The Built Environment Committee says the concept has been `eclipsed` by other planning rule changes. Read...

Nvidia has mostly been in the news lately for its GeForce RTX 50-series cards and DLSS 4 technology, which is way more than just “fake frames.” But the company has been working in other directions as well, including a recent update to the Nvidia Broadcast app. In an announcement post (spotted by The Verge), Nvidia outlines two new AI features that were just added in. The one that catches our attention? Studio Voice, which “enhances a user’s microphone to match that of a high-quality microphone.” According to The Verge, a real-world test showed that Studio Voice really does make a mediocre webcam microphone sound close to professional in quality. The other AI feature in the update is Virtual Key Light, which “relights subjects to deliver even lighting, as if a physical key light was defining the form and dimension of an individual.” Combined, both of these features may let you present yourself in Zoom meetings and video chats in higher quality even with a run-of-the-mill laptop webcam. To use Studio Voice and/or Virtual Key Light, Nvidia says a GeForce RTX 4080 or 5080 GPU is required. However, The Verge reports that they were able to run Studio Voice on an RTX 3070, so who knows, maybe these are just recommendations, not requirements. (Before you run out an upgrade your GPU, see our reviews of the RTX 5080 and RTX 5090.) The latest Nvidia Broadcast update also includes Background Noise Removal (for clearer mic sound), Eye Contact (so it looks like you’re always looking at the camera), and Virtual Background (for clearer visual separation between you and your environment). Read...

Some big changes are coming with the latest season of Major League Soccer on Apple TV, including a new production studio and a featured Sunday night soccer match each week.  One thing that isn’t changing for Apple’s MLS Season Pass in 2025 is the price, although there will be some special offers for Comcast’s Xfinity, DirecTV, and T-Mobile subscribers.  The latest MLS season is set to get underway on February 22, with select preseason matches being streamed via MLS Season Pass starting February 11.  Just like last year, the 2025 edition of Apple’s MLS Season Pass costs $14.99 a month, or $99 for the full season. Apple TV+ subscribers can sign up for MLS Season Pass at a discounted rate of $12.99 a month, or $79 for the season.  Besides watching matches on the Apple TV app, you’ll also be able to watch games on the Apple Vision Pro headset, with video available to stream either within your physical space or within a Vision Pro “Environment,” complete with a virtual screen that feels up to 100 feet wide.  New for 2025 on MLS Season Pass is Sunday Night Soccer, a weekly marquee matchup that will boast an “enhanced” production and “dedicated” studio programming, Apple says, along with pre- and post-game shows.  The first Sunday Night Soccer showing will feature San Diego FC, the newest MLS club, taking on the MLS Cup champions LA Galaxy on February 23 at 7:00 p.m. Eastern.  Sunday Night Soccer matches will offer English-language commentary from Jake Zivin, Taylor Twellman, and Andrew Wiebe, while the Spanish broadcast will be helmed by Sammy Sadovnik and Diego Valeri.  MLS Season Pass viewers will also see the new digs of MLS Productions, which is slated to move its studios to a new 30,000-foot facility at WWE’s headquarters in Samford, Connecticut.   Meanwhile, Apple has announced that T-Mobile will give free MLB Season Pass access to “qualified” T-Mobile and Metro by T-Mobile subscribers via a promotional offer. You can snag the deal starting February 18 by in the T-Mobile Tuesdays section of the T-Life app.  Over at Comcast’s Xfinity, users will get an “integrated” MLS Season Pass experience through the Xfinity user interface, as well as the ability to sign up for the package through the Xfinity service. The cable operator is also offering free access to the MLS 360 whip-around show to all Xfinity subscribers.  Finally, DirecTV subscribers will get a free preview of MLS Season pass from February 22 to March 1.  Apple offers various MLS Season Pass tie-ins across a variety of its services, including the Apple Sports app, Apple Music, Apple News, and Apple Podcasts.  The 2025 edition of MLS Season Pass marks the third of a 10-year deal between Apple and Major League Soccer for streaming rights to the games. Read...

I’ve been a Windows on Arm skeptic for years, but now I can say with certainty that I’ll consider a Snapdragon PC for every business trip I take. I recently completed a six-day tour of duty in Las Vegas, where I and many of my colleagues journeyed as part of our annual CES pilgrimage. I used the Surface Laptop 7, powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite chip, for the entire time. For me, that’s a big deal. I distinctly remember traveling to an Intel Developer Forum conference, most likely in San Francisco, and witnessing an SSD fail completely on a fellow reporter’s laptop. Since then, I’ve generally taken not one but two laptops to industry events, in case one failed or ran out of juice. I know, it’s ridiculous. But I could rest assured that I’d be able to file my story, and that’s what mattered to me. And it was ridiculous, for even as corporate briefings became ever more populated with power outlets, planes did too. That extra laptop became a rather heavy safety blanket that I’d have to wrestle with not only in airport security lines, but also toting it around on the daily. And with power outlets everywhere, did I really need a thin-and-light? Why not something with a little more oomph for a quick game on the go? Josh Hendrickson / IDG But something else happened over the past two years: The power outlets began disappearing again. In the last year, I traveled to Los Angeles, then to Berlin, and finally to Las Vegas. I actually had to haul out a battery pack and charging cord during a session to avoid trying to surreptitiously hunt down a power cord during a presentation. Coincidentally, 2024 was the year of the low-power processor: The Qualcomm Snapdragon Elite, Intel’s Lunar Lake, and AMD’s Ryzen AI 300. All three are superb. With Windows on Arm, however, there was always a risk. Would there be something that prevented me from getting the job done? I’d gone through this while using Chromebooks. Google Docs would be fine for 95 percent of what I needed to do. But when it came to a resume, I needed Word, and at the time Word only ran on Windows. With Arm, initial Snapdragon X laptop buyers complained about the lack of native Arm versions for Google Drive, Slack, various printers, and VPNs. But — and I give the Windows on Arm community a lot of credit here — the ecosystem listened and actively solved the lack of compatibility. Today, Google Drive, several VPNs, and other apps run just fine on Windows on Arm. So, I was heading to Vegas. Would I bet it all on the Surface Laptop? No. I brought a backup laptop anyway. To be fair, I did so as much as to have an extra screen as an extra laptop, so I could refer to a page of notes while I wrote on another. But I didn’t really need to. Long battery life, no compatibility issues whatsoever Put simply, Microsoft’s Surface Laptop performed superbly. I’ve come to believe that trade shows or conferences, where you’re shuttling from a conference room to a booth to a demo suite, are the true test of a laptop, where you simply doesn’t have the time or the convenience to hunt down a charger. Instead, it’s meeting after meeting, waking the laptop, typing and/or inking notes, and closing it. Rinse and repeat. Add in a breakfast meeting, something over lunch and maybe a lingering evening briefing, and you could have hours of uptime. highly recommended Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 (13.8?) Read our review Best Prices Today: $799.49 at Amazon | $999.99 at Best Buy In all, I had a day or two with five meetings in Las Vegas as well as quiet “writing times” where I had a short period to file a story. I don’t think I ever hit less than 40 percent battery life after a day’s work. (At night, I’d plug in.) I used Wi-Fi pretty constantly while the laptop was awake, usually tethered to my phone for connectivity. I didn’t print once and never ran into a situation where I needed to download or use some weird little app to connect to a hotel Wi-Fi. (If I did, I had a VPN at the ready.) So no, I wasn’t trying to stress-test the laptop. Instead, I was using it a conveniently as I could to get my job done in an environment that prioritized long battery life. And everything just worked, for hours and hours and hours. Your mileage will vary, as they say, both at home and on the road. But I can say that I’ve now survived a lengthy, high-tension business trip with no thought to what chip was in my laptop — just that it got the job done. Do I like Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite as a business tool? You bet. I’ve learned to quit worrying and love Qualcomm. Further reading: The 10 best laptops of CES 2025: These notebooks blew us away Read...

OPINION: President of the New Zealand Naturist Federation believes it’s important for her son to grow up in a body-positive, naturist environment. Read...

The Otago Regional Council is taking the district council to Environment Court over repeated breaches at Shotover Wastewater Treatment Plant. Read...

`Being in an environment like this, where Polyfest embraces and expresses your culture, is an honor,` Polyfest participant says Read...

It’s likely the wallaby was shot in the containment area and placed there, an Environment Canterbury spokesperson said. Read...

If you’re reading this, you’re likely one of the billions of people who work on computers all day long. Whether that’s from home or in a corporate office, the result is the same: too many hours spent each day sitting at a desk and staring at a computer screen. This can have adverse effects on your physical and mental wellbeing. Fortunately, there are some simple, healthy habits you can adopt to stay relatively healthy — and you really should adopt them sooner than later, before you’re in agony and trying to rewind time. Invest in the right setup from the start The first thing to get right is your setup, otherwise you’ll be fighting a losing battle from the start. Your setup includes everything you use while working on a PC: desk, chair, monitor, keyboard, and mouse. If you’re working in a corporate office, your options are likely limited as you’ll be stuck with the equipment provided by your company. But even then, you can always make some adjustments that improve your setup and make it better-suited to your individual needs. Tim van der Kuip / Unsplash You should make sure that your monitor is positioned correctly with the top of the screen level with your eyes. You should also invest in an ergonomic mouse that minimizes wrist stress, and you should make sure your desk, chair, keyboard, and mouse are positioned to maintain good posture throughout the day. In a nutshell, your feet should be flat on the ground, your head directly over your hips, your knees and elbows bent at 90 degrees, with your elbows touching the sides of your rib cage. If you work from home and need to kit out your own office, be sure to invest in the best equipment you can afford. Don’t cheap out on your office chair. (It’s true, those pro-tier office chairs are worth it.) It’s essential that every part of your chair is adjustable to fit your body frame and posture, especially the lumbar support for your spine. The importance of ergonomics in preventing pain and physical disorders can’t be overstated. For in-depth guidelines, check out New Hampshire’s Workplace Ergonomics Reference Guide (PDF). Maintain a proper posture Even with the right workstation setup, you still have to consciously maintain good posture at all times. The more you slack, the more you train your body into accepting bad habits. As someone who has worked from home for almost 20 years, believe me when I say this is crucial. There are plenty of times throughout the day when you probably feel like slouching your shoulders, reclining back in your chair, or even putting your feet up on your desk. But you must resist the urge! All of that will build up and lead to bad posture, even injury. Sitting like this will wreak havoc on your back, shoulders, and neck over time.Studio Republic / Unsplash The best way to maintain good posture at all times is to establish an ergonomic setup (see the previous tip) that organically encourages you to sit properly. Sitting in your chair should automatically put you in a good posture with your spine supported, your arms bent at the elbows, and the top of your monitor positioned at eye level. If your back hurts and you find yourself always slouching and leaning and sitting in bad posture no matter what you do, consider switching to a standing desk. It’s an investment, but it’s one of the best things you can do to curb back pain as a desk worker. Keep your workspace uncluttered The old adage “tidy home, tidy mind” suggests that living in a clean and well-organized environment is beneficial to mental health — and the same applies to keeping your workspace clean and tidy. Robert Bye / Unsplash According to Harvard Business Review, research suggests that maintaining a clean, tidy, and well-organized workspace can help you both physically (fewer germs and dust means you’re less likely to get sick from your work environment) and mentally (organized workspaces have been shown to reduce stress and increase productivity). Stay hydrated at all times Staying hydrated is important no matter what you’re doing, but it’s especially key when you’re trying to focus. When working at a desk all day, it’s easy to forget the need to replenish fluids. Staying hydrated generally means drinking water, but can also include tea and coffee as long as you don’t overdo the caffeine intake. Sarah Dorweiler / Unsplash Again, while proper hydration is non-negotiable no matter what you’re doing, it’s especially crucial for concentration. As numerous studies have shown, even mild dehydration can make you groggy, irritable, unfocused, unproductive, and lead to physical ailments. Take regular breaks throughout the day Taking regular breaks feels counterintuitive, but your body needs them. While you might be inclined to power through the day to get done as much as you can, you’d likely get more done with a few strategic breaks sprinkled in throughout the day. There’s conflicting advice when it comes to how many breaks you should take and how often you should take them, but don’t take that to mean nobody knows what they’re talking about. All the experts agree on this: a sedentary lifestyle shortens life and decreases quality of life. Computer workers are quite literally sitting themselves to death. Vitaly Gariev / Unsplash I do two specific things to protect myself while working on my PC: First, I schedule two extended breaks that split my day up into three blocks. Both breaks are spent away from my desk, and if possible, I try to take them outside to ensure I get some fresh air into my lungs. Second, as soon as I feel any kind of strain on my body, I stand up and move around for a minute or so. This doesn’t have to be anything too strenuous. Just the act of standing up and walking around can limber up your muscles/joints and get your blood circulating. Stretch and exercise regularly During your regular breaks, you shouldn’t be zoning out and doing nothing. Sure, grab a glass of water and hit the bathroom if you need to, but most breaks should involve stretching and exercise of some kind. Do exercises that work your abs, upper back, glutes, and hamstrings to encourage good posture and prevent muscular imbalances. Take a short walk and get those legs moving. Stretch out your hips, legs, shoulders, chest, and neck before they get too stiff. Exercises and stretches go a long way to helping you maintain fitness and flexibility. Studio Romantic / Shutterstock There’s a host of good advice online about specific stretches to do while working at your desk and how to avoid work-related injuries. But you should also supplement them with real exercise, either before or after work. That could mean going to the gym, or you could focus on bodyweight exercises from the comfort of your home. You might even try an exercise bike desk that also charges your devices. Follow the 20-20-20 rule for your eyes Here’s one aspect of health that many white collar workers often overlook, especially when you’re younger (e.g., in your 20s). You need to protect your eyes and minimize computer vision syndrome (also known as digital eye strain). G-Stock Studio / Shutterstock The 20-20-20 rule works by forcing you to relax your eyes. Your computer screen is only two or three feet from you, and it can strain your eyes to focus at that distance for extended periods. By focusing on something 20 feet away, your eye muscles can relax — and doing this regularly can help prevent tiredness, blurry vision, and headaches/migraines. It’s worth doing whether you have perfect vision or wear vision correction. Be aware of lighting and brightness levels Good lighting is a necessary element of any good workspace. This applies to both environmental lighting and the light being emitted by that screen you’re staring at for hours and hours every day. For environmental lighting, try to maximize natural light (i.e., sunlight) and supplement it with lamps if needed. Avoid going too bright or too dark, as both extremes will force your eyes to work harder. Try to position your light sources off to the side, not behind your monitor (so you aren’t staring into more light) and not behind you (so it doesn’t cast a glare on your screen that could strain your eyes). Zhyar Ibrahim / Unsplash As for your monitor brightness, there are two factors to consider: first, try to match its brightness to ambient brightness (i.e., not too dim and not too bright), and second, make sure it’s comfortable to your eyes. The best brightness for you will depend on your circumstances, and it might even change depending on the time of day. If your operating system has adaptive brightness or if your monitor has auto-brightness, consider using those features — but it’s possible they may not work well for you. If your eyes are still suffering and uncomfortable, switch to manual control and adjust your lighting as needed. Further reading: Tech gadgets that’ll supercharge your home office Read...

If you’re reading this, you’re likely one of the billions of people who work on computers all day long. Whether that’s from home or in a corporate office, the result is the same: too many hours spent each day sitting at a desk and staring at a computer screen. This can have adverse effects on your physical and mental wellbeing. Fortunately, there are some simple, healthy habits you can adopt to stay relatively healthy — and you really should adopt them sooner than later, before you’re in agony and trying to rewind time. Invest in the right setup from the start The first thing to get right is your setup, otherwise you’ll be fighting a losing battle from the start. Your setup includes everything you use while working on a PC: desk, chair, monitor, keyboard, and mouse. If you’re working in a corporate office, your options are likely limited as you’ll be stuck with the equipment provided by your company. But even then, you can always make some adjustments that improve your setup and make it better-suited to your individual needs. Tim van der Kuip / Unsplash You should make sure that your monitor is positioned correctly with the top of the screen level with your eyes. You should also invest in an ergonomic mouse that minimizes wrist stress, and you should make sure your desk, chair, keyboard, and mouse are positioned to maintain good posture throughout the day. In a nutshell, your feet should be flat on the ground, your head directly over your hips, your knees and elbows bent at 90 degrees, with your elbows touching the sides of your rib cage. If you work from home and need to kit out your own office, be sure to invest in the best equipment you can afford. Don’t cheap out on your office chair. (It’s true, those pro-tier office chairs are worth it.) It’s essential that every part of your chair is adjustable to fit your body frame and posture, especially the lumbar support for your spine. The importance of ergonomics in preventing pain and physical disorders can’t be overstated. For in-depth guidelines, check out New Hampshire’s Workplace Ergonomics Reference Guide (PDF). Maintain a proper posture Even with the right workstation setup, you still have to consciously maintain good posture at all times. The more you slack, the more you train your body into accepting bad habits. As someone who has worked from home for almost 20 years, believe me when I say this is crucial. There are plenty of times throughout the day when you probably feel like slouching your shoulders, reclining back in your chair, or even putting your feet up on your desk. But you must resist the urge! All of that will build up and lead to bad posture, even injury. Sitting like this will wreak havoc on your back, shoulders, and neck over time.Studio Republic / Unsplash The best way to maintain good posture at all times is to establish an ergonomic setup (see the previous tip) that organically encourages you to sit properly. Sitting in your chair should automatically put you in a good posture with your spine supported, your arms bent at the elbows, and the top of your monitor positioned at eye level. If your back hurts and you find yourself always slouching and leaning and sitting in bad posture no matter what you do, consider switching to a standing desk. It’s an investment, but it’s one of the best things you can do to curb back pain as a desk worker. Keep your workspace uncluttered The old adage “tidy home, tidy mind” suggests that living in a clean and well-organized environment is beneficial to mental health — and the same applies to keeping your workspace clean and tidy. Robert Bye / Unsplash According to Harvard Business Review, research suggests that maintaining a clean, tidy, and well-organized workspace can help you both physically (fewer germs and dust means you’re less likely to get sick from your work environment) and mentally (organized workspaces have been shown to reduce stress and increase productivity). Stay hydrated at all times Staying hydrated is important no matter what you’re doing, but it’s especially key when you’re trying to focus. When working at a desk all day, it’s easy to forget the need to replenish fluids. Staying hydrated generally means drinking water, but can also include tea and coffee as long as you don’t overdo the caffeine intake. Sarah Dorweiler / Unsplash Again, while proper hydration is non-negotiable no matter what you’re doing, it’s especially crucial for concentration. As numerous studies have shown, even mild dehydration can make you groggy, irritable, unfocused, unproductive, and lead to physical ailments. Take regular breaks throughout the day Taking regular breaks feels counterintuitive, but your body needs them. While you might be inclined to power through the day to get done as much as you can, you’d likely get more done with a few strategic breaks sprinkled in throughout the day. There’s conflicting advice when it comes to how many breaks you should take and how often you should take them, but don’t take that to mean nobody knows what they’re talking about. All the experts agree on this: a sedentary lifestyle shortens life and decreases quality of life. Computer workers are quite literally sitting themselves to death. Vitaly Gariev / Unsplash I do two specific things to protect myself while working on my PC: First, I schedule two extended breaks that split my day up into three blocks. Both breaks are spent away from my desk, and if possible, I try to take them outside to ensure I get some fresh air into my lungs. Second, as soon as I feel any kind of strain on my body, I stand up and move around for a minute or so. This doesn’t have to be anything too strenuous. Just the act of standing up and walking around can limber up your muscles/joints and get your blood circulating. Stretch and exercise regularly During your regular breaks, you shouldn’t be zoning out and doing nothing. Sure, grab a glass of water and hit the bathroom if you need to, but most breaks should involve stretching and exercise of some kind. Do exercises that work your abs, upper back, glutes, and hamstrings to encourage good posture and prevent muscular imbalances. Take a short walk and get those legs moving. Stretch out your hips, legs, shoulders, chest, and neck before they get too stiff. Exercises and stretches go a long way to helping you maintain fitness and flexibility. Studio Romantic / Shutterstock There’s a host of good advice online about specific stretches to do while working at your desk and how to avoid work-related injuries. But you should also supplement them with real exercise, either before or after work. That could mean going to the gym, or you could focus on bodyweight exercises from the comfort of your home. You might even try an exercise bike desk that also charges your devices. Follow the 20-20-20 rule for your eyes Here’s one aspect of health that many white collar workers often overlook, especially when you’re younger (e.g., in your 20s). You need to protect your eyes and minimize computer vision syndrome (also known as digital eye strain). G-Stock Studio / Shutterstock The 20-20-20 rule works by forcing you to relax your eyes. Your computer screen is only two or three feet from you, and it can strain your eyes to focus at that distance for extended periods. By focusing on something 20 feet away, your eye muscles can relax — and doing this regularly can help prevent tiredness, blurry vision, and headaches/migraines. It’s worth doing whether you have perfect vision or wear vision correction. Be aware of lighting and brightness levels Good lighting is a necessary element of any good workspace. This applies to both environmental lighting and the light being emitted by that screen you’re staring at for hours and hours every day. For environmental lighting, try to maximize natural light (i.e., sunlight) and supplement it with lamps if needed. Avoid going too bright or too dark, as both extremes will force your eyes to work harder. Try to position your light sources off to the side, not behind your monitor (so you aren’t staring into more light) and not behind you (so it doesn’t cast a glare on your screen that could strain your eyes). Zhyar Ibrahim / Unsplash As for your monitor brightness, there are two factors to consider: first, try to match its brightness to ambient brightness (i.e., not too dim and not too bright), and second, make sure it’s comfortable to your eyes. The best brightness for you will depend on your circumstances, and it might even change depending on the time of day. If your operating system has adaptive brightness or if your monitor has auto-brightness, consider using those features — but it’s possible they may not work well for you. If your eyes are still suffering and uncomfortable, switch to manual control and adjust your lighting as needed. Further reading: Tech gadgets that’ll supercharge your home office Read...