Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Design Observer @designobserver.com · 15h

Midtown Manhattan is getting its tallest-ever skyscraper. The City Council approved the project in a unanimous vote for the new 350 Park Avenue. Behind the plans are mega-billionaire Ken Griffin and the developers Rudin and Vornado Realty Trust. #Observed

Ken Griffin project to build Midtown’s tallest skyscraper on Park Avenue gets green light

The plan for a new 350 Park Ave., a 1,600-foot-tall tower will dwarf Midtown’s current cloudbuster king, the JPMorgan Chase headquarters at 270 Park Ave., by 200 feet.

nypost.com

Design Observer @designobserver.com · 15h

India is using the Trump administration’s decision to hike the H1B Visa fee to encourage skilled Indian workers to return home. “I’ve always wanted to start something of my own,” said one former Meta employee who returned home for start-up life. #Observed

H-1B visa fee: India wants to lure back its best minds from the US, but it won't be easy

Driving reverse migration from the US at scale will require a concerted effort that's currently missing, experts say.

www.bbc.com

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Design Observer @designobserver.com · 15h

When fonts attack. Apple has issued a fix, but a recent vulnerability in its Font Parser component could have allowed malicious fonts to crash applications in a wide array of products. #Observed

Apple Font Parser Vulnerability Enables Malicious Fonts to Corrupt Process Memory

Apple has rolled out security updates across its operating systems to address a vulnerability in the Font Parser component that could allow malicious fonts to crash applications or corrupt process mem...

cybersecuritynews.com

Design Observer @designobserver.com · 15h

AI is capable of designing new viruses. AI-created bioweapons! (I think the familiar “what can go wrong?” quip just isn’t going to cut it for this one.) #Observed

AI can now be used to design brand-new viruses. Can we stop it from making the next devastating bioweapon?

Scientists have used AI to design bacteriophages, or viruses that infect only bacteria. Does the prospect of designing viruses with AI pose threats to biosecurity?

www.livescience.com

Design Observer @designobserver.com · 16h

Good design isn’t about adding more. It’s about knowing what not to build. @davesnyder.bsky.social argues for restraint: solve the one core problem, put in the craft, and let time and user behavior do the work. Read the full story:

The compound interest of design: what not to build - DesignObserver

Veteran designer Dave Snyder says the secret to lasting products isn’t hype or clever features. It’s restraint, craft, and solving one core problem so well that the benefits compound over time.

designobserver.com

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Reposted by Design Observer

Dave Snyder (NYC) @davesnyder.bsky.social · 1d

Wrote an article for @designobserver.com on this idea I call “the compound interest of design” which is all about knowing what NOT to build. And that is hard. designobserver.com/the-compound...

The compound interest of design: what not to build - DesignObserver

Veteran designer Dave Snyder says the secret to lasting products isn’t hype or clever features. It’s restraint, craft, and solving one core problem so well that the benefits compound over time.

designobserver.com

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Design Observer @designobserver.com · 1d

We often design for what’s right in front of us. But what about decades ahead? The latest Design As explores how to think in both timeframes. Listen now:

Design As Short | Design As Long - DesignObserver

How do designers think across time horizons? On Design As, Lee Moreau explores short- and long-term design with leading voices in the field.

designobserver.com

Design Observer @designobserver.com · 2d

A new wave of women-led “beauty horror” films is putting beauty standards, and the backlash against feminism, under the knife. From The Substance to The Ugly Stepsister, these stories reveal the dark politics of the body. New essay by @delaneyrebernik.com on Design Observer.

Mirror, mirror: The rise of ‘beauty horror’ amid today’s antifeminist backlash - DesignObserver

"Beauty horror," the subgenre of "The Substance" and "The Ugly Stepsister," meets feminist backlash and critiques societal expectations.

designobserver.com

Design Observer @designobserver.com · 6d

As the climate crisis escalates, traditional insurance is failing the most vulnerable. What if we saw insurance not as a product to buy, but as a collective commitment to one another?

Insurance - DesignObserver

In the calculus for risk, we can control for vulnerability by practicing collective care.

designobserver.com

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Design Observer @designobserver.com · 7d

Who wants a camera right on their face? Jay Peters reviews the Ray-Ban Meta Gen 2 glasses. (Subscription required.) #Observed

Ray-Ban Meta Gen 2 review: all-day smart glasses with the same tricky questions

I’m still not sure about the social etiquette of smart glasses.

www.theverge.com

Design Observer @designobserver.com · 7d

What will it take to end the U.S. government shutdown? It’s the fifteenth since 1981. But this time, it’s different. #Observed

Explainer: What would it take to avoid a US government shutdown?

The U.S. Congress and President Donald Trump have little time and few options remaining to reach a funding deal to avoid triggering disruptions in a range of U.S. government services and the furlough of hundreds of thousands of civil servants beginning on Wednesday.

www.reuters.com

Reposted by Design Observer

MIT Press @mitpress.bsky.social · 9d

The editors of @designobserver.com have curated a wonderful collection of books to help readers become happier, more authentic and connected versions of themselves, including "Nonlinear" by @kevinbethune.com! Check out their list: #design

Editor Picks: The best books for designing a better life

From vision to voice.

bookshop.org

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Design Observer @designobserver.com · 8d

In this new episode of Design As, host Lee Moreau talks with Liz Danzico, Kevin Bethune, Jai Shekhawat, and Liz Gerber about what it means for designers to balance control and collaboration in the age of AI. Listen now

Design As Control | Design As Collaboration - DesignObserver

On this episode of Design As, host Lee Moreau speaks with VP of Design at Microsoft AI and the Founding Chair of the MFA Interaction Design Program at the School of Visual Arts Liz Danzico, advisor an...

designobserver.com

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Design Observer @designobserver.com · 13d

A new wave of artists is treating AI as a partner, not a replacement. Today on Design Observer, @bjthehetheygay.ca explores how game designers like Jonah King and Kelsey Falter are building worlds rooted in consent, transparency, and imagination.

Dancing with AI: how next-gen game designers are taking the lead - DesignObserver

A new generation of visual artists and creators is using artificial intelligence to create art with machines.

designobserver.com

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Design Observer @designobserver.com · 14d

New bonus episode of Design As: Recorded at the Shapeshift Summit, design leaders from Microsoft, SAP, and SVA discuss how AI can move beyond Silicon Valley, centered on ethics, trust, and human experience. Listen now 🎙️