Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

REVIEW One of the bedrooms in our house needs to serve two purposes: For most of the year its my office, but when the kids come back for the holidays its a bedroom. Half of the room has my desk with my computers, and the other half needs a bed. I havent bought that bed just yet, but I plan to get something like a captains bed or a mini loft. Because the bed will be up against the wall, I wont have room for a traditional end table with a lamp, so Ive been looking for ideas for a light source that could be used when reading in bed. Thats when I found the Polygon light tiles.

Polygon light tiles are a set of modular, hexagon-shaped tiles that are designed to be creatively grouped together and attached to a wall. When touched, they light up; the more tiles that are touched, the brighter the light. Polygon is an American company based in New York City that focuses on creating unique, design-focused products.

Polygon was gracious enough to send me both their Starter Pack and an Expansion Pack, and they arrived in a pair of cylindrical-shaped boxes. The Starter Pack contains:

The Expansion Pack contains:

Together, these gave me 15 tiles to work with.

Each tile is in the shape of a polygon. The top half is white plastic, and the bottom half is a very light grey plastic. When the tile is lit, the entire top turns white; theres not a bezel around the edges. Each of the six sides has a magnet that holds it together with the next tile as well as a pair of metal pieces that conduct the electricity. They are a non-traditional source of lighting whose design is simple and practical.

There are three steps for installing the Polygon lights. First, pick any tile and plug it in to the power supply. Touch the top of the tile, and it will light up.

Second, place the tile on a flat surface, like a kitchen table, and begin connecting the other tiles. The magnets will hold the tiles next to each; if you happen to place two tiles together such that their magnets are repelling, simply rotate one of tiles. Right about now is when your creativity should begin to kick in. You realize that you can connect the tiles together in any way you want to make any shape you can imagine. The only requirement is that they all have to be touching. As you connect the tiles, use a sweeping motion with your hand to touch the tops of several tiles, and you will see them all light up. Sweep again, and they turn off. Its really quite cool to see the tiles work together.

Third, mount them on the wall. Polygon provides two mechanisms for mounting the tiles on the wall. One, there are pair of nail holes in the back of each tile that you could use with small nails or brads. Two, they have included a set of sticky pads (fancy double-sided tape) with each pack. I have read that these pads are really sticky and tend to pull paint off the wall if you attempt to take them down, so you might want to use command strips instead, especially if you think you might move the lights around. Whatever you prefer, mount the powered tile first, using a level to keep it straight (unless, of course, you have a very creative design that isnt supposed to be level), and make sure that the tile is rotated to allow the power supply cord to hang down. Keep in mind the length of the cordits about six feet longto ensure that it can reach a power outlet. Then one at a time connect the rest of the tiles. Polygon recommends that 70% of the tiles be mounted to the wall. When they are all mounted, plug in the power, and youre done!

Heres a picture of what we finally settled on. Im a Tolkien fan and am planning to decorate my office with a Middle Earth theme, so a sword seemed like a reasonable use of the tiles.

If you want to read the manual for yourself, you can find it in this PDF.

The lights are a warm white color, and they add a nice glow to the room. The surface is not a button; rather it has a capacitive sensor that responds to touch. In my testing, I found that it responded best when touched with several fingers or a palm; if I touched a tile with a single finger, sometimes it turned the tile on but sometimes not.

The lights are perfect for reading. I think they would be a natural fit to hang near the bed that I will add to my office, and they could also be used near a chair, a couch, or any place that you need some extra light at night. Since each tile lights up individuallyits not all or nothingyou essentially have a light that you can make as bright or as dim as you want. At this point, you might be tempted to react by asking, You mean, they are just lights? Yes, absolutely! Thats exactly the point! On their About page, Polygon says that they believe in products that are creative, beautiful, and functional. They are not just about a creative arrangement of tiles, they are intended to be a functional source of light for your room.

Speaking of being creative, you can arrange the tiles together any way you want. You can make simple lines or geometric shapes, though I think the neatest designs are those incorporate other elements on the wall, like this rain cloud or this hot air balloon. How cool is that! What creative ideas do you have? If you had 15 tiles, how would you arrange them? Id love to hear your ideas in the comments below.

When putting the tiles next to each other, you dont hook them together with clips or tape or anything. The magnets on each side attract the tiles together and keep them from moving around; the magnets are not, however, strong enough to hold them together on the wall. In other words, you cant mount one tile with a pair of nails and then expect the magnets to hold the remaining tiles in place. I believe that Polygons recommendation to mount 70% of the tiles is spot on.

If theres anything about the Polygon lights that would be a cause for concern, it would be the price. Five tiles with the power supply cost $112. Thats over $20 per tile. Ouch! If you bought the two packs that Polygon sent me for testing, that will set you back $248. Thats not cheap! If you just need some light, it would be cheaper to buy a couple of lamps. Polygon lights, however, are more than just lights: They are a blend of creativity, functionality, and interactivity, which is exactly what the Polygons founder, James Vanderpant, is looking to encourage.

While I think the lights are very cool as they are, if there was one thing I could add, it would be color. LEDs are capable of a wide range of colors, and it would be nice to have some way to change the color, thus setting a different ambiance in the room.

These lights dont have any extra features, but Polygon also sells cork tiles and plant tiles, which can be interspersed among the light tiles for extra creativity and variation.

Polygon lights are a modular lighting system that is both minimalistic and functional. The hexagon-shaped tiles be can hung on the wall in any shape or pattern, limited only by your creativity (and your budget). They provide varying amounts of warm white light, depending upon how many tiles you touch. I think they will be a wonderful light for my kids to read at night, once I am able to find the perfect bed for my office. If youre looking to add a creative light source to your room and have a little extra money, then I recommend splurging for these lights.

Price: $112 (Starter Pack), $136 (Expansion Pack)Where to buy: Polygons online storeSource: The sample for this review was provided by Polygon.

See the rest here:
Polygon Light Tiles review The Gadgeteer - The Gadgeteer

I love how apps don't see platform borders. There are so many great apps out there that work no matter whether you're an iOS (or iPadOS) user or an Android user. And the more I switch between the two platforms, the more I appreciate this. It is, after all, the apps that make a platform, not the shiny hardware -- no matter how much we like the shiny hardware!

Must read: Paying money to make Google Chrome faster and use less RAM

I love power naps, and I know it sounds weird to say that an app can help with napping, but I've consistently found that I get the best possible power naps using Pzizz.

If you suffer from insomnia, or are just finding it hard to get to sleep, Pzizz can help with that too.

There are lots of features to tweak and play with, and you can use it offline (so no annoying notifications or phone calls can wake you up!).

Setting up a new device means entering passwords and rather than rely on autofill in Google Chrome or the Apple Keychain, I have a separate password manager. I've gone with LastPass because it is packed with features -- especially security features that allow me to lock down my LastPass account -- and it works on a whole raft of devices.

Before I opted to use Dropbox as my go-to cloud storage provider, I was leaving files all over the placeand then forgetting where I'd left them.

And then I'd have to trawl through half a dozen services looking for them.

Having one service that I can access across all my devices makes sense. And for me, Dropbox is that service.

Where possible, I like to have two-factor authentication protecting my online accounts, and wherehardware 2FAisn't possible, then an authenticator app is a good alternative.

While many password managers have authenticator apps built in, I went for Authy because it means I keep my passwords separate and get an app that works on pretty much any platform you can think of.

I've been using this VPN service for years, put gigabytes on gigabytes of data through it, and never had a problem. I've tried others, but I keep coming back to it because it's easy to use, no-fuss, just works, and the app is one of the best I've used (for example, I turn it on, and it stays on, happily running in the background).

It's the perfect prescription for shady Wi-Fi connections.

A very reliable way to test network speeds.

I used to use this more to satisfy my curiosity than anything, but now as Zoom video conferencing has exploded, I'm using it to make sure my connection is good enough for my meetings.

Again, this is a service I've been using for years, and while I've tried countless others, this is the one I keep coming back to.

I don't lose things, but I have been known to misplace things for some time and to prevent that hassle I now have a Tile in my luggage, laptop bag, wallet, and backpack. Yes, Tiles aren't cheap, but neither is losing your keys or wallet.

Again, this is one of those products that I've tried and tested over thousands of miles in several countries, and it just worked.

I also love the fact that I can also use a Tile to find my lost smartphone.

See the article here:
7 must-have apps for your iPhone and Android smartphone - ZDNet

A ceramics project created by art students at St. Georges School was recently chosen as a winner in the 2020 Bow Seat Ocean Awareness contest. The installation, called The Wave, won the Making Waves award in the Art Category.

The annual ocean awareness contest is run by the Massachusetts-based nonprofit Bow Seat Ocean Awareness Programs, which seeks to combine ocean science and arts education. The Making Waves award recognizes projects that attempt to raise awareness for ocean conservation in a creative way. There were 5,300 entries received from around the world.

Ceramics teacher Jennifer Davenport said her ceramics class is asked to do an art installation in the schools gallery every year. Its up to my students what the installation is going to be, she said.

Last year, after much discussion, the students wanted to focus on the ocean. Several of them had recently learned about the giant garbage patch that floats in the middle of the ocean, Davenport said. That inspired their focus on the ocean.

Each student designed a proposed project, then the students voted on which one to create. They settled on an ocean wave made out of ceramic tiles.

Its in the shape of the wave, but its made of individual ceramic tiles, Davenport said.

Each tile was hand cut and shaped and then glazed with one of several ocean colors. The students also made small ceramic water droplets. Some were included in the installation and others were given to gallery viewers as souvenirs to hopefully prompt them to think about ocean preservation, Davenport said.

Student Anna Klim, who was a sophomore last year, helped create the installation.

We wanted the project to be reflective of each of our uniquenesses but at the same time illustrate that together we could create a unified whole, she said. Each wave tile was created individually, but together it made our wave.

The students wrote in their contest application about what they wanted to convey with the piece.

The shadows and layers we have created work to make a dramatic visual effect that leaves an impression on the viewer, they wrote. We want our installation to remind people of how beautiful the ocean is, how important it is to the world, the very real possibility we could lose it, and the necessity of taking action to save it.

Davenport said the students werent planning to enter any contests with their installation. In fact, none of her classes had previously entered any contests. But as her students were working on their project, she saw an ad in a teaching magazine about the Bow Seat competition.

The project they had come up with totally fit the parameters of the contest, she said.

The students added a few posters to the installation and submitted it last spring.

Davenport said she wasnt expecting to win anything because she knew the contest drew a high number of applicants every year. Shed also checked out the previous years winners and saw how polished and professional their work was.

I was really proud and surprised, she said of learning about her students win. I didnt know if our first attempt at entering would get any attention.

She tracked down each of her students from last year to tell them about their win. Some have graduated and gone on to college and two were students from China who are attending classes at St. Georges virtually this year.

With Anna Klim, the students who helped create the installation are Norma Broderick, Krystal Huang, Angelina Jiang, Sonja Klim, Fair Niven, Pearl Wenzel and Selina Yang. They also share a $500 scholarship with the Making Waves award.

The installation had already been removed from the schools art gallery and packed away, but the school has worked to find a spot for it. The area is smaller than the original installation, so Davenport said she will have to redesign it slightly to make it fit.

The school has requested I reinstall it permanently, she said.

After The Wave is placed on display again, perhaps it will serve to remind people to be mindful of the oceans and to take care of them so they can be enjoyed by all, as intended by its creators.

Nina Culver can be reached at nculver47@gmail.com

More here:
Making 'The Wave': St. George's students win international contest with ceramic piece depicting the oceans - The Spokesman-Review

Amazon Sidewalk is a feature built into Echo and Ring devices, turning them into a wireless hub for other smart devices that anyone can make use of, piggy-backing your internet connection and in return, you can use it on other people's devices, of course.

Sidewalk uses products such as the Echo (4th gen), Echo Dot (4th gen) as bridges for devices such as Tile trackers and Ring car alarms to connect to. Those devices might be yours, or they might be your neighbours. The intention is to create a wide-ranging network covering whole cities, that everyones devices can access, provided of course they approved to work with Sidewalk.

This means that a Tile tracker in your wallet can tell you roughly where it is even if you're well out of range, or a smart sensor in your car can warn you of a break-in even from across town.

Sidewalk uses 900MHz radio signals and Bluetooth to create a wireless network thats independent of your Wi-Fi. Those radio signals can reach as far as half a mile in open ground.

Sidewalk Bridges, which are hubdevices such as Echo smart speakers, act as access points for Sidewalk-enabled devices such as smart sensors. The interesting bit is that the Sidewalk network is for everybody, not just you. If someone across town also has a Sidewalk hub, then your devices can connect to their Sidewalk Bridge when your Bridge is out of range.

That means you could find your keys with a Tile tracker even when theyre too far away for your devices Bluetooth to find them, or get alerts from your Sidewalk-enabled car alarm no matter where you park it.

The goal here is to have a wireless Sidewalk network that offers seamless coverage across entire neighbourhoods.

Sidewalk will initially be a US-only service and should launch in December 2020. Initially at least, itll suffer from the only fax machine in the world problem: Sidewalk needs lots of users to be worthwhile, but to begin with itll be very patchy because few people will know about it. Thats presumably why Amazon intends to switch it on by default on Echo devices that have the tech to support it. More of that in a moment.

No. Sidewalk is a low-power, low-bandwidth network: it can transmit security alerts from devices, but it doesnt have the bandwidth to stream video from something like a security camera. Its load on your internet connection should be negligible: the maximum bandwidth for a Sidewalk Bridge is 80Kbps and it wont use more than 500MB a month per account.

The more of your online life Amazon can be a part of, the more stuff it can sell you so if it can persuade everybody to embrace Sidewalk, it can sell them lots and lots of Echos and devices that work with it.

Sidewalk itself isnt there to mine data andit has three levels of encryption to protect user privacy against someone trying to snoop on the Sidewalk network but it encourages you to put Amazon devices in your home, in your pocket, in your car

At launch, the following devices can be Sidewalk Bridges:

Echo Dot 2nd Gen and newer, including the model with the clock Echo 2nd Gen and newer All Echo Show devices All Echo Plus devices Echo Spot Echo Studio Ring Floodlight Cam (2019), Ring Spotlight Cam Wired (2019), Ring Spotlight Cam Mount (2019)

In addition, these devices have been confirmed to connect to Sidewalk:

Ring Car Alarm Tile trackers

More third party support should be announced soon.

Sidewalk is an opt-out service, so as soon as it goes live which should happen this month itll go live on your compatible devices. We understand the thinking here, because Sidewalk needs lots of users to deliver on its promises. But its a bad look from a privacy perspective.

If you want to turn Sidewalk off, you do it in the Alexa app. In the app, go to More > Settings > Account Settings > Amazon Sidewalk. Theres a toggle there to turn off Sidewalk across all your devices for that account, or you can just disable the Community Finding feature. Thats the one that lets other peoples devices locate missing keys or pets, but it also gives away the approximate location of your Sidewalk Bridge.

Link:
Amazon Sidewalk: what is it, and how to opt out if you want - T3

Pack your bags, because The Amazing Race is back! Every week, Parades Mike Bloom will bring you interviews with the team most recently eliminated from the race.

Siblings are a complicated relationship. While there is a bond by blood that connects you, differences in interests and philosophies can lead to spats and rivalries. When brother/sister team Eswar Dhinakaran and Aparna Dhinakaran entered the Amazing Race 32 family, they experienced both sides of that. While their participation in the Mine Five alliance helped get them to the end game, it was a surprising U-Turn that left them steamed in Cambodia, feeling as pressed as a tile.

Back in Leg 2, Eswar and Aparna were part of the first five teams out of Colombias salt mines. The group decided to work together from there on out, a moment that would reverberate and inform the rest of the season. But despite the safety in numbers, the siblings were far from safe. Despite never finishing in last, they still struggled in certain tasks, whether it be Eswar putting together a recycled cello or Aparna matching painted figures with their real-life counterparts. Because of this, they spent most of their race bouncing between 5th and 6th place, though they were notably able to avoid the language curse with their visit to their home country of India.

The Mine Five were all who was left in Cambodia, and Eswar and Aparna figured it would be every team for themselves. Little did they know that a core group of three teams were targeting DeAngelo Williams and Gary Barnidge. Unfortunately, they couldnt take action on that plan, as Gary and DeAngelo were first to the seasons final U-Turn board. In an instant, they threw Eswar and Aparnas pictures up on the board, the only team they knew were behind them. The siblings ranted about the decision as they planted seeds in the Detour, and those seeds only grew when they got to the Roadblock and saw their U-Turners were still there. But while Aparna had some choice words for the former NFL players, it would turn out to be her final words to them.

Now out of the race, Eswar and Aparna talk with Parade.com about

Related: The Amazing Race Season 32: Everything We Know So Far

Apana, I know you were lit up on Twitter last night watching the episode. What was that experience like?Aparna Dhinakaran: Honestly, it just reminded me of how dumb I still think Gary and DeAngelo and the beard bros were. It was just a really bad move on their part. I think. Im curious to see if they feel the same about it two years later.

What makes you think both in the moment and now that it was such a bad move for them?Aparna: We were the last to actually find the gnom. And when we got to the temple, we could go in one at a time. So there was no way to overtake anyone. We did the fish Detour alongside Gary and DeAngelo and the beard bros. And at the U-Turn board, you have the option to go after Hung and Chee or Will and James. This was the last U-Turn of the season; we all knew that going in. Its time to make a big, bold move.

We all talked about how the Mine Five was no more, and everyone was in a race for themselves moving forward. But then, when it came down to it, it seemed like they were making a really dumb decision to keep with the alliance. Theyre not going to cross the finish line holding hands together! One team wins, so you need to optimize to figure out how to get teams that have always beaten you or consistently ahead of you out of the season because you might not get another chance further on. There were a lot of comments online last night about how Gary and DeAngelo didnt know how long the other Detour was. I mean, we all knew there were clues in the box, so you can figure out if you took the fastest Detour and how many teams were behind you.

What had been your relationship with Gary and DeAngelo up to that point?Aparna: Up until that leg, Gary and DeAngelo were probably one of the teams we were closest to. We would often arrive at the mat together, like in Paris. In the airport flying to Cambodia, we sat next to Gary and DeAngelo and had such a good bond. We spent a lot of downtime with them because we didnt know about this core alliance.

I know that the race isnt about friendships. But I think for us, it stung to see Gary and DeAngelo make a dumb decision to U-turn us and not a team thats always beaten them. And then to see the beard bros burn the board. I mean, how dumb can you be to do that? Dont you want to take out a team thats always beating you? Thats, I think, where our frustration came from. We thought, You guys arent playing the game to win for yourself.

You spoke about that core alliance of Maddison and Riley, Hung and Chee, and Will and James, who wanted to try to U-Turn DeAngelo and Gary this past leg. Did you have any knowledge of that core group or their plans going into Cambodia?Eswar: Dhinakaran We didnt know about any of that. Like Aparna said, what shocked us so much about the U-Turn was how much we had been playing under the radar most of the race. That was our strategy for a lot of the legs. Thats why the others planned to U-Turned Gary and DeAngelo.Aparna: Theyre loud personalities. They kept bragging about themselves and saying how theyre going to win. So they topped off their threat levels.Eswar: So seeing the plan to U-Turn them affirmed our strategy up to that point to lay low. I think we really just got screwed over by Gary and DeAngelo not being willing to U-Turn the beard bros who were right behind them. Like literally two feet behind them!

Lets talk about that other aspect of the U-Turn. Did you have a different reaction to seeing what Maddison and Riley did?Aparna: Theres kind of a subtle thing here going on with the beard bros. They were being a little shady. They had this thing with Will and James and Hung and Chee, but they also told Gary and DeAngelo that they wanted the athletes to work together. It makes sense. In a group of friends, you have people who are obviously closer to each other.

We figured that the beard bros were closer to Gary and DeAngelo and Hung and Chee. So I think they didnt want to U-Turn Gary and Deangelo because that would make it seem obvious that they werent really seeing this alliance as real. But I feel like youve got to be willing to cut your alliances and move forward in the last three legs. If we had a spot on that U-Turn board, we would have U-Turned Will and James or Hung and Chee. Consistently, those two teams have done extremely well. If theres a chance to take them down in this leg, you want to take it. You dont want to wait to have them pass you and win the whole thing.

A lot of talk with the Mine Five before was around that core trio of teams and their dissatisfaction with Gary and DeAngelo. I wasnt sure why you were never talked about in the alliance, maybe simply because you were in the back more than they were. Talk to me about what your position was in the Mine Five.Aparna: To be honest with you, Eswar and I saw that as a one-leg alliance. We thought the mines were the same as Leg 1 in Trinidad, where the four teams at the back said theyd work together. Similarly, the five teams at the front of the pack in Leg 2 said, Lets try to keep our lead. Lets try to finish the top five teams. And we didnt really think much of it after that. Its a huge alliance; its half the teams in the entire season. It just doesnt work that way.

There were some times they helped us, like printing out maps for us in Paraguay. But it was a very loose alliance. We never really got much help. And youre absolutely right. Maybe its because they were always ahead of us, and they couldnt feel like they could give us enough information. But there were moments where they could have, and they didnt. When I went down the building in Berlin, I saw Hung and Chee still waiting for their cab. They could have told me it was sauerkraut and left Leo to fail.

So it never really felt like an alliance for us. We always felt like we were running the race on our own. Even with things like the pie-throwing in France or the table setting in India, they were helping certain teams and not us. I think Gary and DeAngelo were the ones who built this narrative around the Mine Five and getting them to the end. I feel like the other teams didnt put as much stock into that alliance as Gary and DeAngelo did, and they got the most from it.Eswar: I think hindsight is 20/20 in some ways. I think back, and one moment particularly stuck out to me, which was maybe a hint that I should have taken. In Paraguay, I was blowing it on the cello task. That was still in the wake of this Mine Five alliance. Phil had asked us about it on the mat once already. I was struggling, so I asked Chee for help. And Chee just gave this sort of vague response. I then saw Maddison walk over to Chee, and Chee gave him very specific instructions like what strings to put on. At the time, I was like, Maybe he was just really frustrated or was in a different spot than I was. Now looking back, that was definitely when lines were already starting to form.

Lets talk about the Roadblock from this leg. Eswar, despite you figuring out you need to grease the tile up before DeAngelo, he finishes before you. What happened there?Eswar: We were the last ones to leave. I want to say we got to the mat about 40 to 45 minutes after Gary and DeAngelo. So it wasnt super neck-and-neck. Once DeAngelo left, I definitely felt deflated, a little loss of hope. You lose momentum in the moment. To be honest, I dont know why I didnt get it before DeAngelo, considering that I saw the waxing part first. My tile just kept crumbling. I really dont know what I did differently on my successful attempt compared to the others.Aparna: It takes a couple of tries to get to know the equipment. And were competing with the team whos been using that equipment for at that point, three hours. I think Eswar was probably one of the faster ones to figure out that task. But it was this added thing of taking the time to ramp it up. Once you see that youre the last team, you can feel a bit of dejection.Eswar: This is me also looking back a couple of years. But Im fairly sure when DeAngelo left, I had just messed up a tile. And the tile-making process isnt super quick. It takes maybe five or ten minutes to spin the thing and get the pressure correctly. So even if I did it correctly, I had an extra ten minutes.

Aparna, we saw you take advantage of the downtime at the Roadblock to dig into DeAngelo and Gary for U-Turning you. Was this choice more out of frustration or a chance to get in their heads?Aparna: Up until the Roadblock, we were focused. Were like, Okay, weve just got to get there and keep fighting. But I saw DeAngelo, and he just did his little simple, Hey, guys, as if nothing had happened. He just infuriated me. You just U-Turned us! We just spent an hour trying to figure out a moving garden in the heat of Cambodia. It just seems so fake in that moment.

I knew the Roadblock was in the hands of my brother, and I felt a little bit helpless because I couldnt do anything. But I did have all of these emotions and frustrations at DeAngelo and Gary for putting us in this situation. And I would have had those frustrations as the beard bros as well if they were still at that Roadblock. So I ran in like guns blazing. I literally said, [Expletive], you DeAngelo. And hes like, Okay, well, thank you for that nice greeting. And I was like, What the [expletive] do you expect? You U-Turned us! I think he was expecting us to be like this super sweet team, like were buddies again waiting at the airport. I was laying into him trying to get their rationale. Why us? Why not take out Will and James?

Why did you dig into DeAngelo more than Gary?Aparna: To be honest, at first, I couldnt even look at Gary. I mean, he was half-napping. He was dead. But honestly, Gary at that point was trying to convince me why Eswar was going to get it ahead of Deangelo. He was laying into DeAngelo to us, like, Hes not even looking at the demo guy. You guys are gonna get it. Its really hard to hate on a guy who is rooting for you! [Laughs.] I think Gary was so over DeAngelo at that point, and he just wanted to blame it on him.

And you can see my talk was working on DeAngelo. He was getting flustered! He was talking back to me; he was losing focus. He felt bad. It was a good ten to fifteen minutes of me talking smack to him. It helped me feel like I had some power in the situation, even though I couldnt help with the Roadblock.

Finally, you came into the season admitting you didnt spend a lot of time together. Considering how close you got during the race, how has your relationships changed in the years since?Aparna: Its been the best experience of our lives; were so grateful. Though were siblings, were not like Kaylynn and Haley. Were not attached and hip and so alike. Were very different people. We would bicker a lot when we were training for the race. And I think it made us appreciate that while we dont think the same and might not do things the same, that doesnt mean that the other person is wrong. Thats their way of doing something, and it makes you have respect for your teammate and what they bring to the table.Eswar: Before the race, we didnt hang out that often. But my race partner became one of my close friends, not just my sister. With COVID, were actually both living in our parents house. So the race was definitely an interesting pivot point. We went different ways and started becoming different people during college. And now we respect each others differences.Aparna: Its been especially great for our parents. They introduced us to the show as kids. Seeing it come full circle, where were on the show, has been an awesome experience to share with them.

Next, check out our interview with Kaylynn and Haley Williams, who were eliminated in the Mega Leg of Leg 8.

Celebrity interviews, recipes and health tips delivered to yourinbox.

See the article here:
The Amazing Race 32: Eswar Dhinakaran and Aparna Dhinakaran Post-Elimination Interview (2020) - Parade

Topps Tiles has ambitions to secure 1 in every 5 spent on tiles in the UK within five years.

The listed tile retailer hopes to hit the target by improving the value it offers to retail customers and by continuing to grow its commercial business to clients such as architects and designers.

It comes as the business, which has its national HQ just outside Leicester, confirmed revenues were down to less than 193 million for the year to September 26, a drop of 12 per cent on last year.

It made a pre-tax loss of almost 10 million, reflecting the huge impact of shop closures during the first lockdown. Last year the pre-tax profit had been 12.5 million.

The business said it saw strong recovery in its retail like-for-like sales in July, August and September although shops have only been open to trade and click and collect customers during the latest lockdown.

However it said retail sales had benefited from an increase in home improvement activity.

The business has scrapped its final dividend after the drop in sales and also wrote down the value of its budding commercial tiles business, to the tune of 5.6 million, "based on a prudent view of the commercial market following Covid-19".

It said it was keen to re-instate its dividend policy as soon as was appropriate.

In its annual report to the markets the business said: In our retail business, we have launched a new strategy, Great Experience, Great Product and Great Value, ensuring the journey for our customers starts and ends with a great service experience whether in-store or online.

The world-class customer service delivered by our staff across our 342 stores remains key to our offer and this is bolstered by our recently relaunched website which, during the first national lockdown, saw online sales treble.

In our commercial business, we remain committed to our strategy of disrupting the commercial tile market and constructing a new market leader over the medium term.

Sustainability is becoming a key part of our agenda; we are working with suppliers on high recycled content tiles and investing into energy efficient infrastructure.

Chief executive Rob Parker said: In what has been a very challenging year, I am pleased with our response as a business, in the resilience we have shown and, in particular, the strong bounce-back in retail sales delivered since the initial national lockdown.

Underpinning all of this have been our exceptional colleagues across the group, and I would like to thank them all for their hard work and commitment throughout this testing period.

During the year we have transformed our balance sheet and have accelerated our strategic development, building on our credentials as the UKs leading tile specialist.

We are ambitious for the business and have set ourselves a new goal of taking 1 in every 5 spent on tiles and associated products in the UK by 2025.

It has been a year of challenge and change for Topps but we are emerging stronger and refreshed.

Our new financial year has begun strongly, with retail like-for-like sales in the first eight weeks ahead by 19.6 per cent.

With our true omni-channel offer, specialist credentials and strong financial footing, Topps is well-positioned for growth as the UK economy begins to recover.

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Topps Tiles wants 1 in every 5 spent on tiles in five years - Business Live

For Idean Farid, as the saying goes, the way to his future wifes heart was through her stomach. To hear him tell it, his version of baghali polo was the chefs kiss that sealed the deal with his then-date Jen Tkach back in 2009 while they were both students at San Francisco State. I remember bragging to her about Persian food and my cooking skills, says Idean, 31. And she called me out on it. He invited her to his apartment to try the traditional Persian rice dish: long, buttery grains of steamed basmati flecked with fresh dill, studded with big, meaty fava beans and finished with an anointment of bloomed saffron.

I dont know if thats when I fell in love, but I was definitely into it, teases Jen, also 31, whose family hails from Czechoslovakia. It was one of my first tastes of Persian cuisine and I loved it. The trappings may have been different, but at its heart, the baghali polo was as familiar to her as rice pilaf.

From left: Maydoons husband-and-wife owners Idean and Jen Farid (Photos by Anna Wick)

Such surprising recognition is the secret sauce behind Maydoon, the new Persian restaurant in midtown that Idean and Jen Faridwho wed two years ago and now live in El Dorado Hills with their 5-month-old son, Mo opened in June for outdoor dining and takeout. Taking into consideration any misconceptions that may tinge some Americans perception of Iran due to the countrys long history of political conflict with the U.S., the ancient gastronomy of Ideans heritagein 1984 his family left Iran, landing in Gold River and opening M. Shahrzad Fine Persian Cuisine in Rancho Cordova 20 years latermay seem doubly unapproachable.

But sizzling among the cuisines rich stews and long braises, not to mention its unabashed flaunt of verdant herbs (parsley, cilantro, mint and dill) and warm, aromatic spices (turmeric, sumac, cumin, cardamom), is one of the worlds oldest barbecue traditions: the kebab. In episode six of Padma Lakshmis Hulu series Taste the Nation, an exploration of global culture and food traditions in America, the kebab is not only pegged as the king of the foods for Persians, but also as an olive branch to Americans. After all, fire-roasted meat on a stick is bound to tug at the carnivorous heart of anyone who grew up with a backyard grill.

At Maydoon, koobideh has emerged as the most popular kebab, which mirrors its standing in the Persian community, although a close second goes to joojehlarge pieces of chicken breast marinated overnight in olive oil, lemon, salt, pepper, saffron powder and turmeric. In my country, everybody loves kebab, says Mohammad Farid, Ideans father, a co-owner of the restaurant. To prepare koobideh, the cooks at Maydoon, working off an old family recipe, robustly season ground sirloin with onion, turmeric, salt and pepper. When the mixture is molded onto a length of skewer, small indentations are made along the way to help the meat cook more quickly and evenly on a flaming grill. The signature koobideh emerges from the fire after about eight minutes, slightly singed on the outside and tender and juicy inside, not unlike the hamburger of your dreams. Stuffed inside pita bread with fresh herbs, pieces of fire-roasted tomato and perhaps a slather of mast-o-khiar (thick yogurt mixed with cucumber and mint), it could be.

The Maydoon Bowl with shredded lamb, pickled onions, saffron rice and chopped vegetables.

Other highlights include the Maydoon Bowl, featuring layers of saffron-scented rice, chopped cucumber-and-tomato shirazi salad and koobideh, joojeh or tomato-braised shredded lamb, and a signature wrap that tightly bundles shirazi salad, the kebab of your choice, and a zesty green sauce of garlic, cilantro and parsley inside rolled-up lavash. The latter, in snack-size form, also appears on the happy hour menu, alongside apps like dolma (stuffed grape leaves) and kashke bademjan (grilled eggplant dip), two authentic carryovers from Ideans familys previous restaurant.

Earlier this year, the Farids sold the popular Shahrzad, leaving behind its heavy faux stone finishes and photographic murals of Tehran to open Maydoon. The new settingIdean and Jen renovated the spot near 16th and P streets that formerly housed Nishiki Sushifeatures recessed arches, intricate tilework and gold metal light fixtures, elements from classic Persian architecture and design. Crisp white walls and blue-green accents on the entryway floor tiles nod to the nearby Mediterranean Sea and a welcome murala flowy, floral monogram by local painter Anton Kagounkindepicts Iranian botanicals like the pomegranate and the crocus flower, the stigmas of which are the prized saffron threads. Its a modern look for a new generation of Persian restaurant diners who are poised to help Maydoon live up to its name, which loosely translates to gathering place in Farsi.

Maydoons design aesthetic features modern interpretations of traditional Persian dcor elements like recessed arches and gold light fixtures.

Meanwhile, socially distanced patrons can toast to Maydoons creative cocktail menu, which includes a riff on an Old Fashioned called Baba Jafar, named after Ideans late grandfather and made with Four Roses bourbon infused with smoked Persian tea leaves, plus a dash of walnut bitters. He was a laid-back guy who liked cigars, says Idean. When he visited family in the U.S., he loved to drink bourbon. This is the drink I would have made for himits influenced by the things he enjoyed.

Other crafted libations like the Maydoon Mule, made in the traditional way save for a swirl of sour-cherry syrup, and the gin-based Cucumber Cooler with mint syrup, cucumber shavings and seltzer, hold a distant vision of childhood. As kids, playing in the summer heat, Idean and I drank different [nonalcoholic]elixirs mixed with either sour cherry or mint syrup. It was a great way to cool down and keep ourselves hydrated, says Shahriar Nejad, a family friend. Idean and Jen took that memory and added boozeso I guess were still staying hydrated.Tastes of Ideans youth can also be found in Maydoons khoresh, or slow-cooked stews. Word on the street is that every Iranian family has a treasured recipe for ghormeh sabzi (a beef-and-kidney-bean stew) and gheymeh (a beef-and-split-pea stew spiced with saffron and turmeric, scented with dried Persian limes called limu omani, and finished with fried potatoes).

The kashke bademjan, a grilled eggplant dip topped with yogurt and fried mint leaves.

The former ranks among the 10 Essential Persian Recipes, according to Samin Nosrat, an Oakland-based chef and host of the Netflix series Salt Fat Acid Heat that was based on her best-selling culinary reference book of the same name. The latter is a favorite of chef Andy Baraghani, who as a senior food editor at Bon Apptit demonstrated making the dish in 2018 for the magazines popular YouTube channel after getting reader requests for more Iranian recipes in the wake of his story on Nowruz, or Persian New Year. That two high-profile, next-generation Iranian-American food stars proudly rest their reputations on the dishes they grew up eating (both admit to childhoods spent trying to assimilate into this countrys culture by throwing away, or at the very least attempting to conceal, their school lunches packed with kuku, an herb frittata), speaks to the deepening stake of Persian gastronomy in Americas melting-pot society.

The ghormeh sabzi offered at Maydoon uses Ideans grandmothers recipe. Its one of Jens favorite foods, Persian or not. Richly flavored with slow-simmered beef and beans, plus fragrant nuances from limu omani, cilantro, scallions and fenugreek leaves, the stewoften served over tahdig, the famously finicky Persian crispy rice, a bottom-of-the-pot miracle thats on Maydoons secret menuepitomizes warmth, making it a perfect dish not just for winter, but also for welcoming diners to this new gathering place.

1501 16th St. 916-382-4309. maydoonrestaurant.com

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Fire and Spice, Maydoon - Sactown Magazine

Shiplap is falling out of fashion.

Interior designer Rachel Street, host of DIY Network's "Philly Revival," told Insider that shiplap is one of the fastest fading trends.

Once used to waterproof boats, shiplap siding became a trendy way to decorate interior walls in the 2010s.

"Shiplap appears in nearly every TV home-makeover show, but there are so many other emerging ways of bringing texture into a space," she said.

Street added that tile, plaster, rattan, or living walls of plants are set to become more popular in 2021, instead.

Gray kitchen interiors may become less popular.

Dennese Guadeloupe Rojas of Interiors by Design told Insider that the trend of having all-gray kitchen cabinets and walls will fade in 2021.

"Gray kitchen interiors can look cold and lack distinction," she said. "Instead, I foresee bolder colors gaining popularity."

Rojas mentioned that indigo blue may be a particularly trendy kitchen color in 2021.

All-white interiors may start to date themselves.

Street predicted that the age of minimalistic, all-white interiors may be coming to an end.

"For a few years now, we've been making everything from walls to countertops bright white," she told Insider. "Next year, I predict people will return to creating visual interest through color."

Those looking to give their all-white interiors more pizzazz without adding bright colors can try combining different light-colored patterns and textures.

The mid-century modern furniture trend may finally be over.

Mid-century modern design borrows from style elements that were popular in the 1950s and 1960s, and it's been everywhere in recent years.

Heather Goerzen, interior designer with Havenly, told Insider that this trend may finally be fading away.

"We're shifting away from the 'Mad Men' look and spaces dominated by walnut wood, spindle legs, and geometric prints," she said.

Barn doors could be replaced by other types of statement entryways.

Barn doors exploded onto the interior design scene in the early 2010s, but they may not retain their popularity as we head further into the 2020s.

"The trend for barn doors, often painted in drab brown, will be replaced by pocket doors or classic French doors," Rojas told Insider.

Pocket doors slide directly into the adjacent wall, and French doors normally open outward and feature large panes of glass.

Accent walls likely won't be as trendy in 2021.

An accent wall is one that's painted or wallpapered differently than the others in a room.

The trend started as a way to make a space more interesting, but Rojas said that the age of the accent wall is drawing to a close.

"Accent walls can look childish and be too distracting," she told Insider. "We'll hopefully be returning to monochromatic walls that blend seamlessly with the decor without the startling drama of an accent wall."

Matching furniture sets may start to look dated.

Kobi Karp, principal designer at Kobi Karp Architecture and Interior Design, told Insider that matching furniture sets may soon be considered unfashionable.

"Identical furniture and matching sets don't showcase personal style," he said. "I believe matching sets will soon be seen as a design flaw."

Instead of coordinating all your furniture or buying a complete set from a showroom, consider selecting nonmatching pieces with complementary colors or designs.

On the other hand, the "grandmillennial" or "granny chic" style may rise in popularity.

Goerzen described the rising "grandmillennial" trend as a modern revival of homey design elements that you might find in your grandparents' home.

She told Insider that the style is meant to evoke comfort, nostalgia, and tradition.

"Think floral wallpaper, antique paintings, delicate china, crocheted throws, and vintage touches with whimsical flair," she said. "This trend will certainly be one to watch in 2021."

Peel-and-stick wallpaper will likely be trendy in 2021.

Self-adhesive, removable wallpaper is gaining popularity with people who rent or are looking for a low-commitment way to upgrade their living space.

"Peel-and-stick wallpaper is perfect for an easy and dramatic room change," Rojas said. "You can get creative and simply peel it off when you get tired of it."

If you're wary of covering an entire room in wallpaper, try adding it above the chair rail in dining rooms, above the molding in bathrooms, or even in closets.

Rustic ceramics may edge out smooth tiling in the kitchen.

The kitchen designs of 2021 may swap smooth, uniform backsplashes for colorful, handcrafted ceramic tiling.

"Gone are the days of smooth porcelain or glass subway tile," Street told Insider. "I'm starting to see a lot of hand-thrown ceramic tiling that shows some natural variation, like Moroccan zellige tile."

You can use ceramic tiling to create backsplashes or cover entire walls. But handmade tiles are often more expensive than manufactured ones, so individual pieces can also be added as accents to cut costs.

Green cabinets could be one of the biggest kitchen trends of 2021.

Anyone looking to add drama to their kitchens may want to consider painting their cabinets green. Street told Insider that both lighter and deeper shades will be popping up in kitchens everywhere in 2021.

"Because green is a mix of blue and yellow colors, it works with both cool color palettes and warm, cozier kitchen designs," she said.

The designer added that pairing green cabinets with Carrara-marble counters can help highlight the gray veining in the stone.

Industrial styling may be the next big trend in 2021.

Industrial interior style often incorporates elements such as exposed stonework, high ceilings, wood and metal elements, and neutral colors.

Karp explained that this fuss-free style may be a rising trend in 2021 as people continue to spend more time at home.

"Industrial style has a mix of modern and traditional design and works for interiors that have to serve as places to live, work, and play," he said.

Plaster walls may make a comeback.

Before the invention of drywall, interior walls were often created by layering plaster over wooden strips called laths.

"Drywall is quicker to install and provides a more uniform surface, but the depth and texture of plaster is making a comeback," Street told Insider.

To explore this trend without ripping out your walls, she suggested coating your drywall with a thin layer of plaster.

Wicker and rattan furniture will likely be trending.

Ross Thompson, interior designer at QE Home, told Insider that woven furniture styles will be popular in 2021.

"Rattan and wicker details are on their way in," he said. "These natural materials add warmth and lightness to home decor."

Rattan furniture is made from woven palm stems, and wicker pieces are typically made of woven willow twigs.Both styles are lightweight and can work indoors and outdoors.

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7 interior-design trends that will start to disappear by 2021, and 8 you'll see everywhere - Insider - INSIDER

Located in northern Melbourne, the red brick 1990s-built townhouse once stuck out amid the more common Victorian terrace homes in the neighborhood. Dan updated the facade with framed windows, tile, and a slatted rooftop terrace to match the character of the neighborhood.

BEFORE: Due to heritage limitations, Dan couldnt change the homes facade. Instead, he took inspiration from the red brick exterior and brought it inside.

AFTER: In lieu of a dining table with chairs on each side, the dining booth is the ideal fit for a small space.

When Dan was hired in mid-2018, he found the ground floors layout a bit puzzling. The bathroom and laundry were in the middle of the floor plan, he says. It was poorly executed and didnt respond to the sites orientation in terms of light. To maximize the main floor, Dan turned the floor plan on its head so guests enter through the dining room, before walking up a few steps to the galley-style kitchen. Timber paneling conceals the pantry, laundry, and a powder bath underneath the stairs. The back room, an intimate living space facing the rear courtyard, has a built-in aubergine sectional to make the most of the best light in the house.

When it came to the design, built-ins were a no-brainer. The best way to get furniture to fit is to build it in with the exact dimensions you want so you arent wasting any space, he says. Built-ins have become a calling card for the architect, who is continually inspired by modern Japanese architecture and the innovation it showcases in small spaces. In this particular home, the built-ins also add a pop of color.

Dan chose the light Silvertop Ash wood for the kitchen. While it is only a moderately durable wood, Dan wasnt too concerned. They dont have kids living in the home so its not getting wear and tear, Dan says.

The powder bath, a fun way to infuse more color, features a Concrete Nation basin and mint mosaic tile from Academy Tiles.

The kitchen, which lacks a main island, has Silvertop Ash flooringa reasonably priced Australian hardwoodwhile the joinery is Crown Plantation Oak. The rest of the home has Black Butte wood, which adds visual interest to the ceilings and the carved-out living room. The window seat in the living room is this pocket of drama and so we wanted a darker timber in there, Dan adds.

The rooftop was transformed into a bright and airy terrace with a shade structure and built-in bench.

Though the home is two levels, the ground floor received a much more drastic transformation. For the second floor, where the two bedrooms and bathrooms are located, Dan went with new cabinetry and other cosmetic edits. Lastly, the old rooftop was transformed into a terrace with a streamlined shade structure and white built-in bench. There were some heritage limitations with this property, he says. For the shade structure, it had to be subtle enough from the street to get approved.

Today, the couple are thrilled to be living a simpler life and are close to their adult children who live in nearby suburbs.

How cute and convenient is that round dog door?

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The Secret to This Small Australian Home Is the Built-In Furniture - Architectural Digest

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, IL Following the success of a similar event in October, the Village of Arlington Heights is hosting a virtual town hall Thursday on an initiative regarding the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion project. All members of the community are invited to the event slated to start at 7 p.m.

"We look forward to hearing about your experiences, perceptions and expectations regarding this project, sharing an update on our progress thus far, and planning our next steps as we continue to sustain a welcoming community for all," organizers said in a press release.

No pre-registration is necessary and the meeting will accommodate up to 100 participants. If residents cannot attend the session, it will be recorded and available for viewing on the Village's website.

This event will be facilitated by the Kaleidoscope Group. Representatives of the Village, school districts and other local government agencies will be in attendance.

According to data, 81.7 percent of the Arlington Heights community is white only and 92.2 percent of the Village staff. One of the Village Board's Strategic Priorities since 2019, according to its website, is to "Find new ways to embrace diversity within the Community and Village Government."

To achieve this strategic priority, the Village Board unanimously approved a contract in September with the Kaleidoscope Group, a consultant group experienced in diversity, equity, and inclusion, based out of Chicago.

To learn more about the Village's initiative, check out the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion project page here.

To Participate in the Virtual Town Hall Meeting:7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 3

Or iPhone one-tap : +13126266799,,86391706933# or +19294362866,,86391706933#

Or Telephone:US: +1 312 626 6799 or +1 929 436 2866 or +1 301 715 8592 or +1 669 900 6833 or +1 253 215 8782 or +1 346 248 7799 Webinar ID: 863 9170 6933

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Diversity Town Hall Planned For Thursday In Arlington Heights - Patch.com