ResidentialBusiness

Chancellor pledges to take ‘fair choices’ to reduce debt, protect NHS and cut cost of living in BudgetView the full article

World’s largest sovereign wealth fund is a top-10 investor at US electric vehicle makerView the full article

Most people still measure performance in hours. They pack their calendars as full as possible, track time down to the minute, and take pride in squeezing more into each day. However, the best performance comes from harnessing rhythm—the alignment of energy, capacity, and focus. It’s what turns effort into flow. In the industrial age, managing time made sense: productivity was tethered to factory shifts and desk schedules. But in today’s BANI—brittle, anxious, nonlinear, incomprehensible—world, hours spent no longer translate neatly into value created. The leaders who thrive now are those who sense and harness the rhythms of their team. Energy rises and falls across the day. Caregiving cycles alter capacity. Strategies unfold in waves of preparation, concentration, and delivery. When these rhythms reinforce one another, performance compounds; when they diverge, even the most talented teams struggle. The challenge is that most of these clashes remain invisible. We think they’re the result of individual personality traits or bad luck. The reality is that they’re systemic patterns that quietly drain performance. Here are the three invisible problems affecting your team, along with strategies for addressing them. 1. Biological misalignment It’s 8:30 a.m. and the leadership team gathers for its weekly meeting. The Early Birds are full of energy and ready to make decisions. The Night Owls are still warming up and contribute less than they could. By midafternoon, the balance shifts, yet decisions have already been made. Every team includes a range of chronotypes. Some people do their clearest thinking before breakfast; others hit their creative peak late in the day. Standard nine-to-five routines privilege one end of that spectrum and leave the rest operating below their best. Chronobiology research highlights the effect. Social jetlag, the mismatch between biological and social clocks, impairs alertness and cognitive function. Teams experience more rework, slower problem-solving, and thinner creativity when the shared schedule maps poorly to people’s natural peaks. AbbVie Norway, part of the global biopharmaceutical company AbbVie, set out to improve low employee satisfaction with work-life balance and strengthen its ability to attract and retain top talent. Leaders restructured work design so employees could align their hours with their natural rhythms, holding meetings only between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. and allowing full flexibility as long as results were delivered. The changes paid off—turnover and sick leave dropped sharply, work-life balance satisfaction rose from 58% to 95%, and AbbVie Norway has been named one of Norway’s Best Workplaces multiple times by Great Place to Work. What to do when biology and schedule pull apart Rotate the clock: alternate early and later starts for recurring meetings. Separate information from decisions: share context asynchronously; save live sessions for debate and commitment. Map energy windows: ask people to mark their sharpest 90–120 minute blocks and protect them. Design quiet blocks: build in predictable meeting-free hours each week. Publish your own rhythm: when leaders model their preferred windows, others feel safe to do the same. The payoff comes in the form of increased participation, high-quality ideas, and better decisions. Teams spend more time progressing the work and less time recovering from poorly timed interactions. 2. Life-stage and relationship cycles It’s Wednesday afternoon, three weeks before the launch. A product lead is caring for an aging parent. A colleague is coparenting a toddler with alternate-week custody. Both are very committed and highly skilled. Both have a capacity that ebbs and flows in cycles that their work plan doesn’t account for. As a result, there’s a buildup of unnecessary stress, and cracks start to appear in their relationship. Capacity rarely follows a flat line. Parenting schedules, eldercare demands, study commitments, personal health, and community roles all create repeating patterns. Teams thrive when these patterns are visible and part of planning. Our own work carries this reality. Camilla alternates between weeks of intense caregiving and weeks with greater availability. David structures his day around defined windows of care for his disabled son. These rhythms shape when deep work and collaboration can happen, and they strengthen performance when leaders plan accordingly. In 2011, the Norwegian Association of Lawyers began a cultural transformation to align work hours with employees’ natural rhythms and personal responsibilities. Led by Secretary General Magne Skram Hegerberg and supported by the Life Navigation framework, the organization symbolically buried its wall-mounted clock-in machine, replacing rigid time-tracking with a focus on outcomes and skills. Employees were encouraged to align their working hours with their chronotypes and caregiving needs, with start times ranging from 6:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Productivity doubled in some areas, and creativity and problem-solving flourished. To make peak energy hours visible, some employees even used a plush toy frog on their desk to signal “do not disturb.” What to do when life rhythms shape capacity Sequence the load: assign heavier tasks to higher-capacity weeks. Create coverage by design: pair people or build small pools for critical responsibilities. Signal the cycle: encourage sharing of simple, recurring capacity patterns. Match work mode to the week: plan collaboration-heavy activities for higher-capacity periods. Build recovery in public: name decompression phases so rest appears as part of the plan. The payoff comes in the form of higher loyalty, sustained delivery, and less firefighting. People stay, grow, and contribute at a high level across various life stages, rather than stepping away. 3. Strategic mistiming It’s Friday morning at the quarter’s end. Finance is closing the books, sales is finishing a sprint, and HR is finalizing reviews. Then the C-Suite leadership unveils a flagship initiative and asks for all hands on deck. The purpose of the initiative is strong, but its launch comes at the lowest energy point of the team’s cycle. Organizational habits often set the drumbeat: quarter-end pushes, annual summits, weekly status rituals. Strategy, meanwhile, moves in waves that benefit from different kinds of energy—exploration and framing, concentrated build, high-tempo collaboration, delivery, and learning. Peak efforts flourish when the strategic wave and human energy crest together. At GuldBoSund, a nursing home and rehabilitation center in Denmark, staff redesigned daily routines around residents’ preferred rhythms rather than a fixed schedule. One resident enjoys coffee and breakfast at 5:30 a.m., while others sleep until 9:30. Staff also adjusted their own shifts to better match their personal energy cycles, coordinating care so that residents’ needs were always met. The outcome: residents experienced higher quality of life, and staff took fewer than two sick days a year on average—including night-shift workers. The example shows that when human rhythms are respected, well-being and performance strengthen each other. What to do when timing blunts strategy Plot an energy calendar: map recurring highs and lows and overlay strategy waves. Concentrate the peaks: design a few shared surges instead of scattering intensity. Stage the build: use short “rhythm sprints” before high-stakes moments, then cooldowns to consolidate learning. Anchor the why for co-location: mark the specific moments when being in-person creates outsized value. Measure cadence as well as milestones: track rhythm health with metrics such as rework, decision latency, and recovery time. The payoff comes in the form of stronger execution at the moments that matter, with a team resilient enough to repeat success across cycles. Make the invisible visible: a mini-playbook Rhythm becomes central to team performance once it becomes visible. Leaders can set the tone with a few simple practices: Rhythm mapping. Run a short survey or whiteboard session that asks three questions: When does focus feel strongest? When does collaboration feel easiest? Where do we lose flow? Turn the answers into a one-page map for the team. Shared cadence charter. Agree the weekly and monthly rhythm: deep-work spans, meeting windows, response expectations, and decision rituals. Keep it light and visible; update as the work evolves. Quarterly rhythm review. Look back on the past cycle: Where did energy surge or dip? What clashed? What flowed? Adjust the next cycle accordingly. Leader rhythm transparency. Publish your own focus windows, collaboration preferences, and recovery practices. Model the behaviour you want the team to adopt. Recovery as a capability. Teach practical reset rituals, such as after-action reviews that end with gratitude, shorter meetings with clear outcomes, brief meeting-free blocks after launches, and flexible Fridays during lower-demand periods. These moves require little budget and deliver immediate benefits: clearer attention, fewer collisions, and more consistent progress. The leadership edge The three invisible problems—biological misalignment, life-stage and relationship cycles, and strategic mistiming—act as a significant drag on the performance of teams. Rhythm-aware leadership treats energy, capacity, and timing as strategic assets. It sets the conditions for wiser decisions, leaps of innovation, and a sustainable pace of working. Organizations that move in rhythm build trust faster, integrate new technology more smoothly, and retain the people they need for the long run. Managing time sharpens efficiency. Leading with rhythm creates a strategic advantage. The best leaders combine both. View the full article

Collapse of automotive parts supplier puts spotlight on arcane practice of working capital finance View the full article

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Should you put fan fiction on your resume? I saw someone online saying that they write fan fiction at Ao3 and so on their resume they put “independent fiction writer” or “independent online publishing project” without explaining what they write or that it’s at Ao3. They say that if you’re asked about it in an interview, you can answer with, “I prefer to keep my personal creative work separate from my professional identity, but I’ve used it as a way to improve my writing, editing, and consistency over time.” This seems like a really bad idea to me, but is it? Yes, it’s a bad idea. If you prefer to keep your personal creative work separate from your professional identity, then you shouldn’t put it on your resume! Anything on your resume is assumed to be fair game for interviewers to ask about, since by definition you’re offering it up as evidence of your qualifications — so if you then refuse to discuss it, it’s going to come across really badly. Moreover, the fact that you’ve written things isn’t in itself a qualification; they need to see that it’s good writing, by seeing samples of it or at least by seeing that it was vetted and published by someone qualified to judge it. So at an absolute minimum it won’t help you at all — because for all they know the writing doesn’t really exist, since you’re not willing to talk about it (thereby negating the point of including it in the first place) — but beyond that it likely to actively count against you by making you look shady or just … off. 2. My boss told me what I did was “unacceptable” I work as a middle manager in a large corporation. A few weeks ago, I received a notification that an intern we were expecting wouldn’t be available for a few more weeks. I flagged it for my manager, received his approval, and approved as well. My manager is now on leave until the end of the year, and his manager has been the new go-to. During my weekly update, I included this request/approval, and it was not received well. My grandboss told me it was unacceptable that I had not included details about this intern’s delay sooner. He asked to see the request itself and where my boss had provided approval. I sent those over right away and realized that when I sent the notice to my boss, I had sent the entire request but hadn’t been super clear about how long the delay would be. I said this to my grandboss and apologized. I admit that I shut down after hearing him call my mistake unacceptable. Every explanation I had just seemed like an excuse, so I gave short answers. He insinuated that I had not read the email in full, because how else would I think this wasn’t a huge deal, and commented on how this proves what he’s been saying and that I needed leadership training. (This was news to me.) I have no problem owning a mistake, and I understand that I am ultimately the one at fault. But I am at a loss on how I could have responded in this situation that would allow me to stand up for myself while also accepting the mistake. It seems as though he just wanted me to grovel. My boss had not flagged any performance issues with me, but I’m concerned this indicates that my work is seen as poor. This is not the first time I have worked directly with my grandboss. Before this, I would have said we had a good working relationship. Any tips on how I could have handled this better? Do I approach him again? Do I bring this up when my manager returns? How big a deal is it actually that an intern is starting a few weeks later than planned? Interns aren’t usually crucial to business operations, and a few weeks delay in anyone’s start date isn’t normally a disaster unless they need to immediately take on essential, time-sensitive work (which isn’t typically the case for interns). So first, do you even agree with your grandboss that this is a big deal? Would your boss agree, if she knew about it? Does your boss’s boss have a history of overreacting to things? Or of being super controlling (and so his ire here might be more about not being kept in the loop on something relatively minor, rather than about the delay itself)? Because this sounds fundamentally like a weird reaction. Separate from that, though, I’m not sure exactly what you shutting down and giving short answers looked like, but it’s possible that it came across differently than you’d want — such as uninvested, unconcerned, or even rude. Ideally you’d have said, “I didn’t think pushing out the start date by a few weeks would interfere with any projects, and since I thought Jane was looped in, I didn’t realize it was something I should flag for you earlier. I’ll handle anything like that differently going forward.” You could still say that now, but more important is probably talking with your boss when he returns, explaining what happened, and asking for his help in understanding where his boss was coming from, what that leadership training comment was about, and whether there are issues with how your grandboss sees your work more broadly (because his comments implied that, and that’s something you’ve got to dig into now). 3. My former boss is telling people I was fired for working 2 jobs — I wasn’t I was heavily recruited to join a company earlier this year. Shortly after I started, I knew it was a mistake. My training was passed off to other (overworked) members of my team who had no time, the manager of my team was always unavailable for questions, and the whole environment was toxic and unstable. My one-on-one meetings with my boss were either canceled or only a few minutes long, with a “you’re doing fine!” I poured a ton of time and effort in to get up to speed quickly but, after only a few months, had an abrupt meeting put on my calendar with the manager and HR to let me know I wasn’t a good fit. Although unexpected, I was definitely not heartbroken to leave the chaos behind. My issue is that I have remained friends with several of my colleagues who still work there, and one let me know that today in an all-hands meeting, that manager said I was let go because I was working two jobs at once, which absolutely was not true. That job took up so much time, there was no way I could have juggled two jobs even if I had wanted to. I’m puzzled as to why she would make up this lie, and why she would bring it up now to the entire team after I’ve been gone for six months. It’s really bothering me, but I’m thinking it’s not worth addressing with her. Thoughts? It’s worth addressing; she’s spreading false information about you! It’s possible that it’s intentional, or maybe things are so chaotic there that she’s confusing you with someone else, or maybe she really thought that for some reason — who knows. But it’s reasonable to email her, cc’ing HR, and saying something like, “I’ve been alerted that you’re telling employees that I was fired for working two jobs at once, which is unequivocally not the case. I did my best while I was there and was disappointed when it didn’t work out, and I am requesting confirmation from the company that you are not misrepresenting the circumstances of my departure.” Alternately, skip the manager and just send it straight to HR. You could also have a lawyer handle this for you, pointing out that lying about the facts of your firing is defamation, but I don’t know that it’s worth paying a lawyer to deal with it unless you also plan on using this company as a reference, which I’m guessing you don’t. 4. I don’t know if my office has anywhere private for me to pump I work in a very small department of a large organization, and I’ll be going on maternity leave in January. I know that when I return, legally my job has to provide me with a space to pump that is available when I need it, private/not accessible to the public or coworkers, and not the bathroom. The big issue I’m seeing: there’s really no space that meets those requirements in our small, quirky, historical building. While some people have offices with doors that shut, those coworkers all work busy and unpredictable schedules with lots of virtual meetings, and I don’t think that booting a coworker out of their office would work other than in a pinch very occasionally. Our conference rooms all have glass doors, and we don’t even have a supply closet or break room I could use. I know that there is a chance my plans for pumping/breastfeeding don’t work out, but I am wondering if this is an issue I should raise now, or wait until the beginning of the year (but at least six weeks before my return date) when I have a better idea if this is an accommodation I’ll actually need? I generally like to try and problem solve before bringing something to my boss, but right now my only options are to request that some not insignificant work be done in our building to create a space for me (very unlikely to happen due to budget constraints), request that they provide a room for me elsewhere on campus (okay but not appealing because I’d have to walk 5-10 minutes to another building each time I needed to pump), or request a work-from-home accommodation/hybrid schedule due to pumping (which I’d love and I’ll have childcare so that wouldn’t be a conflict, but I doubt would be granted even though my work could be done remotely and I’d be willing to come in a few hours a day). For what it’s worth, I do think our HR department is very reasonable on most things, but this is not an issue where I can think up a simple solution that will make everyone happy. The simplest solution would be to make one of the conference rooms private by covering the glass in the door. It’s not on you to solve — it’s up to them to figure out how to meet their legal obligations — but it does make sense to ask about it now so they have time to come up with solutions. When you do, you can say, “I’m not sure what’s available as a private space, but one idea I had was to cover the glass on one of the conference rooms for privacy and use that.” (Also, if that is what they settle on, make sure there’s a system for ensuring it remains available to you; a covered glass window won’t matter if the room is in use when you need it.) 5. Can I avoid my boss at the company party? Is it really necessary to spend time with your manager at a company’s casual party? The management has been horrible with me by giving me two people’s worth of work and then deducting my bonus because I couldn’t action it all on time. I only want to say “hi, how are you?” and that’s it. But last year when I did that, he said people noticed and a big drama could be caused. Could there be any problems or HR-related issues for me if I avoid him? I cannot leave the job for at the moment. Normally it would be absolutely fine and unremarkable to just pleasantly greet your manager at a party but not hang out talking to him, unless you’re doing something that makes it very obvious that you’re going out of your way to avoid him like ignoring him in a three-person conversation or otherwise pointedly snubbing him. If nothing like that happened, it’s extremely odd that he even noticed it, let alone that it caused drama! That said, if he complained about it last year, then your life will probably be easier if you spend five minutes talking with him this year before excusing yourself to get a drink and then just happening to find yourself in conversation with people who are not him for the rest of the party. HIs behavior is weird, but there’s no gain in standing on principle if a five-minute conversation will satisfy him. The post should you put fan fiction on your resume, can I avoid my boss at the company party, and more appeared first on Ask a Manager. View the full article

Hundreds of polls will take place one year into Donald The President’s second termView the full article

Popularity of evergreen vehicles with wealthy individuals could ‘fundamentally alter the landscape of private equity’View the full article

Zarah Sultana has told her co-founder Jeremy Corbyn that she will transfer most of the money to the upstart partyView the full article

Some investors grow concerned that region’s markets could be hit by downturn in US tech sectorView the full article

Companies such as Phasecraft and Riverlane will need to be brave to remain independent View the full article

Obstacles in progressing are important both for people and for the economyView the full article

Wife of former UK deputy prime minister plans to launch political party in her home countryView the full article

Will the New York mayoral favourite be a boon to the Democratic Party, or a millstone around its neck?View the full article

Most immersive experiences today may feel stale in retrospect. Brands have invested heavily in creating spaces meant to captivate, yet these experiences all replicate the same visual and audio cues, making it increasingly difficult for brands to differentiate. The underlying issue is a technological design constraint: You can either create something highly personalized or something that scales to hundreds of people simultaneously, but rarely both. A seismic change is afoot that will dwarf the previous chasm, like the shift from black and white film to color cinema. Multimodal AI is poised to eliminate the joint scaling and personalization limitation, enabling truly multidimensional, adaptive experiences where each person experiences something completely unique, all generated in real time. Multimodal AI—machine learning models that can process and integrate information from multiple modalities, like text, images, audio, and video—will fundamentally reshape not just the types of experiences designers create, but how they work. Designers who can orchestrate these AI systems will create the future of multidimensional experiences, realizing true personalization at scale. HOW MULTIMODAL AI WILL REVOLUTIONIZE DESIGN Close your eyes and imagine two people walking through the same physical space—an immersive entertainment activation—and they are each having a unique, hyper-personalized visit across every dimension. Through interfaces like smartphones, wearable devices, and embedded sensors throughout the space, the environment adapts in real time to each individual. That includes the visuals, sounds, narrative, and digital interactions. Multimodal AI can simultaneously “see” your facial expressions, “hear” your voice tone, “read” your text inputs, and “observe” your movement patterns. It weaves all this information together to make intelligent decisions about how to personalize your experience in real time. Las Vegas Sphere demonstrates early-stage capabilities with its 170,000-speaker Holoplot audio system that creates distinct sonic zones with surgical precision. Visitors standing just feet apart can experience completely different sounds, tones, intensities, or narrative perspectives of the same content. Multimodal AI will take this capability a step further by enabling even more distinct, individualized sonic experiences based on person, as opposed to a zone. The level of personalization sophistication will ultimately depend on the available interface capabilities. Achieve basic personalization through smartphone apps and existing displays, much like current museum audio guides that offer different language options. More immersive personalization may require wearable tech like alternative reality glasses or advanced earbuds that can overlay completely different visual and audio experiences for each user. The future promises even more seamless interfaces, with the rumored Jony Ive-Sam Altman device potentially enabling contextually aware, screenless interactions that respond to gesture, voice, and environmental cues with minimal technology barriers. THE RISE OF THE “UBER DESIGNER” Creating these AI-powered ultra-personalized immersive experiences requires designers to fundamentally change how they work. This evolution creates what I call the “uber designer,” creative professionals who direct AI systems across multiple modalities to craft unified, adaptive experiences. The uber designer becomes the conductor enabling experiences that account for every element while AI, alongside specialized design teams, handles the execution of countless personalized versions. This technological shift will represent an elevation into higher-order creative leadership. AI manages routine execution and personalization at scale, while humans focus on strategic vision, storytelling, creative judgment, and orchestrating the overall experience architecture. STAYING AHEAD: A DESIGNER’S SURVIVAL GUIDE This isn’t some distant future. Designers need to adapt now. The designers who position themselves now as AI orchestrators for immersive experiences will define the next generation of physical spaces, from retail environments that adapt to each shopper to museums where exhibits personalize to visitor interests. Some industry leaders have begun integrating AI within elements of their brand concepts. Beauty brands like L’Oreal and Sephora have released versions of an AI assistant allowing customers to “try on” beauty products before they make a final purchase or to analyze their skin. Bloomberg Connects has leveraged AI to enhance museum accessibility for visually impaired visitors within an immersive audio guide accessible through a digital app. “The Sphere Experience” enables guests to converse at length with an AI humanoid robot. Leveraging multimodal AI, designers will be able to expand these experiences even further into multiple dimensions, impacting sound, sight, touch, and smell all at once. So how do you become an uber designer? Designers can strengthen their toolkit in various ways, but here’s my advice: Start integrating AI into workflows now. Begin incorporating AI tools into daily practice. There are various administrative tasks that AI can handle with minimal oversight. Learn how to effectively prompt, direct, and refine AI-generated content. Develop fluency in multiple AI platforms to understand their strengths and limitations. Develop cross-disciplinary thinking. The most valuable designers will orchestrate experiences across every single dimension and not just specialize in one. Move from a “maker” mindset to that of an “experience conductor.” Emphasize the modernization of existing spaces. The biggest opportunities lie in reimagining stagnant industries like retail stores, museums, and entertainment venues, with AI-powered personalization that creates the ultimate multidimensional experiences. Multimodal AI will enable designers to envision even more impactful spaces and experiences that move, inspire, and connect with people. Those who start experimenting now and make an emphasis to revitalize stagnant industries will find themselves at the forefront of a creative renaissance. Humans will be directing machines to create immersive experiences we never thought possible. Andrew Zimmerman is CEO and cofounder of Journey. View the full article

Colm Kelleher says insurers are shopping for ratings as banks did before 2008 financial crisisView the full article

House fires burn hotter and spread faster than ever before, leaving families with as little as two minutes to safely escape their homes. Despite that short window to reach safety, families are startlingly unprepared: Only 26% of American families have developed and practiced a home fire escape plan. The disconnect between the urgency of fire safety and actual household preparation points to a fundamental challenge in home safety education. Traditional approaches (pamphlets, static demonstrations, and classroom presentations) often fail to create the lasting behavioral change needed when seconds matter most. At Kidde, our ultimate goal is to help keep everyone safe at home, so we are exploring forward-looking safety education solutions that can address the lack of behavioral change. Immersive technologies, like augmented reality (AR), are beginning to reshape how we approach home safety education, offering new possibilities for engaging families in ways that build muscle memory and decision-making skills IMMERSIVE LEARNING INCREASES RETENTION Educational research consistently demonstrates that active, experiential learning creates stronger retention and better decision-making under pressure. A recent study found that children using AR interventions had significantly higher post-test scores compared to those using traditional educational materials, indicating greater understanding and retention of critical information. The data on digital engagement is equally compelling: Educators report 78% higher student motivation when AR technology is incorporated into learning, while parents noted 59% increased engagement, according to McGraw Hill research. In the context of home and fire safety, increased motivation and engagement is extremely important. When families practice fire safety in an immersive environment, they go from simply memorizing steps to developing the memory required to react appropriately during high-stress situations. The difference between knowing what to do and being able to do it instinctively can be measured in precious seconds. AR allows families to visualize an emergency This evolution of safety education reflects broader changes in how we process information and learn new skills. Younger generations expect interactive, personalized experiences that adapt to their specific circumstances. Generic safety advice often falls short because every home layout, family composition, and risk profile is different. Consider the complexity of modern fire safety planning. Families must account for multiple escape routes, various family members’ capabilities, pets, mobility challenges, and changing household dynamics. Traditional fire safety education provides general guidance, but families are often left to figure out how these principles apply to their unique situations. AR technology addresses this gap by allowing families to visualize emergencies in their actual living spaces, creating a personalized experience. Instead of imagining how quickly smoke might fill a hallway, they can see a realistic simulation. Rather than abstractly planning escape routes, they can safely practice navigating their specific home layout under simulated emergency conditions. Through AR simulation, families often discover escape route obstacles they hadn’t noticed, identify communication challenges, and realize the importance of having multiple contingency plans. To help guide families through personalized fire safety planning, Kidde developed a free AR fire drill simulator, Prepare. Plan. Practice. The shared responsibility for safety As AR becomes more universal it has the potential to help expand access to high-quality safety education. Previously, comprehensive emergency preparedness training required specialized instructors, dedicated facilities, or expensive equipment. Now, families can access sophisticated safety training using devices they already own, in their own homes, at times that work for their schedules. AR also has the potential to help prepare people for all types of emergencies, not just fires. From earthquake drills to medical emergencies, the same principles of personalized, experiential learning can help families prepare more effectively for various scenarios. Advancing safety education requires collaboration between technology developers, safety professionals, educators, and families themselves. The most effective solutions emerge when technical innovation aligns with human behavior and learning dynamics. For business leaders and innovators, this represents both an opportunity and a responsibility. The tools exist to create more engaging, effective safety education experiences. The question becomes: How do we ensure these innovations reach the families who need them most? The success of any safety innovation ultimately depends on reach, adoption, and consistent use. Technology can provide more engaging and effective educational experiences, but it must be paired with ongoing advocacy for stronger safety standards, broader access to resources, and cultural shifts that prioritize preparedness. As we continue developing these technologies, the goal remains unchanged: ensuring families have the knowledge, skills, and confidence needed to protect themselves when every second counts. The methods may be evolving, but the collective mission of making every home a safer home drives innovation forward. Isis Wu is president of global residential fire & safety at Kidde. View the full article

As a child and adolescent psychiatrist, I’ve seen how America’s education system leaves neurodivergent children behind. Despite growing awareness of ADHD, autism, and learning differences, schools remain stuck in outdated models. Without rethinking how classrooms are structured, we’ll keep failing students whose brains work differently. Last year, I worked with a boy who dreaded school so much he would sometimes vomit on the drive there. His anxiety wasn’t about tests or teachers in the usual sense. It was about the environment itself—the noise, the lights, the pressure to sit still in a classroom not built for how his brain works. His parents tried everything from walking him into school to rearranging schedules but nothing helped. Then he transferred schools. His new teacher took a different approach: connecting with him, adjusting the classroom, and making small changes that reduced the overwhelm. Suddenly, he wanted to ride the bus. He wanted to stay in class. For the first time, school felt like a place he belonged. One in five kids learns differently This child is neurodivergent, part of the one in five U.S. children who learn, process, and engage differently. Instead of helping these students to adapt, schools have tended to push kids like my client into rigid structures or “special” programs. The problem isn’t these kids. It’s that schools were built for neurotypical learners and haven’t kept pace with what we know about development, learning, and mental health. October is ADHD awareness month, one of the many awareness months that highlights how common these challenges are. But unless schools change what happens in classrooms, awareness won’t be enough. ADHD remains one of the most common childhood diagnoses, affecting 11.4% of school-aged children. The CDC now estimates that 1 in 31 children is diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, up from 1 in 44 in 2018. These children are not outliers. They are classmates, friends, and our own children. Yet too many schools are treating neurodivergence as an exception to manage, rather than a reality to design for. Good intentions, bad outcomes Well-intentioned reforms have fallen short. We moved from segregated special education classrooms to mainstreaming, with aides and breakout sessions. But that support often comes at the cost of stigma. Kids are pulled out of class, singled out, or shadowed by aides whose presence, while helpful, also marks them to their schoolmates as “different.” I’ve met children with anxiety and depression who say the worst part of school isn’t the work. Rather it’s being pinpointed as different because of being singled out. Delays in diagnosis make things worse. Families wait months, sometimes years, for neuropsychological testing. In that lost time, kids fall behind academically, their confidence erodes, and their risk of dropping out increases. By the time support is offered, the damage has already been done. Meanwhile, teachers are asked to fill gaps they’re not trained for. General education teachers aren’t taught how to create sensory-friendly classrooms or manage the needs of a child with autism or ADHD. Funding is scarce. Insurance companies deny therapies during school hours, arguing they replace academics. And kids are left in the middle, unsupported. Awareness isn’t the same as change Awareness months and anti-bullying lessons are important, but they are not enough. In Illinois, for example, lawmakers recently passed a bipartisan resolution recommending K–8 education on neurodivergence to reduce bullying and foster acceptance. That’s progress, but it still falls short. Teaching students what autism or ADHD is won’t change outcomes unless schools themselves adapt how they teach and support neurodiverse learners. Real inclusion means more than keeping kids in the same room. It means rethinking how we structure classrooms. For some neurodivergent kids, mainstreaming works with minor adjustments like dimmed lights, quiet corners, and social skills groups. For others, hybrid models that combine online learning, which can reduce sensory overload, with in-person opportunities for social and emotional growth may be better. There is no one-size-fits-all answer, and that’s the point: Neurodiverse kids need individualized environments that optimize learning rather than force conformity. Technology can help, if used thoughtfully. Tools like AI or virtual reality can personalize lessons or support social learning. But technology is not a cure-all. Without trained educators and mental health professionals guiding their use, these tools risk becoming add-ons instead of meaningful supports. The cost of staying the same The risks of doing nothing are clear. Children with gifts to offer will graduate unprepared, their strengths overlooked, and their potential stunted. They’ll leave schools designed to make them “average” instead of environments that help them excel. Here’s what can be done to fix this. Policymakers need to move beyond symbolic resolutions and fund classrooms that can adapt, including early and equitable access to neuropsychological testing. Educators must be trained in neurodiversity and given the tools to create flexible curricula that make space for sensory, emotional, and social development alongside academics. Parents can push schools to fully implement Individualized Education Plans and 504 plans and insist on environments that allow their children not just to get by, but to thrive. Every child deserves a school that feels safe, supportive, and built for how they learn best. And right now, too many schools are missing that mark. We can—and must—build systems where neurodiverse kids aren’t forced to fit in but instead are given the chance to truly shine. Monika Roots, MD, is cofounder, president and chief medical officer of Bend Health. View the full article

As the global climate and environmental crisis accelerates, the urgency for sustainable alternatives to fossil fuel-based products has never been greater. Today, biobased products—derived from renewable agricultural, marine, and forestry materials—are gaining momentum as critical tools in reducing our reliance on non-renewable resources and mitigating environmental harm. From everyday household goods to advanced industrial materials, biobased alternatives are transforming entire industries and creating pathways toward a lower-carbon, more resilient future. Biobased products offer a broad range of applications, including lubricants, detergents, inks, fertilizers, and bioplastics. To qualify as “biobased,” the USDA requires that products must contain a minimum of 25% renewable content unless an established minimum is defined for that category. Consumers are taking notice: A striking 64% now prioritize sustainability in purchasing decisions and are willing to pay an average 12% premium for products with proven eco-benefits. The environmental payoff is significant—biobased products prevent the release of 12.7 million metric tons of CO₂ annually, the equivalent of removing nearly three million cars from the road. HISTORY OF BIO-BASED PRODUCTS The use of biobased materials is far from new. Ancient civilizations utilized wool, plants, and plant oils long before petroleum ever entered the picture. In the early 20th century, many industrial chemicals were still derived from biomass. During the 1930s, automotive pioneer Henry Ford famously experimented with soybean-based plastics for car parts. Wartime resource shortages, particularly during and after World War II, prompted renewed interest in renewable alternatives. The modern era of biobased innovation was catalyzed by policy action. In 1999, President Bill Clinton issued Executive Order 13134, laying the foundation for a national biobased product strategy and encouraging early adoption of renewable technologies. This pivotal moment helped bring the promise of biobased materials into the mainstream. THE PRESENT-DAY BOOM Fast forward to today, and the biobased sector is thriving. The USDA now tracks 139 biobased product categories—up from just five in 2005—excluding food, fuel, and feed. This explosive growth reflects both market demand and technological progress. These products displace approximately 300 million gallons of petroleum annually in the U.S. alone, which equates to removing another 200,000 vehicles from circulation. In total, the industry has contributed over $393 billion in value-added economic output, signaling both its ecological and economic relevance. A significant trend in 2024 has been the surge in biobased alternatives to single-use plastics. From bamboo cutlery and soy-based straws to potato-starch trash bags and palm leaf plates, sustainable materials are now widespread in consumer goods. Biobased products have also expanded into less obvious categories, such as safety equipment, filters, adhesives, clothing, and even perfumes. The built environment offers some of the most compelling examples, with fibers and fabrics emerging as a particularly fast-growing segment—adding 127 newly certified USDA biobased products in the past year alone. Products like Biobased Xorel, a high-performance textile used in commercial interiors. While it’s molecularly identical to a petroleum-based counterpart—both made from polyethylene—the key difference lies in the feedstock: sugarcane. The sugarcane plant yields significantly more per acre and produces 9.5 units of renewable energy for every unit of material, compared to just 1.4 units from corn. Even more impressively, sugarcane does not require genetic modification, and in Brazil—the world’s leading producer—it is cultivated on only about 1% of the country’s arable land, meaning it doesn’t compete with food crops or contribute significantly to deforestation. While many biobased materials are already on the market, a wide array of new solutions are still in the experimental phase, signaling even greater potential on the horizon. Researchers are exploring everything from synthetic spider silk, with its incredible strength and flexibility, to self-healing concrete designed to increase infrastructure lifespan and reduce maintenance emissions. In particular, synthetic spider silk is gaining attention as a potential replacement for environmentally damaging plastic fibers in construction. Yet, amidst the progress, concerns about greenwashing persist. Fortunately, third-party certifications such as the USDA Certified Biobased Product Label help cut through the noise, ensuring material origins are verified and measurable. LOOKING AHEAD: INNOVATION AND OPPORTUNITY As the biobased sector matures, technology is redefining its possibilities. Advanced biorefinery processes and synthetic biology are giving rise to new materials and offering petroleum-free alternatives for commercial interiors. Equally important is the integration of carbon capture and utilization, turning waste emissions into viable material inputs. The path forward also relies on scalable production, improved supply chain resilience, and continued transparency. Emerging technologies—such as genetic editing, bioprinting, and AI-driven process optimization—are laying the groundwork for a dynamic, circular, and responsive system of biobased manufacturing. A CALL TO ACTION Biobased products present a powerful opportunity to rethink the materials we rely on every day, but success depends on more than technological innovation. Governments must continue investing in supportive legislation and incentives. Industries must demand transparency and take full stock of environmental, human health, and social equity impacts. Consumers, empowered with information, must look beyond labels and ask: What’s the true cost? By replacing environmentally damaging materials with renewable, sustainable alternatives and by prioritizing certifications, transparency, and lifecycle impact, we can build a world where sustainability isn’t just a trend—but the default. The future of biobased products is not only promising—it’s essential. Gordon Boggis is CEO of Carnegie. View the full article

There’s been a lot of buzz around llms.txt. But no major AI platform has confirmed that they use it. Not yet, anyway. And there’s no evidence that any major large language model (LLM) actually uses it when crawling. So, why are some SEOs and site owners already adding it to their sites? Because LLM traffic is projected to explode over the next few years. Which means AI models could soon become your biggest traffic source. Remember: robots.txt was once optional, too. Today, it’s essential for managing search crawlers. LLMs.txt could follow a similar path — becoming the standard way to guide AI to your most important content. In this guide, you’ll learn how llms.txt files work, the key pros and cons, and the exact steps to create one for your site. You’ll also see different llms.txt examples from real sites. First up: a quick explainer. What Is LLMs.txt? LLMs.txt is a plain-text file that tells AI models which pages to prioritize when crawling your site. This proposed standard could make your content easier for AI systems to find, process, and cite. Here’s how it works: You create a text file called llms.txt List your most important pages with brief descriptions of what each covers Place it at your site’s root directory In theory, LLM crawlers would then use the file to discover, prioritize, and better understand your key pages For example, here’s what Yoast SEO’s llms.txt file looks like: Does LLMs.txt Replace Robots.txt? Short answer: No. They serve different purposes. Robots.txt tells crawlers what they’re allowed to access on a site. It uses directives like “Allow” and “Disallow” to control crawling behavior. LLMs.txt suggests which pages AI models should prioritize. It doesn’t control access — it just provides a curated list. And makes it easier for crawlers to understand your content. For example, you might use robots.txt to block crawlers from your admin dashboard and checkout pages. Then, use llms.txt to point AI systems toward your help docs, product pages, and pricing guide. Here’s a full breakdown of the differences: LLMs.txt Robots.txt Purpose Provides a curated list of key pages that AI models may use for information and sources Sets rules for search engine crawlers on what to crawl and index Target audience LLMs like ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Perplexity Traditional search engine bots (Googlebot, Bingbot, etc.) Syntax Markdown-based; human-readable Plain text, specific directives Enforcement Proposed standard; adherence is not confirmed by major LLMs Voluntary; considered standard practice and respected by major search engines SEO/AI impact May influence AI-generated summaries, citations, and content creation Directly impacts search engine indexing and organic search rankings Layout and Elements So, what goes inside this file — and how should you structure it? LLMs.txt should be created as a plain-text file and formatted with markdown. Markdown uses simple symbols to structure content. This includes: # for a main heading, ## for section headings, ### for subheads > to call out a short note or tip – or * for bullet lists [text](https://example.com/page) for a labeled link Triple backticks (“`) to fence off code examples when you’re showing snippets in a doc or blog post This makes the file easy for both humans and AI tools to read. You can see the main elements in this llms.txt example: # Title > Description goes here (optional) Additional details go here (optional) ## Section - [Link title](https://link_url): Optional details ## Optional - [Link title](https://link_url) Now that you know how to format the file, let’s break down each part: Title and optional description at the top: Add your site or company name, plus a brief description of what you do to give AI systems context Sections with headers: Organize content by topic, like “Services,” “Case Studies,” or “Resources,” so crawlers can quickly identify what’s in the file URLs with short descriptions: List key pages you want prioritized. Use clear, descriptive SEO-friendly URLs. And add a concise description after each link for context. Optional sections: Consider adding lower-priority resources you want AI systems to be aware of but don’t need to emphasize — like “Our Team” or “Careers” To put all the pieces together, let’s look at some examples. Here’s how BX3 Interactive, a website development company, structures its llms.txt file: It features: The company’s name Brief description List of key service pages with URLs and one-sentence summaries Top projects and case studies Citation and linking guidelines BX3 Interactive also includes target terms and specific CTAs for each URL. If adopted, this approach could shape how LLMs reference the brand, guiding them toward BX3 Interactive’s preferred messaging and phrasing. LLMs.txt files can also be more complex, depending on the site. Like this example from the open-source platform Hugging Face: It organizes hundreds of pages with nested headings to create a clear hierarchy. But it goes well beyond URL lists and summaries. It includes: Step-by-step installation commands Code examples for common tasks Explanatory notes and references This way, AI systems would get direct access to Hugging Face’s most valuable documentation without needing to crawl every page. This could reduce the risk of key details getting missed or buried. Keep in mind that the ideal structure depends on the scope of your site. And the depth of information you want AI to understand. Further reading: Vibe Marketing: Hype, Reality, and Real Case Studies Is LLMs.txt Worth It? The jury is out. It’s possible that an llms.txt file could boost your AI SEO efforts over time. But that would require widespread adoption. No major AI platform has officially supported the use of llms.txt yet. And Google has been especially clear — they don’t support it and aren’t planning to. But big players like Hugging Face and Stripe already have llms.txt files on their sites. Most notably, Anthropic, the company behind Claude, also has an llms.txt file on its website. If one of the leading AI companies is using it themselves, it could mean they see potential for these files to play a bigger role in the future. Note: While Anthropic has an llms.txt file on its site, it hasn’t publicly stated that its crawlers use or read these files. Bottom line? Treat llms.txt as a low-risk experiment, not a guaranteed way to boost AI visibility. Potential Benefits Right now, the benefits are theoretical. But if llms.txt catches on, you could benefit in multiple ways: Control what gets cited: Spotlight your blog posts, help docs, product pages, and policies so AI tools reference your best pages first instead of less important or outdated content Make parsing easier: Your llms.txt file gives AI models clean markdown summaries instead of forcing them to parse through cluttered pages with navigation, ads, and JavaScript Improve your AI performance: Guide AI models to your most valuable pages, potentially improving how often and accurately they cite your content in responses Analyze your site faster: A flattened version of your site (a single, simplified file listing your key pages), makes it easier to run a keyword analysis and site audit without crawling every URL Key Limitations and Challenges The skepticism around llms.txt is valid. Here are the biggest concerns: No one’s officially using it yet: No major platforms have announced support for these files — not OpenAI, Google, Perplexity, or Anthropic It’s a suggestion, not a rule: LLMs don’t have to “obey” your file, and you can’t block access to any pages. Need access control? Stick with robots.txt. Easy to game: A separate markdown file creates an opportunity for spam. For example, site owners could overload it with keywords, content, and links that don’t align with their actual pages. Basically, keyword stuffing for the AI era. You’re showing competitors your hand: A detailed llms.txt file hands your competitors a lot of info they might have to use dedicated tools to get otherwise. Your site structure, content gaps, messaging, keywords, and more. Further reading: 6 AI Content Tools Worth Using How to Create an LLMs.txt File in 5 Easy Steps Creating an llms.txt file is pretty simple — even if you don’t have much technical experience. One caveat: You may need a developer’s help to upload it. Step 1: Pick Your High-Priority Pages Start by selecting the pages you want AI systems to crawl first. Pro tip: Don’t dump your whole sitemap into your llms.txt file. Focus on your most valuable pages — not an exhaustive inventory. Think about the evergreen content that best represents what you do — your core product pages, high-value guides, FAQ sections, key policies, and pricing details. For example, BX3 Interactive lists this web development service page first in its llms.txt file: Why? Because it’s a core service they offer. And by featuring it in llms.txt, they’re signaling to AI crawlers that this page is central to their business. Step 2: Create Your File Next, open any plain-text editor and create a new file called llms.txt. Options include Notepad, TextEdit (on Mac), and Visual Studio Code. Pro tip: Don’t just list bare URLs. Add a brief description for each one that explains what the page covers and who it’s for. This context could help AI understand when and how to cite your brand. Not comfortable with markdown formatting? Ask your developer to handle it (if you have one). Or let an LLM do the work — ChatGPT and Claude can generate these files instantly. Here’s a prompt to get you started: Create an llms.txt file in markdown format using this information: Company Name: [Your Company Name] Company Description: [One sentence about what you do] Important Notes (optional): [Key differentiator or important detail] [What you do or don’t do] [Another key point] Products/Services URL: [https://yoursite.com/product-1] Description: [What it does and who it’s for] URL: [https://yoursite.com/product-2] Description: [What it does and who it’s for] Blog/Resources URL: [https://yoursite.com/blog-post-1] Description: [What readers will learn] URL: [https://yoursite.com/blog-post-2] Description: [What readers will learn] Company Pages About: [https://yoursite.com/about] – [Company background and mission] Contact: [https://yoursite.com/contact] – [How to reach you] Pricing: [https://yoursite.com/pricing] – [Plan overview] Format this as a proper llms.txt file with markdown headings (#, ##), bullet points (-), and link syntax. There are also llms.txt generators you can use. For example, Yoast SEO lets you generate an llms.txt file in one click, complete with markdown. Remember, the structure isn’t set in stone. Include your most valuable pages, accompanied by descriptive summaries. Then, customize the layout based on what matters most for your company. Step 3: Upload the File Where your llms.txt file goes depends on what it covers. For a site-wide file, upload it to your root directory: https://[yoursite].com For documentation only, place it in its respective subdirectory: https://[docs.yourdomain.com]/llms.txt You might need a developer’s help for this next step. They’ll log in to your hosting panel, navigate to your public_html folder, and upload the file. Once it’s uploaded, you’re ready to test. Step 4: Make Sure It Works Open a new tab and type in https://yoursite.com/llms.txt. If you see something like this, you’re set: Want to go a step further? Use Semrush’s Site Audit tool to verify the file is crawlable and automatically check for any technical issues. Step 5: Keep It Fresh Your llms.txt isn’t a set-it-and-forget-it file. Schedule a review every few months: Remove outdated pages that no longer represent your best work Add new content worth spotlighting as it’s published This ensures AI systems always see your most relevant content. Further reading: LLM Seeding: A New Strategy to Get Mentioned and Cited by LLMs Should You Use an LLMs.txt File on Your Site? As SEOs like to say, “it depends.” If setup is quick and you’re curious to experiment, it’s worth doing. Worst case, nothing changes. Best case, you’re ahead of the curve if AI platforms start paying attention. In the meantime, don’t neglect proven SEO fundamentals. Structured data, high-authority backlinks, and helpful content are what help AI — and traditional search engines — understand, trust, and surface your pages. Want to boost your AI visibility now? Check out our AI search guide for a framework that’s already working. The post Does Your Website Need an LLMs.txt File? + How to Create One appeared first on Backlinko. View the full article

Beijing introduces grants that slash energy bills by up to half for some of country’s largest data centres View the full article

Earlier this year, while the U.S. government was cutting billions in foreign aid, a refugee education program called Yeti Confetti did something remarkable: It took a single grant and scaled from serving 35 to 1,400+ students in Lebanon and NYC. They anticipate doubling that within the next few months. While hundreds of humanitarian organizations suspended programs because of the U.S. foreign assistance freeze, Rocket Learning, an education tech platform in India, is reaching 3 million children across 10 states and territories at $1.50 per child per year, a fraction of comparable traditional early childhood programs. This dichotomy was reflected in two types of conversations I heard during the United Nations General Assembly week in September 2025. In one, senior leaders from development agencies were genuinely grappling with an existential moment, with deep cuts in international aid worldwide. Then, there were the people closer to the work who had already moved on—too busy delivering and craving for scale. WHAT GOT US HERE WON’T GET US THERE The decades-long development of infrastructure created real expertise and crucial services to communities that desperately needed support. That matters and still does. The challenge isn’t the people or the expertise—it’s the operating system. That system was built for a world with more money than innovation. We now live in a world with more innovation than money. Layers of oversight, risk-averse funding cycles, and multiple intermediaries mean the infrastructure can’t move at the speed or cost-efficiency the moment demands. In 2024, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) estimated that 305 million people worldwide would need humanitarian assistance by 2025. Despite the growing need, by November 2024, less than half (43%) of the requested $50 billion had been received. Climate disasters aren’t slowing down. Neither is conflict. Neither is displacement. When the gap between need and allocated resources grows this wide, shouldn’t the calculation change? This isn’t about replacing institutional knowledge but about restructuring who holds resources and how they flow. It’s about multilateral agencies recognizing that their greatest value might be directly platforming solutions rather than implementing them or hiring intermediaries. It’s about foundations embracing risk, treating innovation as a core strategy rather than a side portfolio. WHAT THE DOERS KNOW There’s a solution to a problem the traditional sector has been trying to solve for years—how to reach more people, faster, with less money. There’s an entire generation of entrepreneurs who never waited for perfect conditions or for permission. Take Kate Kallot’s Amini in Africa. Her data platform is solving the continent’s critical data scarcity and information inaccessibility by providing hyper-accurate, granular data localized to smallholder farms. It’s now benefitting 7.5 million people across 25 countries, including partnerships with the governments of Barbados, Côte d’Ivoire, and Sierra Leone. Rocket Learning, mentioned above, became the Indian government’s technical partner for 230,000 rural childcare centers, with students scoring 30% higher in their classrooms than others. The detailed economic analyses reveal a remarkable benefit-to-cost ratio of $1,274 per child. The solutions that work have these traits in common: They’re cheaper: Technology enables reach without decreasing marginal costs. They’re faster: Different organizational structures enabling different speeds. They’re sustainable: They generate revenue, create jobs, and outlast any single funding cycle. Moving resources directly to entrepreneurs introduces different risks. Safeguarding protocols exist for good reasons. But the current approach also carries risk—the risk of reaching fewer people, taking longer, at a higher cost per beneficiary. We need to be honest about which risks we can afford at this moment in time. WHAT HAPPENS NEXT The bottleneck isn’t ideas. It’s the infrastructure connecting local entrepreneurs addressing the pressing challenges of their communities to resources and scale. Here’s what would accelerate impact: Early and direct capital is where the leverage is highest compared to the years of pilot data that traditional funders want. Bespoke support from people who’ve done it before, not another workshop on Theory of Change. Networks for scale toconnect proven solutions to government partners, procurement processes, and private sector distribution channels. Many entrepreneurs can build great products but lack relationships with decision-makers who control access to millions of beneficiaries. Patient growth capital because one-year grants don’t match the timeline of building sustainable organizations that scale to millions. Validation infrastructure so development agencies can shift from primary implementers to validators and amplifiers of what’s working. Using institutional credibility and expertise to assess, endorse, and help scale entrepreneur-led solutions that meet rigorous standards. For funders, this isn’t charity. It’s leverage. We’d be backing solutions that become self-sustaining, building systems that outlast any administration’s foreign policy shifts, reaching more people for a fraction of traditional cost-per-beneficiary, and getting closer to aid independence, which countries in the Global South are hungry for. The future of global development is happening right now in Tripoli, Kolkata, Mombasa, Ho Chi Minh, in the hands of entrepreneurs who saw that the system couldn’t move fast enough and decided to build something that would. This transition asks people to reimagine systems they’ve spent careers building. That’s not easy. The expertise and relationships built over decades matter. The question is how to channel those assets toward what’s demonstrably working. The ground has already shifted. The doers never stopped moving. Let’s join them. Hala Hanna is the executive director of MIT Solve. View the full article

The inspector general's office, responsible for overseeing the regulator, now sits vacant amid Director Bill Pulte's swift changes and numerous fraud probes. View the full article

Most of the pool of 1,011 residential mortgages, 69.7%, are considered non-prime mortgages, primarily due to the documentation and styles of underwriting. 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. In theory, wireless headphones are great for working out. But in reality, they often fall out, leak sound, or get damaged during heavy sweat sessions. The Anker Soundcore Sport X20 wireless earbuds are true wireless workout earbuds with ANC that are designed to stay put and deliver during exercise. Right now, they’re just $55.99 (originally $79.99), bringing them down to their lowest price ever, according to price-trackers. Soundcore Sport X20 by Anker $55.99 at Amazon $79.99 Save $24.00 Get Deal Get Deal $55.99 at Amazon $79.99 Save $24.00 These tough sports earbuds are often considered a budget version of the Powerbeats Pro. They combine comfort and durability, with customizable sound and noise cancellation. They have an IP68 rating, meaning they’re dust-proof and can be immersed in 1.5 meters of water for up to 30 minutes, making them ideal for sweaty workouts. The earbuds come with ear hooks that rotate and extend by up to 4 mm. While this keeps them in place during vigorous movement, they aren’t exactly discreet or minimalist, and those with ear sensitivity might prefer in-ear buds, though they are more likely to fall out. The feature-filled companion app allows users to adjust their EQ. While their default setting, Soundcore Signature, delivers solid sound most of the time, this is a helpful feature if you want to tweak bass or adjust ANC modes. The app also has HearID, which allows users to take a hearing test and customize listening based on their results. The adaptive ANC does a great job at tuning out background noise at the gym or on runs and performs well for under $100. Battery life lasts around 12 hours (this drops down to around seven with ANC on) and the carrying case carries 48 hours of battery on average. Charging them for five minutes provides two hours of listening time. For those who take calls, the X20s have six microphones, AI-enhancing tech, and Bluetooth 5.4 Multipoint, letting you seamlessly switch between audio sources. If you’re looking for athletic, durable ANC earbuds with a comfortable and durable design to power your workouts or accompany commutes, the Anker Soundcore Sport X20 wireless earbuds are an affordable, top-performing option for listening and taking calls, especially given their current $55.99 price tag. Our Best Editor-Vetted Tech Deals Right Now Apple AirPods Pro 2 Noise Cancelling Wireless Earbuds — $169.99 (List Price $249.00) Apple iPad 11" 128GB A16 WiFi Tablet (Blue, 2025) — $299.00 (List Price $349.00) Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Plus — $29.99 (List Price $49.99) Ring Pan-Tilt Indoor Cam, White with Ring Indoor Cam (2nd Gen), White — $59.99 (List Price $99.99) Blink Video Doorbell Wireless (Newest Model) + Sync Module Core — $29.99 (List Price $69.99) Blink Mini 2 1080p Indoor Security Camera (2-Pack, White) — $27.99 (List Price $69.99) Ring Video Doorbell Pro 2 with Ring Chime Pro — $149.99 (List Price $259.99) Introducing Amazon Fire TV 55" Omni Mini-LED Series, QLED 4K UHD smart TV, Dolby Vision IQ, 144hz gaming mode, Ambient Experience, hands-free with Alexa, 2024 release — $699.99 (List Price $819.99) Blink Outdoor 4 1080p 2-Camera Kit With Sync Module Core — $129.99 (List Price $129.99) Deals are selected by our commerce team View the full article

The agreement, if approved by a federal judge, would end litigation over two distinct cybersecurity incidents in 2021 which affected over 2 million customers. View the full article