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Holiday Books, Movies and MoreLooking to get into the holiday spirit? Check out the book and movie lists we've compiled - these books and movies will bring you feelings of comfort and joy in no time!

Holiday Books

Holiday Movies

Best of 2020 Book ListsNot sure what book to read next? Check out our Best of 2020 book lists - our very own Readers Advisors have put together their own lists just for you!

Favorite Things: Best of 2020 Edition

Wednesday, December 16, 7-7:45 p.m. / Live on Zoom / Register

Join AHML staff as we share our favorite books, movies and music of 2020 and discuss what we're looking forward to in 2021. Grab your favorite beverage and meet advisors, librarians and collection pros who can help bulk up your to-read, watch, and listen lists. Then share your own favorite things from 2020 with us in the discussion that follows.

This press release was produced by the Arlington Heights Memorial Library. The views expressed here are the author's own.

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Arlington Heights Library: Get Into The Holiday Spirit With Books, Movies And More - Patch.com

Patient isolation rooms must be terminally cleaned following each patients transfer or discharge from the hospital; including removing all detachable objects in the room and cleaning everything from the ceiling (lighting and air duct surfaces) down to the floor.

Courtesy of Ultralife

Effective decontamination and sterilization of hospital wards and bathrooms are essential in reducing the risk of cross-infection. This is especially important during the COVID-19 pandemic when we consider that there are just nine critical care beds per 100,000 people in the UK.

Eric Lind, vice-president of commercial operations and business development at global battery manufacturer Ultralife, discusses the vital role robotics play in sterilization and what to consider when choosing a power supply.

Public Health England, as well as other organizations spanning the UK and Ireland, recently published joint guidance for COVID-19 infection prevention and control in healthcare settings. In particular, patient isolation rooms must be terminally cleaned following each patients transfer or discharge from the hospital; including removing all detachable objects in the room and cleaning everything from the ceiling (lighting and air duct surfaces) down to the floor. It is a time consuming and, in light of the current pandemic, dangerous task.

A study from Duke Medicine showed that enhanced cleaning strategies, such as using portable ultraviolet (UV) machines, can kill drug and cleaning-resistant organisms and demonstrated that these techniques can make meaningful differences in patient outcomes. These UV light technologies have been used for decades in water and air purification, but combining them with autonomous robots is a recent but much needed development.

The robots emit UV-C light, a type of ultraviolet light that is not found on earth, unlike UV-A and UV-B which are well-known to cause sunburn. Therefore, viruses and bacteria are not immune to UV-C. When this type of ultraviolet light shines onto germs, it attacks their DNA, so they cannot infect another person.

To emit UV-C light, a typical sterilization robot incorporates a disinfection lamp with an accumulated intensity of 250 to 280 uv/cm2 and a coverage radius of six to eight meters. The lamp is connected to either a main powered mobile cart on wheels, which staff have to move from room to room or an autonomous mobile robot (AMR).

AMRs are similar to AGVs (automated guided vehicles) in a warehouse, autonomously navigating around buildings for most of the day, every day. They are therefore reliant on batteries as the main source of power. The power demands on the battery are particularly high due to the disinfection lamp, which may need to be recharged every few hours.

Therefore, AMR batteries are usually recharged in the same way that AGV batteries are. The robots are self-aware of how much power they have left and, when the battery is running low, they automatically navigate to a charging station to recharge.

Usually, in AMRs, the battery is used as a ballast to keep the centre of balance low, but the weight must not be enough to inhibit mobility. This means that the strength and weight of the battery, as well as long run time and fast charge time, are key requirements in this application. Traditionally, sealed lead-acid (SLA) batteries have been used in applications with similar requirements.

Today, however, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) tend to favor replacing SLA batteries with Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4) alternatives, as they are three times lighter for the same energy. Available in a variety of weights, if ballast is a requirement, they can also offer higher energy than SLA if required. For example, Ultralifes range of 12.8 V LiFePO4 batteries goes from a 1.10 Kg battery, offering 7.5 Ah (96 Wh) to a 13.90 Kg battery, offering 100 Ah (1.28 kWh).

If voltages of up to 28.8 V are required, Ultralifes legendary range of military 2590 rechargeable lithium-ion smart batteries may be better suited. When operating at this voltage, the UBBL13-01 can offer up to 10 Ah (288 Wh) at a weight of 1.38 Kg. Selected 2590 batteries, including the UBBL13-01, are also fully compliant with System Management Bus (SMBus) and Smart Battery System (SBS) specifications, which means they can be quickly integrated into compatible robots or smart chargers.

Both 2590 and LiFePO4 ranges encompass a diverse collection of batteries to allow robot manufacturers to select the voltage, weight and energy they need. This is not only an advantage to fully autonomous robots but also mains powered, mobile cart versions, which may use batteries to communicate data back to the end users computers (rather than powering the lamp itself).

While we have covered the basic types of disinfection robots here, each manufacturer provides slight variations of features to differentiate from competitors. Ultralife recognizes this and can work closely with design engineers to understand how the battery and charger will function in their specific sterilization robot, to create a bespoke portable power solution.

UV-C robots play an important role in the fight against COVID-19, with studies suggesting that 99.9 percent of coronaviruses can be killed when exposed to far-UVC light. Batteries fulfill the equally important functions of powering the robot or transmitting data back to the user. Therefore, selecting the battery that meets the robots power and weight requirements is vital to ensuring a smooth and successful operation.

About Ultralife: A global corporation headquartered in Newark, New York, Ultralife has extensive North American as well as international operations in Europe, China and India. Through strategic growth and acquisitions, the corporation has expanded beyond its commercial and military battery business to include custom engineering design and services, tactical communications systems and a wide range of power accessories for global government and defense markets.

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Robots leading the fight against COVID-19 infections - SecurityInfoWatch

ST. CHARLES, Ill., Dec. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ --As a growing chorus of health authorities point to aerosols as a key transmission route for SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, and as the U.S. rapidly sets new records for coronavirus cases, Aerapy, LLC, announced today that its ultraviolet (UV) disinfection technology achieved up to a 99.97% reduction of the SARS-CoV-2 pathogen in the air, in one air pass, in independent laboratory testing. Aerapy UV also achieved a 99.98% reduction on surfaces in two seconds (99.99% in three seconds). Results were achieved with proper installation and utilizing Aerapy's proprietary sizing method. Because the company did a live air pass test, Aerapy's results are unique among other UV laboratory studies of SARS-CoV-2 inactivation that perform simulated passes.

"As we learn more about how COVID-19 spreads, the experts increasingly agree that airborne transmission and aerosolization of the SARS-CoV-2 virus plays a much greater role than what was believed by many at the start of this pandemic," said Annette Uda, founder and president of Aerapy. "This is why we did not test just on surfaces, we tested against SARS-CoV-2 in the air where Aerapy UV reduced the pathogen up to 99.97%."

The third-party testing, conducted at the laboratories of Innovative Bioanalysis in Costa Mesa, Calif., utilized Aerapy UV equipment designed for HVAC systems where air passes across the Aerapy device, which harnesses the power of UV-C to deactivate bacteria, mold, and viruses in the air. The testing firm conducted an actual single pass of air test showing what would happen in a quarter or half second of time. This latest testing against SARS-CoV-2 joins the company's previous independent laboratory testing against pathogens including MRSA, enterovirus, and MS2 bacteriophage, all of which also showed a greater than 99.9% reduction.

"During these winter months, as we increasingly gather indoors and as cases surge, science points to a multipronged strategy that includes addressing SARS-CoV-2 in the air, as well as on surfaces," said Uda. "Aerapy's UV disinfecting technology is designed for a variety of indoor environments including restaurants, healthcare and first responder facilities, schools and municipal buildings, places of worship, gyms, and more, that need help now and as all businesses plan for the future."

The independent testing against SARS-CoV-2 was conducted in a chamber constructed at the laboratory and designed to mimic an indoor environment with HVAC in place. More details on the performed SARS-CoV-2 testing and information on additional studies, including a recently published three-year retrospective field study at an animal shelter where Aerapy's UV equipment was found to significantly decrease upper respiratory infections, are available from Aerapy at http://aerapy.com.

About Aerapy, LLCSince 2008, the Aerapy team has manufactured researched, tested, and study-backed UV equipment. Aerapy's in-duct UV equipment for HVAC systems offers true air cleaning capability, as well as coil cleaning, while standalone upper air UV units, such as the company's patented Zone360, offer the same pathogen kill rate for buildings that need immediate targeted pathogen load reduction or for those without HVAC looking to add airflow and reduce pathogens. Aerapy UV does not produce harmful ozone and equipment can be installed in new buildings or retrofitted into existing facilities.For more information on Aerapy, a certified women-owned business, visit http://aerapy.com.

Media Contact:Beverly Cambron512-673-0072260539@email4pr.com

Link:
Study Shows More Than 99.9% of SARS-CoV-2 Inactivated in the Air and on Surfaces by Aerapy UV - Newsbug.info

TULSA, Okla. The Tulsa County Sheriffs Office is warning about porch pirates this holiday season.

In a Facebook post, TCSO said deputies arrested Jimmy Stephens and Pamela Sheets for stealing mail and packages from neighborhoods near 86th North and Sheridan. The sheriffs office said more people shopping online this year due to the pandemic creates more opportunities to steal from your porch.

There are ways to prevent that from happening.

Know when your package is being delivered or reroute it to a delivery hub until you are ready for it. It's also a good idea to ask a neighbor to look out for the package. You can also mail it to a P.O. Box, a secure locker or have the retailer hold on to it. Its also a good idea to have a security camera on your porch to watch for your packages.

There are serious consequences for porch piracy.

Just this year, Oklahoma lawmakers created a new law making it possible for someone to be charged with a felony for stealing mail and packages. A first offense is a misdemeanor with up to one year in jail and a $500 fine. If someone commits porch piracy more than three times in 60 days, they can be charged with a felony, serve two to five years in prison and be fined up to $5,000 dollars.

If something is stolen, you can also file a police report.

Stay in touch with us anytime, anywhere --

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Protecting your packages from porch pirates during the holidays - kjrh.com

In a mid-November installment to The Front Porchs Save the Music virtual concert series, Joshua Dowell, better known by the stage name Mighty Joshua, delivered fun and inspirational reggae tunes a performance that provided the perfect upbeat yet mellow event to close out the weekend.

Throughout the pandemic, The Front Porch a Charlottesville music school has been hosting a Save the Music concert series via Facebook Live, showcasing local artists performances weekly on Wednesdays and Sundays. Dowell whose soulful work earned him recognition as Virginia Reggae Ambassador and Artist of the Year in years past performed alongside his band, Zion #5, on Sunday. Though the event was free, donations were encouraged to support Loaves & Fishes Food Pantry.

The event was as fun and casual as the laid-back yet energetic music they played. Dowell even broke out dance moves from time to time during the songs. The band all wore masks and baseball hats including one Steelers cap solidifying the event as chill and casual while remaining very much present amidst the era of COVID-19. The band filled a small, homey room decorated with a string of lights and, despite the virtual format, established an experience almost as intimate as that of live music in-person.

A highlight of the night was the rich and soulful vocal performance by Dowell. The immaculate harmonies between Dowell and Zion #5 added an extra layer of mesmerizing depth to the set. A rotating selection of percussion in the background kept the sounds unique and interesting. The slew of instruments including handheld drums and a tambourine melded into unique fusions as they dipped in and out of songs. At all times throughout the show, the layers of instruments and sounds kept the music deeply grounded in rhythm.

Another of the strongest elements of the gig was the catchy beats and repetition featured in the songs. Though repetition is not always a positive in music, in this case it allowed for viewers to learn the lyrics quickly and sing along. One piece in particular included a section of repetition that felt like a wink at a song well-known by kids Believe in Yourself by Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers, otherwise known as the Arthur theme song. Though the tune was vaguely reminiscent of the childhood classic, the lyrics offered a more subtle yet equally positive message. Whereas Believe in Yourself preaches to do just that, Mighty Joshua reminds listeners to live it up / live it up.

Beyond the infectious beats, Dowell doled out sage inspiration and empowerment through lyrics. The live rendition of Them A Watching taught lessons both metaphorical you reap what you sow and concrete stay away from the junk food. Some of the lyrics throughout the show mentioned religion, while others promoted positivity and peace more generally in lines such as I choose life over death / I choose love over war. The most hard-hitting message of the night came through a song led by Dowells backup singer in Zion #5.

I'm gonna sit down cause this is a love song, she said, and a song of compassion and empathy to all the women of the African diaspora all over this globe. Every word sung had meaning and an empowering message, a welcome and refreshing element rarely found so consistently in a concert.

Mighty Joshua and Zion #5s performance was sure to please hardcore reggae fans and newcomers alike. Their soulful set was not only catchy and fun, but meaningful and uplifting a brilliant way to entertain while raising money for a good cause.

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Mighty Joshua brings relaxing, upbeat fun to The Front Porch - University of Virginia The Cavalier Daily

The plan was to have a few cocktails and commiserate, Dersch said. Yet grieving for what was lost didnt take up much of this groups time. In their second Zoom session, singer-songwriter Black (best known for his 80s post-punk band Limbo Race) suggested playing songs for each other. By their third meet-up they were planning a series of streaming shows on Facebook Live. Black came up with a name for the monthly project: Back Porch Carousel.

Were revolving songwriters, each taking turns in-the-round, with guitars instead of calliopes, he explained.

The 90-minute shows are free to the viewer, but structured as fund-raisers. Initially, they helped the cash-strapped, unemployed staffs of several music venues; after unemployment checks began arriving for the bartenders and waitresses, the Carousel turned its charitable attentions to mostly local nonprofits. The next show, on Dec. 13, benefits On the Rise, a Cambridge organization helping the homeless. The Carousel crew collects the donations via PayPal and Venmo, and thanks each donor individually.

Dersch is known for his percussive work with Roger Miller, Dana Colley, and the late Mark Sandman. Since Zoom doesnt provide the precise synchronization needed for musicians to play together from separate locations, Dersch hosts the Carousel but doesnt drum.

I tend to be introverted, he said. But in the livestream, its my job to drive the conversation, and I have no problem with it.

Dersch does the job adroitly. The Back Porch Carousel narrowcasts, which feature a guest artist at each show, evince a conviviality that is a natural product of the groups multi-decade friendships. Yet the spirit isnt clubby.

Behind-the-scene work is old hat to Dersch, whose day-job (now on hold) is master carpenter with the Huntington Theatre Company. On the Carousel, Dersch taps the toggles of the balky, idiosyncratic Zoom and Facebook Live mechanisms, pushing the technology toward a musical role for which is was never intended. Unlike the majority of livestreams, the sound is solid. Dersch handles the soundchecks, and each Carousel member and guest has added an interface gadget and a decent mic to their computer set-up. (Sherman, a voice teacher and former singer of the 80s band Private Lightning, sounded especially sensational at last months show.)

The Carousel gang knows that livestreaming will never equal the nightclub experience. Performing through a digital interface, alone in ones home, cant capture the primal intimacy of playing with other musicians, said Viens, known for such projects as Boston Rock Opera and the current Angeline. But Zoom is a way to connect, to give and receive love.

Following a Carousel show, viewers can reconnect with Zoom and hang with the musicians. We call it the after party. Its like hanging out at the bar, Dersch enthused. People want to get together so frigging much right now. Anything we can do to provide human contact might help keep people sane. Until we can go back to the bars, these substitutes do help. I just love the hang.

Back Porch Carousel, with guest act Tim Sprague and Agent Judy, returns Dec. 13 at 7 p.m. on Facebook Live.

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Back Porch Carousel aims to capture that band-in-a-bar vibe, complete with after-show hangs - The Boston Globe

The expected record numbers of holiday gifts being shipped this year is creating a golden opportunity for porch thefts.

PLAINFIELD, Ind. Christmas, the season of giving, is also the season of taking.

The expected record number of holiday gifts being shipped this year is creating a golden opportunity for porch thefts.

While local homeowners were out of town, a thief helped himself to a package on their front porch. He stole something much more valuable than some inexpensive things McKenna Shutes bought online.

"Kinda your feeling of being safe," Shutes said. "You could be sleeping or hanging out in your house and someone feels like they can step up on your front porch. It just kinda gives you a chilling feeling."

It's something more people are likely to feel this year.

By choice or necessity, record numbers of people are shopping online or shipping presents this holiday season. The pandemic is creating a potential gold mine for thieving porch pirates.

"So law enforcement, we have to adapt," Plainfield Deputy Police Chief Joseph Aldridge said. "It is more important this year than ever before for us to be patrolling the neighborhoods of Plainfield to ensure that our consumers don't get victimized."

Additional holiday patrols have already started. Officers who typically don't work the streets are now required to spend at least an hour of their work day patrolling neighborhoods looking for suspicious activity.

Since the program began two years ago, Aldridge said there's been a dramatic decrease in the number of reported porch thefts.

"Last year we had two. One was solved. That is amazing in a community of 30,0 to 40,000 residents," Aldridge said.

Not every community can afford additional police patrols.

Shutes is already being more careful.

"If it is going to be delivered when I'm not home, I'll just maybe hold off until I know I will be here," Shutes said.

There are other ways to protect your holiday deliveries.

Schedule deliveries to arrive when someone is home. Have alerts sent to your phone. Ask a neighbor to pick up your package if you won't be home or if possible use a delivery "drop off" box.

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The pandemic creates more opportunities for porch thefts - WTHR

The Delachaise (Uptown Messenger photo)

When The Delachaise first opened at 3442 St. Charles Ave. 17 years ago, it had a patch of grass out front where owner Evan Hayes hoped to build an outdoor space.

Then 10 years ago, Entergy tore up that section of the avenue to install a new gas line, and Hayes used the opportunity to pave the area and create a patio. That doubled our business, he said. And ultimately, this helped us during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hayes, the owner of The Delachaise and Chais Delachaise, further uptown at 7708 Maple St., loves to tell people about his restaurants. And fortunately for him and his customers both places have ample outdoor spaces in the time of social distanced outdoor dining.

Hayes had worked in the restaurant business for years when, in the late 1990s, he began working in the wine industry. He got to know vendors and wines and felt that he had the background to open The Delachaise.

One thing I learned in the wine business is to let people have a taste of the wine they want to try, Hayes said. This is a way to build relationships, and a good way to interact with people. The selection of wines at The Delachaise is staggering, and there are also substantial beer and spirit selections.

It is named for its location in Faubourg Delachaise between Delachaise and Aline streets, both named in 1855 by the widow Marie Antonine Foucher Delachaise. Given the task of naming the streets in the newly subdivided property, she named Delachaise Street in memory of her late husband, Philippe Auguste Delachaise, and Aline Street for her daughter Aline. She probably never imagined that, a 165 years later, a lively wine bar would occupy the space on St. Charles Avenue where the two streets come together.

The building, which Hayes calls Mission Metro for its resemblance to Paris metro stations, was built in 1904 as a flower shop. Considered a mix of Spanish Mission style and Art Nouveau architecture, it originally housed the Avenue Flower Company. In the interim between the flower shop and the wine bar, there have been a dress shop and an Italian restaurant, among others, in the building. And since 2003, The Delachaise wine bar bistro has been in the distinctive building.

The Delachaise has a 30-foot bar, or as Hayes calls it le grand comptoir the large bar. Madame Delachaise would approve. The place is cozy, the kind of place people go on first dates. Women and men feel comfortable going there alone. Birthdays and anniversaries are celebrated there.

The cheese and charcuterie plate is a popular menu option. (courtesy of The Delachaise)

The most popular food items are their goose fat French fries, the flank steak bruschetta and the cheese and charcuterie plate. And now chef Patrick Nolan is branching out with New Orleans beloved barbecue shrimp, for example.

All customers who sit outside in the patio sooner or later are serenaded by Mike, a self-taught saxophone player. He showed up after Hurricane Katrina and has been a fixture on that section of St. Charles Avenue ever since. When his playing gets to be too much, the staff gently directs him to move away and play softly. That usually works for a while before the process repeats itself.

Playing off the success of The Delachaise, Hayes opened another restaurant, Chais Delachaise, 13 years later, in 2016. It is in an old house on Maple Street, in the university section. The building is set back from the street, creating a space and a front porch that spans its width.

(Courtesy of Chais Delachaise)

Chais Delachaise caters to the neighborhood, to families and students. Its name, of course, includes that of the wine bar bistro on St. Charles Avenue and adds a word play as well. Chais refers to an above-ground wine cellar in French.

Like The Delachaise, the second has ample outdoor seating. And like the first restaurant, Chais Delachaise has those popular goose fat fries on the menu, and its new chef, Barry Credeur, is adding dishes like homemade pts and pastas.

In mid-March, both restaurants had to close due to the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. Employees filed for unemployment, and then the company made a successful application to the Paycheck Protection Program, known as PPP. The employees then had a choice: stay home and collect unemployment, or come back to work and use the shuttered time to renovate and do repairs that had been on hold for a time. They came to work.

The Delachaise space was renovated, chairs and banquettes were re-upholstered, and two rundown upstairs storage spaces were converted to offices and a storage space, all with air conditioning. Now wine could be stored there it became a chais. Our then-new chef, Patrick Nolan, only a few months on the job, took the kitchen apart, cleaning and restoring every bit of it, Hayes said. And I made the lunch every day.

Chais Delachaise also got its share of sprucing up. The configuration was changed and the walls were repainted. The floors and the bar also got a makeover.

Employees whose jobs had disappeared in the pandemic did most of the work. And the PPP made it possible to pay their salaries.

I feel that I had a different experience from many other restaurants in that regard. Most other restaurants employees opted for unemployment payments, Hayes said.

Evan Hayes also took advantage of the lockdown to expand the outdoor seating area of The Delachaise along Aline Street. It was able to open in the summer with limited outdoor seating. It closed again when employees had been exposed to the virus, but was open at the end of August.

At Chais Delachaise some employees had left town to volunteer in the aftermath of Hurricane Laura, curtailing its reopening. But by mid-October, both had reopened.

But opening two restaurants during the pandemic has had its challenges. The prices of meat, especially beef and pork, shot up 40% over the summer but went back down in the fall. Mussels and oysters have not been reliably available. And then there were the safety protocols, the regulations, and changing state and city mandates.

But at least, because both places had outdoor spaces, things could move forward. The Delachaise is operating at about 50% capacity; Chais Delachaise at a quarter or less. But both current operations are fully staffed.

I look forward to full houses, Hayes said, and bringing back Oysters Delachaise, in absinthe cream sauce, when the oyster supply is on track. Customers agree.

The Delachaise3442 St. Charles Avenue504-895-0858www.thedelachaise.com

Chais Delachaise7708 Maple Street504-510-4509www.chaisdelachaise.com

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Patios, a porch and the PPP offered lifeline to Delachaise bistros - UptownMessenger.com

When it comes to the playbook for architects who specialize in designing healthcare facilities, COVID-19 came like a wrecking ball. The years-long migration to fewer private offices and more collaborative workspaces? The friendly trend of checking patients in without a desk? The vast multispecialty clinics, with common areas meant for lingering? Gone, gone and gone.

Weve spent so much time over the last decade making waiting rooms cozier, like living rooms, says Jennifer Arbuckle, a Vermont-based partner in E4H Architecture, which specializes in healthcare offices and facilities. Now were trying to make them more spread out.

HVAC issues are top of mind also, as are square-footage conundrums. But each question Should patients wait in their cars? What about those who cant come in alone, like a mom with three kids in tow? What services work in a drive-through? cascades into so many other questions, she says. Right now, everyone is trying to figure it out.

Despite the question marks, experts seem sure that even if a vaccine brings a return to normalcy within months, this pandemic is driving long-lasting design changes.

Making room for technology

The transition to telehealth is the most massive change, says Sheila F. Cahnman, president of JumpGarden Consulting, a healthcare planning and design firm based in Wilmette, Illinois. While that shift had long been underway, the pandemic vaulted adoption rates years ahead of schedule.

Doctors like it. Patients like it. And as long as insurance companies and Medicare continue to cover it, its going to be a permanent part of their practice, she says.

That calls for plenty of small, well-lit offices where providers can offer telehealth in privacy. And because many patients wont have the required technology or broadband at their homes, healthcare facilities will need to make video-equipped rooms available to patients when they come into their offices.

Those will gobble up the square footage now used as open areas, designed to promote more teamwork between doctors, nurse practitioners and other providers. Ive been doing this for 25 years, and weve spent the last 10 or 15 years urging practitioners to share space and collaborate more, says Arbuckle. This [division of space] is a new direction.

Doctors homes are now part of the equation too, as many want to continue working from home more. That brings up all the same issues and considerations that face other remote workers, she says. Do the doctors have the right secure technology at home? Enough broadband? Do they have young kids, which makes it hard to concentrate?

And all tech questions intensify the ongoing effort to develop solutions for balancing the demand for more screen time from doctors without dehumanizing patients. About two-thirds of most visits are spent talking, says Cahnman, who is also a board trustee for the American College of Healthcare Architects. How can you design offices that are tech-friendly yet make patients feel heard?

Underscoring every technology is heightened security. More telemedicine means more potential leaks, just as the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) issues increased warnings about ransomware attacks.

Solving real-estate riddles

For years, smaller practices have been affiliating with larger health systems, with mega ambulatory centers. These bigger facilities attract a higher volume of patients than a small practice, offering patient-friendly conveniences like plenty of parking and on-site labs and imaging centers.

But higher patient volume means a greater risk of infections, and patients are staying away. That means lower revenues for the facilities.

I dont think these large centers are going away, says Arbuckle. For one thing, theyre space savers. Because many functions, like restrooms and administrative office spaces for things like copiers, can be shared, providers in these larger facilities can save about 500 square feet per provider, as compared with smaller practices. And patients love them because theyre a one-stop shop. But they are going to need many modifications.

Facilities that flex

COVID-19 has shown healthcare executives that even the most massive bureaucratic organizations can move fast when they need to, making them more open to quick changes. Among these? Traditional exam tables that look more like seats but quickly convert to flat surfaces (in case of disease surge) and deeper reception desks to create more distance. Drive-through options, such as those used for COVID-19 testing, will continue, and so will sensor technology, making everything from sinks to doors to light switches completely hands-free.

In a survey of its members shortly after the pandemic began, the American College of Healthcare Architects found that more than 60% of members said theyd been asked to create more bed space. And more than 70% believe that designing for mass patient surges will be an important design element for hospitals.

Thats true for medical offices, too. More offices will have soft spaces, especially in multifunction areas, that can quickly be converted to exam rooms, offices or hoteling space.

Adaptability means designing rooms, usually of similar size, that can have many uses, Cahnman says. That was a trend before, and COVID has accelerated it.

See the rest here:
How Architects and Designers Are Rethinking Healthcare Facilities After COVID-19 - Medical Bag

Revolver has teamed with Architects on an exclusive "Blue Dream Splash" 2LP variant of their new album,For Those That Wish to Exist, limited to 500 worldwide. Order yours before they're gone!

Architects have been a band for over 15 years. In that time, they've put out eight albums, endured numerous lineup changes, and sadly lost their founding guitarist Tom Searle to cancer in 2016. The English metalcore quartet have been through a lot but they've managed to secure longevity in a genre where young acts have historically burned bright and fast. At this point, Architects are lifers with one of the most passionate fan bases in the scene, but they'd be lying if they said they weren't nervous to release their ninth record, For Those That Wish to Exist.

"I feel discouraged from taking creative risks because I find the prospect of being at the wrong end of an internet onslaught difficult," says drummer Dan Searle during a Zoom call with vocalist Sam Carter and Revolver. "People will call me a snowflake and all sorts of things for that, but it's a scary thing to do these days, to take a chance. Because it's almost harder when the band is more established and, if we're being totally transparent, this is our way of making a living. This is how we pay our bills and feed our families, so there's a lot of risk involved."

Searle's anxieties aren't unfounded. The 15-song, hour-long album weaves a sprawling tapestry of French horns, strings, synths, and alien-like vocal processors into their signature breed of stadium-sized metalcore. Compared to their already grandiose 2018 album Holy Hell, everything on this record is even bigger the melodies, the sheer breadth of the arrangements, and the scope of its concept, which navigates the push-pull of hope and nihilism in a world that's falling apart. It's the most ambitious album they've ever made, and although it felt incredibly liberating for them as creators, they know that it's going to be a challenging listen for some metalcore purists.

"There were definitely points when we were writing some things where it was like, 'Well, this moment in this song is gonna really piss some people off,'" Searle says matter-of-factly.

After releasing Holy Hell, their first without Searle's late brother Tom and the final entry in a trilogy of records that boosted their sound from rabid mosh-pit fodder to stadium-tier metal anthems, Architects felt like they had solved that puzzle and they were ready to try something different. While Searle was listening to Kendrick Lamar's 2015 jazz-rap masterpiece To Pimp a Butterfly a stark pivot from the gangsta rap of his previous work he began to question why that type of experimentation doesn't really exist in the world of metalcore.

"There's a lot of 'don'ts'," Searle says. "I was just noticing how when you listen to a hip-hop record, there's one thing that's consistent and that's the vocals. But you can go anywhere you want. It can be jazz ballroom, but as long as it has the vocalist on it, it's fine But with us, it felt like, 'Well, it's got to be two distorted guitars, bass, drums, and a guy screaming.' I don't want to sound like I'm throwing shade at the genre because we like the music, but I just felt like, Well, can we rip this up a little bit?"

The result is a record that Searle defines as being influenced by metalcore, but not metalcore itself. He and Carter elaborated on their intentions behind this sonic pivot, the record's topical lyrics, and finding a strange sense of comfort in accepting that we're all going to die and that's alright. Our conversation has been condensed for clarity.

WAS THERE ANYTHING YOU KNEW YOU WANTED TO DO GOING INTO THIS RECORD, EITHER LYRICALLY OR MUSICALLY? SAM CARTER It felt like it would be real easy to carry on where we were going because the last three before this were in a similar sort of vein. So after a while it's like football: if you take the same free kick enough times, more often than not, you know that it's going to go in. So every now and then it's nice to move the ball to feel a little bit out of your comfort zone. And just get that general feeling of excitement that you're doing something that you haven't done before.

DAN SEARLE I think Holy Hell would've been a very different record if Tom had still been here, and it was more in the same vein as the previous two records because we felt like we needed to consolidate and readjust as a band without Tom. And it wasn't the time for us to change the script. Whereas with this album, it just felt time to spread our wings a little bit and challenge ourselves and take it somewhere new.

WHAT ABOUT THIS RECORD FELT THE MOST OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE?CARTER Everything feels a lot grander than before and it feels a lot bigger and it feels like we were in a position to do the ideas justice. Whether it be having French horns on a song and actually having French horns properly recorded or writing with that sort of stuff in mind and knowing that we would be able to do it.

SEARLE When you're a band for a decent amount of time, the sound of your band is to some degree governed by the rules you self-imposed. What you are allowed to do and what you're not allowed to do I think when we were writing it, it was more about asking ourselves whether we liked what we were writing, rather than what other people would think. And to be honest, the way we're talking about this, you people are going to expect it to be a ska record. We didn't throw the baby out of the bathwater, we just stripped back what we were allowing ourselves to do.

THE ALBUM IS CALLED FOR THOSE THAT WISH TO EXIST. TELL ME ABOUT HOW YOU LANDED ON THAT PHRASE IN PARTICULAR.SEARLE I felt like it sounds like something that could be really cryptic, but I actually see it as being really blatantly obvious. The album is generally about: Wow, we're really messing this up but we're all struggling so much to get through the day. How do you save the world when you can't make ends meet or you're struggling with your mental health? We've got a lot of challenges on a personal level, so when we're dealing with the micro it's hard to even address the macro.

So that's what the album is looking at broadly. Like, "What the fuck are we doing?" It's not so much a finger-pointing, "Fuck authority the government are trying to screw us." It's kind of like, "Oh my god, I'm finding it so hard to deal with my own life. How the hell are we gonna get out of this?" So it's that feeling of being overwhelmed and kind of that sense of powerlessness.

CARTER The same with so much of life, I think your overall mood when you go into the record depends what you take from it as well. Because sometimes you really do have that will to fight and talk about what you think is important and you're ready to take the hits from people who will criticize you for it and you're ready to take the hits from putting yourself out there and feeling brave enough to do it. And other times, like Dan says, you got your own shit going on and you don't want to take the punches to try and do something good.

THE RECORD SEEMS TO BE ABOUT GOING BEYOND POLITICIANS, BUT THAT WE AS A CITIZENRY HAVE TO COME TOGETHER TO STOP CLIMATE CHANGE AND OTHER LOOMING THREATS.SEARLE Yeah, there's stuff about that and there's stuff about the hypocrisy of both political wings. Just trying to look beyond these pre-packaged tribes that we've been sold into. That you are either the left or you are the right, and these are the things that you will believe. You will believe that taxes should be lower for rich people, but you also disagree with gay marriage. It's not like these beliefs that we hold on the left and the right are intrinsic to our human nature and certain personality types.

THE SONG "ANIMALS" CONVEYS THE AGONY OF THE RECORD'S SUBJECT MATTER, AND THERE'S THIS PUSH-PULL IN THE SONG BETWEEN TRYING TO MAINTAIN A POSITIVE OUTLOOK WHILE ALSO ASKING, "SHOULD I JUST PULL THE PIN?" IS THAT THE CENTRAL TENSION YOU GUYS WERE FEELING DURING THE WRITING OF THIS ALBUM?SEARLE Yeah, and there's always someone saying that change is not possible. And that song is also kind of saying, "Man, a lot of this stuff we worry about doesn't matter." There's lots of contradictions on the record. And I kind of started seeing that coming when I was writing the lyrics and just made my peace with it because that's just human nature, isn't it? Having these different aspects of ourselves that contradict. So I kind of let go of the idea of having a consistent belief or message I was driving out and just surrendered to the fact like, "Well, one day I feel like I can save the world and the next day I feel like we're fucked."

It's a difficult balance. Surrendering to that and not just being OK with terrible things happening all over the world. . .I'm not saying it's about giving up or letting go, just tempering your everyday anxieties with a little bit of a surrender. That no matter what, we'll be OK.

IT SEEMS LIKE THE CLOSER, "DYING IS ABSOLUTELY SAFE," CAPTURES THAT SENTIMENT.SEARLE Yeah, exactly. That was like 14 tracks being pummeled by how bad things are and how terrible I feel about them, and then at the end going, "But it's OK because, chill." Obviously, everybody knows, we've been through this with losing Tom, you do get this blunt hit over the head and for me it was a real brutal sense of nihilism. I just felt like nothing matters.

I felt like after Tom died, a sense of like, "Oh, so that was all for nothing." Like his life was for nothing. What does that mean? When does it become something? You get a key at the end that's like, "I did it, I completed it." It's not like that, you think that you're heading somewhere and then you don't. That's quite a harsh realization but after a while and the dust settled, I realized in this moment I'm OK, Tom is OK. Because as far as I'm concerned, he's OK now. I couldn't say that for some time when he was actually suffering.

CARTER That's the thing I relate to quite a lot with the record is the ups and downs of it. That can work with grief as well. With losing Tom, I'd say 50 percent of the time I still live in a very nihilistic world where I don't give a shit about anything. And then the other 50 percent of the world I feel ready to fight the good fight and find the small things in life, whether it be literally seeing a bird fly into my garden. That can make my day sometimes, and some days I look at that and feel nothing. And that's the rollercoaster of life, trying to understand that you could drive yourself crazy.

SEARLE Circling around to the change in sound on some parts of the record and the length of it and being able to explore more territory and more sounds, is that we were kind of able to give a background of us riding those waves of how you feel day to day. That's why "Black Lungs" is more of a fist-in-the-air, let's save the world song. It's more of an anthemic, everyone together, we can do this thing. And then other parts of the record are much more bleak. And perhaps a bit more downbeat and less hopeful, and I feel like because we were able to diversify more, we were able to more honestly express a more complete picture of the human experience.

See the article here:
Death, Hope, Nihilism: How Architects Found Peace on Boundary-Pushing New Album - Revolver Magazine