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We may earn a commission from links on this page. Growing up, I was obsessed with helping my mom cook. Though she would dabble in making Italian food or try out popular boxed ingredients of the time, most nights featured what she knew best—giant pots of Thai comfort fare and heaping mounds of jasmine rice. My childhood of ad hoc cooking lessons taught me two things: Jasmine rice goes with everything, and anything can taste good with the help of one of five bottled Asian sauces. I'll assume you have the rice covered, so let me tell you about these sauces. Fish sauce This sauce gives you the most flavor bang for your buck. The thin, reddish-brown liquid is made by fermenting small fish, like anchovies, with salt for up to two years. The juice extracted from the mixture is a pungent sauce that brings a blast of umami to any and everything it touches. Add a few drops to fill out the flavor profile of your stir fry, or use it as a major ingredient, like in Thai som tum salad. For fish sauce newbies, just add a few drops to a hearty dish with many components. You’ll notice a difference in flavor, but you won’t be overwhelmed by fishy flavor. I don’t consider myself much of a fish-head, and this sauce really does taste like fermented fish, but somehow it just works. You can use fish sauce during cooking or as a finishing sauce while eating. I like to add a few dashes to hamburger meat, or make a nam jim with chili peppers and sliced garlic to drizzle it over eggs and rice; and Claire likes to use it to funk up butter, tuna, and chili. Whichever fish sauce you find will be the best one, but if you have a choice, I like: Squid Brand Fish Sauce Oyster sauceThe name might include another sea-faring friend, but oyster sauce is entirely different from fish sauce. There are a few sauces that might be described as “oyster sauce,” but in this case I’m talking about a dark brown sauce that’s so thick it’s almost gelatinous. Oyster sauce is often made with oyster extracts, soy sauce, and thickeners, and is both sweet and salty. Add a tablespoon of oyster sauce to deepen the flavors of a dish, or use a few tablespoons as the primary ingredient of a sweet and savory sauce. I add oyster sauce to beef stews in the winter, and use it to build the quintessential sticky glaze for chicken pad see ew. My favorite oyster sauce: Mae Krua Oyster Sauce I usually use a combination of two or three sauces in a noodle stir-fry like this one. Credit: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann Mushroom soy sauce It might be easy to box-in soy sauce as a mere salty condiment, but this liquid gold is as nuanced as wine. I usually keep at least three different types of soy sauce on hand, because they all provide something different. And I need them. All of them. Mushroom soy sauce can range from thin and medium-brown in color, to slightly viscous and nearly black. Mushroom soy sauce is made using dried black mushrooms and a light soy sauce, and though it doesn’t taste exactly like the fungi, it does taste notably earthier than standard soy sauce. I use light brown mushroom soy sauce rather liberally in dishes, or as a replacement for “regular” soy sauce. If I’m making a pot of turkey chili and looking for a salty, earthy flavor, I’ll splash this in to add some depth to the tomato base. My fridge houses: Dek Som Boon, also called Healthy Boy Brand Mushroom Soy Sauce Black mushroom soy sauceSometimes, if you’re adding fish sauce and regular soy sauce to a dish already, you don’t necessarily need another salty component. A teaspoon of black mushroom soy sauce, however, gives an entire stir fry a beautiful dark brown color with a touch of sweet, earthy umami, and much less salt. This type of soy sauce still uses dried black mushrooms for added flavor, but the mushroom extracts are added to dark soy sauce, instead of a light one. Dark soy sauce is usually aged longer than the light variety, and some bottles might even include molasses. I like Pearl River Bridge superior black mushroom soy sauce for its dark color and sweet flavor. I splash it (lightly!) into my fried rice, along with regular soy sauce and Golden Mountain Sauce. My go-to: Pearl River Bridge mushroom flavored superior black soy sauce Golden Mountain SauceThe four products I’ve mentioned so far are types of sauces, and you could explore different brands to find your favorite, but Golden Mountain Sauce is a brand of very special seasoning sauce. The ingredient list consists of “soybean sauce,” made from soybeans, corn, water, sugar, and salt. The flavor is salty, malty, savory, and ever-so-slightly sweet. It’s incredibly flavorful, and it’s my favorite all-purpose sauce by a long shot. There's just something about it that tastes like nothing else around. It's perfect dashed upon leftover rice with an egg. (A little dose will do it, but when I was a kid I had to make sure every grain of rice had a pool of this sauce around it.) Golden Mountain Sauce is great in stir fries, as a dipping sauce for dumplings, and is an exceptional partner for eggs, but you can sprinkle it over anything to improve the flavor. If you can’t find Golden Mountain Sauce, you can try the very similar Maggi Seasoning, but keep your eyes peeled for the real deal with a green and yellow label at your local Asian grocery stores. Or you could order it, of course: Golden Mountain Sauce View the full article

The AI search firm Perplexity routinely lets users try out state-of-the-art large language models on its site, but the company moved quickly to put Chinese company DeepSeek’s new R1 model front and center in its user interface. That offers users a chance to find out what the buzz is all about, without sending their data through the DeepSeek app, which is hosted in China. While some AI thought leaders such as Thrive Capital’s Josh Kushner, Scale AI’s Alexander Wang, and Anduril’s Palmer Luckey hurried to debunk or downplay DeepSeek’s achievements, Perplexity’s CEO Aravind Srinivas believes the Chinese company’s models are something special. “In the past few years, there have been a handful of revolutionary moments in AI that have transformed the landscape,” Perplexity cofounder and CEO Aravind Srinivas wrote in a subscriber email Tuesday. “I wholeheartedly believe that this is yet another moment.” Users of Perplexity’s free and premium tiers can now choose to use DeepSeek via a menu button within the search bar. (Users can also select OpenAI’s o3 mini model.) “It’s one of the core models,” says Perplexity chief business officer Dmitry Shevelenko. “And what’s really neat about it is we’ve also developed a user interface . . . where you can actually see the chain of thought, so you can actually see how the model is thinking in real time, and that’s something that was never possible before.” Because DeepSeek operates within the People’s Republic of China’s regulatory framework, the company had to prevent its models from talking about politically sensitive topics, such as the Tiananmen Square protests. Perplexity was able to remove those guardrails from the open-source version of DeepSeek-R1. Perplexity also says any user data shared with the chatbot stays with the company’s servers in the U.S. and Canada; nothing is shared with DeepSeek or China. Of the models available on Perplexity, DeepSeek R1 is unique in that it shows the “chain of thought” the LLM followed to reach an answer. Some of the innovations the DeepSeek researchers put into its models were driven by a need to economize on computing power. The company said it trained its models, for example, using less-powerful Nvidia H800 chips after the U.S. chip bans cut off access to Nvidia’s most powerful GPUs. The end result was the creation of models that show state-of-the-art intelligence while requiring far less computing power than comparable models to run. That’s good for Perplexity. “There are efficiencies,” says Shevelenko. “I mean, I think we’re still too early to know the exact inference cost breakdown, but just the fact that it’s open-source and you’re not paying the private model provider, that’s already the major efficiency.” View the full article

A record $1.39 billion will be legally wagered in the United States on Sunday’s Super Bowl match-up between the two-times defending champion Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles, the American Gaming Association said on Tuesday. In years past, the trade group representing the U.S. casino industry did not break out an estimate solely for legal bets but rather one for all wagers, including those placed online, with a sportsbook, unlicensed bookmaker or casually with friends. But with years of legal operations in several U.S. states, the AGA said it now analyzes historical revenue data and other trends to develop a legal wager estimate for major U.S. sports betting moments. The AGA’s estimate for Super Bowl bets is up 11.2% from the $1.25 billion that gambling and research firm Eilers & Krejcik predicted would be legally bet on last year’s NFL championship in Las Vegas between the Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers. “No single event unites sports fans like the Super Bowl, and that excitement extends to sports betting, with this year’s record legal handle reflecting its widespread appeal,” AGA President and CEO Bill Miller said in a news release. “This figure underscores the positive impact of the legal market—from protecting consumers to generating tax revenue that benefits communities across the country—while enhancing the game experience for all.” In 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down federal ban on sports betting. Since the ruling, 38 states and the District of Columbia have now legalized sports betting in some form. The NFL’s championship game creates an annual betting bonanza and this year’s edition will be played in New Orleans for a record-tying 11th time. The Chiefs, appearing in the Super Bowl for the fifth time in six years and seeking an unprecedented third consecutive NFL championship, are slight favourites to beat the Eagles in a rematch of the February 2023 title clash. —Frank Pingue, Reuters View the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Soon after Nvidia's new RTX 5080 and 5090 gaming GPUs went up for sale last week, they sold out pretty quickly—which shouldn't be a surprise to anyone who has tried to buy one of its graphics cards before. According to PC parts seller Newegg, the company’s stock sold out “within minutes,” and none of the big-name retailers I’ve checked today have cards available. While that might sound like a success on Nvidia’s part, consumers and reviewers alike are responding to the short supply with ire, accusing Nvidia of a “paper launch,” a term for when a company only releases enough units to say that a product released on schedule, without actually making it readily available. Starting at $999 for the 5080, these products were always going to be for a premium market, but buying them now can mean going through resellers, which could cost you twice as much and means supporting the same scalpers that make stock so hard to find in the first place. Luckily, there are still a few steps you can take to get a new Nvidia graphics card through official means, although it will take some trial and error. But with enough diligence, you can be sure to get in line for a new card as soon as stock opens up. Sign up for notifications Credit: Best Buy It’s boring, I know, but major retailers including Newegg, Best Buy, Amazon, and B&H offer the opportunity to sign up for stock notifications when a product is in limited supply. (You’ll usually see this to the right of or underneath a grayed out buy button on the product page.) These will often be incorporated into a wish list feature, so you can quickly check in on all of your desired products and keep track of them—useful if you have a specific PC build in mind. Try visiting your local MicrocenterMicrocenter is a popular electronics store that sets itself apart by offering the majority of its goods only in-store. Currently, its stock is as sold out as everyone else’s, although a big banner at the top of the store’s website says it’s working hard to restock as soon as possible. Shopping at your local Microcenter drastically reduces your competition: rather than having to compete with the entire world, you only have to compete with your local community. Even better, you can still look products up online to ensure stock is available before making the trek to the brick-and-mortar location. Simply visit the product page, input your store (assuming your cookies don’t tip off your location for you), and you’ll know before visiting whether your visit will be fruitful. Some products will also let you reserve a unit for in-store pickup before arriving, although for new GPUs, Microcenter is more likely to take a first-come, first-served mentality. Follow the right social media accountsGetting notifications when a product comes into stock is well and good, but ideally, you’re getting prepped to click the “buy” button well before it’s even available. That’s where industry insiders come into account. These are social media users who, through protected sources, sometimes know when sales happen before they go live. There are entire publications and newsletters dedicated to this, although you sometimes have to use your best judgment when knowing who to believe. My favorite account for this purpose, personally, is @Wario64 on X and Bluesky. Down-to-earth with a good (but not overbearing) sense of humor, they haven’t let me down yet. In-Stock-Alerts-US has also proven reliable in the past, as has journalist Matt Swider. Unfortunately, many accounts that have been useful in the past have since stopped updating. Alternatively, you can also use a stock tracking website like NowInStock.net or TrackaLacker to track stock across various storefronts. Avoid resellers whenever possibleGoing through the above process might seem annoying, but trust me, buying through a reseller is only going to make things worse for everyone. Yes, eBay is where you’ll find the most stock, but it’s also going to cost you way more than going through official sources, and there’s no guarantee that you’ll end up getting the real deal, or a GPU that hasn’t been used. That said, when it comes to GPUs, Amazon can be as bad as eBay. Third-party sellers are abundant there, and it can be easy to confuse a legit seller with one that's a little more dubious. If you want to go through Amazon, be sure to check the “Sold by” tag underneath the buy button before you add anything to your cart. That will tell you who you're actually buying the product from. Just buy a pre-built PC Credit: Maingear It might sound like sacrilege to a hardcore PC builder, but if you’re looking to get your hands on a new GPU as soon as possible, it can be easier to bite the bullet and go with a pre-built model. That’s because manufacturers like Maingear and Cyberpower often get special stock earmarked for them, and because their PCs are customizable, more expensive than a GPU alone, and are just all-around harder to stack in a warehouse somewhere, they’re less attractive to scalpers. You’ll still pay a premium with this route, but you’ll get a whole PC alongside your GPU, plus save yourself the labor of construction. And if you price it right, you might actually still save money over what you’d pay for a resold card alone. View the full article

Alphabet's Q4 revenue rose 12%, driven by AI advancements, cloud growth, and infrastructure investments. The post Google’s Q4 Earnings Point To An AI-Focused Future appeared first on Search Engine Journal. View the full article

A’ja Wilson has come to realize what is delayed is not always denied. The two-time WNBA champion and three-time league MVP proudly released her long-awaited Nike signature shoe and athletic apparel collection in her hometown of Columbia, South Carolina, where she helped lead the South Carolina Gamecocks to their first national championship in 2017 and had her college jersey retired on Sunday. The release of the predominantly pink shoe and apparel collection — which she said reflects her “girly, girly side” — has been 10 months in the making since she signed the lucrative six-year contract with Nike. It’s a deal Wilson says signals the continued growth and interest in women’s sports. “It was just a matter of time, honestly,” Wilson said. “Because we are in it and we live it, we see how much we’re valued and worth. But now to see everyone in the basketball community finally catch up, it means the world. To say that I can put out a shoe, and to do this here at home, it’s truly special and I’m so excited to see what the future has to hold.” The price of the shoe will be $110 for adult sizes and $90 for youth sizes. It will be available for purchase in the spring. At 28, Wilson is one of the most recognizable faces in women’s sports. She won an ESPY in 2024 for Best Female Athlete and led the Las Vegas Aces to back-to-back WNBA championships in 2022 and 2023. She has been named an All-Star six times since entering the league after being selected the No. 1 overall draft pick in 2018. Many in the women’s sports world wondered what has taken so long for Wilson to get her own shoe deal. Last year’s sensational WNBA Rookie of the Year Caitlin Clark had a deal for a Nike signature shoe ahead of Wilson. The delay didn’t surprise A’ja’s father, Roscoe Wilson, who called his daughter a meticulous planner. “Ever since A’ja was a child, she’s been that way,” Roscoe Wilson said. “She would have toys and collectibles as a kid and she would line them up and look them and make sure they were lined up correctly, then change them around. So I always just took that as her way. She’s always been meticulous in her planning. She sees how she wants things to go before she finishes.” “So this is a product of her vision from a long time ago,” he proudly added. His daughter’s vision is not just a big deal for the Wilson family. Wilson’s “A-One” is important for women’s sports, but it’s also important for sports in general, said Joe Favorito, a longtime sports marketing executive and professor at Columbia University. “Companies have been cutting back on custom lines for years and you don’t see this very often anymore,” Favorito said. “They have to know there is going to be a big return. Companies have to be very selective. So this is impressive — and it is very rare.” Favorito believes the shoe will particularly appeal to young women and people of color. “It speaks to the diverse audience, not only for women but also people of color,” Favorito said. “They are creating a shoe that young women can wear, can feel comfortable in — and that is revolutionary.” Wilson’s shoe deal comes about after Clark signed the richest sponsorship contract for a women’s basketball player in history last April worth $28 million over eight years. Wilson said she loved the process of picking out the colors and helping design the shoe and collection, but acknowledged that the release is “a weight off her shoulders.” Among the many unique features in the design is a replica of the tattoos she wears on her arms —- a tribute to her parents for supporting her through the years — stitched onto the tongue of the shoes. “To see it finally go live, it’s fun and I could not wait,” Wilson said. “The jersey retirement was great, but to have people get answers to their questions about what this shoe is about, it makes my heart really happy.” Added her father Roscoe Wilson: “The platform she has and the space she is in I think she has used it brilliantly to make a statement about herself, which carries over to women’s sports. She relays her message through how she carries herself and how she plays.” —Steve Reed, AP sports writer View the full article

Donald Trump drew plenty of criticism by launching his own branded memecoin three days before his inauguration, including from the crypto community which argued he was making a mockery of the crypto world by tying himself to the memecoin world, which could damage efforts to make crypto reforms. And so, in the two-plus weeks since he has taken office, the value of the Trump coin has dropped precipitously. Trump’s $TRUMP coin, which can be used to buy his Trump-themed sneakers, watches, and fragrances, had lost another 6% of its value Tuesday afternoon, falling to $16.63 each. While that still gives the token a market cap of $3.3 billion, it’s nothing compared to where it stood on January 19. On the eve of his second term, Trump’s memecoin hit an all-time high of $75.35 per token and a market cap of $14.5 billion. Chainalysis data, as reported by Reuters, found that 29 large buyers each held more than $10 million-worth of the memecoins, with five holding more than $100 million each. The recent drop represents a loss of more than 75% of its value. A separate memecoin launched by Melania Trump, has suffered similar losses, falling from $13.73 per token on January 20 to $1.60 on Tuesday, an 88% plunge. The $MELANIA loss would have been even larger if it hadn’t been in rally mode Tuesday, gaining nearly 17% from 24 hours prior. (As with many memecoins, it’s unclear what’s driving the rally.) The sell-off of $TRUMP has been gaining momentum largely since he finished taking the oath of office. By the end of January 21, the coin had lost nearly half its value, falling to little more than $40. The recent declines have come amid Trump’s tariff threats and growing fears of a trade war. The memecoin was down another 15% Monday as the deadline for the tariffs loomed and last-minute deals were struck. The loss of gains is not restricted to $TRUMP. Most cryptocurrencies have surrendered any gains they’ve made since the first of the year, though Bitcoin is still up slightly. That’s due, in part, to ongoing threats to free trade, a position that many crypto owners support. The risk of higher prices on imported goods has also prompted investors to sell digital assets in order to lower risk and steer clear of volatility in their portfolios. Memecoins have been especially affected by the sell-off. Selling holdings like memecoins can also give owners access to cash, which could be handy if costs go up across the board. Tariffs aimed at goods from Mexico and China were suspended for at least 30 days Tuesday, but a 10% tariff on goods from China was enacted. China retaliated Tuesday, implementing a 15% tariff on coal and liquefied natural gas products from the U.S. and a 10% tariff on U.S. crude oil, agricultural machinery, and large-engine cars. Officials in Beijing also announced an anti-trust investigation into Google and enacted export controls on critical components of high-tech products. While the value of the Trump memecoin has taken a significant dive in the past two weeks, that hasn’t stopped some parties from making a considerable amount of money from it. Reuters, on Monday, reported that trading fees alone for the $TRUMP token have added up to somewhere between $86 million and $100 million. One of the parties benefiting from those trade fees, CIC Digital, is an affiliate of the Trump Organization, but it was unclear how much of that total, if any, had gone to Trump personally. The ownership of other entities involved in trade fees could similarly not be determined. Trump was elected on a vow to be the “crypto president” and has filled his administration with several people who either hold crypto or have ties to the industry. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, for instance, who has previously expressed a belief that digital assets are a form of financial freedom, was named Monday as acting director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), which has previously set rules to protect consumers against fraud in crypto transactions. View the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. You can get thousands of free e-books over the course of 2025 if you know where—and when—to look. All year long, Amazon is offering free Kindle e-books to readers, with new opportunities popping up every month. In February, Prime members can get two free Kindle e-books from Amazon's First Reads program. What is Amazon's First Reads?Amazon First Reads is a program aimed at Prime members that offers early access to new e-books across many genres, as curated by First Reads editors (one of your many Prime Member benefits). Prime members can choose to download one free e-book every month from a rotating list—though some months that number is bumped up to two—and non-members get them for a discounted price. These e-books can be read on any compatible Kindle device or via the free Kindle app. Amazon Kindle (16 GB) Display size: 6⁠″ glare-free, Resolution: 300 ppi, Storage: 16 GB, Battery life: Up to 6 weeks. $109.99 at Amazon Shop Now Shop Now $109.99 at Amazon How to get your free Amazon Kindle e-books in FebruaryGo to the First Reads landing page to see the full list of e-books available this month. Once you find a book that seems interesting, click the "Shop Now" button from the First Reads landing page. Make sure you’re not being redirected to the Kindle or Amazon mobile application, because you won't see the free book option there; instead, use your internet browser on your phone or computer. Make sure you’re not clicking the ”Pre-order for...” button, as that will direct you to pay; instead, click the “Read for Free” or the "Buy Now with 1-Click" button under the "First Reads" banner on the book's Amazon page (don't worry, you won't be charged). This will send the e-book directly to the Kindle linked to your Amazon account. You can see what it should look like from the screenshot below. Credit: Daniel Oropeza You’ll know you did it right when you see a “Thanks, [your name]!” order summary indicating the e-book is being auto-delivered to the Kindle Cloud Reader. Free Amazon Kindle e-books available in February 2025This month, you can choose one from eight new Kindle e-books plus a free short story, The Fall Risk. Amazon notes the genre for each of the books above the title, offering a quick way to narrow down your options. (If you hover over the "See Editor Notes" under the "Shop Now" button, you'll be able to read a short description from the First Reads editor who picked the book.) Here are your options for February 2025. You can choose one of these e-books, plus the short story The Fall Risk: Romance Short Story by Abby Jimenez. The Fall Risk: A Short Story $1.99 at Amazon Get Deal Get Deal $1.99 at Amazon Police Procedural by Andrew Mayne. Mr. Whisper: A Thriller (The Specialists Book 1) $5.99 at Amazon Get Deal Get Deal $5.99 at Amazon Women's Fiction by Julie Hatcher. Not Quite by the Book: A Novel $4.99 at Amazon Get Deal Get Deal $4.99 at Amazon Psychological Thriller by A.M. Strong and Sonya Sargent. Gravewater Lake: A Thriller $4.99 at Amazon Get Deal Get Deal $4.99 at Amazon A Coming of Age by Amy Lea. Something Like Fate: A Novel $4.99 at Amazon Get Deal Get Deal $4.99 at Amazon Action by Audrey J. Cole. Missing in Flight $4.99 at Amazon Get Deal Get Deal $4.99 at Amazon Romance by Ali Rosen. Unlikely Story $4.99 at Amazon Get Deal Get Deal $4.99 at Amazon Gothic by Sarah Beth Durst. The Warbler: A Novel $4.99 at Amazon Get Deal Get Deal $4.99 at Amazon Suspense by Madeleine Henry. Name Not Taken: A Novel $5.99 at Amazon Get Deal Get Deal $5.99 at Amazon SEE 6 MORE View the full article

LinkedIn video viewership is up 36% YoY. The platform adds new tools and free training courses to boost video creation. The post LinkedIn Video Views Up 36%, New Tools & Courses Available appeared first on Search Engine Journal. View the full article

Robinhood said on Tuesday it is rolling back the event contracts that would let users bet on the result of the Super Bowl clash this weekend, after the online brokerage received a request from the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission. The halt comes just a day after the launch of the product. Robinhood said it was “disappointed by the outcome.” “We are heeding their directive to cease offering these contracts despite the fact that the CFTC has not deemed Kalshi’s football championship contracts illegal,” said Lucas Moskowitz, Robinhood’s general counsel. Representatives for Kalshi and the CFTC did not immediately respond to Reuters’ requests for comment. The products would have allowed the company to tap into the betting mania around one of the most iconic sporting events in the country, as Robinhood looks to expand into segments that are gaining traction with retail investors. The company had rolled out the contracts to 1% of its customers. Those who already placed the trades will get the option to close their positions or take them to resolution, Robinhood said. Event derivatives trading involves buying and selling contracts that let traders speculate on the outcomes of specific events, including elections, economic data releases and policy decisions. “Prediction markets and event contracts can be subject to complex regulatory landscapes,” said Michael Ashley Schulman, partner and chief investment officer at Running Point Capital Advisors. “The CFTC may be concerned that this could be perceived as an active retail betting platform disguised under an investment umbrella, especially since sporting events are much more frequent than presidential elections.” These products have enjoyed a warm reception, despite being relatively new and widely seen as high-risk, especially after a U.S. court struck down the CFTC’s efforts to block KalshiEX’s election betting contracts. Robinhood’s derivatives arm is planning to launch a “more comprehensive” event contracts platform later this year. —Niket Nishant and Manya Saini, Reuters View the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. From viral hacks to your grandmother, someone or something has, at some point, told you to clean with baking soda and vinegar. Even I have told you to clean with baking soda and vinegar. Yesterday, sadly, I learned that this approach isn't all it's cracked up to be. Let's discuss. Why you shouldn't mix baking soda and vinegar to cleanThe good news is that this mixture isn't toxic or dangerous in any way. You're not poisoning yourself over time if you mix vinegar and baking soda to get a bubbly paste to scrub onto your walls, countertops, or tile. The bad news is that it just doesn't do much. See, yesterday, I wrote about the best methods for cleaning water stains off white walls. As I expected, I got better results when I cleaned the water stain with a mixture of lemon juice, baking soda, and vinegar than I did when I just went at it with soap and water. The famous combo won again—or so I thought. The reason it was so much more effective, though, is because the true cleaning power was likely coming from the lemon juice at best and the sheer wetness of the solution at worst, not the baking soda and vinegar. In fact, these two products cancel each other out, according to some pro cleaning websites I read and Reddit threads I browsed. Baking soda is a base, vinegar is an acid, and when bases and acids get together, they neutralize each other. The results are water, carbon dioxide (which escapes in the form of fizz), and a salt called sodium acetate. The vinegar and baking soda are reacting with each other, not with your dirty surface, which is why this combination is usually no better a cleaner than water. You're really just wetting and (hopefully) scrubbing, not cleaning. If that's all you want to do, fine. If you want to actually clean, you'll need soap or something else to make a difference. What to use instead of vinegar and baking sodaFirst of all, don't overlook the power of bubbles. The classic trick of pouring baking soda down the drain and following it up with vinegar produces a lot of them, for instance, and while that doesn't really do much to battle actual clogs deep in the pipes, it can bubble out some dirt closer to the surface, at least. Second of all, vinegar and baking soda do each have a purpose in your cleaning arsenal. Think of this like an amicable divorce: They work better separately, but they're both still great on their own. Vinegar's gentle acidity can sometimes loosen grime from surfaces when you aren't ready to reach for the big guns like, say, a hydrochloric acid-based toilet bowl cleaner. Baking soda makes a great scrub because of its rough, gritty texture, and is also a solid odor eliminator, which is why you probably have an open box in the back of your fridge already. If you're looking to replace what you thought were the cleaning effects of baking soda and vinegar mixtures, just opt for regular cleaner. I've had great results with the double-concentrated formulas of Fabuloso and Pine Sol and they're not very expensive. If you liked the feeling of scrubbing those abrasive, gritty bubbles into surfaces, consider plain soap and water on a sponge or, if the material can handle it, steel wool. View the full article

Smartsheet is a powerhouse for project management, reporting, and more, but few organizations depend on it entirely for all their workflows. That means you’ll need to work across tools at least a little bit for every project. Unless you’re willing to copy and paste data across them, you’ll need some way to integrate Smartsheet with these other tools. Here’s how that works. What are Smartsheet integrations? A Smartsheet integration transfers data between your sheets and other tools. These integrations range in capability from automatically creating new work items in other tools when you create Smartsheet rows to dynamically updating fields in those rows whenever changes are made in those other tools. That means you can work from Smartsheet with all the data your business processes need without checking in other tools or waiting on someone to send an update your way. Why integrate Smartsheet with other tools? There are three reasons why all teams can benefit from integrating Smartsheet with the rest of their tools: It saves you time. It saves you money. It unlocks new opportunities for collaboration between teams. The right integration completely eliminates the need to check back and forth between tools to ensure you have the most up-to-date information. That role, often falling to project managers and team leads, is time-consuming, sometimes taking more time than other mission-critical tasks. Integrations can also save you money on licenses (or seats) for your tools. For example, instead of having licenses for both Smartsheet and Asana for an entire team, with some of them only checking in on Asana once in while, you could have everyone only in Smartsheet and use an integration to get them the Asana data they need. What are your options for integrating Smartsheet? At their core, integrations push data between Smartsheet and other tools. The way they do that, however, varies on the type of integration you use. Built-in integrations You can integrate Smartsheet with over 100 tools without using any third-party apps. These integrations come in one of two forms: Data Shuttle integrations and Connectors. Data Shuttle integrations automatically create CSV or Excel files for data in other tools and import them into Smartsheet. Connectors sync data in one or both directions for tools like Jira and Salesforce, letting you use the Smartsheet features you’re used to with data from other platforms. Connectors create deeper relationships between tools, while Data Shuttle integrations can handle larger volumes of data with less depth. Automation tools An automation tool, like Zapier or Make.io, uses if-this-then-that logic to push data from Smartsheet to other tools (or vice-versa). They’re usually some of the simplest integrations to set up, though they can’t modify or update data as well as other solutions. For instance, a single Zapier automation might create new rows in Smartsheet to match new work items in another tool or update specific rows, but it won’t do both. That makes these automations well-suited to simple integration needs, but they need to be combined in complex chains 2-way sync tools A 2-way sync tool is an integration that builds a deep, two-way relationship between Smartsheet and other tools, allowing for both the creation of new work items and the updating of most (if not all) fields in one tool as changes happen in another. With these platforms, you can truly work from Smartsheet with data from other tools while trusting that it’s up-to-date. Setting these up is often as simple as with automation tools, but they offer more depth in their integrations, which makes them the best of both worlds for most organizations. Curious to learn more about how 2-way sync tools work? Check out our guides to integrating Smartsheet with other tools using Unito. The 5 best Smartsheet integrations If you aren’t using any integrations, you’ll need to prioritize which ones you deploy first. Project management tools Even though Smartsheet is a powerful project management platform, it might not be used by all teams in your organization. When that’s the case, any projects that involve multiple teams or departments inherently require some integration to happen without intense delays. Better yet, integrating all project management tools your organization relies on with Smartsheet creates a more holistic view of everything going on within it. That means leaders can create initiatives built on better data and project managers don’t have to worry about being blindsided by an important update happening in a different tool. Examples of these tools Jira Asana ClickUp Trello Spreadsheets While Smartsheet strikes a strong middle ground between project management tools and spreadsheets, many of your workflows likely still depend on spreadsheets. Important reports, databases, and even entire projects might be managed in a spreadsheet tool like Google Sheets or Excel. Alternatively, you might use spreadsheets to back up Smartsheet data regularly. Integrating spreadsheets with Smartsheet means your projects, reports, and more can have access to just about any necessary data. That leads to more informed decisions and better strategies. Examples of these tools Google Sheets Excel Software development tools If your organization relies on any sort of software development — whether you’re within the tech sector or not — you’re likely used to not having much visibility on what developers do. Even if you manage software projects, you need to dive into the tools they use to get important updates. With your most important projects, where updates need to be shared with multiple stakeholders across their own tools, this can seriously slow down your work. With an integration, you can get all the updates you need without leaving Smartsheet. Examples of these tools Azure DevOps GitHub GitLab Chat and meeting tools How many of your projects start as conversations in a chat app? Having to hop between a Slack channel and your Smartsheet sheets to get all the details you need to flesh out a project can make just getting started much heavier. Then, as progress is made in that project — and updates are shared in quick chat messages — more and more time needs to be spent keeping it up to date in Smartsheet. With the right integration, those messages can instantly populate your projects so everyone stays in the loop without any extra manual work. Examples of these tools Slack Microsoft Teams CRMs Your CRM (customer relationship management) tool is the beating heart of your customer-facing teams. Salespeople use it to hold the contact information they need to close deals and track the progress of those deals. Marketers use it in their campaigns and rely on its tracking features to judge the effectiveness of their initiatives. Customer success teams often house their entire service workflow within your CRM. Integrating your CRM with Smartsheet can put customer data at your fingertips whenever you need it, as well as make support ticket escalations much smoother. Examples of these tools HubSpot Salesforce Pipedrive Integrate Smartsheet with your tool stack using Unito Unito is a 2-way sync solution for Smartsheet and over 50 integrations that keep all your work items up-to-date no matter where your teams work from. With some of the deepest two-way integrations on the market, you’ll have all the data you need in Smartsheet with regular updates to more fields than any other platform. Curious to see how Unito’s Smartsheet integration works? Here’s a look at Unito’s Smartsheet-Salesforce integration. FAQ: Smartsheet integrations What apps integrate with Smartsheet? Smartsheet offers built-in integrations for over 140 apps, including favorite enterprise tools like: Jira Software Slack Power BI HubSpot Microsoft Excel What can you automate with Smartsheet? Smartsheet’s automations allow users to automate routine tasks throughout their projects. Examples of these automations include: Alerting a specific user when a row meets certain criteria. Moving a row to another sheet. Generating updates from each sheet. Sending messages when certain criteria are met. You can learn more about Smartsheet automations here. Is there a Jira-Smartsheet integration? You have a few options if you need to integrate Smartsheet with Jira: Use Smartsheet’s built-in Jira integration. Use a third-party automation tool like Zapier to automate some actions in Smartsheet. Use a 2-way sync platform like Unito to automatically sync data back and forth between Smartsheet and Jira. Can Smartsheet integrate with Excel? Yes, Smartsheet offers a built-in Excel integration that allows some automation. You can also use an app like Unito to automatically sync data back and forth between Smartsheet and Excel spreadsheets. You can find a guide comparing these two methods here. Does Smartsheet have an API? Yes, Smartsheet offers an API for building your own Smartsheet connectors. You can find all of Smartsheet’s API documentation here. View the full article

Search giant also revved up its spending on data centres as it competes in artificial intelligence raceView the full article

Families of transgender children on Tuesday asked a federal court to block President Donald Trump‘s order to end all federal funding or support for healthcare that aids gender transitions for people younger than 19. In a lawsuit filed against the Trump administration in Maryland federal court, the families, who are represented by Lambda Legal and the American Civil Liberties Union, allege that the order discriminates against transgender people and goes beyond Trump’s authority as president. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. As a result of the order, the lawsuit said, hospitals across the country have already begun canceling appointments for gender transition treatments. The plaintiffs say their appointments were canceled in recent days by Children’s National Hospital in Washington, D.C., NYU Langone in New York, Boston Children’s Hospital and Children’s Hospital of Richmond in Virginia. The hospitals are not defendants in the case. Trump, a Republican, said in the Jan. 28 order that it is “the policy of the United States that it will not fund, sponsor, promote, assist, or support the so-called ‘transition’ of a child from one sex to another, and it will rigorously enforce all laws that prohibit or limit these destructive and life-altering procedures.” Details about how far the order will reach and how it will be enforced were not immediately clear. It directed the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to “take all appropriate actions to end the chemical and surgical mutilation of children.” That could include imposing conditions on healthcare providers receiving any federal funds, which virtually all hospitals do. The lawsuit called the order “part of a broad and sweeping attack President Trump has launched against ‘gender ideology’ and transgender people.” It followed a previous executive order by Trump banning transgender people from the military, and another stating that the government will not recognize gender identity apart from “an individual’s immutable biological classification as either male or female.” The order on the military has already been challenged by transgender rights groups. The other has been challenged in two separate lawsuits by transgender women incarcerated in federal prisons who face transfer to men’s prisons, one of whom has won a temporary restraining order blocking her transfer. Treatments covered by the order include puberty blockers, hormones and surgery provided to patients under 19 for the purpose of gender transition. Such treatments are often known as gender-affirming care. Republicans in more than half of the 50 states have passed laws or policies that ban gender-affirming care for minors, some of which have been blocked or overturned by the courts. A challenge to Tennessee’s ban has been heard by the U.S. Supreme Court, which has yet to issue a ruling that could determine the legality of such bans nationwide. The administration of former President Joe Biden, a Democrat, supported access to puberty blockers and hormones, though not surgery, for transgender minors. It passed a rule banning discrimination against transgender people in healthcare, which was blocked by a judge last year. The American Academy of Pediatrics has said that gender-affirming care is proven to prevent suicide and improve mental health. Health organizations in some other countries have been more guarded, with the European Academy of Paediatrics calling for more research and a government-sponsored review in England concluding that the existing evidence around youth gender care is weak. —Brendan Pierson, Reuters View the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Prior to September 2024, any Apple user interested in active noise-canceling (ANC) AirPods would've had to shell out $250 for the AirPods Pro. With the release of the ANC AirPods 4, the tech is much more affordable—and you can currently grab these $179 earbuds for $148.99. (Apple also has a more budget-friendly version of the AirPods 4 without ANC; that model is currently for $99.99, down from $129. Both of these prices mark record lows, according to price-tracking tools. While the discounts aren't mind-blowing, the fact we're seeing any price reductions on newly released AirPods makes them a good deal, relatively. Wireless Earbuds, Bluetooth Headphones, with Active Noise Cancellation, Adaptive Audio, Transparency Apple AirPods 4 (With ANC) $148.99 at Amazon /images/amazon-prime.svg $179.00 Save $30.01 Get Deal Get Deal $148.99 at Amazon /images/amazon-prime.svg $179.00 Save $30.01 Wireless Earbuds, Bluetooth Headphones, Personalized Spatial Audio, Sweat and Water Resistant, USB-C Apple AirPods 4 (Without ANC) $99.99 at Amazon /images/amazon-prime.svg $129.00 Save $29.01 Get Deal Get Deal $99.99 at Amazon /images/amazon-prime.svg $129.00 Save $29.01 SEE -1 MORE The AirPods 4 have updated USB-C charging. Both models are powered by Apple's H2 chip, so you'll get Personalized Spatial Audio (so you can hear sounds seemingly coming from different directions as you move your head) and the ability to use head gestures to tell Siri "yes" or "no" (this also works for answering or denying calls). If you spring for the ANC AirPods 4, you'll get a charging case with a built-in speaker, which you can use with Find My to locate it if you lose them. You'll also get features like Conversation Awareness, which lowers your music volume when your AirPods detect that you're having a conversation; Transparency Mode, which lets you better hear your surroundings while your earbuds are in; and Adaptive Audio (combines ANC and Transparency mode to adjust ANC levels based on the noise around you). Keep in mind that since these are open style earbuds, lacking a silicone tip to better block out noise, the ANC will not be as good as what you can get from AirPods Pro. Both versions are rated IP54 for dust and water resistance, offer up to five hours of listening per charge (30 hours with the charging case), and can handle automatic switching with your other Apple devices. You can read more about the non-ANC AirPods on PCMag's "excellent" review, and more about the ANC AirPods on PCMag's "outstanding" review. View the full article

The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) has filed an amicus brief urging the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit to reject the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA), arguing that its reporting requirements impose unconstitutional burdens on small businesses. The brief was filed in Community Associations Institute, et al. v. U.S. Department of Treasury, a case that challenges the CTA’s beneficial ownership reporting mandates. NFIB’s brief questions whether Congress has the authority to impose the CTA’s reporting requirements under the Commerce Clause, arguing that the law regulates neither activity nor economic conduct. “The Corporate Transparency Act does not regulate activity, let alone economic activity, while also imposing burdensome reporting requirements on small businesses and raising numerous privacy concerns,” said Beth Milito, Vice President and Executive Director of NFIB’s Small Business Legal Center. “NFIB will continue to advocate for the small business community by contesting this harmful law.” Legal Arguments Against the CTA NFIB’s brief presents three core arguments: The CTA does not regulate activity, making it incompatible with Congress’s Commerce Clause authority. To satisfy the substantial effects test, Congress must be regulating economic activity, defined as the introduction, production, or exchange of goods or services. Because the CTA regulates noneconomic activity, it does not meet the Commerce Clause’s legal standard. In addition to this case, NFIB’s own lawsuit challenging the CTA remains active. Meanwhile, NFIB is advocating for legislative relief through the Repealing Big Brother Overreach Act, a bill that would repeal the CTA and eliminate its beneficial ownership reporting requirements for small businesses. The case remains pending before the Fourth Circuit as NFIB continues its efforts to challenge federal mandates that it views as overreach. Image: Canva This article, "Small Businesses Challenge Corporate Transparency Act in Federal Court" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) has filed an amicus brief urging the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit to reject the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA), arguing that its reporting requirements impose unconstitutional burdens on small businesses. The brief was filed in Community Associations Institute, et al. v. U.S. Department of Treasury, a case that challenges the CTA’s beneficial ownership reporting mandates. NFIB’s brief questions whether Congress has the authority to impose the CTA’s reporting requirements under the Commerce Clause, arguing that the law regulates neither activity nor economic conduct. “The Corporate Transparency Act does not regulate activity, let alone economic activity, while also imposing burdensome reporting requirements on small businesses and raising numerous privacy concerns,” said Beth Milito, Vice President and Executive Director of NFIB’s Small Business Legal Center. “NFIB will continue to advocate for the small business community by contesting this harmful law.” Legal Arguments Against the CTA NFIB’s brief presents three core arguments: The CTA does not regulate activity, making it incompatible with Congress’s Commerce Clause authority. To satisfy the substantial effects test, Congress must be regulating economic activity, defined as the introduction, production, or exchange of goods or services. Because the CTA regulates noneconomic activity, it does not meet the Commerce Clause’s legal standard. In addition to this case, NFIB’s own lawsuit challenging the CTA remains active. Meanwhile, NFIB is advocating for legislative relief through the Repealing Big Brother Overreach Act, a bill that would repeal the CTA and eliminate its beneficial ownership reporting requirements for small businesses. The case remains pending before the Fourth Circuit as NFIB continues its efforts to challenge federal mandates that it views as overreach. Image: Canva This article, "Small Businesses Challenge Corporate Transparency Act in Federal Court" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Heads up: TikTok is technically still banned. While President Trump has promised to hold off on enforcing the TikTok ban until April, it’s still not being distributed on either Apple or Google’s app stores, and in the long term, Bytedance is still expected to sell the app to an owner in the United States. In the past, Meta, Microsoft, and other big tech companies have been floated as potential new owners, but now, Trump is suggesting a surprise candidate: the United States government. In an executive order signed Monday night, the President directed the government to put forth a plan for a "sovereign wealth fund,” which would allow the government to directly invest into private companies and use the returns how it sees fit. The Treasury and Commerce Departments have 90 days to submit a plan, with Trump saying “We’re going to create a lot of wealth for the fund.” Said wealth could then be used to fund infrastructure such as highways or airports, but in a more unexpected direction, Trump also suggested the government could use the fund to buy TikTok. “We’re going to do something, perhaps with TikTok, and perhaps not. If we make the right deal, we’ll do it.” Specifically, Trump suggested the government could acquire a 50% stake in the company, which while not technically hitting the magic 51% number needed for total control, would be enough to grant it veto power. As has been the case with Trump’s executive orders so far, details will probably still need to be worked out. Such a purchase would drastically change the nature of TikTok, running the risk of effectively making it state media, although it would technically meet the terms of the ban, which states Bytedance cannot hold more than a 20% stake in the company and can’t be involved in its operation. Additionally, the U.S. can own a private corporation, as is the case with Amtrak, but a state-sponsored, user-driven social media site would be uncharted territory. Following a mass exodus from X following Elon Musk’s acquisition of the site, there would be nothing stopping users disgruntled with a U.S.-owned TikTok from fleeing to alternatives. The biggest thorn in the side of a potential government-backed TikTok purchase might be the timing of the buyout itself, as the ban is set to come back into effect again prior to the fund’s establishment. However, the law does give Trump the authority to further extend the timeline for Bytedance to sell if he feels significant progress is being made towards a deal. As for the sovereign wealth fund itself, while it’s a first for the federal government, it’s not a new idea. States such as Texas as well as countries including Singapore, Australia, and the United Arab Emirates all currently run their own sovereign wealth funds, with all sovereign wealth funds across the globe totalling to about $8 trillion. View the full article

A medical advocacy group on Tuesday sued the main U.S. health agencies over the sudden removal of websites containing public health information in response to an executive order by President Donald Trump targeting what his administration deemed to be “gender ideology extremism.” Doctors for America said in the lawsuit filed in Washington, D.C. federal court, that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has removed “numerous” longstanding websites since the order. Those include a page on behavioral health risks among youth, which the lawsuit says is important for understanding health challenges faced by young people, including bullying and vaping; pages with data on the prevalence of HIV and associated risky behaviors; and a page on getting tested for HIV, which the lawsuit called “an important communication tool for physicians.” The liberal-leaning group also said in its lawsuit that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has removed pages recommending the inclusion of more women and underrepresented groups in clinical trials. “The removal of this information deprives researchers of access to information that is necessary for treating patients, for developing clinical studies that produce results that accurately reflect the effects treatments will have in clinical practice, and for developing practices and policies that protect the health of vulnerable populations and the country as a whole,” the lawsuit said. Trump, a Republican, signed an executive order on his first day back in office that the United States will recognize two sexes, male and female. On Jan. 29, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management issued a memorandum instructing agencies to take down any public-facing materials that promote what they deem to be “gender ideology.” Tuesday’s lawsuit names the CDC, FDA, and their parent agency the Department of Health and Human Services as defendants. It asks the court to rule that OPM’s memorandum exceeded the agency’s authority and to order the websites to be put back online. HHS and the CDC declined to comment. The FDA and OPM did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Doctors for America was founded in 2008 by Vivek Murthy, who served as U.S. Surgeon General under Democratic Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden; Mandy Cohen, who served as CDC director under Biden; and Alice Chen, now a professor at the University of California, Los Angeles’ medical school. —Brendan Pierson, Reuters View the full article

Windows 11's minimum system requirements have been controversial from the day Microsoft unveiled the new version of its desktop operating system. The controversy boils down to one single line item: TPM 2.0 support. TPM stands for Trusted Platform Module, which is a chip that protects against malware and ransomware attacks. If your PC doesn't have TPM version 2.0, then you can't officially upgrade to Windows 11, unless you used a bypass that Microsoft had published. It appears that Microsoft doesn't want you to use the bypass any longer. Neowin spotted an update to a Microsoft support page with wording about the bypass removed. You can even check the page on The Wayback Machine to see what it looked like until a few days ago. The previous version mentioned that you could add a new registry key called AllowUpgradesWithUnsupportedTPMOrCPU to bypass the TPM check and install Windows 11 on 'unsupported' PCs. In the updated version of the support article, that section is no longer there. This means that Microsoft no longer recommends any official method to install Windows 11 on 'unsupported' PCs. This move comes ahead of a planned end of updates for Windows 10 on October 14, 2025, after which you'll have to pay annually to receive security updates. That could be an expensive proposition for each successive year that you choose to remain on Windows 10. Several methods to bypass the Windows 11 TPM check still exist, but it remains to be seen if they'll continue to work in the future. Microsoft has advised against upgrading 'unsupported' PCs, going so far as to say that doing so will void your warranty and that your PC may no longer be entitled to receive updates. But if you're like my editor and can't yet upgrade, at least you can make your Windows 10 PC look and feel like Windows 11. View the full article

There are many different types of construction. Most think of dwellings, but when driving past road crews tearing up the streets, that’s also an example of a construction project. In fact, there are many different types of construction projects. Let’s review different types of construction, defining and illustrating them so they are clear and understandable. We’ll also look at international building codes and how construction project management software helps deliver all types of construction more efficiently. 1. Residential Construction Likely the most familiar type of construction is residential. It refers to the process of building, renovating or remodeling homes and other living spaces. Residential construction involves the creation of structures intended for individuals or families to live in. This type of construction can range from small single-family homes to large multi-unit buildings, from new builds to extensive renovations or additions with varying complexities based on design, location and building materials. Here are some examples. Single-family homes Custom home construction Apartment complexes Townhouses Regardless of whether a general contractor builds residential or any other types of construction that we’ll list below, they’ll work more effectively with construction project management software. ProjectManager is award-winning project and portfolio management software with multiple construction planning and scheduling tools. Construction managers can use robust Gantt charts to schedule tasks and resources, linking all four types of task dependencies to avoid delays or cost overruns and keep their profit margin. They can also filter for the critical path and set a baseline to track progress in real time. Meanwhile, subcontractors and site crews can execute tasks with task lists with unlimited file storage, comments, tags, priority and more. There are also kanban boards to visualize workflow and calendars to provide a monthly overview to keep stakeholders updated on progress. Get started with ProjectManager today for free. /wp-content/uploads/2024/04/critical-path-light-mode-gantt-construction-CTA.pngProjectManager has powerful Gantt charts to schedule and track construction projects. Learn more 2. Commercial Construction Another one of the types of construction is commercial, which refers to the building, renovation or expansion of structures intended for business purposes rather than residential living. These projects are typically larger in scale and can include a variety of buildings and facilities that serve the needs of businesses, organizations and the general public. These construction projects often involve complex design and considerations, adherence to safety and zoning regulations and using specialized materials and construction planning techniques. These buildings are typically intended to generate revenue or provide services to the public. They include the following. Office buildings Shopping malls Hotels 3. Industrial Construction Another one of the types of construction is industrial, which is the building, renovation or expansion of facilities used for industrial purposes, such as manufacturing, processing, storage or the production of goods. These projects are typically large-scale and require specialized designs, materials and construction techniques to accommodate the specific needs of the industries, such as factories, power plants or chemical processing plants. Industrial construction projects are often highly specialized and must comply with stringent safety, environmental and operations standards. These facilities typically require robust infrastructure to support heavy machinery, storage systems and production processes. Examples include the following. Factories Power plants Oil refineries 4. Infrastructure Construction Types of construction can also include infrastructure construction. It involves the building, engineering, upgrading and maintenance of essential systems and facilities that support the functioning of a society and economy. These projects typically focus on large-scale public works and utilities, aimed at providing transportation, water, energy and communication services to communities. Infrastructure construction is critical for the development and functioning of cities, regions and nations. Government agencies often fund these construction projects. They are essential for ensuring the proper functioning of cities, industries and transportation networks. These projects require long-term planning, substantial investment and adherence to safety, environmental and regulatory standards. Different types of construction can include the following. Highways Railways Airport construction 5. Civil Engineering Projects Civil engineering projects are types of construction that involve the design, construction and maintenance of infrastructure systems that are essential for society’s functioning. These projects are typically large in scale and focus on public works, including transportation, water management, energy and other critical facilities. Civil engineering projects aim to improve and maintain the built environment, ensuring safety, efficiency and sustainability. These construction projects require advanced knowledge of construction techniques, material science, environmental considerations and regulatory compliance. They play a key role in improving quality of life, boosting economic activity and ensuring the safety and sustainability of urban and rural environments. These projects tend to be one of the following. Bridge construction Tunnel excavation Dam building 6. Mixed-Use Development Types of construction like this refer to real-estate development that combines multiple types of users or functions within a single site plan or area. The goal is to create a more integrated, sustainable and vibrant environment by bringing together different spaces that support one another. The benefits of mixed-use development include reducing traffic congestion, improving the efficiency of infrastructure, fostering community interaction and promoting sustainable land use. These uses typically include the following. Residential and retail complexes Live-work spaces Urban redevelopment projects /wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Construction-Estimate-Template-Excel-image.png Get your free Construction Estimate Template Use this free Construction Estimate Template for Excel to manage your projects better. Download Excel File 7. Institutional Construction Construction projects that build or renovate structures designed for public, educational, healthcare, government or similar uses are called institutional construction. These projects typically involve the construction of facilities that serve the community or specific organizations rather than private or commercial interests. These types of construction project often require careful planning to meet specific regulatory, accessibility and safety standards, and they may be funded by government or nonprofit organizations. These buildings typically have large groups of people and are designed with long-term use, functionality and public safety in mind. These are some examples. Schools, universities and educational facilities Hospitals and healthcare facilities Government buildings 8. Modular Construction When referring to these types of construction, one is talking about a method of building where a structure is created off-site in separate, prefabricated sections or modules that are then transported to the construction site and assembled. Each module is built to the same standards as traditional construction, but the modular method allows for faster assembly because much of the work is done in a controlled environment. Besides prefabrication, other key features of modular construction include efficiency, flexibility, quality control and sustainability. Examples of this construction project include the following. Portable classrooms Modular healthcare clinics Prefabricated office spaces 9. Prefabricated Construction Modular construction is a type of prefabricated construction, which is a broader term that refers to any building or construction components manufactured off-site in a controlled factory environment before being transported to the construction site for assembly. These components can include walls, floors, roofs and other structural elements. The key idea is that parts of the building are pre-made, which can speed up the on-site construction process and facilitate construction quality control. Types of construction that are prefabricated include panelized construction, precast concrete and volumetric construction. These are typical examples of this type of construction project. Prefab homes Prefabricated warehouses Prefabricated bridge components 10. Land Reclamation Construction These types of construction refer to creating new land by altering bodies of water or by improving existing land areas unsuitable for development. This is typically done to expand usable land for urban development, infrastructure projects, agriculture or other human activities. The goal of land reclamation is to make previously unusable or underutilized land viable for construction and other purposes. Overall, these construction projects are a significant engineering and construction challenge that often requires careful planning, environmental management and long-term sustainability considerations. They include the following. Coastal landfills for urban development Artificial islands (e.g., Palm Jumeirah in Dubai) Wetland restoration projects /wp-content/uploads/2025/01/2025-construction-ebook-banner-ad.jpg Building Construction Types According to the International Building Code The International Building Code (IBC) classifies buildings into five primary construction types based on the materials used in the structure and their fire-resistance ratings. These classifications help determine the safety standards for the design and construction of buildings, including fire protection, structural integrity and building durability. Below are short definitions of each. Type I: Fire Resistive Construction The key characteristic of Type I construction is that it provides the highest level of fire resistance, with walls, floors and structural elements designed to withstand fire for a significant period (usually two to four hours, depending on the specific element). These buildings are made of non-combustible materials like concrete, steel or masonry. This is used for high-rise buildings, hospitals and large commercial or institutional structures. Type II: Non-Combustible Construction These buildings have fire-resistant features, but they don’t offer the same level of protection as Type I buildings. Fire-resistant ratings are typically between one and two hours. These construction products include steel or concrete for structural elements, but the fireproofing is less stringent than Type I. This code is used for mid-rise commercial buildings and warehouses. Type III: Ordinary Construction These buildings are less fire resistant than Type I and II buildings but still provide some protection due to the masonry on non-combustible exterior walls. Interior elements may be made of wood or other combustible materials. It’s commonly seen in older buildings, low-to-mid-rise commercial structures and apartment buildings. Type IV: Heavy Timber Construction The heavy timber construction can improve fire resistance due to the charring effect of large wooden beams, which creates a protective layer that resists further combustion. These construction projects are made with large, heavy wood beams, columns and floors, with limited use of steel and masonry. They’re used in buildings where aesthetics or design flexibility with exposed wood are important, such as barns, warehouses and certain commercial or industrial buildings. Type V: Wood-Framed Construction Type V buildings are made entirely of combustible materials, such as wood or other lightweight materials. This is the most common construction type for residential buildings. Because it’s made from wood, these types of construction have the least fire resistance compared to the other types. Fire ratings for structural elements are typically limited to one hour or less. ProjectManager Helps Manage All Types of Construction Projects There are a lot of types of construction, but regardless of the construction project, it is best served with project management software. Of course, not all construction project management software is the same. ProjectManager is award-winning project and portfolio management software that’s preferred by construction firms both large and small. Our multiple project views help plan and execute work, both in the office and on the job site. But that’s only the beginning of the advantages using our software provides to construction professionals. Robust Resource Management and Cost Tracking Features When scheduling tasks on Gantt charts, general managers can also schedule resources, both human and nonhuman, including their costs. This helps estimate the cost of the project to protect your profit margin and deliver more accurate estimates when bidding. Once the job has been awarded, construction managers can set the availability of their team, including PTO, vacation and global holidays, as well as skill sets. This makes it easier to assign tasks. There’s also a color-coded workload chart to get an overview of resource allocation and balance the workload to keep teams working at capacity without risking burnout. A team page gives a daily and weekly view of the team’s activities, which can be filtered to show priority, progress and more. Secure timesheets streamline payroll and provide a window into labor costs to help keep to the budget. /wp-content/uploads/2024/05/timesheet-lightmode-good-version-lots-of-tasks.png Real-time Online Project Dashboards and Reports Once the construction project is executed, monitoring progress and performance is crucial to delivering on time and within budget. After setting the baseline on the Gantt chart, our software automatically collects live data and displays it on easy-to-read graphs and charts for a high-level overview. Managers can quickly discern cost, time, workload and more. For more detail, toggle to the customizable reports, such as status, portfolio, timesheet, variance, workload and more. All reports can be filtered to get into the weeds or provide a more general summary to share with stakeholders and keep them informed. /wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Dashboard-light-mode.jpg Related Construction Project Management Content Construction project management is a big field. We’ve hardly scratched the surface in this article. For those who want to read more about Gantt charts, construction contracts, download free templates and more, click on any of the recently published blogs below. Why Use a Gantt Chart in Construction Project Management Types of Construction Contracts: Pros, Cons & Best Practices 32 Construction Documents (Templates Included) Construction Phases: Documentation, Templates & Steps Best Construction Scheduling Software ProjectManager is online project and portfolio management software that connects teams whether they’re in the office, on the job site or anywhere else. They can share files, comment at the task level and stay updated with email and in-app notifications. Get started with ProjectManager today for free. The post 10 Types of Construction Projects with Examples appeared first on ProjectManager. View the full article

In the run-up to this weekend’s Super Bowl in New Orleans, fans couldn’t be more excited to see the Philadelphia Eagles face off against the Kansas City Chiefs, as the latter attempts to make Super Bowl history as the first team to win the championship three times in a row. With advertising prices hitting all-time highs, and an exciting halftime show featuring recent Grammy winner Kendrick Lamar scheduled, why are ticket sales plummeting? That’s right: Ticket prices for Super Bowl LIX are down 30% over this past week, or around 50% cheaper than last year. Currently, the cheapest seats are selling for somewhere between $3,057 to $4,300 before taxes on the secondary market, compared to a year ago, when they were selling for $9,365 on the secondary market. Here are the current ticket prices as of Monday night, according to USA Today: StubHub: $3,057 ($4,130 with fees) TickPick: $4,300 all-in SeatGeek: $3,414 ($4,620 with fees) Gametime: $3,374 ($4,527 with fees) Ticketmaster: $3,330 ($4,001 with fees) TicketSmarter: $3,613 ($4,697 with fees) Vivid Seats: $3,228 ($4,454 with fees) There are a few possible reasons for the low ticket sales. For one, New Orleans may not have the same pull for fans who wanted to party in Las Vegas last year when the Chiefs faced the San Francisco 49ers. Another reason is that New Orleans’ Caesars Superdome stadium has a lot more seats (74,000) than Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium (65,000), making last year’s seats harder to come by, and a result, more pricey (call it simple supply and demand). Finally, New Orleans is still reeling from last month’s terrorist attack that killed 14 people and injured at least 35, when a man plowed his pickup truck into a crowd and opened fire. In response, local officials have created “an enhanced security zone” along Bourbon Street, and are shutting down and limiting traffic on roads near the stadium and cordoning off the area surrounding the Superdome. And according to NFL chief security officer Cathy Lanier, thousands of state, federal, and local law enforcement officers will be on the ground during the Super Bowl, the Associated Press reported. View the full article

Spring cleaning time is around the corner and while you’re prepping your regular to-do list, there are a few things you might be overlooking—we all have blind spots, after all. Let’s go over a few of the places you are likely to forget about so you can add them into your routine. Once you familiarize yourself with these suggestions and tips, you can use this checklist I created in Google Sheets to help remind you about what you might have missed. You can make your own copy out of this doc and open it up every couple of months to check off each of the tasks as you work through them. Most overlooked spots in your bathroomYou already know to clean your toilet (and how not to do it) and your tub. You have no water stains and your tile is pristine. Forgetting anything? It might be these: Clean and unclog the overflow holes in your sink, if you have them. Clean and disinfect high-touch but rarely-noticed surfaces like your shower head handle, toilet flusher, and drawer pulls. (Familiarize yourself with the difference between disinfecting, sanitizing, and cleaning while you're at it.) Dust and wipe down any vents. Wash your shower curtain. Clean your shower head thoroughly, as well as the sink faucet's aerator, which can get gunky over time. Wipe down the inside your medicine cabinet (and maybe take some time to declutter it). Wipe down the outside of your toilet, including the sides. Do the same for the exterior of your garbage can. Clean any dusty light fixtures. Finish up with the baseboards, then mop. What you're forgetting to clean in your kitchenThe kitchen experiences a fresh mess every day (multiple times a day, even), so while you're spending all that time wiping down the counters and loading the dishwasher, it's easy to miss the grime that is building up over time in less-noticed spots. Periodically, you should: Clean under and behind your major appliances (which you can actually do without moving them). Dust and wipe down the top of your refrigerator, not just inside and under it. ...but empty out and clean your fridge, including the shelves, too. (When you're putting everything back inside is a great time to reorganize the contents.) When you’re tackling the oven, don’t forget the warming drawer, plus the vent, hood, and knobs. Scrub down your backsplash. Clean out your toaster's crumb tray. Wipe down the outer surface of your garbage can. Clean and disinfect your drawer pulls and the handles on your cabinets, fridge, and microwave. Disinfect the light-switches (and any other switches in the room). Spruce up your light fixtures. Wipe down the tops and undersides of your cabinets, especially the ones up top that have exposed space under the ceiling. Thoroughly dust and clean all the baseboards before you sweep and mop the floor. What to clean in your living roomYou pay attention to cleaning your kitchen and bathroom for sanitary reasons, which makes sense, but the living room? That’s all about aesthetics, baby. You want to impress your guests, after all. Impress them even more by remembering to: Dust your plants (even your fake ones). Dust your candles. Clean and disinfect high-touch items like remotes and coasters (plus those light switches). Dust picture frames and any other knick-knacks. Remove couch and chair cushions and vacuum underneath them for a horrifying surprise. Clean window blinds and curtains. (Blinds are easy: There's a hack.) Dust and wipe down your windowsills, too. Clean the undersides of coffee tables, side tables, and ottomans. Clean your light fixtures. End with the baseboards again before sweeping, vacuuming, and/or mopping. What needs to be cleaned in the bedroomsYour bedroom is the one area that is all about you—so treat yourself to an extra clean one. Try cleaning these for some bonus points: Wipe your curtain rods and windowsills when you toss your curtains in the wash. (If you have blinds, clean those instead.) Clean and disinfect high-touch items like alarm clocks, drawer pulls, door knobs, and light switches. Clean your ceiling fan (but make sure to do that before you vacuum). Dust the top of your headboard. Dust plants, candles, picture frames, and knick-knacks. As usual, finish up with those baseboards before cleaning the floor. View the full article

The Federal Reserve Board lifted two enforcement actions against the megabank dating back to 2011. But the Fed's seven-year-old asset cap remains in effect. View the full article

Google streamlined the process for importing cost data into Analytics, reducing mandatory fields and offering more flexible reporting options. The big picture. Marketers can now import cost data with just three core requirements: source, medium, and date, eliminating previous constraints around campaign names and IDs. Key updates. Including the following fields allows for more detailed reporting. Without them, Google Analytics will report cost data in aggregate when dimensions like campaign name or ID are queried. Simplified required fields. You now only need three fields to import cost data: Source: Where the traffic originated. Medium: The type of traffic (e.g., CPC, organic). Date: The date for data mapping. Optional campaign fields: Campaign name and campaign ID are no longer required but can be included as optional key fields. Why we care. This change simplifies the cost data import process, reducing the barrier for you to track and optimize ad spend within Google Analytics. However, excluding campaign-level details could limit reporting insights. Bottom line. For more accurate and granular cost reporting, import campaign name and campaign ID when possible. But for those just looking to get basic cost tracking set up quickly, the new requirements streamline the process. View the full article