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Inventories rise to highest level since 2022 as producers stockpile goods View the full article

Watchdog acts after finding 15 manufacturers co-ordinated their positions on vehicle recyclingView the full article

People who most frequently encounter everyday discrimination—those subtle snubs and slights of everyday life—are more likely to suffer from anxiety and depression. What’s more, that finding remains true no matter the person’s race, gender, age, education, income, weight, language, immigration status or where they live. These are the key takeaways from our recent study, published in JAMA Network Open. Everyday discrimination refers to the routine ways people are treated unfairly because of characteristics such as skin color, perceived background or general appearance. Generally, it means disrespectful treatment: waiting longer than others for help at a store, having your ideas dismissed without consideration at work, or hearing rude comments about your identity. Although marginalized groups endure everyday discrimination most often, our study indicates that this is a widespread issue affecting people of all races and backgrounds. I’m a professor who specializes in community health. My team and I analyzed data from the 2023 National Health Interview Survey, which included a weighted sample of nearly 30,000 U.S. adults, adjusted to accurately reflect more than 258 million people – approximately 75% of the country. Along with reporting frequency of everyday discrimination, participants completed clinical screenings for depression and anxiety. The results were striking: Nearly 56% of participants experienced at least occasional everyday discrimination, with 3.6% having “high levels,” meaning they faced discrimination most frequently – at least monthly and often weekly. High levels were most prevalent among Black adults, at 8.6%. Multiracial respondents were next with 6.4%. Hispanics and white participants were at about 3%, Asians just over 2%. Women and immigrants, people with disabilities and those who are overweight, obese or struggling with food insecurity also reported higher levels. When compared with those reporting no discrimination, participants with high levels had five times the odds of screening positive for either depression or anxiety, and nearly nine times the odds of screening positive for both. As discrimination increased, the increase in screening positive for depression, anxiety or both varied by race, with a more noticeable rise among groups that are often overlooked in these discussions—white, Asian and multiracial adults. This doesn’t mean discrimination is less harmful for Black, Hispanic/Latino or other racial and ethnic groups. One possible reason for our study’s findings may be that groups that have long endured structural discrimination may have developed more ways over time to cope with it. Why it matters At some point, all of us experience unfair treatment due to our personal traits. But this type of discrimination isn’t just unpleasant. Our study shows it has real consequences for health. Along with depression and anxiety, discrimination creates chronic stress, leading to increased risk for hypertension, heart disease, impaired brain functioning, accelerated aging and premature death. For some, everyday discrimination may emerge at different times in life. This can happen to people as they get older or when they become ill. But for others, it is a constant. This includes people living in marginalized communities, people of color, those socioeconomically disadvantaged or with disabilities, or those who identify as LGBTQ+. What other research is being done Multiracial people are uniquely challenged because they navigate multiple racial identities. This often leads to feelings of isolation, which increases mental health risks. White adults, though less frequently exposed to racial discrimination, still face mistreatment, particularly if they have lower incomes, limited education or working-class backgrounds. In recent years, white people have perceived rising levels of discrimination against their own group. People of Asian descent are vulnerable to societal pressures and harmful stereotypes, which spiked during the COVID-19 pandemic. When factors are combined – for example, adding financial insecurity or immigration status to racism – compounded health challenges arise. What’s next Understanding how discrimination affects health for all can lead to policies and programs targeting root causes of mental health disparities and the rising rates of depression and anxiety. Discrimination isn’t just a Black versus white issue. It’s a public health crisis affecting all Americans. Acknowledging its harmful health effects is a first step. Monica Wang is an associate professor of public health at Boston University. This article is republished from The Conversation, as a Research Brief (a short take on interesting academic work), under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. View the full article

From the southwestern U.S. to Minnesota, Iowa and even parts of New Jersey, it seemed that winter never materialized. Many communities marked their driest winters on record, snowpack was nearly nonexistent in some spots, and vegetation remains tinder dry—all ingredients for elevated wildfire risks. More than 1,000 firefighters and fire managers recently participated in an annual wildfire academy in Arizona, where training covered everything from air operations to cutting back brush with chain saws and building fire lines. Academy officials say there’s consensus that crews will be busy as forecasts call for more warm and dry weather, particularly for the Southwest. The lack of moisture and warm temperatures can combine to increase the rate of spread and intensity of fire, said Roy Hall, the prescribed fire officer for the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management. He says it’s been dry in his state for months. “We would be remiss to not acknowledge that changes how we might see fire behavior come out of the blocks at the beginning and through fire season,” he said. How dry has it been? Experts with NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information reported in early March that total winter precipitation in the U.S. was just shy of 6 inches (15.24 centimeters)—or nearly an inch (2.54 centimeters) below average. The period of December through the end of February—what forecasters consider the meteorological winter—ranked the third driest on record. Flagstaff, nestled in the mountains south of the Grand Canyon, has long been on the list of quick escapes for desert dwellers looking to build snowmen or go sledding. The northern Arizona city finished the winter period with a 50-inch (1.27 meter) snowfall deficit. A major storm hit the area in mid-March, forcing the closure of Interstate 40 and stranding motorists for hours. It wasn’t enough to erase the shortfall. In New Mexico, there were at least 17 sites that marked either their driest winters on record or tied previous records. Albuquerque set a new low by logging just 0.12 inches (0.30 centimeters) of precipitation over a three-month period. “The tap just turned off and the drought conditions have been proceeding,” Andrew Mangham, a senior hydrologist with the National Weather Service in Albuquerque, said during a recent call with state and federal drought experts. What does that mean for wildfire conditions? Arizona, New Mexico and parts the Midwest already have had their share this spring of red flag warnings—when low humidity couples with windy, warm weather to heighten wildfire risks. Those threats materialized in mid-March in Oklahoma, where fires destroyed hundreds of homes. Crews in New Jersey and the Carolinas also battled flames amid dry conditions. In the West, land managers and firefighting forces are concerned that without adequate snowpack in many mountain ranges, there’s less moisture to keep fires from ballooning into fast-moving conflagrations. April 1 typically marks the peak of the snowpack, but forecasters say many areas already are melting out. Strong spring winds that deposit dust onto the snowpack help to speed up the process. Even southern Alaska is experiencing a snow drought at lower elevations, according to the National Integrated Drought Information System. The Anchorage airport recorded its driest February on record, while large areas in southwest Alaska and low elevations in the south-central part were nearly snow-free as of March 1. Recent storms brought some moisture to California, pushing snowpack levels there to just shy of average. But most of the southern region is dealing with moderate to extreme drought. A new wildfire outlook will be released Tuesday. While California isn’t among those areas facing significant potential for wildfires at the moment, deadly fires in January torched more urban area than any other fire in that state since at least the mid-1980s. How are communities dealing with the threat? Seeing flames race through Los Angeles earlier this year prompted municipal leaders throughout the West to host community meetings to raise awareness, including in New Mexico’s San Juan County. The Four Corners region—where Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Utah meet—is among those on the radar for high fire potential given the unfavorable conditions. Firefighters in San Juan County responded to 25 bushfires in the first 27 days of March and two more were reported on Friday, said county spokesperson Devin Neeley. In Arizona, the Phoenix Fire Department have warned the mayor and city councilors about increasing risks. They have a plan for surging department resources to help contain fires before they escalate, particularly in areas where urban development intersects with wildland environments. In neighboring Scottsdale, Mayor Lisa Borowsky recently floated the idea of creating a volunteer brigade to bolster wildfire prevention, pointing to invasive species and overgrown vegetation within the McDowell Sonoran Preserve that could pose risks. A fire department crew has been clearing and trimming brush along roadways. Christopher Reed, a fire prevention captain with the Arizona forestry department, said some people think of wildfire as a “macro problem” that involves vast landscapes beyond their suburban borders. He said people should prepare on a micro level, ensuring their own homes are defensible before it’s too late. “We always say Day 1 of firefighting is now,” Reed said. —Ty O’Neil and Susan Montoya Bryan, Associated Press View the full article

When you use the internet on your laptop, tablet, or phone, your browser stores information about the sites you visit and how you engage with them to improve loading speed and personalize your browsing. Caching is one of these processes. Here's how it works and why you should consider clearing it regularly. What exactly is a browser cache?Your browser cache is a temporary storage area for elements of websites you visit, like images, fonts, and code. When you first visit a website, your browser downloads and stores that data locally to load the next time you navigate back to that site. When you come back, your browser first checks the cache for an existing page version, but if the website has been updated since your last visit, it will download and cache whatever new information it discovers as missing or outdated. Websites can also set expiration dates for cached files, forcing your browser to download the latest version and update the cache. The primary benefit of caching is faster loading, as your browser won't have to wait for page data to be found and re-downloaded each time you open it. Caching differs from cookies, which are small bits of information created by sites you visit that your browser saves to personalize your experience, such as your logins, site preferences, or shopping cart items. The cache is also different from your browser history, which is simply a record of all the sites you've visited and when you visited them. All of this data is stored locally on your device, though. Why you should clear your browser cache (and when to do it)Caching enhances your overall browsing experience, as you don't have to wait for every page element to be retrieved and downloaded each time you open a site you visit often. That said, occasionally clearing your cache can be useful for fixing loading or formatting errors that occur when old files remain stored. Of course, browsing speed may slow down temporarily, though, as your cache has to save new information for each site. Browser caching also comes with a handful of privacy and security considerations. Hackers can use cached data to spread malware or direct users to fake websites—attacks known as cache poisoning and DNS spoofing. Your cache can also expose your browsing information to anyone accessing your device, whether a household member or someone who steals or confiscates your computer or phone. Jacob Hoffman-Andrews, a senior staff technologist at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, recommends that users concerned about keeping their browsing data private should use device encryption so anyone with physical access to their device can't get in. You can also clear cache if you've been browsing sensitive material or utilize Incognito Mode, which prevents your browser from saving information (including cookies and history) in the first place, at least on your device. "Deleting browsing data only affects what's on your device," Hoffman-Andrews says. "Your ISP or government may be keeping records of what sites you visit. The sites themselves may be keeping records of which specific pages you visited." Most browsers let you clear cache, cookies, and browser history altogether. Still, if you want a more private browser that protects against snoops tracking your data and internet history, your best place to start is by reevaluating what browser you use. View the full article

Sales of graphic novels have doubled over the past five years, to some parents’ dismay. But data shows these books can have a positive lifelong impact on young readers. View the full article

While scientists haven’t figured out how to un-plastic ourselves yet, you can dodge some of these sneaky invaders. View the full article

Policy uncertainty fuels surge in use of approved facilities that temporarily exempt businesses from paying leviesView the full article

As companies pull back on their diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, will their commitments to equal pay also waver? View the full article

When venturing out into the wilds of the modern web, many people now make use of a VPN, or a Virtual Private Network. These software packages have been around for decades as ways of securely connecting to private networks remotely, but the term is now more commonly used to refer to third-party VPN services that act as intermediaries between your devices and the internet at large. The idea behind VPNs is they keep you and your data safer while you're browsing, with a trade-off in terms of speed (though the best VPNs will aim to minimize the hit on download and upload transfer rates). If you're wondering what exactly a VPN is, how these services work, and whether or not you should be signed up for one, you'll find all of these questions and more answered below. Why use a VPN?Using a VPN is beneficial in terms of both security and privacy. VPNs create an encrypted tunnel between you and dedicated servers run by the VPN company. Your traffic is then sent down that tunnel, and your VPN service of choice then sends it on to websites or other servers. Traffic going in the other direction travels back in the same way. This tunnel offers several protections. It means it's a lot harder for people on the same wifi network as you at the local coffee shop or the hotel you're staying in to see what you're up to—so VPNs are often deployed by users when they're traveling and connecting to numerous public wifi networks. VPNs can let you pretend you're in places you're not. Credit: Lifehacker Connecting to a VPN also means your traffic is hidden from your internet service provider, or ISP. Your ISP can see you're connecting to the VPN, but nothing beyond that—so it's impossible for your ISP or any of its staff to snoop on you or keep logs. It also means ISPs are more limited in terms of what they can tell government agencies and law enforcement. Another reason for using VPNs is to conceal or spoof your location: Websites can only see the location of the VPN server you're using, not your actual location. That means they can't track your whereabouts as easily, and in the case of streaming services, might serve up different libraries of content depending on where your VPN server is (though streaming services are pretty wise to VPNs now, so this doesn't always work). How VPNs work—and their limitationsThat idea of an encrypted tunnel covers the basics of how VPNs work: You connect to a VPN server, then it connects to the web for you. When data comes back, it first goes to the VPN server, and then to your device. VPN providers will tell you how many servers they have and in how many countries—each time you connect to the VPN, you can typically choose which server to connect to, or have one assigned automatically. If you want to stay safe on a public wifi network, it's best to connect to a server in your country—it'll be faster. If you want to pretend you're in another country, or would like to stop websites and apps from knowing where you are, you can pick a server somewhere else. Some VPNs let you double-up servers for extra security. If you connect to a lot of wifi networks, VPNs can help keep you safe. Credit: Lifehacker It's important to recognize the limitations of how VPNs work, too. Your location aside, they aren't going to stop a lot of the tracking tech you'll find on the web, such as cookies—and of course if you log into your Amazon account, Amazon will know it's you. VPNs don't offer anonymity cloaks. In addition, you're essentially transferring your trust from your ISP to a VPN provider: Your ISP provider can't see your traffic, but your VPN service potentially can. What's more, VPNs are under the same legal obligations as ISPs when it comes to giving data to government and law enforcement agencies. With that in mind, it's important to pick a VPN you trust. How to choose a VPNAs noted above, VPNs aren't above the law, and can see the traffic they're ferrying for you. With that in mind, it's important to look for a VPN with an independently audited "no logs" policy—meaning none of your data is kept permanently. That means there's less information that can be exposed or handed over to the authorities, if they come knocking. It's a crucial part of choosing a VPN, so VPN providers will usually promote "no logs" policies quite prominently. Read the policies for ExpressVPN and NordVPN, for example: You'll see mention of independent auditors, technologies that scrub data automatically, and operations that are based in countries where data retention laws are less strict (which means VPNs aren't legally obliged to keep records on their users). See what VPN providers say about their data retention policies. Credit: Lifehacker There are lots of other criteria to use when weighing which VPN provider to go for. As previously mentioned, you can look for how many servers a provider offers, and where they're based. You can also check up on the promised speeds, as well as the basics of how much you're going to have to pay and what else you get included (maybe dark-web monitoring for data breaches, for example, or a bundled password manager). Make sure you check how many devices you can connect to the VPN service at any one time, as this will vary—and some VPNs may not even have apps for every platform. You can also look at what you get in terms of customer service and support if something goes wrong. And don't forget to consult reviews from trustworthy tech publications, too. How much VPNs costAs with most digital subscription decisions, cost is likely to be a big factor in your choice. Free VPNs are available, though they'll usually be cut-down versions of paid-for packages, with limitations on how many connections you can make and the speeds you're going to get in terms of uploads and downloads. Considering how important VPNs are, in terms of trusting them with your data, it's a good idea to avoid free ones if you can—at least if it's not clear how they're making their money. There are trustworthy free VPN packages around, and we've listed some of them here, but make sure you go for a well-known name with a long history. Check the deal length and bundled features when comparing VPN prices. Credit: Lifehacker If you are able to pay for a VPN, make sure you weigh everything you get with your subscription: the number of available servers, the number of compatible devices, the length of the deal you have to sign up for, the customer support on offer, the bonus software included. Comparing prices is tricky because each VPN provider offers different packages for your money. While subscription tiers and pricing are changing all the time—look out for introductory deals if you're just signing up—here are a few offers available at the time of writing to give you a general idea: ExpressVPN is $12.95 a month, NordVPN is $12.99 a month, ProtonVPN is $9.99 a month, and TunnelBear is $9.99 a month. As usual, you can get lower monthly pricing by signing up for a year or two, and varying tiers with varying features are available on these services. Should you use a VPN?There's no doubt that using a VPN on your phone or your laptop means your data is more secure and more private: The question is whether it's worth paying for another subscription. It certainly gives you extra peace of mind if you're on the go a lot, and often bouncing between different public wifi networks. For secure travel, and accessing services from abroad, VPNs are definitely appealing. Then there's the ISP issue: These big internet companies keep much more detailed records than most VPNs do. If you'd rather as little of your browsing activity was logged as possible, then a VPN might be the way to go (though again, this applies to activity logged by ISPs, and not necessarily advertising companies or websites). VPNs can offer extra peace of mind. Credit: Lifehacker You've also got the built-in protection for your location—your IP address—and the ability to spoof locations to some extent, which can be helpful if you're in a place with tightly regulated internet, or where your usual streaming services aren't available. Bear in mind, though, that as soon as you log into Google or Netflix, they know who you are and which country you live in anyway. VPN providers are usually falling over themselves to offer free trials or introductory offers, so there's no harm in signing up for a package and seeing how it suits you—and how much you actually use it. You could even sign up for a couple at a time and compare them in terms of online speeds and the quality of their apps. View the full article

Take a moment to list all the digital accounts you've signed up for, and it's probably more than you realized: email, social media, banking, streaming services, cloud storage, music, gaming, and fitness...it adds up. But using the same login credentials for every service is a bad idea, and if you reuse passwords across accounts, let me summarize the simplest advice you should take away from this article: You shouldn't. But, of course, it's nearly impossible to remember as many unique usernames and secure passwords as you need for your various accounts. That's where password managers come in. Password managers hide your various login credentials behind one main username and password so that logging into the password manager gives you access to everything else. It's a secure alternative to writing your passwords down or saving them in a spreadsheet, and more reliable than your memory. They can often store other data, too—think credit card numbers, PIN codes, and authenticator keys—and may also give you extra features like scanning data breaches for your credentials. If you've yet to switch to a password manager, consider this a sign to get started. It can be intimidating at first, but getting started may be easier than you think. Some of the most important password manager featuresPassword managers are all slightly different, but you'll find many of the same features across brands. First and foremost, they store your passwords—often popping up inside web browsers and on phones whenever you need to log into an account—and provide you with your login credentials with one click or tap. As sign-in technologies have evolved, though, so have password managers. Many can now also help with two-factor authentication codes and passkeys for websites or apps that need more than just a username and password. At the same time, these password managers are secured with a main username and password you need to remember—and often with biometric authentication, too. The best password managers work seamlessly across devices. Credit: NordPass Most password managers will also suggest strong passwords for new accounts: Passwords that mix up random special characters, letters, and numbers, so they're extremely difficult to hack. With a password manager, you don't actually need to know what your passwords are—the program handles everything. You'll often see password managers offer additional security features as well, ranging from notifying you of duplicate passwords, to dark web monitoring for your email addresses, usernames, or passwords. If your login details appear in a data breach, you get an alert about it, and you can change them. How password managers secure your dataYou might wonder how password managers make sure your passwords are securely and privately locked away. Details vary between software packages, but they'll invariably use end-to-end encryption, with your main password as the decryption key, meaning that means no one else—from hackers to password manager developers to government agencies—can access your details without that password. Additional security measures are often implemented as well. Take 1Password as an example: It uses PBKDF2 (Password-Based Key Derivation Function 2) key strengthening, which, in simple terms, means that passwords are obscure enough that it would take decades to crack. It also gives users a secret key, known only to them, that works as an extra security layer on top of your password. A host of encryption and other security layers are applied to your password vault. Credit: LastPass In other words, you can't just use your pet's name as your password manager password. Extra security layers, including two-factor authentication and biometric scans, are often added too. Where your credentials need to be synced across multiple devices, strong encryption protocols are again deployed. Without your password, the data is useless, and only you know your password. Most password managers now combine local and cloud storage options, because we all need our passwords on so many devices. However, it's worth bearing in mind that the fewer places you have your password manager installed, the less chance there is of someone else gaining access to it—so some users just keep their password manager on their phone. Why you should use a password managerSimply put, using a password manager is a whole lot more secure than other options, like listing them in a Google Doc. Say, for example, that you left your laptop unlocked and someone sat down at it. With a Google Doc, that person would be more likely to access your password document than they would a password manager where they would need extra security clearance. Apple and Google have their own password manager options. Credit: Lifehacker The free offerings from Google and Apple have improved significantly in recent years, but they still don't quite offer the level of protection, breadth of features, and cross-platform support of the best dedicated password managers. One example: In the case of Google Password Manager, on-device encryption (meaning that you manage the decryption key locally, as with a password manager, rather than Google managing it) remains an optional extra that you have to enable, rather than enabled by default. Given the protection and features that come with dedicated password managers, it's typically worth most people investing in one. Some software packages offer a free tier, but they may be limited in terms of the features you get and the number of devices you can use them on. You can expect to pay a few bucks per month for most apps, but you can also look for bundled deals that include VPNs and adblockers, for instance. Whatever brand or package you choose, though, you should begin using a password manager. You get a private password vault, a host of protections to keep it safe, and added features like data breach monitoring and strong password generators. Plus, the best password managers sync seamlessly across all of your devices, ready when you need them. View the full article

Financial regulator’s submission to Supreme Court comes at start of pivotal three-day hearingView the full article

Web browsers collect a lot of data and share it with the sites we visit, so if you're concerned about your privacy, it's worth wondering which browsers are best for keeping our online habits to ourselves. Whether you're an activist concerned about surveillance, someone doing research in a country where your topic can get you in trouble, or simply a person who doesn't want spying eyes on their search history, using a more private browser can be one of the simplest steps you can take towards less worry. I spoke to William Budington, a Senior Staff Technologist on The Electronic Frontier Foundation's (EFF) Public Interest Team, and Janet Vertesi, an Associate Professor of Sociology at Princeton University who publishes extensive work on human-computer interaction and online privacy. They had subtly different opinions on which browsers are best for your privacy, but they definitively agreed on one thing: It's not Chrome. "There is no perfect choice here in the array of browsers that protect your privacy, but certainly Chrome is not one of them," Budington says. Vertesi agrees: "If you're on Chrome, you have to get off Chrome." It shouldn't be surprising that the most private browser is not the one made by a company that generates the majority of its revenue by collecting data. But which browsers are more private? Tor is the ultimate private browser, but it comes with trade-offs Credit: Justin Pot Tor is built with privacy in mind. The browser disables all cookies, masks fingerprinting, and routes all traffic through at least three different nodes. That level of privacy is unparalleled, but it comes at a price: a lot of websites simply don't work. "Because it's aimed to be ephemeral, not leaving traces, and turning off cookies by default, it's going to be the gold standard when it comes to privacy and anonymity," Budington says, "but there's a tradeoff in usability." The problem, according to Budington, is that Tor's privacy means it's a common tool for distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks, which in turn means many services block it. "Tor is probably the safest in that it's totally untraceable, but it's not usable for everything," Vertesi says. "You can't use Tor exclusively." Both experts recommended using Tor for those moments when you really want to make sure no one is watching. "If you're someone who wants to look up a medical condition, use Tor because it won't leak your browsing," Budington adds. "You might want to use Tor browser in those specific situations, but there are browsers that do a pretty good job at protecting your privacy but will be much more usable." Brave is a good option for private browsing but also comes with caveats Credit: Justin Pot Brave is a Chromium-based browser made for privacy. It offers built-in ad and tracking blocking, fingerprint randomizing, and various other privacy features. Both experts acknowledged the various controversies about the company but still feel it's a solid out-of-the-box option for private browsing. "It's clear that they are taking reasonable and good steps in order to protect users' privacy," according to Budington. He particularly emphasized the length Brave goes in order to randomize your browser's fingerprint, which can protect against canvas fingerprinting in which sites render an unnecessary vector image to detect subtle differences in hardware configuration. The other browsers on this list don't do that, which might be worth keeping in mind. Brave is also built on the Chromium code base, meaning sites that break on Firefox and Tor generally open without problems. "Brave is an option if you need a Chrome compliant thing around," according to Vertesi. Firefox is still great with the right extensions Credit: Justin Pot You already know about Firefox—once among the most popular browsers on the planet—and it's still a solid option for security conscious users if you don't mind a bit of setting up. "With the right add-ons installed, Firefox can be just as private as Brave," Budington says, recommending EFF's own Privacy Badger alongside the ad-blocker uBlock Origin. "There's no reason not to use these in combination," he adds, mentioning there are also add-ons for randomizing fingerprinting. And there's more to discover if you dig around. "The thing I like about Firefox is you can really lock it down in the settings," Vertesi says. She emphasized the fact that Firefox is built by a nonprofit instead of a commercial entity. "Their job is not to satisfy investors," she notes. "That's important, because it means that you're not the product." Both experts acknowledged that, like Brave, Firefox has its share of recent controversies that are worth keeping in mind, but they still recommend the browser. Why you should use different browsers for different usesVertesi emphasized that a core part of her privacy strategy is to use multiple browsers. "Don't just choose one best browser, use many," she said. "It's a way of cordoning off different parts of your life, so your browser doesn't know about other accounts." Vertesi, for example, generally has a single browser for occasionally browsing Facebook products and nothing else—that way Facebook can't track her other browsing. She said there are many good options out there including Opera, Vivaldi, DuckDuckGo Browser, and even Apple's Safari, which has a few privacy-specific features. Budington mentioned that because Apple devices are all so close in terms of hardware configuration, Safari has incidental fingerprint protection. Ultimately, privacy isn't something we can get by installing a particular browser—it's more of a mindset, and it includes strategies that come with compromises to our convenience. Tor, Brave, and Firefox all strike a different balance in privacy and usability—along with smaller options like Opera, Vivaldi, and DuckDuckGo Browser. The right one will depend on how you're balancing those factors at any given time. But, again, if you care about your privacy, a good place to start is simply not using Chrome. "If you have an amazing VPN but you're doing everything in Chrome...why bother?" Vertesi says. View the full article

Agreement has security implications for joint military base with US on Indian Ocean archipelagoView the full article

Sector once known for wanton capital allocation is now generating cash and embarking on share buybacksView the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. If you’re someone who reads every night before bed and doesn’t mind a few scuffs, this refurbished 2019 Kindle Oasis deal might be worth a look. It’s going for $129.99 on Woot (for the next 30 days or until it sells out), which is a steal for the 32GB model—especially considering a refurbished 8GB model is going for $119.99 on Amazon (and brand-new ones usually push past $250). Just a heads-up, since this is a scratch and dent unit, it's not going to look fresh out of the box (expect light scuffs and small dings). That said, it's been tested and certified to work fine, and Woot throws in a 90-day Amazon warranty just in case. Additionally, this version is ad-supported, meaning you’ll see sponsored content on the lockscreen, but it won’t get in the way while you’re reading. Shipping’s free if you’ve got Prime, otherwise it’s $6, and it only ships within the lower 48 states. Kindle Oasis Waterproof eReader – 10th Generation, 2019 Model $129.99 at Woot $250.00 Save $120.01 Get Deal Get Deal $129.99 at Woot $250.00 Save $120.01 What you’re getting, functionally, is still solid. The 7-inch, 300ppi display is crisp, sharp, and front-lit with 25 LEDs. It has an adjustable warm light setting, which makes late-night reading easier on the eyes. Unlike the cheaper Kindles, the Oasis still has those physical page-turn buttons on the side, which makes it easy to flip pages when you're holding it one-handed. This model is also IPX8 waterproof rated, so you can dunk it in the tub or spill coffee on it without panicking. For what it’s worth, the screen is sharp and evenly lit—PCMag called it “the most luxurious Kindle,” and they weren’t wrong—but this model doesn’t support USB-C, so you’re stuck with micro-USB. That might be a dealbreaker if you’ve fully phased out the old cables in your house. And it doesn’t have wireless charging either, if that’s a priority. View the full article

Chinese carmaker sold just under 1mn vehicles in first quarterView the full article

A bitcoin investor who bought a SpaceX flight for himself and three polar explorers blasted off Monday night on the first rocket ride to carry people over the North and South poles. Chun Wang, a Chinese-born entrepreneur, hurtled into orbit from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. SpaceX’s Falcon rocket steered southward over the Atlantic, putting the space tourists on a path never flown before in 64 years of human spaceflight. Wang won’t say how much he paid Elon Musk’s SpaceX for the 3 ½-day ultimate polar adventure. The first leg of their flight—from Florida to the South Pole—took barely a half-hour. From the targeted altitude of some 270 miles (440 kilometers), their fully automated capsule will circle the globe in roughly 1 ½ hours including 46 minutes to fly from pole to pole. “Enjoy the views of the poles. Send us some pictures,” SpaceX Launch Control radioed once the capsule reached orbit. Wang has already visited the polar regions in person and wants to view them from space. The trip is also about “pushing boundaries, sharing knowledge,” he said ahead of the flight. Now a citizen of Malta, he took along three guests: Norwegian filmmaker Jannicke Mikkelsen, German robotics researcher Rabea Rogge, and Australian polar guide Eric Philips. Mikkelsen, the first Norwegian bound for space, has flown over the poles before, but at a much lower altitude. She was part of the 2019 record-breaking mission that circumnavigated the world via the poles in a Gulfstream jet to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin’s moon landing. The crew plans two dozen experiments—including taking the first human X-rays in space—and brought along more cameras than usual to document their journey called Fram2 after the Norwegian polar research ship from more than a century ago. Until now, no space traveler had ventured beyond 65 degrees north and south latitude, just shy of the Arctic and Antarctic circles. The first woman in space, the Soviet Union’s Valentina Tereshkova, set that mark in 1963. Yuri Gagarin, the first man in space, and other pioneering cosmonauts came almost as close, as did NASA shuttle astronauts in 1990. A polar orbit is ideal for climate and Earth-mapping satellites as well as spy satellites. That’s because a spacecraft can observe the entire world each day, circling Earth from pole to pole as it rotates below. Geir Klover, director of the Fram Museum in Oslo, Norway, where the original polar ship is on display, hopes the trip will draw more attention to climate change and the melting polar caps. He lent the crew a tiny piece of the ship’s wooden deck that bears the signature of Oscar Wisting, who with Roald Amundsen in the early 1900s became the first to reach both poles. Wang pitched the idea of a polar flight to SpaceX in 2023, two years after U.S. tech entrepreneur Jared Isaacman made the first of two chartered flights with Musk’s company. Isaacman is now in the running for NASA’s top job. SpaceX’s Kiko Dontchev said late last week that the company is continually refining its training so “normal people” without traditional aerospace backgrounds can “hop in a capsule . . . and be calm about it.” Wang and his crew view the polar flight like camping in the wild and embrace the challenge. “Spaceflight is becoming increasingly routine and, honestly, I’m happy to see that,” Wang said via X last week. Wang said he’s been counting up his flights since his first one in 2002, flying on planes, helicopters, and hot air balloons in his quest to visit every country. So far, he’s visited more than half. He arranged it so that liftoff would mark his 1,000th flight. The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content. —Marcia Dunn, AP Aerospace Writer View the full article

New findings reveal free ‘private browsing’ apps popular with US users have ties to blacklisted Qihoo 360View the full article

You know the feeling—your calendar is packed, your inbox is overflowing, and every decision, big or small, lands on your desk. Leadership today isn’t just about managing teams and making strategic calls; it’s about navigating an endless stream of meetings, emails, and expectations. While burnout is widely recognized, most solutions focus on time management rather than cognitive bandwidth management. The real issue isn’t just being overworked—it’s being oversaturated. Leaders are drowning in information, decisions, and interruptions, leaving little room for the deep thinking required for creativity, strategic foresight, and high-quality decision-making. A study from the University of California found that it takes an average of 23 minutes to refocus after an interruption. Multiply that by dozens of daily distractions, and it’s clear why many leaders struggle to see the bigger picture. The ability to make sound, high-impact decisions isn’t about working harder; it’s about creating space for deep thought. The Hidden Costs of Constant Busyness Many leaders equate productivity with busyness, believing that the more they do, the more they accomplish. However, excessive cognitive load leads to decision fatigue, diminishing the quality of choices over time. The constant need to process information can also limit strategic foresight, causing leaders to operate reactively rather than proactively. Without time to reflect, innovation suffers, and leaders struggle to connect disparate ideas or generate fresh insights. Perhaps most importantly, the mental strain of constant cognitive overload erodes the ability to inspire, connect, and energize teams, leading to emotional exhaustion. Through my work advising leaders, I have seen the biggest shift happen when they gain clarity on what is most important for them to focus on. When they create space to think, they move from reactive firefighting to intentional, high-impact leadership. To support this shift, I developed a structured approach that helps leaders pause, reflect, and see things differently before diving into the next wave of demands. By making reflection a habit, they regain control over their time and amplify their ability to lead with purpose. White space isn’t a luxury—it’s a strategic imperative. But how can leaders reclaim time for deep thinking when everyone wants a piece of them? Scheduling Uninterrupted Blocks for Reflection If you don’t protect your time, no one else will. Blocking thinking time on your calendar isn’t just about setting aside hours—it’s about creating the right conditions for meaningful reflection. Some CEOs, like Bill Gates, take “Think Weeks” to immerse themselves in strategic visioning. While a whole week might not be feasible, micro-retreats—such as two-hour deep-thinking sessions once a week—can significantly improve clarity and decision-making. To implement this, designate a specific time each week when you are completely unreachable. Use this time to tackle complex problems, review long-term strategies, or explore innovative ideas. Changing your environment can also enhance deep thinking; a walk, a quiet room, or a retreat space can be instrumental in shifting your mindset from reactionary to strategic. Reducing Decision Fatigue by Delegating and Automating Not every decision requires your input. Barack Obama and Steve Jobs famously simplified their daily choices—wearing the same outfit daily—to preserve mental energy for high-stakes decisions. Leaders should similarly identify which decisions they must own and which ones can be delegated or automated. Start by categorizing your decisions: strategic ones require deep thinking, operational ones can often be delegated, and administrative ones are best automated. Empowering your team to take ownership of decisions within their expertise frees up cognitive space for you to focus on higher-impact areas. Batching smaller decisions into designated review sessions can also prevent constant context switching. Automation tools can also help eliminate repetitive tasks, allowing leaders to focus their energy on what truly matters. Creating “No-Meeting Zones” for Deep Work While necessary, meetings often disrupt the ability to engage in strategic work. Some companies, like Shopify, have introduced “Meeting-Free Wednesdays” to give employees uninterrupted time for deep work. Leaders can implement a similar approach by establishing specific time blocks where meetings are off-limits, enabling more focused thinking. Redesigning meeting culture is another way to protect deep work. Encouraging asynchronous collaboration—through well-documented memos, video updates, and shared decision logs—can reduce the need for real-time discussions. Adopting a “50-minute meeting rule” also helps ensure that meetings don’t consume an entire hour and allows for short breaks to reflect before diving into the next task. Another interesting approach I have implemented with my clients to enhance strategic discussions is to hold a silent meeting to allow leaders to read and reflect on strategic plans before engaging in a dialogue. Being Selective About Information Intake In an era of constant connectivity, leaders must be intentional about the information they consume. Too much input can be just as damaging as too little. Instead of passively absorbing every report, email, or industry update, curate your information sources carefully. Limiting the number of newsletters, reports, and updates you follow can help reduce cognitive clutter. Setting specific times during the day to check emails and news—rather than reacting to every notification—prevents constant distractions. Another helpful practice is maintaining a “Reverse To-Do List.” Instead of listing tasks to complete on the list, you instead identify habits, commitments, or information sources you can eliminate to free up mental space. Structured reflection rituals, such as weekly reviews of key learnings rather than endless content consumption, can further sharpen decision-making. Great leadership isn’t about being the busiest person in the room—it’s about making the best decisions. The leaders who thrive in complexity aren’t those who power through every request but those who create the mental space necessary for clarity and innovation. If you’re constantly overwhelmed, it may not be a workload problem but a thinking-time problem. Designing intentional white space isn’t about stepping back; it’s about stepping into your most strategic, creative, and high-impact leadership self. View the full article

Hooters of America, LLC, owner of the Hooters restaurant chain, has announced that it has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The bankruptcy filing is aimed at helping the company restructure itself so it can transition from a company-owned restaurant chain to a franchisee-owned chain. Here’s what you need to know about Hooter’s bankruptcy and whether any locations will close. Hooters to transition to franchisee-owned model Most people think of Hooters as just one company, but the restaurant chain currently operates under a hybrid model. Hooters of America, LLC, owns the restaurant’s brand intellectual property and currently operates numerous Hooters locations in the United States and across the world. The company says it franchises and operates 410 Hooters restaurants in 38 states and 24 countries. However, Hooters of America, LLC, also licenses out its restaurants to franchisees, allowing individuals and companies to operate Hooters stores. One of the largest Hooters franchisees is Hooters Inc., the company owned by the original Hooters cofounders. Hooters Inc. owns and operates over 20 restaurants in America. Like many restaurant chains, Hooters has been struggling financially in recent years, and now the company’s owner, Hooters of America, LLC, has decided that the best way forward for the brand is to restructure its business model. That restructuring will see Hooters move from a primarily company-owned model to an entirely franchisee-owned model. Hooters of America, LLC, says that the restructuring will see a group of current franchisees acquire and operate the current company-owned locations. Among those franchisees is Hooters Inc. It should be noted that the bankruptcy filing and the restructuring of the company only affect Hooters locations in America. Its worldwide locations are unaffected by the changes. Are any Hooters locations closing? If you’re a fan of Hooters, then there is some good news. The company says that it currently has no definite plans to close any Hooters locations. In a press release announcing the bankruptcy filing, Hooters of America CEO Sal Melilli said, “Our renowned Hooters restaurants are here to stay.” However, the announcement went on to leave open the possibility that some locations could close. “As part of the Company’s broader business transformation and planning, Hooters is evaluating the Company’s operational footprint as part of its financial restructuring process to position itself to invest its resources in its strongest assets moving forward,” the statement read. What this means is that it’s possible Hooters could decide to close some locations as the bankruptcy process continues. So, is Hooters going out of business? The company has no plans to. Indeed, it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, so it can keep its business going and locations open, albeit under a new franchisee-owned model. In a dedicated website for customers who have questions about Hooter’s bankruptcy, the company says, “Hooters is here to stay, and with a stronger financial foundation and streamlined operations on the other side of this process, we will be well-positioned to continue delivering the guest-obsessed hospitality experience and delicious food our valued customers and communities have come to expect well into the future.” How long will Hooters’ restructuring take? Hooters of America, LLC, says it expects to move through the bankruptcy process “swiftly.” The company defines this as having the goal of emerging from Chapter 11 in about 90 to 120 days. Restaurant chains have had a rough year Hooters of America, LLC isn’t the only restaurant company that has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy lately. In the past year, numerous other popular restaurant chains have as well, including Red Lobster, Tijuana Flats, Buca di Beppo, and Roti. While the specifics of each bankruptcy will vary, many restaurants have faced the same problems in recent years. This includes diminishing foot traffic, higher costs, and diners who are cutting back on discretionary spending due to price rises fueled by inflation. View the full article

Today is April 1, April Fools’ Day, the annual holiday that celebrates pranking, hoaxes, and all manner of horseplay and tomfoolery. But why? Where did this faux holiday come from? Why do we do this to each other, and when will we finally just stop? These are surprisingly tricky questions, and April Fools' Day has been around for a surprisingly long time. As far back as 1708, the British newspaper Apollo asked, “Whence proceeds the custom of making April Fools?” and provided unconvincing answers. So we know the April Fools' tradition goes back centuries, but the exact origins of the holiday are still a mystery. There are theories, but they all reek faintly of bullshit. April Fools’ Day origin story #1: The great French calendar switch of 1582The most popular (but still probably bullshit) April Fools' origin story blames France. It goes like this: Back in 1563, The Council of Trent declared that Christ is entirely present in both the consecrated bread and wine in the Eucharist. But more importantly, it decreed Catholic nations should use the Gregorian calendar instead of the Julian calendar. France’s King Charles IX ordered his nation to get on board with the switch by 1582, but when the actual day rolled around, some citizens were non-compliant. (French people can be stubborn.) April 1 is beginning of the new year according to the Julian calendar, and some people either didn’t know about the new calendar or didn’t like it, because they went on celebrating the new year on April 1. To get everyone back in line, people started mocking calendar-truthers by playing tricks on them. Because the first day of April used to coincide with the end of Lent, and fish was a popular Lenten gift, giving a fool a fake fish was seen as a hilarious joke (or so the story goes). This evolved into the French April 1 prank of affixing a paper fish to someone’s back, which is still practiced to this day, mainly by school kids; it’s why French people call April 1 poisson d’avril, or "April fish." I like the alternative “April fish” origin story better, though: The real prank was secretly sliding a fish in someone’s pocket and hoping they didn’t notice until it started to stink. That’s timeless comedy and requires no explanation. So case closed, right? “April Fools’ Day began in France when the calendar changed.” Nah. Probably not (April Fools!), because the first written reference to the day dates back some two decades earlier, to 1561. Flemish writer Eduard De Dene’s Refereyn vp verzendekens dach / Twelck den eersten April te zyne plach is a comical poem about a nobleman sending his gullible servant on a series of ridiculous fake errands on April 1. Along with a message that remains timely today (“You’re a fool to believe what someone says on April 1”), the poem makes it clear that the seasonal pranks were already a widespread, well-known phenomenon decades before the calendar changed in France. Unlike many holidays with changing customs and rites, April Fools’ seems to be celebrated in much the same way now as it was in the 1500s. April Fools’ Day origin #2: The ancient Romans did itSome historians have dug all the way back to Ancient Rome to uncover evidence of the first April fool. Back then, they called days of rejoicing “hilaria.” People had private hilaria, like their wedding days, or public ones, like the Hilaria Matris Deûm, celebrated on March 25 as part of a 10-day festival to honor Cybele, the mother of the gods. After several festival days devoted to fasting, castration, mourning, and scourging, the hilaria gave everyone the chance to enjoy some much-needed fun, playing games and having orgies (I assume). The biggest highlight of Hilaria Matris Deûm was masquerading. You could get away with imitating anyone you wanted on this day, including government officials. So maybe this was the original April Fools’ Day? The evidence seems a little shaky to me. The time of year is roughly correct, but the connection to pranks and hoaxes seems tenuous—dressing up as someone to mock them is not the same as tricking them into eating a donut filled with mayonnaise. Since no one knows where or when April Fools’ Day originated, so I’m going to say it came from—oh, Denmark. From there, it spread to the rest of Europe, probably. No matter the origin, by the late 1600s, April Fools' Day was so firmly established that newsletters saw no reason to explain it to readers. For example, the April 2, 1698 edition of Dawks’s News-Letter contains an item that reads: “Yesterday being the first of April, several persons were sent to the Tower Ditch to see the Lions washed.” (Sending fools to see lions washed is hilarious.) April Fools’ Day goes from personal to publicWhether it’s sticking a paper fish on someone’s back or sending tourists to the lion washings, the first few 100 years of April Fools’ Day pranks were personal. It wasn’t an official holiday; it was just a bunch of folks joshing their friends or strangers on the street. But as society shifted from individual experiences to more mediated ones, the nature of April pranks shifted too. Beginning in the early 1900s, newspapers started publishing fake stories on April 1. Then radio started doing it, telling listeners that wasps were about to attack them, or the world was going to end. In the 1950s, television got in the act; even the staid BBC pranked viewers with a fake story about the Swiss spaghetti harvest. The April Fools’ prank’s current most popular form—fake announcements on the internet—is fitting for the state of our culture. Traditionally pranks were at least enjoyable for the one doing the pranking, but modern April Fools’ isn’t fun for anyone. The audience knows it’s going to happen, so no one is really tricked, and the technology and media companies that are “pranking” people are doing it because they want clicks and engagement to further solidify their brand image. That's the opposite of fun. The only thing that was ever good about April Fools' Day is that it was a home-grown, unofficial folk holiday of the people. The jerky people, but still. Now April Fools' Day is entirely corporation-approved. Why April Fools' Day needs to dieThere aren’t really any studies on this, but strictly from a personal “I’ve been on the Internet for a long time” perspective, the popularity of online April Fools’ jokes have been declining for several years and hopefully it drops off to nothing soon. No one needs a holiday that has victims. In the disinformation age, every day is April 1 anyway; we’re constantly being taken for fools. We’re bombarded by people using technology to try to trick us, whether it’s criminal robots sending texts to steal the money in our bank accounts, influencers monetizing our envy through filters and careful camera angles, AI-generated deep-fakes of the pope in a puffer jacket, or the more subtle but all-encompassing hoaxes of modern politics and commerce as a whole. Hearing some jerkass saying "Ha ha, tricked you," just isn't funny anymore—if it ever was. View the full article

Countless hours, days—perhaps even weeks—of my life have been spent creating Sims characters, building them houses, marrying them off, and making babies. Now, there’s a new life-simulation game on the block hoping to expand beyond the American market. inZOI debuted on March 28 at $40 and quickly climbed to the top of Steam’s most wishlisted and bestseller charts. The game’s appeal lies in its hyper-detailed character customization, free expansions, and immersive, realism-focused world. Unlike The Sims, which embraces cartoonish characters and lightheartedness, inZOI opts for lifelike graphics and a slower-paced gameplay experience centered on everyday interactions. Designed with a broader audience in mind, inZOI stands out through subtle cultural details. For example, players’ digital humans are prompted to remove their shoes upon entering a home, and the game’s cities draw inspiration from Seoul and Santa Monica. The fridge is stocked with tteokbokki, a beloved Korean rice cake snack, and characters often wear trendy Korean streetwear. “I felt a lot of cultural barriers” playing The Sims, Hyungjun “Kjun” Kim, chief executive officer of game publisher Krafton’s inZOI Studio, told Bloomberg in a recent interview. Kim spent years developing online role-playing games, only to come home and play The Sims with his son. One day, his son asked why there aren’t other games like The Sims. That question stuck with Kim and eventually led to the creation of inZOI. Once the prototype was ready, Krafton sought input from The Sims’ large and dedicated fanbase. They sent PCs to Sims YouTubers, encouraging them to livestream the game, while fans joined a Discord channel to request features they felt The Sims was lacking—such as more inclusive hairstyles. The Sims franchise has been a cash cow for Electronic Arts, generating over $5 billion in revenue and attracting more than 15 million new players in 2024, despite being more than a decade old. But with no Sims 5 in sight, EA has relied on expansion packs to keep players engaged, opening up a gap in the market that inZOI is eager to fill. Still, if inZOI was banking on its competitor fading into obscurity, it may be disappointed. The Sims 4 recently hit its highest-ever average player count on Steam in February 2025, according to The Gamer. The anticipation surrounding inZOI perhaps sparked a wave of players to revisit their old favorite. Either way, The Sims franchise has shown it still has plenty of life in it. View the full article

Over the last year, Gap has been popping up in an unexpected place for a heritage casual wear brand: the red carpet. Last July, Anne Hathaway wore a white shirt dress with matching bralette and Bulgari jewelry. In December, Demi Moore appeared in a black knit jersey dress and moto jacket. And just this past February, Timothée Chalamet showed up in a black satin workwear set. Zac Posen, Gap Inc.’s executive vice president and creative director, had designed all of them under the new label, GapStudio. And now, Gap is bringing GapStudio to the masses as it officially launches the new, higher-end Gap sub-brand, designed to elevate Gap’s perception, extend its reach to younger consumers, and help regain its cultural caché. GapStudio will launch four seasonal collections a year, along with select standalone drops starting with this Spring capsule, called GapStudioCollection 01. The collection includes a range of elevated basics that play into classic styles Gap is known for, but with contemporary and trend-driven silhouettes, and elevated fabrications and construction. Prices range from $78-$248, and will be available online and in select stores starting this Thursday. Posen’s role is far-reaching across Gap Inc, but GapStudio seems to be the most direct expression of his crossover from the red carpet gowns of his former high-end designer label to Gap Inc’s accessible everyday denim. Posen led the collection’s design processes, creative directed its launch campaign with zeitgeisty photographers, models, and stylists from his network, and onboarded a team he’s worked with for decades to bring it to life. The move to revive a brand’s Americana cool factor GapStudio is launching close to a year after Posen joined Gap Inc, where he oversees the creative direction of its brands, including Gap, Banana Republic, Athleta, and Old Navy, for which he is also chief creative officer. He and his team work out of the GapStudio atelier (that’s fashion for workshop), a new space in Gap Inc’s New York City headquarters that’s the epicenter of a new design vision for Gap. After shuttering his namesake brand in 2019 and spending seven years at Brooks Brothers, Gap Inc hired Posen to revive the defunct heritage brand known more for its deep sales than for its fit. According to the company’s fourth quarter earnings report, net sales were down 3% in its last quarter compared to the previous year. But the full 2024 fiscal year shows that online sales were up 4% and net sales were up 1%. In-store sales remained flat. Posen’s first collection for GapStudio offers up a tangible sense of where he wants to take the brand. The collection includes a mix of polished but contemporary everyday pieces, including denim sailor pants, cropped white button downs, and dresses (the Anne Hathaway will be available in a new color), ribbed tanks and dresses, slinky slip dresses, a denim moto and a trench coat with a pleated back. “You have to have that range within a very tight collection to be able to do that,” says Posen of the mix between casual and elevated styles. He notes that the slip dress could be worn with shoes or heels. “Daystomper, night stalker.” Brand elevation through construction, silhouette, and association Posen applied a studied eye to the construction of the pieces. He showed me the collection in the Gap Inc showroom in NYC’s Tribeca neighborhood. I noted the curved seaming of the knit dress worn by Demi Moore, which gave the dress a slight bell shape. Those were Posen’s “construction lines,” he said, so the piece didn’t have side seams. The seams themselves were made to have more dimension than a typical needle stitch, he pointed out. As he made his way through the collection racks, he pointed out more details: the $148 knit day dress, which is a fully fashioned knit, the dry hand of the rib tank, the sit of the shoulder and pick stitch of the khaki blazer. Posen pulls out a white denim corset cincher. “Like, why not?” he asks. He paired it with a white tank dress, but it appears in a few different looks throughout the campaign, making the case for its versatility. The collection also has sweatshirts for when you’re not in the mood to be so cinched. He thumbs to the slip dress, which has seaming he originally designed for a slip dress featured in a ballet his husband choreographed. “Pajama glamour,” he declared. “Everyday street glamour. Red carpet to the street.” That sentiment covers the range of the collection pretty well. “That’s so cute as a look, and really young,” Posen says referring to the sweatshirt look. There’s an explicit play for Gen Z with GapStudio. “It’s been really fun to be building a collection with that in mind, in terms of expanding our customer base.” One way he did that, in addition to leaning into nascent Gen Z trends like bloomers, is through the GapStudio campaign itself. He tapped fashion photographer Mario Sorrenti, stylist Alastair McKimm, and supermodels Alex Consani, Imaan Hammam, and Anok Yai. He described the process of building the images as “elevating the iconic.” He hopes to tap into contemporary equivalents of the brand’s past partnerships with renowned photographers like Annie Leibowitz and Steven Miesel. GapStudio’s “elevated essentials” Ultimately, Posen wants GapStudio to communicate a sense of “elevated essentials,” he says. “Great items that become staples in a wardrobe. Beloved pieces you always look for. Things that have style and trends without being disposable.” To do that, he aims to balance Gap’s metrics-driven approach with his own taste. “Experimentation at any level is essential,” he says. And it does appear that he is deeply involved with the GapStudio design team, including concepting, fitting, and fabrication. As we walked to the atelier down the hall from the showroom, he introduced me to team members he’d worked with for 10, 15, and 20 years, who now work in the GapStudio label. As we talked and made our way through the atelier, he was distracted by the work of a designer who was draping and pinning a work-in-progress garment on a figure. “I keep thinking about lowering the back on it,” Posen said to the designer. “You have to do a body suit—that’s what I said at like midnight last night—but then we can go lower in the back and lower on the side.” He’s comfortably in his element. I asked him what the piece was for. “That’s a special project,” he told me as we moved to the next station, without disclosing particulars. Posen plans to invite other guest designers, a strategy that has worked well for bridge and mass market brands like Uniqlo and H&M. He sees the coalescence of longstanding relationships and skillsets into GapStudio as “a starting point for innovation”; a new chapter with old collaborators. The play is “desirability, absolutely elevation,” Posen says of GapStudio. The first collection, he says, is “just the beginning.” View the full article

On many fronts, and with deliberate haste, America is vaporising its soft powerView the full article