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In recent years, Motorola’s Moto G Stylus has blurred the line between mid-range and high-end, offering the best of both worlds at a very attainable price. The Moto G Stylus 2026 attempts to continue this legacy by basically taking a popular Galaxy S26 Ultra feature and sticking it on a phone less than half the price.
That said, times are tough right now for the consumer electronics industry, and the ongoing RAM shortage is forcing companies to make certain concessions with their smartphones. We knew that budget and mid-range smartphones might feel the most pressure, and the Moto G Stylus 2026 feels like a clear example of how no one is immune to the effects of rising RAM costs.
As a result, the Stylus 2026 costs $100 more than its predecessor, and while there are some noteworthy upgrades, it may pale in comparison to some of its now closer rivals.
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Specs
Category
Moto G Stylus 2026
OS
Android 16 (Hello UX)
Updates
2 OS, 3 year of bi-monthly security updates
Display
6.7-inch Super HD (2712 x 1220), OLED, 120Hz, 5,000 nits
Chipset
Snapdragon 6 Gen 3
Memory
8GB LPDDR5X
Storage
128GB/256GB, UFS 3.1, expandable
Rear Camera 1
50MP wide, Sony – LYTIA 700C, f/1.8, OIS, 1μm (2μm with pixel binning)
Rear Camera 2
13MP ultrawide+macro, f/2.2, 120° FOV, 1.12μm
Front-facing Camera
32MP wide, f/2.2, 0.7μm (1.4μm with pixel binning)
Audio
Dual stereo speakers, Dolby Atmos, 2 mics, FM radio
It’s clear Motorola was aiming to save on manufacturing costs as the design of the Stylus 2026 is more or less identical to its predecessor. The size, dimensions, buttons, and even the placements of the bottom speaker and mic are the same. The only difference is the slight change in the camera housing design, but even that is very subtle.
The Stylus 2026 differs from the Stylus 2025 in its rear texture. Motorola continues to use vegan leather on its phones, but the Stylus 2026 goes for a twill-inspired texture that both looks and feels quite nice. My unit is the Pantone Lavender Mist colorway, a pinkish-purple tone that really stands out and is the more interesting of the two color options.
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(Image credit: Derrek Lee / Android Central)
(Image credit: Derrek Lee / Android Central)
(Image credit: Derrek Lee / Android Central)
The marquee stylus is another change Motorola made, moving from a passive pen to an S Pen-like active one. That means the built-in stylus supports features like tilt detection and pressure sensitivity. There aren’t many apps that can take advantage of these features, but I found note-taking quite pleasant, and the pen itself is slightly thicker than previous versions, which makes it nice to hold.
When you take the stylus out of the phone, the screen is off or on the lock screen, it’ll automatically open the Notes app so you can start writing or drawing. Taking it out past the lock screen reveals a floating menu where you can start a new note (or add to one), annotate whatever’s on the display, start a screen recording, open Sketch to Image, or magnify text. Starting a new note opens the built-in Notes app, which is surprisingly capable and lets you combine various types of content, including text, photos, and transcribed recordings, and add notes to collections for easy management.
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Sketch to Image is also supported in the Notes app, which uses AI to convert your drawings into images. You can use it to generate whole pieces of “art,” or you can use it to clean up your own drawings, although the results vary, as it seemed hesitant to correctly generate my badly-drawn R2-D2.
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(Image credit: Derrek Lee / Android Central)
(Image credit: Derrek Lee / Android Central)
(Image credit: Derrek Lee / Android Central)
(Image credit: Derrek Lee / Android Central)
(Image credit: Derrek Lee / Android Central)
Hovering the pen over the display shows a pointer so you know exactly where it is interacting with the display. If you press the stylus button while hovering, you can activate Circle to Search, which seems very fitting for a stylus and is one of my favorite uses of the pen. That said, pressing the button when you’re not hovering does nothing, which is kind of an unfortunate limitation.
Like the Galaxy S26 Ultra, the stylus on the Moto G Stylus 2026 doesn’t support Bluetooth controls, so you can’t, for instance, use the Stylus as a remote shutter button for the camera, which feels like a missed opportunity. Still, for the price, I think this is one of the best stylus pens I’ve seen for a mid-range smartphone, and it’s quite a welcome upgrade from previous iterations.
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(Image credit: Derrek Lee / Android Central)
(Image credit: Derrek Lee / Android Central)
(Image credit: Derrek Lee / Android Central)
On that note, there are some other noteworthy upgrades worth mentioning. The display is still a Super HD AMOLED panel, which looks great, and with the brightness bumped to 5,000 nits peak, it’s plenty visible outdoors.
The battery capacity has also been increased, though by only a mere 200mAh. The Stylus 2025 already had an all-day battery and then some, so I’m not quite sure the small bump was worth it. I can get through an entire day without any battery anxiety, going from 7 a.m. to midnight with around 15% of battery, and depending on your use, you can probably achieve Motorola’s estimated 44 hours of battery life. That said, for a phone that’s already quite thick, it would’ve been nice to see Motorola take after the OnePlus Nord 6, which has a 9,000mAh battery.
Charging is still 68W, which is faster than even the Galaxy S26 Ultra, so that’s a major benefit, as is the 15W wireless charging.
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(Image credit: Derrek Lee / Android Central)
(Image credit: Derrek Lee / Android Central)
Unfortunately, performance is another area with virtually no change. That’s not to say the Moto G Stylus 2026 doesn’t perform well, but the Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 is the same chip used in last year’s model, and it would have been nice to see Motorola move to something more capable, like the Snapdragon 7 Gen 4.
On the one hand, I don’t have any problems opening or switching between apps, and the overall experience is just fine. However, gaming performance leaves a bit to be desired, and even while playing games like Honkai: Star Rail on medium settings, I noticed quite a few dropped frames. It doesn’t ruin my gaming experience, but if you’re a big mobile gamer, you likely won’t be pleased with the performance.
(Image credit: Derrek Lee / Android Central)
Another reason a chip upgrade would’ve been nice is AI. Motorola puts all of its AI eggs in its flagship baskets, so the Edge or Razr series, but given the growing presence of AI on midrange phones like the Nothing Phone 4a Pro, Motorola’s offerings here feel a bit lacking. Outside of the features found in the Notes app and Google’s Gemini offerings, there’s not much to play with here.
Moto AI isn’t the strongest AI suite, but I would’ve liked to see features like Catch Me Up or Remember This.
(Image credit: Derrek Lee / Android Central)
Fortunately, Motorola brings some of its AI to the camera, such as Action Shot, which adjusts the shutter speed to capture fast-moving objects. The cameras produce pretty good images for the most part; the quality is roughly the same as last year’s model, which isn’t a bad thing (until you zoom beyond 2x).
This year, Motorola introduced its Signature Style mode to the Stylus, which uses a “unique Moto color style” powered by AI. The outcome is generally photos with punched-up contrast and saturation, and it can be hit-or-miss depending on your preference.
Speaking of preference, you can also customize the Signature Style by uploading and adjusting photos of food, landscapes, and portraits so the AI can learn your tastes. That said, I often find it better to just stick with the normal camera mode, as it seems to get the job done just fine.
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(Image credit: Derrek)
(Image credit: Derrek)
(Image credit: Derrek)
(Image credit: Derrek)
(Image credit: Derrek)
(Image credit: Derrek)
(Image credit: Derrek)
(Image credit: Derrek)
(Image credit: Derrek)
(Image credit: Derrek)
(Image credit: Derrek)
(Image credit: Derrek)
(Image credit: Derrek)
(Image credit: Derrek)
But “just fine” is largely how I would describe the overall experience with the Moto G Stylus 2026. It keeps all the good things about its predecessor, but makes little effort to really improve on it. The new active S Pen-like stylus is a nice touch, for sure, but a built-in stylus is ultimately a niche, nice-to-have feature, not a reason to buy the phone.
The Moto G Stylus 2026 is a good phone, but at $499, Motorola is charging a $100 premium over its predecessor, and I’m not sure it’s worth it, especially given other phones like the Pixel 10a (or Pixel 9a) and Nothing Phone 4a. For the price, those phones feel more cohesive, with arguably better cameras and more robust AI offerings.
If you have the Moto G Stylus 2025, there’s no need to upgrade. The Stylus 2026 is harder to recommend at $499, but if you’re looking for an affordable alternative to the Galaxy S26 Ultra, this might hit the mark, especially if you can find a good deal.
Affordable S Pen
The Moto G Stylus 2026 is one of the few smartphones with a built-in stylus pen, and if you’re an artist or just prefer to write over typing, this might be the phone for you.
Ask most home-based business owners about seasonal signage, and you’ll get a decorative answer: which colors to use and when to take it all down. That framing is exactly why they get nothing measurable out of the effort.
Seasons aren’t a design question. They’re a revenue question. A rotating signage strategy, built around one or two permanent pieces like custom neon signs that anchor your brand year-round, turns a single annual sales peak into three or four.
Done right, the math is almost embarrassing: a baker I know runs four distinct sales windows a year using the same $200 neon sign and roughly $60 in seasonal add-ons. Q4 isn’t a miracle month anymore. It’s just one of four.
This piece breaks down why seasonal signage actually moves revenue, which signage types earn their keep for a home-based operation, and how to build a rotation schedule that doesn’t eat another weekend you didn’t have.
By the end, you’ll have a checklist you can map to your own sales peaks, plus the mistakes worth skipping on your way there.
Why Seasonal Signage Works (The Psychology Behind the Sales Lift)
Regular customers stop seeing your business within a handful of visits. That’s not a slight against your branding. It’s how human visual attention works. Psychologists call it perceptual adaptation, and it’s the reason people walk past the same storefront daily without registering what’s in the window.
Seasonal signage breaks the adaptation. A visible change pulls the space back into conscious attention. The result isn’t just “oh, cute fall colors.” It’s a cognitive reset that makes regulars curious about what else might be new (the menu? the hours? the prices?) and prompts the kind of second-look visits that drive incremental sales.
Two other psychological levers kick in alongside the novelty reset. Scarcity framing (the fact that a seasonal piece won’t be there next month) creates mild urgency, which is why limited-run signs outperform permanent signage during promotion windows.
Social proof compounds on top of that: photogenic seasonal displays get photographed and shared, which means your customer acquisition cost quietly drops during rotation periods.
The honest caveat: this only works if the rotation is actually visible to the customer. A sign placed where only staff can see it is just expensive wallpaper.
Types of Seasonal Signage Small Businesses Can Use
Search “seasonal signage” on Google, and the top results are fifteen variations of “holiday banner.” That’s not useful. Matching the signage category to the role you need it to play in your rotation actually matters.
Four categories cover the realistic options for a home-based or small shop operation:
Permanent anchor signage. Your always-on brand visual. Custom neon signs, metal logo panels, illuminated channel letters, or large printed wall graphics. You don’t rotate these. You build every seasonal campaign around them. Cost is front-loaded; cost-per-season approaches zero by year two.
Temporary premium signage. Acrylic signs or neon signs, weather-resistant A-frames, quality vinyl decals with a 3–6 month lifespan. Pricier than printables, but they photograph well and can be stored and reused across multiple years (a December 2025 Christmas sign still works in December 2027 if you didn’t date it).
Digital signage. A simple screen displaying seasonal graphics costs less than most people expect now (a basic setup runs $150–$400 in 2026), and it rotates content at zero marginal cost. Best for businesses where customers linger in cafes, salons, or treatment rooms.
Promotional printables. Paper window clings, chalkboards, printed menu inserts. Cheap and fast, designed to be disposable. These are tactical, not strategic. Useful for one-week flash sales, not year-round rotation.
The mistake is thinking you have to pick one. A working seasonal signage system uses three of the four: a permanent anchor, one or two premium pieces per season, and disposable printables for flash promotions. The digital screen is optional unless your space genuinely calls for it.
How to Plan Seasonal Signage Around Your Sales Peaks
The generic retail calendar (Halloween → Black Friday → Christmas → Valentine’s → Easter → Mother’s Day) is a starting point. It’s not your calendar.
Your calendar lives inside your own sales data. Pull the last 18–24 months of revenue and look for the actual weeks where sales spiked or stalled. A florist’s year looks nothing like a home baker’s, and neither looks anything like a print-on-demand Shopify store’s.
One friend who runs a candle brand found her strongest month wasn’t December. It was October, because her wedding-favor wholesale orders landed six weeks before autumn weddings. Her whole signage rotation now pivots around September and October, not Q4.
Once you’ve mapped your peaks, plan signage changes to land 2–3 weeks before each one. The lead time matters for two reasons: customers need repeat exposures before a visual change starts affecting behavior, and your social content needs time to circulate in algorithms before the sales window opens.
The simplest rotation schedule most home-based businesses can actually maintain:
Quarterly: One seasonal premium piece per quarter, with four pieces in rotation and storage for the off-months
Monthly or event-based: Printable promotional signage for flash sales, new launches, or time-sensitive offers
Resist the urge to rotate more often. Over-rotation signals chaos to customers and burns out your own attention. Two to four real rotations a year, done intentionally, beat monthly changes that nobody notices.
Which Signage Types Work Best for Each Season
Different seasons call for different signage formats, mostly because customers actually move through your space (or your feed) differently during each one.
Q1 (January–March) rewards illuminated signage. Shorter days, less foot traffic, more indoor buying. Neon and LED signage photograph exceptionally well in low light, which matters because Q1 is when your Instagram and Google Business Profile images carry the heaviest conversion load. A warm-toned illuminated piece running from 4 pm onward will outperform any printable in this window.
Q2 (April–June) rewards outdoor and window signage. Patio season, farmers’ markets, weekend pop-ups. Weather-resistant A-frames and window decals come back into rotation. If you run a home-based business that sells at markets, this is the quarter when a portable anchor piece (often a branded neon sign that travels with your booth) recovers its entire annual cost.
Q3 (July–September) rewards event-tied signage. Back-to-school, early fall weddings, Q4 launch teasers. Promotional printables and short-lifecycle premium pieces dominate here because the themes change every 4–6 weeks.
Q4 (October–December) rewards layered signage. The season where all four categories earn their keep at once: permanent anchor, premium seasonal pieces (Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas in overlapping rotations), digital loops, and disposable flash signage for Black Friday through New Year.
The honest trade-off: this level of rotation takes more planning than most solopreneurs expect. If you can only realistically manage two rotations a year, run Q1 illuminated and Q4 layered. Skip the middle quarters and let your permanent anchor carry the summer months.
7 Seasonal Signage Ideas That Actually Drive Foot Traffic and Online Sales
The “limited run” menu board sign. A chalkboard or custom piece announcing a seasonal product, with a visible start and end date. Urgency plus novelty in one object.
The holiday countdown sign. A reusable sign with a changeable number: “12 days until Christmas,” “3 weekends left to order custom gifts.” The number changes every week; the effort is a five-second update.
The branded seasonal backdrop. Whatever your permanent anchor is (a neon sign, a logo panel, a branded wall), restyle the 3–4 feet around it each season. Customers photograph the backdrop in every rotation, giving you fresh social content without new infrastructure.
The mobile market sign. A portable sign you bring to every pop-up, farmers market, or event booth. Visual consistency across venues is what turns one-time buyers into repeat customers who recognize your booth across different markets.
The seasonal hero piece in product photography. A temporary background element (illuminated or printed) that differentiates your spring collection photos from your fall collection photos on the same Shopify page. Small visual shift; measurable click-through lift.
The “new arrival” window decal. A simple removable decal announcing that something new just landed. Works for physical storefronts, home studios that host clients, and even Zoom backgrounds for consultants running seasonal service launches.
The year-end gratitude sign. A late-December piece thanking customers by name (or thanking “everyone who ordered in 2026”) was displayed in the last week of the year. Almost nobody does this, which is exactly why it drives disproportionate goodwill and repeat purchase rates in January.
Seasonal Signage Mistakes Small Businesses Keep Making
Leaving signage up too long. A January sale sign still hanging in March signals neglect. Customers read it as “this business isn’t paying attention,” which quietly erodes trust. Set an end-date alarm the day you put anything up.
Over-rotating. Changing signage every two weeks trains customers to ignore changes. Three to four meaningful rotations a year outperform twelve shallow ones.
Designing for daytime only. Home-based businesses that host clients (or run storefronts) get their best photos at twilight and after dark. Signage that disappears in low light (anything non-illuminated) is invisible during your highest-engagement hours. A single illuminated piece in the background fixes this.
Ignoring the digital twin. Every seasonal sign needs a matching image treatment on your website, email header, and social profiles. A store decorated for Halloween while the homepage still shows summer product shots creates a jarring experience that breaks trust.
Buying signage that can only be used once. Undated, reusable pieces compound in value each year. Anything printed with “2026” is a one-shot asset. Design for reuse unless you genuinely need the year on the piece.
Spending too much on printables, not enough on the anchor. Plenty of small businesses do this backward: hundreds of dollars a year on disposable signage, nothing on the one permanent piece that would anchor every photo.
Flip the ratio. One $300 permanent sign plus $60 of seasonal printables will outperform $400 of annual printables, every time.
Seasonal Signage Metrics That Matter
“Does it work?” is measurable, even for a solopreneur without a full analytics stack.
Tagged social mentions during rotation windows. Count the customer-generated posts featuring your signage in the two weeks after each rotation, compared with the two weeks before.
A working seasonal sign roughly doubles organic tagged mentions. No lift means the sign isn’t photogenic enough, or it’s positioned where customers can’t photograph it.
Foot traffic or booking shifts in the 14-day window after a rotation. Compare the two weeks after a new sign goes up to the matched two weeks from the prior season. Clean comparisons are hard for small operations (weather, events, and local holidays all interfere), but patterns show up across three or four rotations.
Average order value during campaign windows. Novelty often shifts customers toward premium products. If your AOV rises 8–15% during active rotation periods and returns to baseline between them, the signage is doing real work.
The photo test. The simplest metric, and the one most solopreneurs underuse, is: is anyone photographing the sign? If the answer is no after a full rotation cycle, the visual isn’t doing what signage is supposed to do. Replace it.
None of this requires an analytics tool you don’t already have. A notebook and a willingness to count things over 90 days beats any dashboard.
Putting Seasonal Signage to Work in Your Business
A realistic 30-day starter plan for any home-based business:
Week 1: Pull your last 18 months of sales data. Mark the two biggest sales peaks. These are the rotations worth investing in. Skip the other ten calendar holidays until your first two work.
Week 2: Pick your permanent anchor. If you don’t have one, now’s the time. A durable branded piece (illuminated or not) that shows up in every photo, video, and storefront shot. The budget here matters more than anywhere else in your signage.
Week 3: Design the first rotation around your nearest sales peak. One premium seasonal piece, one printable supporting it. Nothing more. Build a storage plan you can reuse next year.
Week 4: Launch, photograph, and start counting. Social mentions, foot traffic, AOV. Three data points per rotation are plenty for the first year.
The mistake worth avoiding: trying to nail all four quarters in your first year. Get one rotation right, measure it, then add the second one.
Home-based businesses that try to overhaul their entire signage calendar in one quarter usually abandon the system within six months.
Your sales calendar doesn’t need more signs. It needs the right ones, in the right order, anchored by a single piece that carries your brand through every season in between.
If you’ve ever played video games on a laptop that sounded like a small aircraft trying to take off, Intel has heard you (and your laptop). The company’s Chinese division has launched “AI Quiet Plus,” a new certification and optimization program for gaming laptops (via VideoCardz).
As the name suggests, the feature uses artificial intelligence to dramatically reduce fan noise and surface heat while maintaining performance.
It might be a bit confusing at first, since AI Quiet Plus isn’t a chip or a software update that you can download on the go. As mentioned earlier, it’s a certification standard that OEM partners must meet to carry the label.
The program uses the Neural Processing Unit (NPU) built into Intel’s Core Ultra 200HX Plus processors to monitor temperature, workload, power consumption, and fan speed in real-time.
Rather than running the cooling fan at maximum speed a few minutes into a game (when the motherboard starts to heat up a bit), the system claims to intelligently read gaming conditions and adjust cooling only when it is actually required.
OEMs meeting the new standard must meet more stringent targets across acoustics, keyboard and chassis temperatures, and battery efficiency. The technology builds directly on Intel China’s “AI Quiet Gaming Laptop” initiative.
For everyday gamers, the AI Quiet Plus should translate to less disturbance and annoyance from the rocket engines on the laptop, less heat for your wrists, should you hop onto an urgent mail trail in the middle of your gaming session, and a longer battery life between charging sessions.
The first laptops certified under this program are expected to reach the market by the end of 2026. These would include laptops from brands like Asus, MSI, Lenovo, and Acer. For now, the program is tied to the Core Ultra 200HX Plus chips, which came out in March 2026.
If you’re playing Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream, consider yourself blessed to be playing one of the most delightful games on the planet. While you are acting as a god for your Miis and the chaos they unleash upon your island isn’t 100% in your control, there are a few things you can do to make sure your ruling is efficient and fun.
Below, we list nine beginner’s tips for Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream that’ll be useful for players of the 2014 Nintendo 3DS game and new folks looking to rule over the Miis on this lovely island.
Make sure you set up your Miis’ relationships properly
When making your Miis, you can set their sexualities, pronouns, and if they’re related to anyone else on the island. The latter is particularly useful if you’re trying to avoid any Miis getting together romantically. Setting your Miis as relatives will avoid this situation altogether, so make use of this feature to avoid any awkward situations.
Your custom phrases and items will appear everywhere
Your Miis will ask you to make new foods, pets, and conversation topics, but note that once you make something, it’ll start appearing around the island in various forms. The whacky items you designed will show up in quiz games and Miis will use learned phrases as conversation topics, even in ways you don’t expect. For example, the first custom food I made as part of the tutorial was a cake with a lobster and two Mii heads on it, titled “lobsta cake.” I made it pretty thoughtlessly, but now it won’t stop showing up in various situations. Oops.
Image: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon
You can always get rid of the stuff you added to the island by deleting it, either in Palette House or the “island lingo” section of the “island info” depending on what you’re trying to delete.
Buy what you want or else it’ll be gone
If you see food or clothes you like, you should buy it before the day changes, as the shop will rotate out daily. Once you get a clothing or food item, you’ll be able to buy it again whenever you want, so make sure to buy at least one of each item every day to unlock it all. (You can do this with clothes too, but this can get expensive, as outfits have color variations and can generally just be pricey.)
Make sure to really look at the food and treasures you get
Your Miis will frequently ask you to play games with them, presenting you with pixel images or silhouettes of food or treasure items you procure as you play. You’ll need to look at these shadows and pixels to guess what the items are, but early on, these quizzes are hard, simply because you have no idea what you could be looking at. Is that… a pixel dinosaur? Or a cabbage? What is that? As you unlock more items, really take a look at them and remember what they look like. These quizzes will get easier as you play the game more, just because you’ll be familiar with what the items in the game look like.
All the practice in the world still makes it hard to figure out what dishes are being shown in “shadow quizzes” since the silhouettes for food are nearly all… round plates.
Image: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon
As you level up your fountain with warm fuzzies earned from pleasing your Miis, you’ll unlock more features. Each level up rewards you with one wish, but you don’t have to spend them immediately. You can hold on to wishes to spend them on features you’ll unlock later on, too.
Travel tickets are among the most valuable items, since they can cheer up depressed Miis instantly, and they can be bought repeatedly, so you may want to hold on to a spare wish or two to cheer up your Miis in a pinch.
Give your Miis items beyond their level-up rewards
Fans of the Nintendo 3DS Tomodachi Life game may remember the various gifts you can give your residents as level-up rewards. These varied from pets to sports equipment to technology they can interact with. While there are still gifts like this, you can also give your Miis treasure that you’ve won from mini-games — and they’ll interact with and use that treasure! Video games, movies, CDs, and pets have all been turned into “treasure” items you can also sell, rather than items you have to level-up your Miis to unlock. You can also still give them the other, more bizarre treasures and see them interact with those, too.
Keep an eye on your Miis, even if they don’t need help
You’ll spend a lot of your time tending to your Miis when they have issues. Some may want to play games with you, or others may just be hungry. When you’re not solving these problems, you should keep an eye on your Miis, as some fun interactions will happen randomly as they walk around the island and interact with other Miis.
Image: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon
Don’t forget to introduce your new Miis to other Miis
If you’re anything like me and you end up making a ton of new Miis in quick succession, don’t forget to actually introduce these Miis and get them acquainted with each other. After you make your army, you may realize there’s a Mii or two just wandering around the island, wistfully watching everyone else have fun… How sad!
Need inspiration? Take a look at other people’s Miis
If you’re trying to make a character, but they’re not coming out quite right, there’s a solution for this. X user trafficlunar has already made a website for people to share their Miis: TomodachiShare. You can search Miis and take a look at the settings other players used to make their masterpieces. There’s no way to directly import Miis, but you can copy them pretty closely using this website.
Si vous faites partie d’une équipe SOC, CTI, IR, chargée de la gestion des identités ou de la lutte contre la fraude, cela devrait vous sembler familier.
Il y a beaucoup de données, trop d’alertes, et pas assez de temps pour déterminer ce qui compte vraiment. Les journaux de vol de données en sont un excellent exemple. Flare en a analysé plus de 18 millions et a constaté que près d’un sur cinq contenait des identifiants d’entreprise. Les identifiants d’entreprise comprennent les identifiants et les mots de passe qui permettent aux attaquants d’accéder à votre infrastructure. Le problème est non seulement réel, mais aussi difficile à détecter. Il devient alors difficile de déterminer où concentrer ses efforts et quelles mesures prendre avant de signaler un incident.
Ce guide, proposé par Flare, s’adresse aux équipes confrontées à ce genre de situation au quotidien. Il a pour but de vous aider à identifier les risques et à réagir rapidement afin de prendre les devants face aux menaces potentielles.
Dans ce guide, vous apprendrez à :
Identifiez rapidement les identifiants et les sessions à haut risque au lieu de vous perdre dans des volumes colossaux de données de journaux provenant d’infostealers
Donnez la priorité à ce qui compte vraiment afin que votre équipe se concentre sur ce qui a un réel impact, et non sur des détails sans importance
Identifiez plus rapidement les menaces et évitez de perdre du temps avec des signaux qui ne constituent pas réellement des menaces
Mettez en place un programme de surveillance adapté à votre profil de risque réel
Prenez immédiatement des mesures concrètes pour limiter l’accès des pirates avant que cela ne dégénère en incident
Apple retail locations and Apple Authorized Service Providers will soon be able to restore Apple Watch software in-store without needing to send an Apple Watch to a service center, according to a retail source that spoke to MacRumors.
Right now, Apple Watches that can’t be restored using an iPhone need to be mailed to an Apple Repair Center for service. There is no in-store repair option, so customers have to wait for the Apple Watch to be shipped to the repair depot, get repaired, and be shipped back.
Starting later this month, Apple Stores and AASPs will be able to use an Apple Watch repair dock that connects to a Mac to restore the software on an Apple Watch. An in-store option for fixing software will make software-based repairs much quicker.
With watchOS 8.5 and iOS 15.4, Apple introduced an iPhone-based wireless restore option, but it is limited. It can only be used when a restore prompt is shown on the Apple Watch. For software issues where the iPhone restore doesn’t work, the Apple Watch needs a specialized repair currently unavailable in retail stores. Failed updates, bricked devices, and boot loops can’t be fixed with an iPhone.
Early Apple Watch models had a diagnostic port that Apple Stores could use for software fixes, but it was removed with the Apple Watch Series 7, and Apple switched to a wireless restoration process. After the port was dropped, Apple Watch software repairs had to be done at Apple Service Centers, making software-based failures a hassle for customers.
In planning and building a project, architects work hand in hand with the expert structural engineers. While it is the architectural design that is often showcased and gives the feel and the aesthetics of a building, structure gives it stability and longevity, making it a critical characteristic of a building. Architectural design plans how the project would be aligned with the design features a client wants it to have. It also gives it functionality and sets the vibes. It is the structural design that makes it safe, durable, and compliant with the necessary building codes.
Most of the time, architectural designs must be technically fixed and adjusted for them to perform well. This is where residential structural engineers are vital since they ensure that the structure can withstand forces and loads over time. Structural designers and engineers analyze the foundation, lower structure, and superstructure of the building. It adjusts and modifies according to factors affecting its performance, identifying possible weaknesses and giving solutions to challenges even before the construction begins. With their expertise, costly reworks and delays in schedule could be prevented. Cad Crowd has a wide pool of screened residential structural engineers to make your projects structurally safe, stable, and durable, ensuring design validation.
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The role of residential structural engineers
The structural engineers design the project to be safe, stable, and durable. While the architects make it aesthetic, structural engineering services ensure that it is possible to be built and lived in. The structural engineers design the elements of the building from its dimensions, compositions, and layout and placement. They calculate how the columns should be spaced, or how thick the walls are, or even how many steel reinforcements should be placed in the slab to make it stronger. These things are not usually seen by the public, but they get investigated when a problem arises. Ensuring the architectural makeup of the building is safe, stable, and durable is the critical role the structural engineers play.
Foundation settlement and structural instability
One of the most problematic issues a residential project can face is foundation settlement. The natural soil of the building has a lot of factors that may affect settlement. This could be due to soil movement, drainage issues, and poor compaction. Understanding why the foundation sinks, or moves, could help the designers address the issue with solutions such as soil stabilization or redesigning the whole foundation system. Once resolved, the structure could prevent cracking and unevenness.
The cracks in load-bearing walls could be a sign of structural weakness. This may indicate stress and an uneven load distribution in the wall system. The structural engineers can assess what’s causing the cracks, as it may indicate an even deeper structural problem. To resolve this problem, they can recalculate the loads and add steel reinforcements if needed. This can add stability while keeping the architectural makeup of the building.
Floor deflection and sagging floors
Deflected floors could indicate that there’s an underlying problem with the structures. It could be about a miscalculation in load capacity, making it look bent. Sagging floors can also be caused by moisture damage, or could be because of the dimensions being undersized. To resolve this, structural engineers and designers could come up with adding support beams or replacing the damaged structural members.
Roof framing failures
Structural conflicts could arise if the framing system is not aligned with the roof design. When not analyzed and calculated correctly, there could be inadequacies in truss supports. The roof framing system could have improper load distribution, making it weak. The roof spans may either be too long or too short. Structural design experts and engineers can redesign the roofing system, ensuring it can improve its structural integrity and its load transfer. They calculate the loads it should withstand and make sure it can support the building from environmental forces such as wind, rain, and snow.
Improper beam sizing
One of the most common problems in residential construction is improper beam sizing. When architects design the floor layout of the building as well as its beam layout, the beam sizes could be incorrectly sized. It could be undersized and may not be able to support loads. The structural engineers can recommend adding or replacing steel, or they may incorporate a different material, such as laminated wood beams. This is to ensure that the structure is safe in the long run.
Removing load-bearing walls during renovations
Some walls in the floor layout are not just to separate the rooms or just to make it look visually pleasing to the eye; some walls are critical since they are load-bearing. These walls support loads and are critical to the framing system of the building. Some clients or homeowners may want to remove walls when they want the space to be maximized or open space, and structural engineers can help in checking and analyzing whether the walls can be removed or not. This could result in a floor layout redesign. Structural engineers can offer a solution without risking the structural integrity of the building.
Inadequate structural support for large windows
In today’s trend, the modern architectural designs incorporate large glazing or windows in the façade. It makes it look neat and minimalistic. While the design looks elegant, there could be a risk of structural integrity since there is a lesser wall system to support the glazing. Structural engineers could design this with headers, beams, or a framing system to transfer loads around the openings. Aligning proper support to the desired architectural design makes the building safe.
Balcony and deck structural problems
The balconies and decks are part of the external areas of the building and are exposed to environmental conditions. It could have a high risk of deterioration due to weathering conditions or weak support posts. Structural engineers ensure that these outdoor areas are protected from the risks and maintain their structural integrity by recommending additional reinforcements or redesign. This is to ensure that these elements will not collapse or have water-related issues with the help of architectural design experts.
Structural problems caused by poor soil conditions
The soil condition can determine what kind of structural solution should be utilized. The structural engineers can work with their geographical data and soil attributes to determine the proper foundation system to use. When deeper solutions are required, it could make use of specialized pile foundation systems. Not addressing the soil condition and aligning with a proper foundation system can lead to settlement, shifting, and soil instability. The building could sink or have differential settlement.
Structural load miscalculations
Building compliance with standards codes means having the right calculations for the structure to withstand loads, whether dead or live loads. Having a miscalculated load design can lead to underdesigned or overdesigned structures. This could weaken the structural makeup of the building and may lead to cracks or deterioration of materials. When there is a miscalculation, structural engineers can re-calculate and redesign the building, taking into account all loads and forces it has to withstand, and come up with the appropriate support system to prevent structural failure.
Water damage and structural deterioration
Moisture can weaken some elements of the building. It can make wood and timber rot, and steel reinforcements corrode. It could also affect concrete components. The structural engineers can check and have an analysis of the extent to which the materials can react to moisture and recommend necessary repair or alternative solutions if needed. These approaches extend the lifespan of the structure.
Structural problems with cantilevered designs
Overhanging balconies or extended rooflines are an example of cantilevered design elements. While these create a unique feature, they could have an impact on structural alignment and pose challenges. It needs proper support, such as reinforcement and a support system. The most common problem the cantilever-designed elements expose is deflection. Engineering design firms will calculate the load distribution system for a cantilever design and recommend one that ensures safety and stability.
Weak connections could lead to structural failures when not addressed properly. The points are not merely for connecting elements but have to be properly designed and installed to ensure the load transfer is according to the structural distribution design. The structural engineers recommend and specify what connections, bolts, and welding requirements are needed to strengthen the joints.
Uneven load distribution in multi-level homes
The load distribution system is used by structural engineers to calculate how the load impacts the building’s stability and how the structural elements can withstand it. When not done correctly, there could be uneven distribution, which may cause problems for the structure. Structural engineers may introduce additional structural elements to support multi-level homes to balance loads. Proper analysis of load transfer from the upper floor to the foundation prevents possible stresses and deflection in the building.
Structural complications in open floor plans
Wide spaces and open floor areas, although pleasing to the eye, can cause structural issues if not aligned with their structural requirements. This means the wide spans could lead to changes in beam dimensions and the addition of reinforcements to ensure that walls can support load transfer. Longer beam spans can cause deflections due to inadequate structural supports. Structural engineers can recalculate and redesign beam sizing to ensure it is safe and stable, while serving the desired floor layout.
Seismic structural concerns
Structural engineers are also concerned with the seismic patterns of the regions. In cases where the area is prone to earthquakes, structural engineers and civil engineering services would add this factor to the calculation and assess the addition of shear walls and reinforced framing to improve the seismic performance of the building. Doing this will help prepare and reduce the impact of earthquakes.
Structural problems in aging homes
In cases wherein the structure is experiencing deterioration, the structural engineers can assess and evaluate measures for an upgrade or replacement. They can either just target the weakened elements or improve the whole framing system. They also chose another material suitable for innovation. Doing this can help extend the lifespan of the structures.
Structural issues caused by design changes during construction
Some design changes, especially in the architectural side, are inevitable since this can be client-initiated. These changes, however, may pose a risk to the structural integrity of the building. Structural engineers are recommended to oversee changes to know if there should also be a change to structural details, or the change should be reimagined to not sacrifice the structural integrity of the building. Structural engineers make sure that the alterations to be made remain safe and comply with building codes and standards.
Structural issues with improper column placement
Some columns look aesthetically pleasing, but in reality, they carry a big role in load distribution to the building. An incorrect column layout may disrupt the transfer and can cause stress or deflection in the elements of the building. The thickness and width of the column also matter. Structural engineers make sure that the columns are aligned with calculations to withstand forces and loads that may act on the structure, to keep safe while preserving design intent.
There is only a limitation as to which structural element can withstand or carry. In some cases where it may exceed the capacity, structural engineers will have to assess and re-evaluate to carry out solutions to support the loads. They can change the sizes and come up with a structural analysis, such as finite element analysis services, that matches the load that acts on the building.
Improper load transfer paths
Planning the framing system and structural layout of the building requires structural knowledge and experience since it doesn’t just mean adding some elements in the building to support it. The correct load distribution and path should be incorporated for it to be safe and in compliance. A correct structural analysis prevents deflections and stresses in the elements. The load distribution shouldn’t be disrupted from the roof to the floors up to the foundation; maintaining this ensures structural stability.
Structural weakness in wall framing
Wall framing can pose structural weaknesses if it is poorly designed. This means that there are architectural layouts that are unconventional and can weaken the structure if not sufficiently designed. The wall framing should have an appropriate design of studs, heads, and reinforcements to improve its strength and load capacity.
Structural problems in staircase openings
Staircases are voids in the floor layouts, which can weaken the structural stability of the flooring system. To ensure that it can still carry and support the load transfer, it has to be designed correctly, with the necessary sizing and reinforcements needed. The reinforcement elements that can be added are joists, some beams, and steel supports. Knowing the right material of the structure and finish can also help. A structural residential engineer can assess and identify the right approach to ensure that the structural integrity is not compromised.
Structural problems caused by improper renovations
Not all renovations are good since there could also still be risks if they’re not done by a professional design engineer. The refurbishment can lead to dangerous structural conditions and cause the structure to deteriorate. With a structural engineer, proper assessment and oversight can be done to know what is necessary and what is not to prevent any more damage and extend the lifespan of the building.
Insufficient structural support for heavy roof materials
There are architectural designs that make use of heavy roofing materials. These can be of clay tiles or stone-coated steel. While these are all visually pleasing, not knowing their impact on the roofing structure can be a problem. Using heavy materials adds a significant weight to the structure, and it may be more than the load capacity of the roof framing system, causing it to be stressed. The structural engineers can assess this at an early stage and provide a framing design to support it. This can be done by adding truss framing or rafters to make it more stable and safer.
Structural failures in garage openings
Garage opening creates large spans of void area and may weaken the wall framing system if not properly reinforced. The structural engineer can design and calculate how the loads can be transferred even with this wide opening. Resolving this can prevent wall cracking or sagging.
Structural damage from termites and wood decay
There are materials that are prone to decay caused by termites. Wood aging can eventually weaken the structural elements of the building, but this can still be evaluated. Although the structural engineers can’t stop the decay totally, they can predict how long the structure will last and provide necessary measures to repair or replace it. Knowing its lifespan early on can lessen structural failure in the future.
Structural problems with retaining walls
Retaining walls are used by structural engineers to stabilize the soil and prevent erosion. These structural elements are not added just because; they should be planned and designed appropriately to not cause collapses or cracks, preferably coordinated with architectural design services. The retaining walls can only perform well if designed correctly, and having a structural engineer ensures that.
Structural issues with slab foundations
Slab foundations should have an aligned design appropriate for their soil conditions. Poor construction practices and judgment can lead to cracks and other structural issues. Structural engineers can recommend repairs and reinforcements to ensure that damage is prevented and the right construction process is conducted.
Wind resistance and structural stability
Wind has an impact on the design since it is included in the load calculation. In areas where there are high winds, the structures should be designed to resist these lateral forces. To address this, structural engineers can incorporate adding shear walls and proper bracing systems to stabilize the building.
Structural problems with basement walls
Basement walls could be exposed to pressure from the surrounding soil and groundwater. Improper reinforcement and construction design could lead to the walls cracking. The structural engineers could add stability by adding wall anchors and braces to prevent structural stresses.
Footings must be properly sized to be able to transfer the load from the building to the lower ground. It is important that the building is properly designed for it to be stable and safe. Structural design services can design the correct footing sizes by load calculations and knowing the soil conditions.
Structural issues in prefabricated home components
Modern construction makes use of prefabricated components most of the time to speed up the schedule. To ensure that this is an efficient methodology, proper integration and connections should be made. The structural engineer reviews and assesses the system used and recommends the proper integration to ensure safety and stability.
Structural challenges with complex architectural designs
In complex architectural designs, especially when adding curved walls and arched walls, irregularly shaped structures, and an unconventional layout, structural issues may arise if not properly aligned with structural support. To ensure that the building remains stable and safe, it is best for architects to collaborate with structural engineers to discuss whether the design is feasible and possible. The architects design it, and the structural engineers make it possible. Having this healthy and professional collaboration makes the project more viable.
Structural reinforcement for energy-efficient designs
Now that the homes are shifting to being energy-efficient, there are features that have to be added for it to perform well. Incorporating these features could affect the structural makeup of the building and should be recalculated or redesigned. Also, there are some materials and finishes that a structural engineer can add value to so that they will be compatible with the building. Proper engineering approaches ensure that sustainability can be achieved without risking safety.
Structural problems caused by construction errors
Sometimes, design and calculation are not the problem, but how it was constructed or installed. Improper handling of construction methods can weaken the structure. Structural engineering experts are present to guide and inspect if the methodologies are properly conducted and recommend corrective measures if there’s a problem. They ensure that everything is in order and maintain the reliability of the building.
Residential architectural projects should not only feel like home but also make you feel safe when in it. When visuals are only prioritized, safety could be compromised. There are certain structural challenges a building can be exposed to, and it is not the same for all. It varies. Structural engineers make it possible to identify these early on and make sound decisions for the structure to be durable, stable, and safe. It ensures that the structure can perform long-term and add value to it over time.
Structural engineers make sure that every structural element is aligned with the design standards and codes. It is safe to say that structural engineers can make the architectural design real and support it with logical engineering principles. Although with different roles in the project, both are equally crucial to make a home become a reality.
From constructing new homes to renovations or even creating anything at all, structural engineers help in reducing errors and rework to ensure a much safer approach. In the Cad crowd, you’d find vetted professionals who can assist you with structural analysis, design, and any residential structural engineering solutions. Cad Crowd is your connection to bring your design to s safety and stability, not compromising anything while making it visually appealing. Request a quote today.
MacKenzie Brown is the founder and CEO of Cad Crowd. With over 18 years of experience in launching and scaling platforms specializing in CAD services, product design, manufacturing, hardware, and software development, MacKenzie is a recognized authority in the engineering industry. Under his leadership, Cad Crowd serves esteemed clients like NASA, JPL, the U.S. Navy, and Fortune 500 companies, empowering innovators with access to high-quality design and engineering talent.
Open world vampire RPG The Blood of Dawnwalker makes use of AI-generated voice acting, Rebel Wolves CEO Konrad Tomaszkiewicz has revealed, but doesn’t actually feature it in-game. The devs deployed the soul-regurgitating tech to create placeholder voice performances early in development, in order to tinker with quests and the like without re-recording the associated dialogue.
Tomaszkiewicz says this has kept costs down, citing his experience at CD Projekt working on The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and Cyberpunk 2077. He claims that all of the sinister chatbot tomfoolery has since been erased, and that every voice line in The Blood of Dawnwalker is now the product of genuine human lips and lungs.
Hackers working on behalf of the Iranian government are disrupting operations at multiple US critical infrastructure sites, likely in response to the country’s ongoing war with the US, a half-dozen government agencies are warning.
In an advisory published Tuesday, the FBI, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, National Security Agency, Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Energy, and US Cyber Command “urgently” warned that the APT, or advanced persistent threat group, is targeting PLCs, short for programmable logic controllers. These devices, typically the size of a toaster, sit in factories, water treatment centers, oil refineries, and other industrial settings, often in remote locations. They provide an interface between computers used for automation and physical machinery.
Operational disruption and financial loss
“Since at least March 2026, the authoring agencies identified (through engagements with victim organizations) an Iranian-affiliated APT-group that disrupted the function of PLCs,” the advisory stated. “These PLCs were deployed across multiple US critical infrastructure sectors (including Government Services and Facilities, Waste Water Systems (WWS), and Energy sectors) within a wide variety of industrial automation processes. Some of the victims experienced operational disruption and financial loss.”
Among the PLCs being compromised or targeted are those made by Rockwell Automation/Allen-Bradley. Security firm Censys said Wednesday that an Internet scan it performed identified 5,219 such devices exposed to the Internet. A full 75 percent of them were located in the US and likely in far-off locations where equipment is located. The infrastructure being used to target the devices is a “single multi-home Windows engineering workstation running the Rockwell tool chain.”
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