Category Archives: New Utopia

Services the local authority are responsible for include everything from roads and planning through to community development. A key focus of all the authorities is to ensure they capitalise on technological and economic opportunities to both improve the quality of life and avoid digital and social exclusion.

Increasingly, as a society, we are becoming more reliant on technology. Some research by Royal Docks revealed that 82% of jobs require digital skills and jobs with digital skills attracted a 29% increase in salary, on top of this the cost savings and efficiencies being offered by IoT and connected anywhere technologies, have the ability to transform a community. This means quality connectivity, both fixed line and mobile, is becoming of paramount importance.

These technologies will combine to underpin a digital infrastructure layer that will support new devices, applications, data, and skills, so that councils can in turn support the public through enhanced services. Authorities will be able to capitalise on the technological advancements and introduce new schemes that add value to entire communities, fuelling economic growth and closing existing social and economic gaps.

The government took a large step forward by helping authorities in making this digital vision a reality with the launch of the Digital Connectivity Infrastructure Accelerator (DCIA). The pilot scheme provides local authorities and technology providers with access to up to 4 million of funding to develop tomorrows wireless communication networks, with a specific focus on exploring how public assets (publicly owned buildings and street furniture) can be used to support the development and deployment of mobile communications and small cells. This not only simplifies deployment and lowers cost, but it also helps reduce street furniture and protect the aesthetics of the environment.

This is a huge step forward in enabling the rollout of small cells, alongside fixed and macro deployments, and a connected Britain, argues Ian Newbury, MNO Business Development Director at BT Wholesale.

The 5G promise has the potential to change how we interact with our local environment.

It is more than faster broadband on your handset. Its high reliability, low latency and the ability to connect millions of devices in a small area. This means it can open up access to new technologies, whether thats exciting technologies such as augmented reality, or the simple but practical smart sensors for bin capacity. This is why 29 of the 30 global cities surveyed for the Digital Cities Index 2022 have a strategy in place for the deployment of 5G technology, they understand its future importance in enabling connected communities, and the dangers of being left behind.

The report also nods to some of the hurdles that exist to achieving this, particularly in deployment. To be truly transformational in areas like autonomous transport, 5G needs to be ubiquitous and comprehensive, which will require greater private sector investment, new partnership models between telecommunications companies and an enabling regulatory environment. Simply put, success in deploying 5G will require collaboration between all stakeholders.

But this isnt just required for 5G, local authorities and MNO partners are faced with meeting the demands of communities seeking greater connectivity now. Whether catering for 4G or 5G, theres an increase in demand for speed, reliability, and quality. Therefore, MNOs need to boost network performance in areas of high-capacity usage, as well as in areas of low coverage, so that low-latency connectivity is ubiquitous.

Traditionally MNOs have focused on Macro Cell deployments, which enable greater coverage per cell. This has served the market well for voice and for 3G and 4G where coverage was a key driver. However, with 5Gs focus on reliability, speed and IoT, the network needs both resilience and densification.

Small cells can achieve this, not only by providing inherent backup to the macro cell network and greater bandwidth in smaller, more focused areas but also with some of the technologies in 5G such as coordinated multipoint (CoMP) and enhanced interference coordination (eICIC) which can increase spectrum efficiency by over 60%, massively increasing the bandwidth without having to buy more spectrum.

Small cells arent a new technology, they were a strong part of the 3G and 4G story, however, mass deployment has never happened due to the cost and complexity of deploying, overly complex planning hurdles, expensive concession models and inconsistent practices between providers has meant the MNOs found alternatives to solving the problem, but these practices now have diminishing returns and will not solve the 5G challenge.

The good news is local authorities and MNOs have increased and, whilst we arent in a utopia there is a mutual aim to work together. For example, EE, in collaboration with other telecom providers and local authorities, has recently deployed over 500 small cells in a number of cities across the UK, including Leeds, London, Liverpool, Glasgow, Edinburgh, and Manchester.

With the majority of the small cells sited on council-owned street furniture, the deployments already allow users to enjoy download speeds of up to 300 Mbps in what were previously areas of poor or no coverage.

Cammy Day, Deputy Leader of Edinburgh Council and its Smart Cities lead, described this as an innovative use of space using the Councils existing CCTV cameras to accelerate the rollout of high-density mobile coverage and close the digital divide in some of our most disadvantaged communities.

There are clear benefits to small cell deployments on existing infrastructure such as CCTV columns, lamp posts, etc. Not only does it lower the cost and time to deploy, it prevents the need for further infrastructure protecting aesthetics and lowering the carbon footprint.

But their overall rollout has been hindered by previous commercial models where a party will buy the rights to the infrastructure for a set period. The commercials usually include a large upfront payment, followed by a revenue share on every asset that goes live. This approach has created land banking where a party needs to get an ROI on their investment which is usually uneconomical for the MNO, so sites are only taken where there is no alternative, this lowers the take up which in turn has led to some local authorities feeling that they dont generate the expected revenue share.

Some local authorities such as those in Leeds, Liverpool, and Glasgow have taken steps to address these issues. Theyve adopted an open access approach, whereby anybody can approach them to use the asset at a set price, this model ensures that the assets are not overly valued and therefore sterilised due to economics and that the local community can benefit equally regardless of what network they are on.

This simplifies the supply chain in which small cells can be deployed at speed with minimal disruption, driving benefits for everyday users, and improving digital inclusion and economic growth.

Simplifying the supply chain for small cells provides huge benefits to everybody involved the MNO, the local authority, and most importantly the local communities our end customers.

Local authorities are increasingly understanding the need for ubiquitous quality connectivity to close the digital divide. There are a wealth of new technologies and services maturing that can empower communities and level them up across work, education, public services, and more.

But to achieve this, we need to step closer to the utopia whereby not only are the four MNOs working together more closely, but local councils and partners across the supply chain are working together to unlock existing infrastructure and fuelling inclusive growth.

Weve made great strides with the open access model, but success will be driven through a nationwide embrace of it, increased collaboration and aligning on the common aim to create a truly connected society.

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True digital levelling up is within reach for local authorities - Open Access Government

With the end of this brutal summer finally (hopefully?!) in sight, it is time to start planning for fall. Call it second summer, as in still plenty warm for enjoying the outdoors but no longer hot enough to melt pavement. Here are six places perfect for a much-needed autumn getaway. Take one (or more) as your just reward for surviving another scorching Texas summer.

Lake Bastrop North Shore ParkThis LCRA park in Bastrop hugs the shore of a constant temperature lake for swimming, paddling (canoe, kayak, SUP, and Corcl rentals available), or fishing (with a boat ramp and pier). The park features almost 10 miles of hiking and biking trails, including one connecting to Lake Bastrop South Shore Park, and a sand volleyball court, too. Stay in one of 5 Airstream campers, 2 cabins, or 6 safari style tents. All have grills for cooking and decks for enjoying views of the lake and the stars while sipping a cold one. Other dining and entertainment options in nearbyBastrop, including a distillery and several breweries and taprooms.Neighbor's Kitchen & Yardand Iron Bridge Icehouse, both on the banks of the Colorado River, serve food, craft beer and cocktails, and live music.

Lake GeorgetownAt this Corps of Engineers reservoir, choose from four campgrounds with RV and tent camping options. Enjoy swimming, fishing, kayaking (rentals available at Russell Park), and hiking. The crown jewel is the Good Water Trail, a 26-mile loop around the entire lake through a variety of terrain, with multiple trailheads offering the opportunity for shorter hikes. Dining options, wine bars, breweries, and other lodging options are nearby inGeorgetown. Check out Barking Armadillo Brewing and, on the courthouse square, three wine tasting rooms and multiple dining options.

Matagorda Bay Nature ParkLocated where the Colorado River meets the Gulf of Mexico, Matagorda Bay offers miles of uncrowded beaches for combing and wetlands for paddling. Rent beach chairs, wagons, and kayaks (guided tours available), play miniature golf, fish on the beach or pier, or birdwatch. In addition to Airstream rentals and camping and RV sites, visitors now can rent one of 10 new bungalows that sleep from six to eight people, with fully equipped kitchens, outdoor decks, gas grills, and fantastic views.

Port AransasMiles of beach, without summer crowds: What else do you need? Well, perhaps a place to stay, and youll find every option from fancy condos to kitschy cottages in this seaside town. Plenty of dining and entertainment options, too. Try the local seafood at places like La Playa Mexican Grill, Fins Grill & Icehouse, and Seafood and Spaghetti Works. Have a cold one at Bernies Beach House, the Port A Beer Hut, or Moby Dicks. Rent bicycles, golf carts, surfboards, and kayaks atIsland Surf Rentals(check out the Lighthouse LakesPaddling Trail). Or just sit on the beach.

Painted Sky InnLocated on a tranquil inlet of Lake Buchanan, this waterfront property offers rooms for two to ten people with kitchens and lake views, as well as a tiny home and a vintage Airstream. Amenities include fire pits, BBQ grills, a fishing pier, and canoes, kayaks, and paddle boards. Find miles of hiking trails atCanyon of the EaglesandInks Lake State Park(day pass reservations recommended), or tour several nearby wineries (Torr Na LochsandFall Creek, to name two) and breweries (Save the World BrewingandDouble Horn Brewing), plus dining options in Burnet and Marble Falls.

Frio RiverThe aptly-named Frio River is famous for swimming and tubing in the summer. The most popular way to enjoy the river isGarner State Park, but getting weekend reservations can be tough. Another option isNeals Lodges, a sprawling family-owned complex that includes 81 cabins, 10 lodges, 17 condos, 45 RV hook-ups, and 16 tent sites, plus a country store and dining room. See a bat emergence at nearbyFrio Caveor a bit farther away inKickapoo Cavern State Park. Saturdays are for fine dining atThe Laurel Treeand diner fare atLost Maples Caf, both in Utopia, and Concan has several eateries as well(some close after the summer season, so check websites).

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6 perfect weekend getaways to plan in Texas this fall - CultureMap Austin

Many of the leading galleries take a no-nonsense approach, showing works by a range of artists. The list includes Martin Browne Contemporary, Roslyn Oxley9, Sullivan + Strumpf, Olsen Gallery, MARS, Nanda/Hobbs, Dominik Mersch, Niagara, ARC ONE, Bett Gallery, Arthouse and Yavuz Gallery. Others choose to highlight a single artist, which can be both rewarding and risky. Critical acclaim is good for the ego, but sales are crucial.

Michael Reid, for whom no rules ever seem to apply, has had an each-way bet, with his Sydney + Berlin stall hosting an elegant solo installation by photographer, Tamara Dean, and his Murrurundi stall (yes, Murrurundi), packed to the rafters with small saleable pictures and objects. Wagner Contemporary has also hedged its bets, taking three stalls to show the work of three artists, Eleanor Millard, Al Poulet and Nigel Sense. At THIS IS NO FANTASY, Vincent Namatjira makes a pretty good attempt at stealing the show with an epic series of portraits of Queen Elizabeth and the Royal Family. Dont forget to peek around the corner for the amazing paintings of Jonathon World Peace Bush.

One legacy of the pandemic is that this years participating galleries are drawn exclusively from Australia and New Zealand, but the kiwis are distinctive enough to provide a point of difference. Look at the work shown by galleries such as STARKWHITE, PAULNACHE and Gow Langsford, along with Fox Jensen, which straddles the Tasman, and theres a more challenging style than most of their Australian counterparts.

Tamara Dean, Follow Me, 2022.

Of the specialised Aboriginal art dealers, DLan Davidson has a stunning show of works from Balgo, while Utopia Art has a masterpiece display of central and western desert painting. Sabbia Gallery is the place for top-of-the-line glass and ceramics, although one shouldnt overlook Sally Dan-Cuthbert. Vermilion Art is the only venue exclusively devoted to Chinese artists.

New galleries, interstate galleries, the National Art Schools showcase of student work; collaborations such as the one between Max Germanoss 3.33 Art Projects and Artist Profile magazine theres far too much to talk about. In addition to the galleries there are 16 separate artist installations, including a whimsical-but-insightful sculpture by Kenny Pittock of the world turned pear-shaped.

Vincent Namatjira, The Royal Tour (Diana, Vincent and Charles), 2020.

One of the hardest things to do in an art fair is to stand out from the crowd. Darren Knight has managed this feat by the novel expedient of taking a detail from a work by Louise Weaver and wrapping it around his booth as wallpaper. In a trompe-lil effect, a flat wall becomes creased and crumpled, making us look twice at this oddity. The central attraction is an even greater oddity, in the form of a mind-bending new painting by James Morrison, featuring not three graces but three frogs, one of them holding a ukulele. If hes playing April Sun in Cuba were probably not looking at a frog but a toad.

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The keen collectors get in as early as they can, but Saturday is the big day for the general public, so dont even think about parking. By day three of the fair one should be able to tell, by the calmness or desperation displayed by the dealers, whether sales are up or down. Whatever happens, expect that attendances will be sky-high. Sydney may not be a city of art fanatics, but it loves nothing more than a grand spectacle with the possibility of shopping.

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Sydney loves nothing more than a grand spectacle with the possibility of shopping - Sydney Morning Herald

Welcome, Earthlets, to Multiver-City One, our 2000 AD weekly review column! Every Wednesday we examine the latest offerings from Tharg and the droids over at Rebellion/2000 AD, the galaxys leading producers of Thrill-Power entertainment. Lets get right to it!

Cover by Cliff Robinson and Dylan Teague

THIS WEEK IN 2000AD

Judge Dredd: Sentientoids Big Idea Part 2 Credits: Rob Williams (script), Jake Lynch (art), Jim Boswell (colors), Annie Parkhouse (letters)

Greg Lincoln: Wow, Sentientoids Big Idea part two relies a lot of exposition. There is a lot of story to be told and it is a testament to the entire creative team that this chapter still feels more show than tell. The Sentientoid, we learn, dates back to the time of Apocalypse War. Its recent awakening and sentience has left it feeling alone, lost, and adrift in the unfamiliar world of capitalism. It grasps for for something to center itself and movies fit the bill apparently. Rob Williams pulls from the Godfather a movie so iconic that even if you have never seen it you know the big scenes and the overall thrust of the film and throws in some homages to the movie throughout. He also tantalizingly lets us in on the Sov war machines big idea. It has bought into one of the seedier aspects of capitalism, killing for money. The classic film has gotten under its skin as it has gotten keen on becoming a made man.

The moment that does draw you into the story is that conspiratorial whisper we cant read, the deal struck between the Sentientoid and the mob guy he spares. And at that moment, you are kind of there with it as it kills the Judge that rolls up. The rest of the strip sees Dredd and his partner Chase arriving to investigate, and their revelations are secondary. We are just curious now where the idea is going to take us. Williams killed it with the pacing as you never notice just how much work he gave to Annie Parkhouse with the lettering.

Jim Boswell made some really great tone and pallet choices for this. There is a coldness for the flashbacks and scenes where we kind of see the world through the Sentientoid eyes. Jake Lynchs Godfather homages reinforce the noir, crime story tone set by cultural reference alone. The Sentientoid kills a good number of people on panel, but the way its drawn the only time Lynch makes you feel it is when it it takes out the Judge. Its powerful and bright and violent compared to the earlier kills it racked up in the cold shadows of the other scenes.

Thargs 3rillers: The Crawly ManCredits: David Barnett (script), Lee Milmore (art), Quinton Winter (colors), Simon Bowland (leters)

Brian Salvatore: The second piece of The Crawly Man does a really fine job, in just a few panels, of giving this strip an extra dose of heart. Not that seeing Caris kidnapped last week wasnt a shock to the system, but her genuine fear and emotion rendered stiffly but effectively by Lee Milmore seep through these pages and make the story sing in a different way. The twist at the end of the strip further digs the knife in, allowing the entire tone of the strip to change into an even darker place.

Both the pieces with Caris and Herne feel a little more fleshed out than last chapter, and David Barnetts script both gives the reader a little extra exposition and creates a world that feels full and rich, and would have without the added context. As mentioned last time, The Crawly Man does a fine job in keeping with the pastoral British horror genre, and that shorthand worked wonders in the first chapter, but now is simply the foundation upon which the rest of the story builds. This allows the story to feel like it is both more complex and deep than its two installments have shown thus far.

As this is a 3riller, it will wrap up next week, and unlike so many of these types of stories, this feels neither like a rush to the finish line nor a drawn-out one-shot. The arts rigidity is the only part of this strip that isnt quite living up to its potential, but the mood evoked by the lineart does help set the tone.

Skip Tracer: Valhalla Part ElevenCredits James Peaty (script), Paul Marshall (art), Dylan Teague (Colours), Simon Bowland(letters)

Michael Mazzacane: Now this was a surprising strip both in terms of content and how it moves the plot around. Prog strips dont have the luxury of turning into an extended action set piece like Naruto and so on, so extended action sequences generally dont happen. That functional knowledge doesnt make the dissolution of Djinndorah satisfying. The effectively two pages but more like two panel showdown between the nihilistic demon and Eden wasnt thrilling or exciting. As an example of what Edens power can be like it is perhaps the most functional and dramatic display, but even that didnt have time to breathe. It all just feels rushed, especially when you have a single panel take up a third of the page on page three.

There is something thematically engaging about this showdown between a demonic force professing a nihilistic attitude and the lack of salvation and his foe being the antithesis of that, a character named after a mythic utopia. But any engagement with this battle of symbols is wiped away with the flick of a wrist.

The creative team doesnt let anyone off the hook though, at least in this episode. Once Eden is returned Noland quickly ports back to the Cube and completes the mission. Paul Marshall shows his incineration as the ship goes into the Black Hole. Its an honestly touching and effective moment. Those final two pages show the kind of measured pace that I wouldve liked to see the first three have. Obviously this is all building up to what will either be the finale or the start to the final act. What is Valhalla after several teases and a trip through a celestial entity? Can Eden even find Nolan and meet him there?

The eleventh entry in Skip Tracer does a whole bunch of stuff, maybe a little too fast. But there is also a commitment to characters and their own unflinching standards that is admirable. This is very much a downer ending for now. I also just cant help but wonder what if this strip was in an issue of the Megazine and they had twice the space to really make the drama land.

Dexter Bulletopia Chapter Eleven: The End of the Pier Show Part 2Credits: Dan Abnett (script), Tazio Bettin (art), Matt Soffe (colors) Annie Parkhouse (letters)

Matthew Blair: With everything thats been going on with Dexter and his crew its easy to forget that theyve been fleeing for their lives against a massive, all consuming artificial intelligence that has been tracking and hunting them across Europe. Now things have come to a head, and the past has caught up to them in more ways than one.

Writer Dan Abnett does a good job of turning Dexter Bulletopia Chapter 11 Part 2 into the set up for a brutal and long awaited confrontation between Dexter and the murderous AI, and while Abnett has a great track record of turning out some great stories, new readers might feel a bit lost here. Its not that the comic itself is bad, its just that if you want to be able to fully appreciate whats going on you have to be heavily invested in this series from the beginning. Abnett does a solid job of giving Dexter some quiet character moments and setting up a nail biter of an action sequence, but it doesnt really feel special unless you really know whats going on.

Steve Yeowells artwork for Dexter Bulletopia Chapter 11 Part 1 shows that its functional and capable of telling an emotional story, but its also plain and runs a serious risk of coming across as boring. Yeowells simple art style does really shine when Dexter is having an emotional break down, but in a world of grime, poverty, high crime, and low morals he doesnt do a very good job of showing just how grimy and lived in this world can be.

Dexter Bulletopia Chapter 11 Part 2 is a great emotional journey and promises to have some great action in the future, but there are some world building problems that prevent the story from being as good as it could be.

Jaegir: Ferox Part SevenCredits: Gordon Rennie (Script), Simon Coleby (Art), Len OGrady (Colors), Jim Campbell (Letters)

Christopher Egan: Giving us a little bit of a change in format, Rennie opens this chapter by taking us in years past to give us a glimpse at how these events spun out to the current storyline. The change is welcome, but not enough to warrant an extreme amount of praise. Overall, the script doesnt do anything much different than any of the other chapters, but it does add a bit more character intrigue to a story thats been sorely lacking any.

The art team does get to switch things up adding various color schemes to the story that, for some time, has looked generally the same week to week. Its a good looking chapter and it does add enough changes to give readers something to look forward to and be a bit different. I do find myself wondering where this story is going, but I cant decide if thats out of actual interest or just waiting for the end to come.

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Multiver-City One: 2000 AD Prog 2298 The Nightmare Man! - Multiversity Comics

Ending a more than 14-year event called Utopiafest while camping under a total eclipse in semi-remote Texas is total cult behavior. Sign us up. The Utopiafest crew announced in July a two-year plan to close out the series in May of 2023, returning to the initial venue in Utopia, Texas, and opening a new permanent venue in Buda, for continued fun with a lower buy-in.

First comes Utopiafest 13 (stylized UTOPiAfest Thirteen), at Reveille Peak Ranch in Burnet County, much closer to Austin. The nearest scheduled festival is penultimate in the regular series, which ends with Utopiafest 14 in 2023.

After that, Eclipse Utopia: Annular moves the venue back to Four Sisters Ranch in Utopia, with views from the camping area that extend 30 miles over the stage as narrated by Utopiafest co-founder Wayne Dalchau. Finally, Eclipse Utopia: Total coincidentally describes the total end of the multiday festival.

Remaining Utopiafest dates are as follows:

The next event, Utopiafest 13 (if youre keeping up), will feature big names in Austin and the country on two stages. Among the 20 artists on the lineup, folk duo Shovels and Rope bring more than a decade of raw, high-energy folk songwriting. Victor Wooten, the legendary bassist known for his creative adventurousness, is touring with his Bass Extremes in support of the August 26 release of SLow Down. Austin solo artist Sir Woman, in the middle of rising to national prominence with just one LP released in 2022, is also on the bill.

Nestled into the 1,000-acre Reveille Peak Ranch, which is popular for mountain biking about 60 miles northwest of Austin near Buchanan Lake, Utopiafest is as much about the camping as the tunes. Bikers can take off as usual, or can try hiking, swimming, disc golf, and workshops with community artisans. The event is BYOB, local vendors are handling most food needs, and cooking at the campsite is encouraged. Kids are not just welcome, but taken care of at the Kids Camp with special programming.

We had initially agreed on five Utopiafests at Reveille, and then we were going to revisit and decide what we were going to do next, says Utopiafest co-founder Travis Sutherland. Factoring in pandemic cancellations, this four-part schedule allows Utopiafest to fulfill its plan with Reveille before pivoting to smaller parties multiple times per year to start, those are the Eclipse events, organized around actual astronomical events crossing over Utopia. Once those are over, the permanent music venue is more of a long-term sustainable, controlled environment, where we can capture the spirit of the festival and have it in a permanent home in Buda.

The new venue, called Meridian, soft-launched on August 20 with a performance by local band Madam Radar. Sutherland compares it to laid-back cafes Radio Coffee & Beer or Cosmic Coffee in the daytime, and good-natured, "classy" C-Boys at night. Inside Zoi Market, the homey, natural-toned Meridian has slowly been coming to life and rolling out bit by bit: the wood bar, some small jazz performances, live video recordings. The team is updating the venue's Instagram account as it works up to full capacity.

It's getting harder to convince [Travis] wife that we should be throwing parties and not making a whole lot of money, says Dalchau, cheekily referring to his partners growing family. If we are able somehow over the next four parties that we have scheduled to get a windfall or someone comes through and wants to support it in a way that we can sustain, I think we could certainly try to do another chapter in the future. But until that happens smaller parties might be the way we provide a weekend of sanity for people.

Utopiafest 13 will take place October 14 and 15, 2022, at Reveille Peak Ranch. Tickets are available at utopiafest.com. Check meridianbuda.com or Meridian'sInstagram account for more information about operations and programming as it becomes available.

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Utopiafest will end with a bang or an eclipse and a new Austin-area venue - CultureMap Austin

Cliche alert: We all spend one-third of our lives in bed (more, if you're lucky). It's true enough, but that doesn't mean we're able to spend all that time sleeping, and it certainly doesn't mean we spend that time sleeping contentedly, deeply, restoratively. Blame your life worries, the constant agita of parenthood or the loud snoring of the significant other sprawled next to you, but it's a good bet that hot, limp, misshapen, pillow has a hand in your rest-lessness.

If this is your story, or if you even suspect that it is, why not try the ingenious new nighttime headrest that is a Utopia Bed Pillow? It may change your life, and given that you can score a queen-size pair right now for just $25 with on-page coupon (that makes these just $12.50 each!), there's never been a better time to give it a try.

You'll see these described as "gussetted pillows." What does that mean? See that band of double-sewn fabric running around the perimeter? That's there to provide added height and structure to the pillow to make it more three-dimensional. It's a kind of insurance against flattening out...and it makes all the difference when it comes to a sound night's sleep.

Once out of the bag, the awesomeness of these Utopia pillows is just beginning. Leave them basking in the sun for a few hours or toss them in a low-temp dryer with a couple of tennis balls, and these babies will achieve maximum fluffiness. Thereafter, dear readers, your sleeping life will never be the same again.

They feature 950-gram poly fiber filling inside a breathable outer shell that combine to ensure you're always sleeping on the cool side of the pillow. If you are a sleeper who wakes hot and sweaty, these are just for you!

See that band of blue around the outside? THAT's gusseting! See, you learn something new every day. Now, go buy some *&%@$ pillows. (Photo; Amazon)

Over 34,000 now-happy slumberers roused themselves long enough to sing five-star praises of the Utopia pillow.

"Wasnt expecting much," said a onetime skeptic. "All pillows in my opinion go flat and disappoint.... On the first night no kidding I didnt have to punch or adjust. I just slept. Its Day Three and the pillow is still puffy and holding its shape.... I put in the dryer on low for a few minutes and it expanded to full size. I love it, and my memory foam pillow has been put away. I sleep hot and this pillow does stay cool."

"These are the most luxurious pillows I have ever touched...better than any hotel I have stayed in," says a convert. "They are very "cool" in that no matter where you lay your head, they are very cool to the touch and very supportive, almost "firm" but not too much.... So fluffy...full but soft. Firm but relaxed... It makes me want to jump back into bed just to lay on the pillows.... So pleased. I never thought pillows were so significant...just no big deal...but I was wrong."

"I love these pillows," says an exhausted shopper. "Ive spent so much money trying to find the right pillow. I suffer from severe.. I mean severe neck pain and this pillow for some reason this pillow allows me to find the position to fall asleep in. I wake up with no stiff neck. Finally something that works. And bonusit stays cool too.

If you have Amazon Prime, youll get free shipping on these pillows, of course. Not yet a member? No problem. You can sign up for your free 30-day trial here. (And by the way, those without Prime still get free shipping on orders of $25 or more.)

The reviews quoted above reflect the most recent versions at the time of publication.

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Originally published August 24, 2022, 4:51 PM

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'The most luxurious pillows I have ever touched' These cooling, pain relieving wonders are just $13 - Yahoo News

Atomic Heart reemerged during Gamescom with a new trailer devoted solely to showing off its impressive, Bioshock-esque combat. Over three minutes of gameplay footage shows off the carnage you'll unleash against adversaries, both artificial and organic.

Players wield melee weapons or firearms in one hand and more, shall we say, unconventionalabilities in the other. That includes electrifying targets with lightning bolts, tossing them aroundwith a telekinesis-like power, freezing foes solid with an ice blast, or using wires to hijack machines. The action-packed video shows off how players can creatively combine their arsenal to dismantle and disembowel anything standing in their way.

Atomic Heart was first announced in 2018 and takes place in an alternative futuristic version of the Soviet Union in 1955. Robotic technology flourished post World War 2, allowing humanity to create ahigh-tech utopia. Unfortunately, thesemechanical helpershave started rebelling against their human creators. If that wasnt enough, killer mutants born from secret experiments have also run amok. Players control private agent P-3, who embarks on a secret mission to get to the bottom of whats caused this seemingly perfect society to collapse and clean up this mess.

Atomic Heart launchesthis fall for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. Its also launching on Xbox Game Pass.

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Atomic Heart Dazzles In Action-Packed Combat Trailer - Game Informer

If, in the winter of 2021, you had been wandering through downtown Reykjavk, you might have registered the thud-thud-thud-thud of a lockdown house party. Squeezing her Christmas bubble of friends into her living room, Icelands most famous citizen was throwing another of her crazy DJ nights, where 20 people could come and I always ended up DJing just gabber.

According to Bjrk, the nails-hard 90s Dutch techno style is the perfect soundtrack to Covid life. Theres always a BPM in our bodies, you know? And I think through Covid we were all pretty lazy, just sitting home reading books, so when we got drunk or partied it was like we went a little bit mental, then we just fell asleep before midnight. Slow energy, but then it goes double. And that, she realised, is a little bit gabber.

Icelands hardline response to Covid protected its tiny population from the worst of the pandemic. Please dont let this come out like a brag, because we felt for you guys, but we actually didnt have that much of a life change, she says. Besides, being confined to Iceland is Bjrks idea of a good time. Despite having spread herself around the world for almost four decades, Bjrk still claims to be such a homebody. For her, the nadir of the pandemic was the day the local swimming pool shut.

In person today in a fragrant hotel in east London Bjrk is always in motion. There is a fidgety energy to the 56-year-old that seems innate and unchanging, as if her fame as a child singer gave her the confidence not to bother growing up. Maybe it is something to do with the bottom-line feminism of a country where grownup women can be drinkers, shaggers and prime ministers (more on her later) without much controversy. Intermittently jumping out of her seat, Bjrk is dressed down in a crayon-red asymmetrical dress by Kiko Kostadinov (she obligingly yanks out the label to check), a jacket covered in scales of shimmering blue silk and clompy lace-up platform shoes, with streaks of bronze on her eyelids.

Covid delivered Bjrk back to her homeland at a transitional time. Her nest was emptying. Her daughter, sadra (who also goes by Doa), was all grown up, studying, acting and making films and music of her own. Bjrks mother, Hildur Rna Hauksdttir, the hippy homeopath who nudged her on to the stage as child, had died in 2018 after a long illness. After two albums made in the maelstrom of heartbreak and divorce, Bjrk fell back to earth with a soft thud, thinking about her ancestors, her descendants and the land of fire and ice that binds them.

Her new album is called Fossora, the feminine version of the Latin word for digger. On the cover, she is a glowing forest sprite, her fingertips fusing with the fantastic fungi under her hooves. Compared with the cloudy electronics of 2017s Utopia, it is organic and spacious, earthbound rather than dreamy, and filled with warmth and breath. It is also a world of contrasts: the albums two lodestones are bass clarinet and violent outbursts of gabber. There are moments of astonishing virtuosity and bewildering complexity and, like much of her recent music, a resistance to easy melody. Bjrks journey from 90s dance-pop to something more like surreal opera has more in common with Scott Walkers graceful trajectory than those of 90s peers such as PJ Harvey.

Like all Bjrk albums, Fossora is a reaction to its predecessor. Soft and light as candyfloss, Utopia was a survival mechanism out of the heartbreak story she had told on 2015s Vulnicura, which diarised her split from the artist Matthew Barney in blow-by-blow bleakness. What she calls the emergency album and the rescue album popped out like airbags, with barely two years between them, despite the technical challenges Bjrk set herself (such as the four months it took to figure out the reverb on Utopias flutes).

This time, she decided to take as long as she needed and allow myself the luxury of not having any willpower. Lockdown made that easier. I dont think Ive been that much home since I was 16. Guilty to admit it, but I was eating chocolate pudding every day, she says with a grin. Usually, on trips back to Reykjavk, she wouldnt even bother to unpack. This time, her empty suitcase went up on the shelf. I got really grounded and I really, really loved it.

Between the gabber eruptions, Fossora offers tender songs written for Bjrks mother, a poem by the 18th-century fisherwoman and drifter Ltra-Bjrg, the buttery voice of Serpentwithfeet and backing vocals from Sindri, her son, and Doa, who lends a pristine, folky tone to Her Mothers House. I asked her to write about saying goodbye to the nest and [said] she didnt have to just be nice, she says, clearly proud. Its me making fun of myself for being a bit clingy. (They also appeared together in Robert Eggers Viking saga The Northman, with Doa playing an enslaved Irish person snatched away to Iceland and Bjrk playing the Seeress, her eyes hidden under sea-snail shells while prophesying a violent death for Alexander Skarsgrd.)

Despite hyping Fossora as an album for people who are making clubs in their living room, rumours of Bjrks rave album have been greatly exaggerated. I was trying to take the mickey out of myself, she says with a sigh, her accent still a jolly mixture of Nordic rolled Rs and cockney slang. Here I am, this lady stuck in my living room in lockdown, and its a really serious song for four and a half minutes. And then its one minute of she bolts up from her chair and starts pumping her arms to a silent beat WOO!

She gives me a visual description of Fossora. If Utopia was a magical retreat from the black lake of misery she plunged into on Vulnicura (pull all the teeth out, no violence like a pacifist, idealistic album with flutes and synths and birds), then Fossora shows life in this dreamland. Lets see what its like when you walk into this fantasy and, you know, have a lunch and farrrrt another gleefully rolled R and do normal things, like meet your friends.

This earthiness is trowelled by the albums sextet of bass clarinets, an instrument chosen not for its gloominess, as in Mahlers 6th Symphony, nor its smoky luxury, like Bennie Maupins playing on Miles Daviss Bitches Brew, but for its potential as percussive artillery. Bjrk wanted them to sound like Public Enemy, like duh-duh-duh-duh, like boxing, she chirps, before squatting in demonstration of the metre-long instruments heavyweight attack.

Then there is the hard techno. On heavy rotation at Bjrks living room parties were Gabber Modus Operandi, two Indonesian punks who alloy folk styles such as Balinese gamelan with abrasive western gabber, footwork and noise. Theyre taking tradition into the 21st century, which I really respect. They do it like nobody else, Bjrk says.

She had a feeling they would be on the same wavelength. When Ican Harem and DJ Kasimyn first spoke to her over a video call, she explained she was making her mushroom album. Its like digging a hole in the ground. This time around, Im living with moles and really grounding myself. I dont know if thats too far-fetched for you guys, but I have to speak in this sort of music lingo, she told them. And they were like: Oh, its funny you say that, but last week we took some gamelan drums and dug them in the ground and played them there and recorded it. So, yes, we know what you mean. She laughs. Literally! I was just talking metaphorically! The duo emailed her beats, which she painstakingly edited into Fossoras fiddly time signatures, resulting in blasts of what the trio call biological techno (also the name of their WhatsApp group chat).

Two songs, Sorrowful Soil and Ancestress, are tributes to Bjrks mother, who divorced her husband, an electrician and trade unionist, when Bjrk was a baby and went to live in a commune of Hendrix-loving hippies. Having trained in alternative medicine, she wasnt happy to be surrounded by white coats when she got ill towards the end of her life. She didnt agree with all that, says Bjrk. She was in the hospital a lot and it was really difficult on her. It was quite a struggle.

Bjrk is steely as she recounts those distressing couple of years in and out of hospital. Her lyrics, too, are stark in their grief: The machine of her breathed all night while she rested / Revealed her resilience / And then it didnt, she sings over leaping strings and gongs on Ancestress. Hildur Rna was 72 when she died. Thats quite early. I think me and my brother were not ready to we thought she had 10 years left. So we were like: Come on, and getting her to fight and and it was like she had an inner clock in her and she was just ready to go.

In 2002, at the same age Bjrk is now, Hildur Rna went on hunger strike to protest against the US company Alcoa building an aluminium smelter and 11 dams for a hydroelectric plant in the Icelandic highlands. She said: I have a famous daughter, and Ive never used her name ever before, but in this case it was needed. Bjrk was supportive of her mums activism, but no doubt relieved when, after 23 days, frail and delirious from surviving on herbal tonics, Hildur Rna ended her fast.

The smelter and the dams were eventually built. Since then, Bjrk has dedicated much of her time to raising the alarm about environmental devastation. She once ditched a performance at Iceland Airwaves festival to protest against plans to build more than 50 dams and power plants. She interviewed David Attenborough for a TV documentary about music and the natural world. Her 2019 Cornucopia tour featured a video message from the climate activist Greta Thunberg. The Biophilia Educational Project, which bloomed from her 2011 app/album, has become a functioning school syllabus designed to get kids exploring music and science.

In 2019, Bjrk and Thunberg allied with Icelands prime minister, Katrn Jakobsdttir, to declare a climate emergency, a move they hoped would force an official response from the government. But when the time came to make the announcement, Jakobsdttir backed out. I kind of trusted her, maybe because she was a woman and then she went and did a speech and she didnt say a word. She didnt even mention it. And I was so pissed off, Bjrk recounts, practically spitting. Because Id been planning that for months.

A few years ago, she might have kept quiet and held the line. Now, her disappointment has spilled over into exasperation and perhaps a touch of activist burnout. She says: I wanted to be backing her up. Its hard to be a female prime minister; shes got all the rednecks on her back. But she hasnt done anything for the environment.

In her own world, Bjrk remains in control, leading orchestras and choirs of increasing size (52 singers at last count) and collaborating with her pick of musicians and designers. Yet, at heart, she is still a freewheeling romantic, a fountain of blood in the shape of a girl, as she sang 25 years ago on Bachelorette. I feel, as a singer-songwriter, my role is to express the journey of my body or my soul or whatever, and hopefully I will do that till Im 85, or however long I live. I try to keep the antennas up and read where my body is at.

As is obvious from the songs Atopos and Fungal City (His vitality repolarises me / My north/south shifts to east/west) Fossora is an in love album but there are two different love objects at play, she winks, refusing to say more. I suggest that her relationship songs often read like confrontations, punctuated by the sort of difficult questions one regrets asking too late at night. On Atopos, she quizzes: Are these not just excuses to not connect? No, she says after a moments thought it is the other way around. Sometimes, when I really love someone, I will have an interrogation lyric and its disguised as my doubts, because I want to be nice but its actually their doubts.

Bjrks homecoming marks a new cycle. The dust has settled. Im just really happy to be back home and Im such a homebody and Im really Icelandic, she gushes. The swimming pool is open again. She is closer than ever to her fellow local musicians, many of whom joined her for last years Bjrk Orkestral concert series at Harpa hall in Reykjavk, a madly ambitious project that she worked on through repeated pandemic postponements.

At her managers suggestion, she has been digging into the archives to make a podcast series about her discography; it is due in autumn. Watching her old TV interviews in preparation, she found herself thinking: Wow, shes cocky! But basically Im saying the same things. Im in London and Im just like: Can I go home now?

Fossora will be released this autumn on One Little Independent Records

Read more:

'I got really grounded and loved it': how grief, going home and gabber built Bjrk's new album - The Guardian

A new study is calling on Quebec to rethink the way it funds universities. The study by the Institut de recherche et d'informations socioconomiques (IRIS) concludes that the tuition model no longer makes sense and that the province has the means to eliminate it.

"High fees and the prospect of going into debt discourage future students from pursuing their studies, especially the less well-off," study co-author Samuel lie-Lesage said in a press release.

"At the same time, the need to pay off their debts may lead many of them to favour jobs where income is the highest, without regard to the true social utility of these jobs."

Researchers estimate that tuition-free university would have a price tag of $1.2 billion annually, or 0.009% of the current provincial budget.

"Not only is free education financially viable, but it is a very small price to pay to avoid the many failures of the neoliberal model," lie-Lesage continued.

The study points to other social democracies where there's no tuition for university attendance, such as France and the Scandinavian countries in Europe, and Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay in South America.

"We must break with the widely held belief in public discourse that indexation is a 'reasonable compromise;' conversely, the abolition of tuition fees is not a utopia held by a few students, but the solution designated by many states," other study co-author ric Martin implored.

The U.S. is the obvious example of a country where tuition and debt have run amock. According to Martin, tuition fees there "have increased by more than 25% in 10 years and by about 500% since 1985, while total student debt is now close to $1.7 trillion."

The release of the IRIS study coincides with the Biden administration's decision to cancel between $10,000 and $20,000 of student debt for some holders.

Martin insists the transition to free post-secondary education will take a paradigm shift.

"It's time to start questioning the growth-oriented logic to which our universities are subjected today. Universities are bottomless pits and do not need more and more resources to compete internationally. This concept, in addition to encouraging the growth of research activities that are harmful to the environment, serves in turn to legitimize the increase in tuition fees under the pretext of underfunding."

Read the rest here:

Free University In Quebec Is Possible & Worth Making A Reality, A New Study Says - MTL Blog

He's played a Dothraki chieftain, the king of Atlantis, a visually-impaired warrior of the post-apocalypse, and now are you ready for this one? a horned dream demon by the name of "Flip." Jason Momoa is literally the stuff that dreams are made of in Netflix's first teaser trailer for the streamer's upcoming fantasy feature:Slumberland.

Slated to hit our screens this fall, the project marks the second Hollywood team-up between Momoa and Hunger Gamesvet Francis Lawrence after their collaboration on See for Apple TV+. That show's third and final season premieres tomorrow Friday, Aug. 26. Written by the duo of David Guion (Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb) and Michael Handelman (Dinner for Schmucks), Slumberland seems to channel everything fromLittle Nemo in Slumberland (the film itself was inspired byWindsor Mccay's Little Nemocomic strip character) and Inception to The Polar Express andThe Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus.

Marlow Barkley (Single Parents) stars as a young girl who embarks on a whirlwind adventure in the land of dreams, allying with an eccentric outlaw (the aforementioned entity played by Momoa) and fleeing nightmares in the hopes of seeing her late father (Godzilla vs. Kong's Kyle Chandler as a kindly lighthouse keeper) one last time.Chris ODowd (The Starling), Weruche Opia (High Desert), India de Beaufort (Firefly Lane), and Humberly Gonzalez (Utopia Falls) co-star.

Feast your eyes on the teaser below:

"I've got to tell you, to play in this role really unlocked a lot of things for me," Momoa explained during a recent interview with People. "I actually got to watch it with my children yesterday and with Marlow and her family. It's weird when you tear up watching your own stuff.It blew me away, and I just was so emotional. This role just let me really be free, and the character is so fun."

"Working with Jason onSee, I saw characteristics in his personality that I knew would work really well with Flip," added Lawrence. "So it was fun to do something completely different for the both of us that also allowed us to stretch our creative muscles in new ways."

The director produced the movie alongsidePeter Chernin (Hidden Figures), Jenno Topping (See), and David Ready (Red Sparrow). Guion, Handelman, and Ray Angelic (Project Power) are executive producers.

Slumberland awakens on Netflix Friday, Nov. 18. Luckily, there's plenty of dream-related content on the platform with the first 11 episodes of The Sandman.

Looking for more fantasy films?Click herefor our list of the best fantasy films available on Peacock. If you want to see more of Momoa's badassside, don't fret. The actor will be playing the central villain of next year's Fast X.

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'Slumberland': Jason Momoa shows off his whimsical side in teaser trailer for Netflix fantasy flick - Syfy