Daily Archives: June 1, 2022

It wouldve been so easy for The Orville not to come back. Over two brief seasons, the spacefaring comedy-drama had generated solid but unremarkable reviews and ratings. Its creator and star, Seth MacFarlane, had other irons in the fireFamily Guy, American Dad!, a TV adaptation of the Ted movies. Fox had already shuffled two seasons around the calendar, and plans for a third were put on hold when the COVID-19 pandemic interrupted production. And in 2020, MacFarlane, whose animated shows had been tentpole programming at Fox for decades, split with his longtime corporate bosses and inked a $200 million deal with NBC.

But like its plucky namesake starship, last seen dodging laser beams during a climactic set-piece battle, The Orville has survived for a third season.

Its the most fun writing job Ive ever had, MacFarlane told me recently over Zoom. I love telling these stories, and its a wonderful group of people I love working with.

The forthcoming season, which premieres on Hulu June 2 and is subtitled New Horizons, marks a bit of a shift for the series. The crew composition continues to evolve, with Anne Winters joining the cast as a young navigator. And MacFarlane says the move to Hulu comes with a more cinematic visual style. But the biggest adjustment comes not from within the shows universe, but in the real worlds streaming TV landscape.

When The Orville, which mimics the style and many of the conventions of Star Trek, premiered in 2017, there had been six official Star Trek shows released in the previous 51 years. In less than five years since, CBS All Access and Paramount+ have aired six more, including four that premiered in the three years since The Orville finished Season 2. And the Star Trek shows have had to compete against a constellation of socially conscious spacefaring dramas: big streaming swings like For All Mankind, The First, and Away, and later seasons of The Expanse, among others.

Given all that, the biggest question for The Orville entering its third season is this: Is there still a place for this show when spaceand Star Trek in particularis busier than its ever been?

The Orville, in its premise, setting, visual language, and choice of subject matter, is a Star Trek show in all but name. Even some of its senior creative figures, like executive producers Brannon Braga and David A. Goodman, are Trek veteransthough they often try to soft-pedal the similarities between projects. When I asked Braga and Goodman what theyd learned from their previous experience, Goodman laughed and said, Wait, Brannon worked on Star Trek?

The last time MacFarlanes Captain Ed Mercer and his crew signed off, they held an interesting place in that wider universe. The history of Star Trek has many fault lines and watershed moments, but one of the biggest came between Star Trek: Enterprises ending in 2005 and the J.J. Abramsdirected Star Trek reboot four years later. Before that point, Star Trek had mostly revolved around one premise: Presented with a problem, how would the best of humanity react? The original series and The Next Generation got hundreds of hours worth of mileage out of this setup. And because of creator Gene Roddenberrys intractable opposition to serialization, these shows became mind-bendingly successful in syndication.

After Roddenberrys death in 1991, the writers of the various Star Trek series got a little more freedom to experiment, particularly on Deep Space Nine and Enterprise, which began to portray a darker, more cynical side of humanity over longer story arcs. Deep Space Nine introduced an organization called Section 31, which in small doses hinted at a hidden and mostly unremarked-upon cost to maintaining Roddenberrys sometimes cartoonishly optimistic secular humanist utopia.

The rebooted movies, and particularly Paramounts new crop of TV shows, took Deep Space Nines spicy twist and embraced itjuiced it, more likeuntil Star Trek was just like any other sci-fi franchise. If Deep Space Nine added much-needed seasoning to a classic dish, parts of Discovery and especially Picard made the entire meal out of salt.

Against that context, The Orville was a refreshing return to the original premise: mostly episodic, overwhelmingly hopeful, socially conscious middlebrow sci-fi.

The thing I think was important to bring in [from Star Trek] was the type of storytelling, Braga told me, which was stand-alone stories, well told, driven by this high concept, with a certain optimistic spirit and a certain depiction of the future.

When I reviewed The Orvilles first few episodes five years ago, I confronted it as a combination of parody and homage, the work of a comedian playing with beloved storytelling conventions. But MacFarlane and Braga never intended The Orville to be a parody; two seasons in, its become more of a pastiche.

We never approached it as a satire or a parody, which I think would have been the immediate assumption, seeing Seths name on it, Braga said. The story always came first and the comedySeth says its comedy frostingwas part of it, but it wasnt the main driver.

That was part of the paradigm from day one, MacFarlane said. The story has to work as a story, and then you can hang a bunch of jokes on it and youre fine. With this show, it was really about finding the tone. The tone, to me, started to really come together at the end of Season 1, and then developed even more fully in Season 2.

The tone MacFarlane refers to is an intriguing mix of old-school Star Treks resolute moral seriousness and a heavy dollop of goofy humor. The crew of The Orville, especially Captain Mercer, are well-intentioned but definitely not the best and brightest. They bicker over inane problems, they play pranks, they go to work hungover, and they carry out multiyear running gags about having to pee.

In one of the best episodes of Season 2, Sanctuary, the crew encounters a colony of female aliens from a heavily patriarchal species. Mercer invites the alien leader to peruse the ships collection of art created by the women of Earth, and she immediately seizes on Dolly Parton as Earths great feminist poet, who speaks with the might of 100 soldiers. This is the voice of our revolution. Minutes later, theres a climactic gunfight set to 9 to 5.

Its silly, but the jokes are in service of a narrative and a message. And while MacFarlane admits the show struggled to strike the right balance between story and humor early on, he cited the most recent episode of Black Mirror, Rachel, Jack and Ashley Too, as an inspiration for The Orville going forward, praising its blending of serious sci-fi and rompish comedy.

The idea in Season 3 was to really lean into that, MacFarlane said. That tone is to not lose whats funny about these characters, but make sure that its also real, that were not writing a sci-fi story and then surgically looking for spots to add jokes, which was kind of what we were doing at the beginning of Season 1. We stopped pressuring ourselves to do that and really let the story take precedence.

That turned out to be the key to unlocking The Orvilles potential and the key to appreciating it for what it is: a drama, occasionally interrupted by jokes.

I was known as the king of torture on 24, said Jon Cassar, who directed, among other Orville episodes, last seasons two-part Identity and the Season 3 premiere Electric Sheep. Comedy wasnt at the forefront. I think I said that: Really? You really want me to do this show? This is a Seth MacFarlane show. And I remember them saying, Drama first. We want to play this like a straight-up one-hour drama. Thats the most important thing.

As MacFarlanes show filled a lane left open by the Abrams movies and Discovery, though, Paramount delivered a rapid-fire response with several new Star Trek series. They dug Anson Mounts Captain Pike and the Enterprise out of the vault for Strange New Worlds, which returns to the franchises original episodic format and wide-eyed tone. And because theres so much humor to be mined from watching C+ students deal with problems of galactic importance, Paramount+ has ordered two additional seasons of the animated series Lower Decks to go with the two that have already aired. For two seasons, The Orville gave Star Trek diehards something they couldnt get on first-run TV. Now theres competition.

Up until very recently, we were the only show that was occupying anything near that space and tone in sci-fi, MacFarlane said. I think even now The Orville is very much in its own space. Its got its own vibe. But [how the show holds up to the competition is] not decided by us. Thats decided by the viewers.

Even among all that noise, MacFarlane still believes The Orville offers something unique. And at the end of our conversation, he touched on the quality that makes the show work.

It really is still about these people, MacFarlane said. On any show you tune in to watch the people. Are these people I want to hang with each week?

For all the aliens and special effects and wild makeup youd expect from Star Trek, what makes these shows successful is that viewers like spending an hour a week with the crew. Many years ago, my colleague Brian Phillips praised The Next Generation by writing, the show offers a fantasy of smart friends working together and supporting each other thats designed to make you want to join them. Thats true of every successful Star Trek show, and why the Kirk-Spock-McCoy trio is one of televisions most beloved friendships, or why Avery Brookss portrayal of Ben Sisko still resonates a generation later.

The crew of The Orville is mostly not that smart, but theyre still a part of that tradition. And Season 3 promises to test that family dynamic as the crew deals with the aftermath of a war with the robotic Kaylon. Among the survivors is The Orvilles science officer, Isaac, who after being sent to study humanity, decided to side with his flesh-and-blood friends against his people. Winterss character, by contrast, comes to The Orville after suffering immense personal losses in the war and struggles to adjust to sharing the bridge with a Kaylon.

As much as The Orville chimes in on contemporary political issues through allegory, though, its always been at its best when the original question of the serieshow do normal people stand up to extraordinary circumstances?is at the forefront.

The very first time we all met together collectively, Seth said were doing a science-fiction piece, but what we are is people who happen to be in space, said Penny Johnson Jerald, who plays Dr. Claire Finn. Weve always been people first, and its on the page. We lift the words and emotions off the page so viewers can enjoy and be a part of it. It truly helps to like your fellow cast.

We have a group chat, said Adrianne Palicki, who plays first officer Kelly Grayson. We are always constantly in contact with each other, which is a rarity on any show, especially after youve wrapped.

That chemistry gives the crew of the Orville an unexpected warm and fuzzy tone, almost reminiscent of Ted Lasso. (Perhaps if American TV viewers had latched onto this band of endearingly semi-competent work buddies instead, internet discourse wouldnt be so hysterical. Dare to dream.) And they somehow manage to portray that earnestness without coming off as cloying or phony.

A lot of television I see is a lot more dark and gritty in its interpersonal relationships and depictions thereof, MacFarlane said. I live in a pretty intense industry. I dont go to work every day and fight with my coworkers and get into spats and deal with high drama. Its actually pretty pleasant. So I dont think its that unrealistic.

Thanks to streaming and a bucket-of-crabs-type scramble for corporations to gobble up franchises and squeeze every last drop of blood from every stone, the viewers that MacFarlane defers to have never had more options for spacefaring drama and action. But watching a TV show is ultimately a question of time commitment. In terms of storytelling and visuals, The Orville holds its own with any of its contemporaries. But what makes an episodic TV show stickincluding the older Star Trek seriesis whether the characters are worth spending time with. Here, The Orvilles band of weirdos and misfits sets itself apart. You can go boldly wherever you want, as long as you like who youre going with.

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The Orville Is Back. How Does It Fit Into a New Space TV Landscape? - The Ringer

Everywhere one looks in Africa, theyll notice a new planned city cropping up that promises to be a utopia not plagued by the challenges the continents cities currently face.

Kenyas Konza Tecnocity which promised to be the biggest smart city south of the Sahara is still struggling to prove to investors why they should inject capital in it nine years after it was conceived.

In 2010, Nigerias Eko Atlantic City promised to house 250,000 citizens on land reclaimed from the sea but it is still empty.

Ghanas Hope City and Ethiopias Wakanda City aimed to transform urbanization. Akon city in Senegal promises to run on Akoin cryptocurrency, despite unsupportive government regulations around crypto. None has made tangible progress.

Last week, 11,000 delegates from 100 countries including 53 African countries gathered in Kenyas western lakeside city of Kisumu to rethink the feasibility of elevating Africas major towns into cities.

The ninth edition of the Africities Summit prodded this idea which, according to policy experts, would create more jobs and unlock economic potential in the continents rural zones.

In his opening remarks, Kenyas president Uhuru Kenyatta urged participants to make the conference a questioning forum on how national governments can support a mobilization of resources to unlock effective delivery service in intermediary cities.

Time is ripe for scaling up the role of intermediary cities as the next frontiers of African urbanization and development, said Kenyatta.

But is time actually ripe for more African cities?

He added thatan unprecedented rate of urbanization has seen 1,086 intermediary cities become home to 174 million people representing 36% of our continents total urban population and contributing about 40% of our continents GDP.

While the overarching message was that the continent needs to upscale its towns to be at par with the rest of the world, the problem with that narrative is that deep within Africas existing cities there are enormous hurdles.

From Lagos to Dar es Salaam, Dakar to Mogadishu, Windhoek to Asmara, Africas cities are grappling with the challenges of poor sanitation, disorganized and unsafe public transport, insufficient water, pollution, dirty energy sources, insecurity, unemployment, corruption, poor drainages and expensive housing.

Even as delegates spoke on intermediary cities potential to create business opportunities, the snags in the big cities are already making Africa score low in the global index of ease of doing business. Many cities score high on the global corruption index chasing away foreign investors.

Combating the threats of radicalization, terrorism, armed robbery, and petty theft in Africas urban areas has been one of the toughest tasks for governments.

With little progress to show in tackling these constraints, Africas march into making intermediary cities the new centers for economic development will only end into a stumble.

While the idea of decongesting large cities is a commendable one, making life in existing cities better should be at the forefront of the discourse especially now that Africa has the highest population growth rate in the world.

Africa needs $170 billion per annum to meet its infrastructure needs but has a deficit of about $110 billion.

The danger is that the structures in the capital cities will be replicated in new cities.

In the whole of Africa, only one cityKigaliseems to understand the whole concept of sustainability of cities as it has shown real efforts in addressing the muddle. This is a model the rest of the nations can follow because it also takes into account what future cities may look like. But no country is taking notes from the Kigali Innovation City.

Most cities dont even do an Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) audit to control pollution and carbon emissions, but will be fast to construct skyscrapers and expressways that only raise city temperatures as they use high-carbon cement in their construction.

When hit by the sun, carbonated cement emits carbon dioxide (pdf) which raises the temperatures of the surrounding environment. Most carbon capture technologies have failed.

Globally, cities produce between 71% and 75% of total greenhouses gas emissions (GHG) and the United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG), a global umbrella of organisations that defends the interests of cities says the battle against climate change will be lost or won in cities.

Former President of Seychelles Danny Faure spoke of the need for bankable strategic infrastructure based on data.

It is important that we back up our interventions based on facts and data that shows us where we are in terms of development. Most city public transport in Africa is yet to go cashless, causing traffic congestion where petty thieves thrive.

By 2040, two-thirds of the people who move to urban areas will be moving to intermediary cities. Amid growing investment needs, the challenge for Africa will be how to guarantee basic social services and higher quality of life that is already lacking in main cities.

And then there is the challenge of Google mapping. Peri-urban areas in Africa are not well mapped on Google Maps meaning online car hailing companies like Uber, Bolt, Tag Your Ride, Little, Yookoo Rider, Lefa and Smart Cab cannot operate in intermediary cities.

Again, how can Africa finance all that is needed to improve its existing cities? African Union High Representative for Infrastucture Development Raila Odinga says Africa needs an African Infrastructure Fund to fund the monetary deficit needed to build Africas infrastructure.

Africa needs $170 billion per annum to meet its infrastructure needs but has a deficit of about $110 billion dollars, he said at the summit. There is money in the form of sovereign wealth funds, pension funds and insurance funds, but most governments have shown low commitment in stamping out corruption which eats into every round of project financing.

Africa needs to first focus on improving its existing cities, before it begins creating new ones.

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Here's the problem with the narrative of creating more cities in Africa - Quartz Africa

EXCLUSIVE: It looks like a homecoming parade may be in order for Conrad Green: Deadline hears the veteran reality show producer is in advanced talks to return toDancing with the Stars as its executive producer.

Green was the EP/showrunner of the competition show when it first launched on ABC in 2005. He was also part of the original BBC Worldwide Prods. team of Dancing that pitched the format to ABC.

ABC 2022 Fall Schedule Has Bachelor In Paradise, Abbott & Big Sky Move, AMLT & Wonder Years Held

He departed DWTS at the end of the 18th season to exec produce the Fox reality series Utopia. Altthough the show was short-lived, he signed an overall with the network in 2015.

Green would replace executive producer Andrew Llinares,who parted ways withDWTS before a 31st season of the show was ordered. In April, DWTS received a two-year pickup for Seasons 31 and 32 to debut exclusively on Disney+ this fall in the U.S. and Canada. It will bethe first live series to debut on the service.

Fall 2022 Primetime TV Grid: No Fox (Yet) As Nets Play It Safe With Much More Of The Same

Deadline hears that some of the DWTS pros and judges alreadywere told about Greens possible return and are elated about the news.

Greens recent credits include exec producing ABCs remake of The Gong Showand Ultimate Tag on Fox. He earned nine Emmy nominations during his stint onDancing with the Stars.Previously, hewas an executive at BBC in London, where he developed and produced new entertainment formats. Green also served as a series editor for the first season of the UK version of Big Brother,and the series producer of Popstars.

Green is repped by ICM Partners.

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Dancing With The Stars: Conrad Green In Advanced Talks To Return As Exec Producer - Deadline

Summer is coming, and mystery and thriller lovers are looking for that perfect beachy read to savor with an umbrella drink in hand. How about a story set in paradise?

Suspense novelists have long been attracted to idyllic settings. What is it about the concept of paradise that inspires dark fiction? Is it the vicarious joy of writing about white sand beaches and shimmering blue water? Is it the irresistible lure of an escape from reality? Or maybe we writers like the diabolical appeal of inflicting mayhem on a cast of unsuspecting tourists.

To me, the most appealing aspect of a writing a suspense novel set in paradise is the challenge of creating a story world where nothing is as it seems. Seaside vacation settings provide an immediate contrast between the sparkly promise of utopia and the sinister forces that inevitably throw someones best laid travel plans off course.

So if youre looking for something to toss in the beach tote, the following suspense novels will take you from the white sands of the Caribbean isles to the windswept cliffs of New Zealand. Adventure awaits, but dont expect a smooth trip.

They All Fall Down by Rachel Howzell Hall

When Miriam Macy gets a surprise invitation to participate in a reality show on a luxurious private island in the Sea of Cortez, she jumps at the chance to get away from the mounting legal problems that have followed her messy divorce. She has barely stepped off the boat, however, when her dreams of fame and fortune are dashed, and she realizes she will be lucky to make it off the island alive. Guests begin turning up dead one after another. Isolated from help and with only her ingenuity and some ever-shifting alliances to save her, Miriam must figure out who is behind the murders or end up becoming the next victim.

Halls Anthony Award-nominated story is told with wit and dark humor, and her vivid writing makes you feel the steamy walls of the jungle closing in as the heroine struggles to make it through the survival game from hell.

The Beach by Alex Garland

The novel opens with Richard, a young backpacker in Thailand who stops at a low-budget guest house and discovers a map to a mysterious destination known as the Beach. Curious about the tropical utopia that is a legend among backpackers, Richard sets out with a young French couple to locate the forbidden island. They arrive to find pristine beaches, turquoise lagoons, and an idyllic community of other wayward travelers. The illusion of paradise is shattered as Richard discovers toxic relationships among the communes inhabitants and deadly forces lurking in the surrounding rainforest.

Dubbed by the Sunday Oregonian as Generation Xs first great novel, The Beach inspired the 2000 film starring Leonardo DiCaprio.

A Madness of Sunshine by Nalini Singh

When a teen girl vanishes while jogging near New Zealands soaring cliffs, the quiet rural community of Golden Cove wants answers.

After returning to her coastal hometown, Anahera Rawiri gets pulled into the investigation of the girls disappearance by Will Gallagher, a veteran cop. Together, they unearth a string of secrets and deceptions that some Golden Cove residents desperately wanted to keep buried.

This noir mystery showcases Nalini Singhs twisty prose and her talent for writing about the rugged beauty of New Zealands South Island. A Madness of Sunshine is a page-turner until the last shocking revelation.

Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Bestselling author Taylor Jenkins Reids novel revolves around an end-of-summer party in Malibu. The year is 1983, and everyone who is anyone among Southern Californias sun-kissed elites wants an invitation to the annual blowout at the cliffside home of the famous Riva family, whose members include a famous surfer, photographer, and supermodel. In a story deftly told through flashbacks and multiple viewpoints, Reid builds layer upon layer of suspense until the reader knows that when the fateful evening finally arrives, each key guest is on a collision course and the legendary party is destined to go up in flames.

Filled with eighties vernacular and throwback fashion, Reid gives us an entertaining glimpse into the storied Malibu surf scene of decades past.

The Guest List by Lucy Foley

In another novel centered around a party, the characters in Lucy Foleys The Guest List gather on an island off the coast of Ireland. There to celebrate the wedding of a magazine publisher and her TV celebrity groom, the guests are at first dazzled by luxury party favors and expensive booze. But the festive atmosphere evaporates when someone turns up dead and the guests find themselves cut off from outside communication and isolated on an island with a murderer.

Like a classic Agatha Christie novel, The Guest List is a locked-room mystery, complete with shifty characters, salacious secrets, and subtle clues for the seasoned mystery reader to piece together.

The Reef by Nora Roberts

If you like a dash of romance with your mysteries, dive into The Reef, a novel set in the azure Caribbean waters near St. Kitts.

Marine archaeologist Tate Beaumont embarks on a real-life treasure hunt, determined to find a jeweled amulet known as Angeliques Curse. Despite her initial misgivings, Tate reluctantly teams up with salvagers Matthew and Buck Lassiter. As they get closer to finding the priceless artifact, their plans are thwarted by shady people and long-submerged secrets from the Lassiters past.

With its dramatic island backdrop, The Reef is a classic romantic suspense novel by the wildly popular author who helped invent the genre.

Skinny Dip by Carl Hiaasen

Carl Hiaasens Skinny Dip opens with Joey Perrone plunging off the deck of a luxury cruise ship while cursing her husband. Joey survives her meticulously planned murder andwith the help of jaded former cop Mick Stranahanembarks on a mission to get revenge that takes her to the Florida Everglades. On her quest, Joey encounters one zany twist after another until she finally gets her chance to even the score with her homicidal husband.

Hiaasens trademark dry humor and ecological story turns make this the perfect book to read on a lounge chair in the sand.

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Seven Suspenseful Novels In Which Paradise Is Not What It Seems - CrimeReads

Experience the natural beauty of the Paznaun-Ischgl region with this new MTB trail in the Austrian Alps

The Paznaun region is a utopia for mountain-bike enthusiasts, with more than 754 km of mountain bike trails across the entire region with unrivalled natural beauty and stunning views along the way.

This summer, experience the new Dias-Kappl Flow Trail. Beginning at the top station of the Dias cable car, the Flow Trail winds its way down a length of 3.7 kilometres to the Egger Chapel. The first section leads along beautiful forest and meadow paths to gently get into the flow before descending into thicker woodlands. From the valley station of the Gongall cable car, the nature trail begins with rapid approach curves and bouncing waves through the Kappl forest area.

A total of 333 metres of depth, divided into 38 curves, extend to a longitudinal gradient of almost 10 % and put bikers in a state of flow. From the Egger Chapel, a well-signposted path leads along the municipal road to the valley station of the Dias cable car.

The trail is classed as easy and is suitable for all mountain bike abilities, ideal for families or beginners.

For more information on Ischgl

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New MTB trail in the Austrian Alps - InTheSnow

We get it: Piecing together a cohesive look for a bathroom upgrade can be downright overwhelming. Allow us to help. Whether youre eager for a glamorous, Regency-style spa space or a pretty, preppy retreat, look to these materials palettesinspired by local designers workfor style ideas that make a splash.

Adding a dose of Hollywood Regency to graphic mid-mod style is nothing less than spellbinding, especially in this high-contrast bathroom by Renee Bergstrom of Haven Designs.

1. Marella cast-iron soaking tub in Black Semi-Gloss $8,560, Rejuvenation2. Brushed Gold circle mirror $220, Havenly3. Avondale Martini table $368, Serena & Lily4. Keeley pivot-ing sconce in Hand-Rubbed Antique Brass $699, Thomas OBrien for Visual Comfort, at Circa Lighting5. Tricorn Black paint Sherwin-Williams6. Contemporary double post free-standing tub faucet in Brushed Brass Randolph Morris, $669, at Vintage Tub & Bath7. Terra bathroom vanity set $3,950, Bemma, at Perigold8. Utopia 8-light crystal Sputnik chandelier in Satin Brass $575, Livex Lighting, at Build with Ferguson9. Kavala porcelain tile in White $32 per box, Adessi Contemporary Tile, at Floor & Decor10. Laurus Black Zebra marble bowl $210, Scully & Scully11. TurningArt wall art, Silent by Susana Paz in Walnut frame from $199, West Elm

You can add plenty of timeless traditional style to a new build, as this space by Emily Tucker of Emily Tucker Design attests. Just stick to scallops, marble, and classic blue-and-white beauty all over.

1. Bryce flush mount fixture in Plaster White $639, Kate Spade New York for Visual Comfort, at Circa Lighting2. Etoile hand shower with porcelain handle in Nickel $1,165, Waterworks3. Linen travel pouch in Sky Blue $69, Mark & Graham4. Blue Celeste field tile from $47 per square foot, Ann Sacks5. Lulworth Blue paint Farrow & Ball6. Freestanding oval marble bathtub $88,380, Lusso, at Waterworks7. Wave Bath Collection essential towel set $258, Serena & Lily8. Scallop side table $698, Serena & Lily9. Bianco Carrara hexagon mosaic tile price upon request, Decorative Materials10. Blue block-print kimono robe $195, Heidi Carey11. French Blue Hydrangea watercolor $328, Caitlin Wilson

For this retreat, designer Beth Strongwater of Studio Strongwater sought spa-like serenity. The recipe for aah? Cloud whites, blond woods, and natural textures galore.

1. Everlasting bouquet in All the Neutrals $45, Pickletown Flower Co2. Nelson Ball Bubble pendant $645, Design Within Reach3. Vetralla Englishcast freestanding tub $3,599, Victoria & Albert, at QualityBath4. Eldridge rounded rectangle mirror in White Oak $529, Rejuvenation5. Oak Bok side table $689, Ethnicraft, at6. Coconut milk bath soak $20, Herbivore7. Decorative vase sea sponge from $48, Cailini Coastal8. Sheepskin $599, Room & Board9. Chet ceramic soap dish/sponge holder $10, Crate & Barrel10. Freestanding bath vanity with single reinforced acrylic sink in Nature Oak-AV $1,779, Angeles, at Moreno Bath

To zhush her clients existing stone bathtub, designer Emily Tucker reached for a tropical wallcovering; paired with rattan accessories, it says vacay at a glance.

1. Paloma narrow chandelier $1,199, Arhaus2. Amiata Freestanding Englishcast soaker tub $4,874, Victoria & Albert, at QualityBath3. Jana Bone urn price upon request, Made Goods4. Concrete fluted planter in Terra Cotta $249, Pottery Barn5. Herons in Marsh peel-and-stick removable wallpaper from $23 for 2-by-3 feet, Spoonflower6. Super Soft bath mat in Sand $65, Food527. Olive of Marseille soap on a rope $14, Fer Cheval, at Burke Decor8. Temescal organic towels from $18, Coyuchi9. Stacked planter in Earthenware $138, West Elm10. Desert Sun cane floor mirror $449, West Elm11. Kaemon Beaded Leaf wall decor price upon request, Made Goods

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48 Bathroom Style Ideas That Make a Splash - 5280 - 5280 | The Denver Magazine

Finally, someone's been combing the blockchain and calling out scammers on their BS. In doing so, software engineer Molly White managed to not only catalyse the downfall of the Cryptoland scams, but generally spread awareness about the dangers of 'Web3,' so scammers are less likely to indoctrinate more impressionable, would-be investors.

White is an avid Wikipedia contributor who's passionate about free and open knowledge and resources. The Byte (opens in new tab) pointed us to her blog, the awesome, satirically named 'Web3 is going just great (opens in new tab).' In it, she highlights the missteps, hacks, and dodgy work arising from Web3a blockchain dominated 'new internet' for anyone unaware.

In fact, it's White who's been attributed to aiding in the downfall of the disturbing case of Cryptoland (opens in new tab)the "world's first crypto island" marketed as a utopia for blockchain investors. The project poured millions into going physical but now appears to be inactive after a whole expose from White (opens in new tab) that caused a bunch of investors to jump ship. The Seychelles island they planned to take over is even back on the market (opens in new tab).

If you've a level of sympathy for the poor cryptodegens, remember: this is the same scam that when pressed on Twitter about what the age of consent would be on their magical blockchain island, the official Cryptoland account replied with "Mental maturity should be more than enough! 😉 (opens in new tab)"

Sickening. Good riddance.

"Most of my disdain is reserved for the big players who are marketing this to a mainstream audience as though its an investment, often promising to be a ticket out of a really tough financial spot for people who dont have many options," says White.

White describes their actions as "very predatory," and she's gained a lot of media attention for calling these blockchain scams out.

We've seen the marketplace halting transactions due to rampant NFT counterfeiting (opens in new tab), and so many other stories that show the possible horrors of investing in the blockchain. And yet all this is amazingly still so prevalent. Even during the current cryptocurrency crash (opens in new tab), crypto mining energy usage has barely dropped (opens in new tab).

With people like White around, at least, more of these blockchain scams might start to deteriorate.

Her site even contains a 'Grift Counter' that keeps a tally of how much money has been lost to scams so far as you scroll down the timeline, so you can keep monetary tabs on the crypto-dystopia we're creating for ourselves. Check it out if you fancy a cry.

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This lady is helping put cryptocurrency scams where they belong: in the bin - PC Gamer