic Beats, with intense bass, boosted highs, and a scooped-out midrange. The ANC is better than average, with effective low-frequency noise elimination. For the price, there’s plenty to like, but the Beats…

Canon Pixma G620 $299.99 EXCELLENT It’s easy to find a bulk-ink printer with the familiar cyan, magenta, yellow, and black (CMYK) quartet, but finding an ink-tank-rather than cartridge-based inkjet with six inks for superior photo quality has been difficult, prohibitively expensive, or both. Canon aims to change that with the Pixma G620 Wireless MegaTank Photo All-in-One Printer, which gets its tank refills from bottles. At $299.99, it’s half the price of the Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8500 Wireless Color All-in-One Supertank. Versus that Epson, the Canon is slow and short on features, so it doesn’t join it (or the wide-format EcoTank Photo ET-8550) as an Editors’ Choice award winner. But the Pixma prints terrific-looking borderless photos at sizes up to 8.5 by 11 inches for pennies, making it a great value for families and…

When the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 first launched last year, we praised it for combining a 14-inch display (then rare among gaming laptops) with Nvidia GeForce RTX 20-Series power and AMD Ryzen processing at a sweet price. The updated 2021 G14 uses the same design, but pumps things up to RTX 30-Series and newer Ryzen 5000 chips. Our test unit also includes a 1440p display and 32GB of memory, so the boosted price of our model isn’t as strong of a value as the original G14, but the entry-point configuration (which still features an RTX 3060) is an attractive proposition. Also, the market for 14-inch gaming laptops has expanded. Competing 14-inchers are now popping up from most of the usual suspects (the Razer Blade 14 is our top pick), making the…

„INSPIRIERT WURDEN WIR VON DER ARCHITEKTUR DER LOKALEN FARMEN“ Steve Mongillo, Architekt „WENN ES UM KOMFORT GEHT, SPIELT DAS LICHT EINE GROSSE ROLLE“ Steve Mongillo „DAS HAUS SOLLTE WARM UND LÄNDLICH, ABER AUCH EINFACH, KLAR UND OFFEN SEIN“ Steve Mongillo DRAUSSEN TIEFE, KÜHLE NADELWÄLDER, die im Wind wogen. Drinnen Kaminfeuer, Kaffee, selbst gemachter Cherry-Pie. Die typische Behaglichkeit des pazifischen Nordwestens der USA, die sich auf folgende Kurzformel bringen lässt: viel Holz draußen, viel Holz drinnen. Vor dem Fenster Douglasien, Mammutbäume, Riesenthujen. In den Räumen Balken, Wandpaneele, Möbel aus naturbelassenem Holz. Oder auch: handgeschnitzte Holzobjekte. Genau solche fertigte ein junger Arzt aus dem Bundesstaat Washington in den Pausen zwischen seinen Patiententerminen an, um sich zu entspannen. Heute, Jahrzehnte später, bewirtschaftet dieser Arzt die weitläufige Farm auf Whidbey Island, die seit Generationen im Familienbesitz…

„MAN MUSS BEHUTSAM MIT DEM VORGEFUNDENEN UMGEHEN“Alison Smithson „ES GEHT UNS MEHR UM DEN FLUSS ALS DAS MASS“Peter Smithson EIGENTLICH HATTE AXEL BRUCHHÄUSER von einem ganz anderen Haus geträumt. Hoch über dem Weserufer in Bad Karlshafen wollte er Mies van der Rohes unausgeführtes „Fifty by Fifty Feet House“ durch den Architekten Stefan Wewerka errichten lassen. Doch der Glaspavillon in der Landschaft scheiterte in den Siebzigerjahren am Baurecht, und der Inhaber des Möbelunternehmens Tecta musste sich umorientieren. Er kaufte das Nachbarhaus, in dem ein pensionierter Kapitän beschauliche Jahrzehnte hinter Fachwerk, vor prachtvollem Flusspanorama und umgeben von dichtem Wald verbracht hatte. „DAS HAUS ÖFFNET SICH ZUR UMGEBUNG UND GREIFT WIE MIT TENTAKELN AUS“ Peter Smithson Doch das verwunschene „Hexenhaus“, wie es alle in dieser von den Gebrüdern Grimm geprägten Märchenlandschaft nannten, war dem Bauhaus-Anhänger Bruchhäuser…

Buyers of rugged laptops, sturdy systems designed to be bolted to first responders’ dashboards or dropped onto rocky ground, make a distinction between “semi-rugged” and “fully rugged” notebooks—machines rated to survive a fall of three feet versus six feet, say, or pouring rain versus a high-pressure hose. Its maker calls the Durabook S14I ($3,004 as tested) “one step above semi-rugged,” meaning it’s not the most bulletproof laptop you can buy, but it’s still formidably tough, versatile, and well-equipped. The S14I hits a sweet spot for users whose work takes them (and their gear) into harm’s way. The only thing keeping it from an Editors’ Choice award is its mediocre battery life. You’ll definitely want to fill its modular bay with the available second battery pack instead of the DVD drive…

“Everything we make is a gift. I love knowing that our chocolate is a real treat” It is an unlikely spot for a chocolate factory, café and shop: an old potato farm overlooking the Irish Sea, in the shadow of the snow-capped Mourne Mountains. And yet, here in Newry stands NearyNógs, Ireland’s first bean-to-bar chocolate maker (and Northern Ireland’s only one). “The whole factory smells of Christmas while we’re making our chocolate,” says Dorothy Neary, who founded the business with her husband Shane 11 years ago. Today, the youngest five of their 12 children slurp hot chocolate in the café, while the eldest dart between customers, offering matcha truffles hand-rolled to look like Brussels sprouts. The shop is also abuzz with people – many are stocking up on chocolate snowmen, fudge Christmas…

La belleza contenida y la armonía zen evocan emociones que pueden trasladarnos a un estado de calma y equilibrio. Son valores que bailan alrededor de la cultura japonesa y que definen los principios del diseño y la arquitectura nipona. Para acercarnos a estas dos disciplinas, la primera edición del Japan Desu reúne una serie de exposiciones y actividades en las que conocer el presente y el futuro del diseño en Japón. Descubriremos firmas como Nissan, en cuyos diseños se refleja la característica estética de líneas puras en torno a los principios del Wabi-Sabi: la sencillez, la imperfección, la belleza en lo sutil, la naturalidad, la gracia delicada, la libertad y la tranquilidad. Algo que también simboliza el nuevo Nissan ARIYA, un coche con alma japonesa en el que todo está pensado…

VAST numbers of copyrighted books appear to have been memorised by ChatGPT and its successor GPT-4, posing questions about the legality of how these large language models (LLMs) are created. Both artificial intelligences were developed by private firm OpenAI and trained on huge amounts of data, but which texts make up this training data is unknown. To find out more, David Bamman at the University of California, Berkeley, and his colleagues looked at whether the AIs were able to fill in missing details from a selection of almost 600 fiction books, drawn from sources such as nominees for the Pulitzer prize between 1924 and 2020, and The New York Times’s bestsellers lists over the same time period. “Whether large language models are infringing copyright is a question that court cases will decide” The…

FOR 75 years, astronomers have been searching for extraterrestrial intelligence. SETI involves listening for radio or optical signals sent by intelligent civilisations. No artificial signals have yet been detected. The failure of SETI is called “The Great Silence”, but despite this, many scientists are confident that intelligent aliens exist. There are thought to be at least 10 billion habitable worlds in our galaxy, and billions of years have passed in which any life on them could have developed intelligence and technology. METI, or messaging extraterrestrial intelligence, has been less common. It involves talking rather than listening. To some, it is a controversial activity. The first attempts at communication were quixotic “messages in a bottle”. In 1972, NASA launched the Pioneer 10 spacecraft towards Jupiter, which carried a plaque with a line drawing…

Let’s face it, using acrylic paints and finishing products — like weathering powders and washes — is different from using enamels, oil paints, or lacquers. You can produce similar effects, but the processes and methods vary slightly. However, once you have them down, you can use water-based acrylics on anything, from armor to sci-fi models and everything between. In 2008, I won the Gunpla World Championships using only acrylics and went on to win multiple other awards afterward. During that time, I continued to develop my process and came to fall in love with Acrylicos Vallejo paints — to the point that I use them almost exclusively. That isn’t to say you can’t apply my techniques with other acrylic paints, but you’ll have to modify your approach to suit the brand.…

ALEXANDRA GRAY BENNETT and her husband were ready to nest. Finally back together in their native Minnesota—after they married, he had moved to Boston for business school—the couple were looking for an ideal home to start a family in. “We were basically Trulia regulars,” jokes Bennett. “But I remember the first moment I saw our house in 2017. I just had a feeling.” Set in the leafy Kenwood neighborhood of South Minneapolis, the 2,300-square-foot, two-and-a-half-story 1920s cedar-shingle dwelling had a traditional foursquare design, with a room in each corner and a central hall and stairway. It ticked all their boxes: It was simple and beautiful, close to lakes and trails for their Labrador, and—the kicker—walking distance from one of the city’s best playgrounds. Two years and one positive pregnancy test later,…

Cрядом с основной гостиной обустроить вторую, под открытым небом”. Она использовала этот принципС естры-дизайнеры Илона Меньшакова и Ирина Маркидонова убеждены в том, что все пространство вокруг загородного дома должно быть таким же функциональным, как и само здание. “Если из кухни есть выход на улицу, то удобно сделать там столовую и небольшую уличную кухню, – рассказывает Илона, – или “ландшафтных комнат” на своей даче, которую мы публиковали в материале “Черный лес” в августе 2018 года. И этой философией сестры вдохновляют всех своих заказчиков. Хозяева этого дома очень хорошо знакомы с работами Илоны и Ирины и живут в оформленной ими квартире в Москве. Поэтому, когда они захотели переделать свой загородный дом, позвали сестер посмотреть, что же можно сделать. “Мы предложили два варианта, – вспоминает Ирина. – Либо просто добавить декор, либо полностью переделать…

What we have here is one of the nicest 1/144 scale kits to ever grace a modeler’s bench. I don’t often dabble in this scale. However, after working on a few other 1/144 scale models, I decided to see what I could do with Revell’s little gem of a Grumman E-2C Hawkeye. I also like the newer scimitar 8-blade propellers from Retro Wings (No. Rw44001), so I added those and aftermarket markings from Starfighter Decals. Refining it right away I began by reworking the seats, adding headrests, belts, and more structure to the bulkhead behind the seats, 1. Mating the one-piece wing did not present problems, 2; however, filler was needed at the wingto-fuselage joints. Next, I glued on the large upper intake, inner tail fins, and engines, 3. Excellent fit made assembly easy…

There’s rarely a shortage of superdetailed aircraft at major model contests. Here are a few exemplary builds FSM shot at the 2016 Squadron EagleQuest and the IPMS/USA National Convention. Each builder offers some pointers. SAM’S 1/144 SCALE MI-24PN “Hind” started life as a Dragon kit. The fuselage halves were the only pieces used from the kit, he says. Everything else is scratchbuilt, including a full interior and cockpit made of tiny pieces of sheet styrene, copper wire, lead wire, and stretched sprue. To fit all of it, Sam shaved the inside of the body with hobby knives until it was as thin as paper. “You really can’t use a rotary tool of any kind because the tolerances are so close that you run the risk of punching through to the outside,”…

LEUTE, LEUTE Koalas retten, Kultur bewahren, Körper akzeptieren: fünf Australier über das, was sie antreibt Diese unendliche Vielfalt an Farben und Formen, dieser übergroße Reichtum an Leben – bis heute bin ich bei jedem Tauchgang aufs Neue fasziniert vom Great Barrier Reef. Für eine Meeresbiologin kann es auf der Welt keinen aufregenderen Arbeitsplatz geben. Es ist eine Schande, dass dieses vielschichtige Ökosystem derart gefährdet ist! Doch wenn Menschen einmal in dieser unvergleichlichen Welt zu Gast waren, wenn sie womöglich neben bunten Fischschwärmen oder zwischen friedfertigen Zwergwalen geschwommen sind, kommen sie verändert zurück. Dann leben sie hoffentlich umweltbewusster oder setzen sich vielleicht für den Erhalt des Riffs ein. Noch eine besondere Empfehlung von mir: Vor der Insel Michaelmas Cay bei Palm Cove findet man nicht nur wunderschöne Weichkorallen, sondern auch immer ein paar…

KNOW YOUR GOAL STANDARDS How fit is your core? If you can do 30 to 36 curl-ups (bringing only shoulder blades off the mat) before stopping, it’s in pretty good shape, according to the American Council on Exercise. Do more and you’re above average. As for waist size, the latest from the American Heart Association suggests 35 inches or less for women is best for cutting your health risks (with 31.5 inches or less recommended for Asian women). Along with a healthy diet, HIIT can help you make that mark because it burns calories faster than other forms of exercise, says Ron Snarr, Ph.D., a kinesiologist at Georgia Southern University. Rove bikini (similar styles, lobo.boutique). OPTIMIZE YOUR ENERGY FLOW “Your core is the foundation for everything when it comes to movement,” says Peter…

It’s been one heck of a year in the world of desktop graphics cards. From silicon shortages to cryptocurrency craziness, the average price of a graphics card in 2021 has surged past all expectations, with models both used and new selling for multiples more than the original prices, even years after their initial release. Realities of the current marketplace aside, though, we’re here to talk about the objective performance of the latest object of desire for GPU shoppers (and likely newest target for scalpers), the GeForce RTX 3080 Ti, and how it stacks up against its own (hopefully, one day!) objective manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) of $1,199. PROS: Beautiful, functional design, like other Founders Edition cards. Low-noise operation, even under stress. Compact profile given the raw muscle. Improves upon original…

Windows 11 may be better known for its centered taskbar and rounded window borders, but the new Snap Layouts feature (sometimes also called Snap Assist) might be a more useful UI innovation. Windows, as its name implies, has long been excellent at managing and rearranging program windows, but Snap Layouts elevate the operating system (OS) to the next level. HOW DO SNAP LAYOUTS WORK? To get started with this new productivity tool, you simply hover the mouse over the Maximize icon in a program window’s upper-right corner. You’ll see a choice of layouts, like this: Note that not every application supports this feature. In my testing, the Firefox and Spotify programs showed only the old Maximize option. But you can still position them within a Snap Layout after starting the process with an…

So you’re in the market for a detachable 2-in-1—a tablet you can use either by itself or with a keyboard and stylus? The Apple 10.9-inch iPad Air is a good choice—in fact, a PCMag Editors’ Choice winner—at $599. But if you’re willing to think different, HP’s 11-inch Chromebook x2 costs the same—including twice the memory as well as the keyboard and pen that Apple will charge you an extra $428 for. Tablet shoppers rarely consider Chromebooks, but the HP x2 favors the bold. It doesn’t perform as well as comparably priced Chromebook laptops (and we still consider our Editors’ Choice favorite, the Lenovo Chromebook Duet, a better value among Chromebook detachables), but it fills a nifty niche. PROS: Affordable price includes pen and keyboard cover. Available 4G mobile broadband. CONS: Tepid performance.…

Pocket mice are typically associated with productivity, given their portable, lightweight designs that let you work in an airport, coffee shop, or office. The Razer Orochi V2 offers that same capability, but for gaming. It’s a small, wireless mouse, but with the sensor and software support of a Razer gaming mouse. The Orochi V2 isn’t a full-on replacement for a standard-size gaming mouse, but it’s convenient as a backup input device for your laptop bag. PROS: Lightweight. Bluetooth and 2.4GHz wireless support. Has HyperSpeed multi-device support. Supports AA and AAA batteries. Dongle storage. CONS: Can’t add a AA and AAA at the same time for max battery life. Small design is still less comfortable than a regular-sized mouse. Lacks RGB lighting. BOTTOM LINE: Featuring a lightweight design and HyperSpeed multi-device wireless support, the…

Been shopping for a tiny desktop around the internet? The ECS Liva Z3 is going to look pretty familiar. These days, mini PCs from many different manufacturers look like they all come off the same assembly line. Similar boxy profiles and basic black panels look like somebody copied-and-pasted the Intel NUC over and over again, with minor cosmetic changes here and there. The ECS Liva Z3 doesn’t stray from that template, looking just like the recently reviewed Beelink GK Mini and other NUC-like systems. But it still has something to offer: a low price that makes it a great budget choice. That’s provided, of course, that you can accept the performance limitations that come with the Liva Z3’s Pentium processor and eMMC storage. PROS: Small, easy to hide. Included mounting gear.…

Join Our Quilt-Along! See page 33 for a weekly schedule and to learn where to share pictures of your progress. #APQQuiltAlong Materials FINISHED QUILT: 59½×70" FINISHED BLOCK: 9" square Yardages and cutting instructions are based on 42" of usable fabric width. Fabrics are from Happy Days collection by Sherri & Chelsi for Moda Fabrics (modafabrics.com). To plan this quilt in a different colorway, use the Coloring Diagram on Pattern Sheet 3. ⁕ 30 matching pairs of 1½×42" strips assorted medium and dark prints in red, coral, chartreuse, navy, gray, and aqua (blocks) ⁕ 30—5" squares assorted medium and dark prints in same red, coral, chartreuse, navy, gray, and aqua as strips (blocks) ⁕ 3¼ yards solid cream (blocks, sashing, inner border) ⁕ 5 matching pairs of 1½×42" strips assorted cream prints (blocks) ⁕ ⅛ yard gray diagonal stripe (sashing) ⁕ ⅞ yard aqua…

THE rapid progress in artificial intelligence in recent months is partly due to training on vast data sets of text and images, scraped for free from the internet. Although automated web scraping by search engines has been accepted by website owners for decades, the economic shift being brought about by AI has triggered a rethink. At a basic level, search engines offer an exchange to website owners: let us scrape to compile the information and serve useful results, and we will send traffic your way in return. But scraping for AI changes this equation, hoovering up text or images while providing nothing for website owners, who have to pay the server costs of being scraped. As a result, a war on scraping has begun. Twitter owner Elon Musk has threatened to sue…

1. Aperitivo hour These sturdy but stylish glasses would be ideal for Italian-style spritzes. The coloured tinted bases add to their charm. Colourful cocktail glasses, £42 for four, roseandgrey.co.uk 2. Hug in a box The Tartan Blanket Co’s contemporary takes on the Scottish weave are good for winter snuggles or spring picnics. They include throws made from recycled wool and fibres saved from landfill (alongside luxe lambswool and cashmere). Opt for a gift box and add a mug and cosy treats for full comforting effect. Recycled wool blanket, from £40 (gift box items extra), tartanblanketco.com 3. What’s your handle? For the interiors lover (or a friend re-doing their kitchen), Yorkshire Foundry’s cabinet handles are a beautiful finishing touch. Hand-crafted in aluminium and brass, the nature-inspired range includes citrus halves, broccoli florets, sinuous chillies and our favourite, the…

AT A STEEL PLANT IN LULEA, SWEDEN, WORKERS MAKE the world’s most essential construction material the old-fashioned way: piling iron ore and coke, a kind of coal-derived fuel, in a huge blast furnace, heating the mixture to enormous temperatures, and then “tapping” the cauldron of molten metal, which sends a stream of white-hot pig iron—and showers of sparks—spilling out along a sluiceway. But less than a mile away, the plant’s owner, SSAB, is piloting a less dramatic steelmaking process at a new facility. “It doesn’t look that spectacular,” says Martin Pei, executive vice president and chief technology officer at the Swedish steelmaker. “You don’t see very much either, because it’s all automatically controlled.” It’s spectacular in a different way, though. Traditional blast furnaces emit huge amounts of CO₂. But SSAB’s HYBRIT pilot…

FORTY-TWO countries or territories have been certified as malaria-free by the World Health Organization (WHO). This has largely been credited to the use of bed nets, insecticides and efficient diagnoses and treatments for the parasitic condition. But with climate change creating new breeding grounds for malaria-carrying mosquitoes and the roll-out of an effective vaccine being too expensive for many countries, malaria elimination worldwide isn’t straightforward. An estimated 247 million cases and 619,000 deaths from malaria occurred in 2021, of which at least 95 per cent were in Africa, where children under 5 are the most at risk. In 2020, malaria transmission was occurring in 85 countries. The WHO certifies a country as malaria-free if no cases have been contracted there for at least three years and it shows it has the capacity to…

BY THE TIME THE sun sinks over the Bangladeshi capital of Dhaka, Rekha is struggling to sit still. Twisting her plastic bangles, the 34-year-old mother of two checks her phone to make sure she hasn’t missed a call from her 12-year-old son, who was due home 30 minutes earlier. Rekha wanders outside to peer through the front gate, anxiety sketched all over her face. “This job is too dangerous,” she says, frowning. “Every morning I say goodbye and I pray, ‘Please Allah, send him home tonight.’” Rekha has cause to worry. In the 18 months since her elder son Rafi started work in a local glass factory, he’s returned home bruised and bleeding more than once. One afternoon, he severed the soft skin of his palm with a sharp blade intended…

NBC | Law & Order: Organized Crime A decade later, Christopher Meloni is back on the beat DRAMA “In the nation’s largest city, the vicious and violent members of the underworld are hunted by the detectives of the Organized Crime Bureau.” So, with the regrettable use of alliterative v’s, goes the spoken intro to this new chapter of the Law & Order franchise. Organized Crime marks the return to NBC of Christopher Meloni, costar of Special Victims Unit’s first 12 seasons. His homecoming is an event that, along with Oprah Winfrey’s interview of the Sussexes and Grey’s Anatomy’s parade of resurrected characters, proves that the networks still know how to create moments of buzzy TV. With his irresistibly strong falcon profile, Meloni once again plays short-fused Elliot Stabler. Reeling from the death of…

Whether scratchbuilt or sourced from the aftermarket, there’s detail inside and out in these scale replicas. FSM shot them at the Armor Modeling and Preservation Society (AMPS) International Convention in Sumter, S.C., and talked to the builders about what makes their models special. MICHAEL’S VIGNETTE depicts a British army vehicle that has blown an engine seal while on patrol in Afghanistan and is under attack by Taliban fighters. The basis for the scene is HobbyBoss’ 1/35 scale Land Rover, which Michael updated to 2008 standards with Accurate Armour’s R-WMIK TES(T/H) conversion set. “The upgrade was practically a replacement!” he says. “The rear body, frame, wings, seats, machine gun and its mount, rear gear basket, sand channels, front GPMG mount and weapon, wheels, and roll cage were all replaced.” Other new parts included…

A half-dozen companies are potentially ready to spend $80 billion for C-Band, a new set of airwaves that promise to fix the perilous state of American 5G, at an FCC auction. That’s a vast amount of money, and it shows how important C-Band is. But what is C-Band, and what does it mean for 5G? Do you need a C-Band phone? Is C-Band a new frequency? Should you be scared of C-Band? I can explain. RECOVERING THE SATELLITES According to wireless testing firm Rohde and Schwarz, the C-band is all frequencies between 4GHz and 8GHz. When US wireless geeks talk about C-Band, though, they’re talking about 3.7GHz to 4.2GHz—and specifically, in this case, the range from 3.7GHz to 3.98GHz. This frequency had been used for satellite TV since the 1970s, but as C-Band…

Over the course of 16 episodes, members of the Model Railroader and Model Railroader Video Plus staffs worked on Chuck Sable’s HO scale Milwaukee & Northwestern Wisconsin Division model railroad as part of the “Rehab my Railroad” series. During the shows, we tackled an assortment of structure, scenery, and detailing projects. One project we didn’t get around to was the Butler, Wis., yard office. Chuck was hoping to have the building on his 13 x 24-foot layout in time for the Chicago & North Western Historical Society 2019 annual convention in Milwaukee. With the clock ticking, I agreed to scratchbuild the yard office. Chuck and I were unable to find drawings of the full-size Butler yard office, but that didn’t bother me too much. Layout space was at a premium, so…

1 Hört, hört! Ist ein Erziehungsproblem ausgeschlossen, kann null Reaktion auf „Sitz!“, „Bleib!“ oder „Hol!“ ein wichtiges Indiz dafür sein, die sensiblen Hörorgane mal wieder intensiv reinigen zu müssen. Dazu etwas Creme auf die äußeren Gehörgänge verteilen, gut einmassieren und mit einem weichen Tuch abnehmen. „Ohrenrein“ Pflegecreme von Beaphar, ca. 5 Euro, ohne Silikone, über www.beaphar.com 2 Butterweich Die Diskussion unter Hundehaltern scheint schier endlos: Leine oder Geschirr, was passt besser zum umtriebigen Vierbeiner? Das olivgrüne Modell könnte die Entscheidung vereinfachen. Im Gegensatz zu herkömmlichen schwarzen Kunststoffmodellen ist es aus feinstem Speckleder handgearbeitet, mit golden funkelnden Ösen versehen und dazu superweich. Plus: Eine farblich passende Leine gehört zum Sortiment. Hundegeschirr „Butter“ von Molly And Stitch, ab ca. 39 Euro, in vier Farben erhältlich, über www.mollyandstitch.com 3 Stilvoll herumlümmeln Für eine kleine Auszeit zwischen den Pflegeeinheiten geht es…

When she landed the leading role in the movie The United States vs. Billie Holiday, Andra Day must have been ecstatic, right? After all, Billie Holiday is her idol—she even took her stage name from the singer, whose nickname was Lady Day. Well, not exactly. “It was horrifying. No, terrible,” Andra, 36, says. “I was dead scared. I’m not an actor, and I felt totally out of my depth. I’m such a fan of hers, and the last thing I wanted to do is mess up the story of this woman I love.” In fact, what Andra did in her debut film role was just the opposite. Her powerful portrayal brought Holiday’s story brilliantly to life, and she won a Golden Globe, received an Oscar nomination, and earned the admiration and…

Happily for Dawid Augustyn, the chance to set up home in Clarens, one of Cape Town’s coolest new apartment blocks, happened almost effortlessly. “I worked with the developers—Malcolm Kluk and Christiaan Gabriël du Toit of KLûK CGDT—as the project’s quantity surveyor, so I’d been watching its journey from an insider’s perspective from the ground up,” shares the homeowner, who is the managing director of the DA Quantity Surveyors. Augustyn also owns a design company, Establishment, which is now in its 16th year and represents a roster of leading design and lighting brands including DCW éditions, Woud and New Works. Establishment also offers its own range of bespoke pieces; all of which have an aesthetic that works well with the interiors of Clarens. “Their vision of a community lifestyle, based on a…

A multitude of specialized vehicles were employed by Allied forces in the D-Day invasion of June 6, 1944. Most of them were famously developed by Maj. Gen. Percy Hobart’s 79th Armoured Division. Known by the rank and file as “Hobart’s Funnies,” they were weird and wonderful contraptions designed to overcome both natural and man-made obstacles in the path to Berlin. There was one highly specialized vehicle, however, that was never developed or operated by the 79th but by the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) of the British army. It was a tank without armament, and its five-man crew included a qualified diver — yes, a diver. If you have not guessed already, it was the Sherman-based Beach Armoured Recovery Vehicle, or BARV. Its chief duty was to recover drowned and bogged-down…

MACHINE GUN Kelly tightens his grip on his kettlebells and fights to straighten his back, finally standing tall after a three-second battle with gravity. He’s midway through his last set of off set-stance deadlifts during this Friday workout, legs wobbling as he struggles to stand upright. And then he does one more, because he isn’t quitting now. These workouts are critical, forging mental toughness and explosive athleticism. As you might guess given his over-the-top moniker, MGK (real name: Colson Baker) is prone to over-the-top statements. “I have no desire to just be a muscly version of myself,” he says. “It’s the moments onstage that will define my live-performance legacy.” It’s also the moments onstage that MGK loves, but both body and mind have to be ready to survive them. He’s planning to…

A beloved Singapore icon built between the 1840s and 1960s, conservation shophouses served as commercial spaces as well as private residences in the past. This dual purpose is revisited in a family home set in one such building—instead of reimagining parts of the space for commercial use, the owners wanted to maximise these areas for functional purposes. The team at Cube Associate Design, led by design director Sarah Tham, was hired to transform a three-storey Peranakan shophouse into a contemporary abode. The 3,905sqft property, which was to house a family of three generations, also had to integrate discreet and hidden storage spaces throughout. “The challenge was to incorporate a modern interior into a charming Peranakan shophouse,” says Tham. “The clients wanted an uncluttered, contemporary home; they also wanted better use of the…

The public beta of macOS Monterey, released by Apple in early July, doesn’t look surprisingly new. Exceptions include Safari, which gets a dynamically resizing tab bar and other conveniences, and FaceTime, which gets a background-blurring portrait mode and screen-sharing features. As you get more familiar with Monterey, however, you’ll find improvements and conveniences everywhere and may wonder how you managed without them. This is because Apple’s annual updates to the Mac operating system tend to have a regular rhythm. Massive updates arrive on even-numbered years: Big Sur, for example, the 2020 update to macOS that was also the first version that ran on Apple Silicon hardware. Updates in odd-numbered years, such as Monterey, look more or less like the previous version but come with under-the-hood improvements that may do more for…

I’ll admit, I was pretty skeptical before unboxing the first smartwatch from OnePlus, aptly named the OnePlus Watch. At $159, it’s less than half the price of our Editors’ Choice winner, the Apple Watch Series 6 (which starts at $399). And while it doesn’t work with iPhones, it offers many of the same features as Apple’s market-leading wearable. So far, my skepticism appears to have been unfounded. The OnePlus Watch offers a large color touch screen, built-in GPS, 2GB of storage, a 402mAh battery that promises two weeks of power, and the ability to make and receive calls. It also has plenty of health and fitness features, including support for more than 110 workout types, automatic workout detection for jogging and running, rapid-heart-rate alerts, guided breathing exercises, stress detection, and the…

Roku’s 2020 model of the Ultra media streamer is an iterative update to the line. The previous Ultra was already a powerful, feature-filled media hub, so the fact that the new model simply adds Dolby Vision support and faster processing isn’t a letdown. The Ultra can stream 4K HDR content, supports loads of apps and services, and its remote includes a headphone jack for privately listening to whatever you’re watching. It remains a top pick among high-end media streaming devices, but at $99.99, it feels a bit pricey compared with some other new models. PROS: Fast performance. AirPlay and Dolby Vision support. Remote has a headphone jack for private listening. CONS: Expensive. Still doesn’t have a fully functional voice assistant. Missing Twitch. BOTTOM LINE: The 2020 model of the Roku Ultra media streamer…

Working out on your own can be a struggle, or it can be a blast. It all depends on whether you’ve found a fitness activity that excites you and motivates you to get up and move. Here’s the good news about workout apps: App stores are absolutely saturated with them, which means there’s something for everyone at a range of prices. Whether you like to lift weights on your own, want to join a high-intensity cardio class, or need guidance while training for a marathon, you’re sure to find an app for you. Want more good news? Prices for fitness apps are often lower than they appear; the prices given below are list prices, which is not necessarily what you’ll pay. Workout subscriptions are perpetually on sale. App makers would love for…

Lithium-ion batteries pack an amazing punch for their size. They’re robust enough to run our laptops for hours on a single charge, they’re at the core of the latest smartphones, and they even serve as the power plant behind cutting-edge electric vehicles such as the Tesla line. But lithium-ion batteries do have limits. Given how powerful laptops have become in the last few years, we’re relying on our machines for longer than ever. That has implications for batteries: They’re in service a lot longer, too. And sometimes, that means they show the limits of their technology. You may have had this happen to you: A laptop or phone you’ve had for years suddenly stops working, or maybe just starts showing some sign of internal physical swelling. The screen of your phone…

It wasn’t hard for Kathy Lewis to come up with a name for the quilt shop she somewhat spontaneously opened in Dagsboro, Delaware, in June 2008. “All the serendipity started way back when I wanted to move from my home in New Jersey to our beach house in Delaware but needed a good quilt shop nearby,” Kathy says. “There were none that I liked, so I had to open one.” And things moved fast once she made that decision. “I moved here early in 2008, found a building in April, and opened the shop in June,” she says. During that time, she also met Edwina MacNeal, her first and longest-serving employee. “It all was meant to be,” Kathy says. Dagsboro, a community of 800, is about 10 miles from Delaware’s beaches…