Enlarge/ Kudos to the designer of this umbrella-shaded rooftop terrace at Colossal Order, perhaps the only worker who can imagine a place that isn’t overwhelmed by Steam reviewers.
Paradox Interactive
Under the very unassuming name of patch 1.1.0f1, Cities: Skylines 2 is getting something quite big. The sequel now has the modding, map editing, and code modding support that made its predecessor such a sprawling success.
Only time will tell if community energy can help restore some of the momentum that has been dispersed by the fraught launch of Cities: Skylines 2 (C:S2). The project of relatively small developer Colossal Order arrived in October 2023 with performance issues and a lack of content compared to its predecessor. Some of that content perception stemmed from the game’s lack of modding support, which had contributed to entire aspects of the original game not yet available in the sequel.
When Ars interviewed Colossal Order CEO Mariina Hallikainen in December, she said that modding support was the thing she was most looking forward to arriving. Modding support was intended to be available at launch, but the challenges of building the new game’s technical base, amid many other technical issues, pushed it back, along with console releases.
“[W]e can’t wait to have the support out there, so we can have the modding community ‘fully unleashed,'” Hallikainen said then. “Because I know they are waiting to get to work. They are actually already at it, but this will make it easier. … We just can’t wait to give them the full set of tools.” She noted that character modding, a “technically difficult thing to support,” would arrive further out, and indeed, asset modding is listed as “available later this year.”
The base-level modding support is now available, though in “Beta” and in a different form than fans are used to. Instead of working through Steam Workshop, C:S2 mods will be available through Paradox Mods to support console players. There are, of course, issues at launch, including slowdown with the in-game mod browser. Most non-incensed commenters and reviewers consider the tools themselves to be an upgrade over the prior game’s editing suite.
In addition to making mods, the in-game mod tools should make it easier to load preset “Playsets” of mod combinations. We’ll have to see how long it takes assets like Spaghetti Junction, the most popular mod for the original Cities: Skylines, to arrive in C:S2 so that all may experience the municipal engineering regrets of Birmingham, England.
Along with modding tools, Colossal Order issued some of its first proper DLC for C:S2. Beach Properties, an asset pack, adds both North American and European waterfront zoning and buildings, palm trees, and six signature buildings. There’s also a Deluxe Relax Station that puts 16 new songs and DJ patter on the soundtrack. The recent patch also contains a number of optimizations and bug fixes. Steam reviewers and Paradox forum members are asking why the beach DLC doesn’t contain actual beaches.
We are quickly barreling toward an age of viable Arm-powered Windows laptops with the upcoming launch of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite CPU. Hardware options are great, but getting useful computers out of them will require a lot of new software, and a big one has just launched: Chrome for Windows on Arm.
Google has had a nightly “canary” build running since January, but now it has a blog post up touting a production-ready version of Chrome for “Arm-compatible Windows PCs powered by Snapdragon.” That’s right, Qualcomm has a big hand in this release, too, with its own press announcement touting Google’s browser release for its upcoming chip. Google promises a native version of Chrome will be “fully optimized for your PC’s [Arm] hardware and operating system to make browsing the web faster and smoother.”
Apple upended laptop CPU architecture when it dumped Intel and launched the Arm-based Apple Silicon M1. A few years later and Qualcomm is ready to answer—mostly by buying a company full of Apple Silicon veterans—with the upcoming launch of the Snapdragon X Elite chip. Qualcomm claims the X Elite will bring Apple Silicon-class hardware to Windows, but the chip isn’t out yet—it’s due for a “mid-2024” release. Most of the software you’ll be running will still be written in x86 and need to go through a translation layer, which will slow things down, but at least it won’t have to be your primary browser.
Google says the release will be out this week. Assuming you don’t have an Arm laptop yet, you can visit “google.com/chrome,” scroll all the way down to the footer, and click “other platforms,” which will eventually show the new release.
Enlarge/ The Dali container vessel after striking the Francis Scott Key Bridge that collapsed into the Patapsco River in Baltimore on March 26. The commuter bridge collapsed after being struck by a container ship, causing vehicles to plunge into the water and halting shipping traffic at one of the most important ports on the US East Coast.
A container ship rammed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore around 1: 30 am on March 26, 2024, causing a portion of the bridge to collapse into Baltimore Harbor. Officials called the event a mass casualty and were searching for people in the waters of the busy port.
This event occurred less than a year after a portion of Interstate 95 collapsed in north Philadelphia during a truck fire. That disaster was initially expected to snarl traffic for months, but a temporary six-lane roadway was constructed in 12 days to serve motorists while a permanent overpass was rebuilt.
US cities often face similar challenges when routine wear and tear, natural disasters, or major accidents damage roads and bridges. Transportation engineer Lee D. Han explains how planners, transit agencies, and city governments anticipate and manage these disruptions.
How do agencies plan for disruptions like this?
Planning is a central mission for state and metropolitan transportation agencies.
Traditional long-term planning focuses on anticipating and preparing for growing and shifting transportation demand patterns. These changes are driven by regional and national economic and population trends.
Shorter-term planning is about ensuring mobility and safety during service disruptions. These disruption events can include construction, major scheduled events like music festivals, traffic incidents such as crashes and hazardous material spills, emergency evacuations, and events like the bridge collapse in Baltimore.
Agencies have limited resources, so they typically set priorities based on how likely a given scenario is, its potential adverse effects, and the countermeasures that officials have available.
For bridges, the Federal Highway Administration sets standards and requires states to carry out periodic inspections. In addition, agencies develop a detouring plan for each bridge in case of a structural failure or service disruption. In Baltimore, Key Bridge traffic will be routed through two tunnels that pass under the harbor, but trucks carrying hazardous materials will have to take longer detours.
Major bridges, such as those at Mississippi River crossings, are crucial to the nation’s economy and security. They require significant planning, commitment, and coordination between multiple agencies. There usually are multiple contingency plans in place to deal with immediate traffic control, incident response, and field operations during longer-term bridge repair or reconstruction projects.
What are some major challenges of rerouting traffic?
Bridges are potential choke points in highway networks. When a bridge fails, traffic immediately stops and begins to flow elsewhere, even without a formal detouring plan. Transportation agencies need to build or find excess capacity before a bridge fails so that the disrupted traffic has alternative routes.
This is usually manageable in major urban areas that have many parallel routes and bridges and built-in redundancy in their road networks. But for rural areas, failure of a major bridge can mean extra hours or even days of travel.
When traffic has to be rerouted off an interstate highway, it can cause safety and access problems. If large trucks are diverted to local streets that were not designed for such vehicles, they may get stuck on railroad tracks or in spaces too small for them to turn around. Heavy trucks can damage roads and bridges with low weight limits, and tall trucks may be too large to fit through low-clearance underpasses.
Successful rerouting requires a lot of coordination between agencies and jurisdictions. They may have to adjust road signal timing to deal with extra cars and changed traffic patterns. Local drivers may need to be directed away from these alternative routes to prevent major congestion.
It’s also important to communicate with navigation apps like Google Maps and Waze, which every driver has access to. Route choices that speed up individual trips may cause serious congestion if everyone decides to take the same alternate route and it doesn’t have enough capacity to handle the extra traffic.
On Monday, Florida became the first state to ban kids under 14 from social media without parental permission. It appears likely that the law—considered one of the most restrictive in the US—will face significant legal challenges, however, before taking effect on January 1.
Under HB 3, apps like Instagram, Snapchat, or TikTok would need to verify the ages of users, then delete any accounts for users under 14 when parental consent is not granted. Companies that “knowingly or recklessly” fail to block underage users risk fines of up to $10,000 in damages to anyone suing on behalf of child users. They could also be liable for up to $50,000 per violation in civil penalties.
In a statement, Florida governor Ron DeSantis said the “landmark law” gives “parents a greater ability to protect their children” from a variety of social media harm. Florida House Speaker Paul Renner, who spearheaded the law, explained some of that harm, saying that passing HB 3 was critical because “the Internet has become a dark alley for our children where predators target them and dangerous social media leads to higher rates of depression, self-harm, and even suicide.”
But tech groups critical of the law have suggested that they are already considering suing to block it from taking effect.
In a statement provided to Ars, a nonprofit opposing the law, the Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA) said that while CCIA “supports enhanced privacy protections for younger users online,” it is concerned that “any commercially available age verification method that may be used by a covered platform carries serious privacy and security concerns for users while also infringing upon their First Amendment protections to speak anonymously.”
“This law could create substantial obstacles for young people seeking access to online information, a right afforded to all Americans regardless of age,” Khara Boender, CCIA’s state policy director, warned. “It’s foreseeable that this legislation may face legal opposition similar to challenges seen in other states.”
Carl Szabo, vice president and general counsel for Netchoice—a trade association with members including Meta, TikTok, and Snap—went even further, warning that Florida’s “unconstitutional law will protect exactly zero Floridians.”
Szabo suggested that there are “better ways to keep Floridians, their families, and their data safe and secure online without violating their freedoms.” Democratic state house representative Anna Eskamani opposed the bill, arguing that “instead of banning social media access, it would be better to ensure improved parental oversight tools, improved access to data to stop bad actors, alongside major investments in Florida’s mental health systems and programs.”
Netchoice expressed “disappointment” that DeSantis agreed to sign a law requiring an “ID for the Internet” after “his staunch opposition to this idea both on the campaign trail” and when vetoing a prior version of the bill.
“HB 3 in effect will impose an ‘ID for the Internet’ on any Floridian who wants to use an online service—no matter their age,” Szabo said, warning of invasive data collection needed to verify that a user is under 14 or a parent or guardian of a child under 14.
“This level of data collection will put Floridians’ privacy and security at risk, and it violates their constitutional rights,” Szabo said, noting that in court rulings in Arkansas, California, and Ohio over similar laws, “each of the judges noted the similar laws’ constitutional and privacy problems.”
On Thursday, the United Nations General Assembly unanimously consented to adopt what some call the first global resolution on AI, reports Reuters. The resolution aims to foster the protection of personal data, enhance privacy policies, ensure close monitoring of AI for potential risks, and uphold human rights. It emerged from a proposal by the United States and received backing from China and 121 other countries.
Being a nonbinding agreement and thus effectively toothless, the resolution seems broadly popular in the AI industry. On X, Microsoft Vice Chair and President Brad Smith wrote, “We fully support the @UN’s adoption of the comprehensive AI resolution. The consensus reached today marks a critical step towards establishing international guardrails for the ethical and sustainable development of AI, ensuring this technology serves the needs of everyone.”
The resolution, titled “Seizing the opportunities of safe, secure and trustworthy artificial intelligence systems for sustainable development,” resulted from three months of negotiation, and the stakeholders involved seem pleased at the level of international cooperation. “We’re sailing in choppy waters with the fast-changing technology, which means that it’s more important than ever to steer by the light of our values,” one senior US administration official told Reuters, highlighting the significance of this “first-ever truly global consensus document on AI.”
In the UN, adoption by consensus means that all members agree to adopt the resolution without a vote. “Consensus is reached when all Member States agree on a text, but it does not mean that they all agree on every element of a draft document,” writes the UN in a FAQ found online. “They can agree to adopt a draft resolution without a vote, but still have reservations about certain parts of the text.”
The initiative joins a series of efforts by governments worldwide to influence the trajectory of AI development following the launch of ChatGPT and GPT-4, and the enormous hype raised by certain members of the tech industry in a public worldwide campaign waged last year. Critics fear that AI may undermine democratic processes, amplify fraudulent activities, or contribute to significant job displacement, among other issues. The resolution seeks to address the dangers associated with the irresponsible or malicious application of AI systems, which the UN says could jeopardize human rights and fundamental freedoms.
Resistance from nations such as Russia and China was anticipated, and US officials acknowledged the presence of “lots of heated conversations” during the negotiation process, according to Reuters. However, they also emphasized successful engagement with these countries and others typically at odds with the US on various issues, agreeing on a draft resolution that sought to maintain a delicate balance between promoting development and safeguarding human rights.
The new UN agreement may be the first “global” agreement, in the sense of having the participation of every UN country, but it wasn’t the first multi-state international AI agreement. That honor seems to fall to the Bletchley Declaration signed in November by the 28 nations attending the UK’s first AI Summit.
Also in November, the US, Britain, and other nations unveiled an agreement focusing on the creation of AI systems that are “secure by design” to protect against misuse by rogue actors. Europe is slowly moving forward with provisional agreements to regulate AI and is close to implementing the world’s first comprehensive AI regulations. Meanwhile, the US government still lacks consensus on legislative action related to AI regulation, with the Biden administration advocating for measures to mitigate AI risks while enhancing national security.
The US Department of Justice is angry about green message bubbles. Announcing today’s antitrust lawsuit against Apple, US Attorney General Merrick Garland devoted a portion of his speech to the green bubbles that appear in conversations between users of iPhones and other mobile devices such as Android smartphones.
“As any iPhone user who has ever seen a green text message, or received a tiny, grainy video can attest, Apple’s anticompetitive conduct also includes making it more difficult for iPhone users to message with users of non-Apple products,” Garland said while announcing the suit that alleges Apple illegally monopolized the smartphone market.
The attorney general accused Apple of “diminishing the functionality of its own messaging app” and that of messaging apps made by third parties. “By doing so, Apple knowingly and deliberately degrades quality, privacy, and security for its users,” Garland said. “For example, if an iPhone user messages a non-iPhone user in Apple Messages, the text appears not only as a green bubble, but incorporates limited functionality.”
When messages are presented in those telltale green bubbles, “the conversation is not encrypted, videos are pixelated and grainy, and users cannot edit messages or see typing indicators,” Garland said. “As a result, iPhone users perceive rival smartphones as being lower quality because the experience of messaging friends and family who do not own iPhones is worse—even though Apple is the one responsible for breaking cross-platform messaging.”
Garland mentioned a 2022 interview in which Apple CEO Tim Cook “was asked whether Apple would fix iPhone-to-Android messaging.” The person asking the question said, “not to make it personal, but I can’t send my mom certain videos.” Cook responded, “Buy your mom an iPhone.”
Apple touts planned RCS support
The DOJ lawsuit in US District Court for the District of New Jersey also mentions the Cook remark. The case is about more than just green bubbles and text messaging, of course. The DOJ alleges that Apple violated antitrust laws by restricting rivals’ access to iPhone features and monopolizing the smartphone market. Messaging is one of several technologies that the DOJ points to in the antitrust complaint.
Garland’s green-bubble remarks echoed complaints made by Android maker Google over the last few years. Apple today disputed the DOJ’s entire lawsuit and said the department doesn’t appear to understand how encryption in messaging works.
In a background briefing with reporters, Apple spokespeople touted the company’s recent announcement that it will support the RCS messaging standard for iMessage sometime during 2024. In order to attend Apple’s briefing and view a background document, we had to agree to paraphrase the company’s remarks instead of quoting them directly.
Apple clarified that it is not implementing RCS as it exists today because it doesn’t believe the standard offers enough privacy and security. Apple said it is working with a standards body—this is likely a reference to the GSMA—to ensure that the version of RCS it eventually implements will support encryption and strong privacy and security.
Apple said that once it adopts RCS, iPhone and non-iPhone users will be able to exchange messages with higher-resolution photos and videos, and will experience improved group texting. Apple said it hasn’t brought its own message app to non-Apple devices because the user experience wouldn’t meet the company’s standards and that it cannot ensure that a third-party device’s encryption and authentication are secure enough.
Enlarge/ We like the interior styling, and it rides well and is rather efficient. But the interior build quality needs work.
Jonathan Gitlin
It probably hasn’t escaped notice that electric vehicles, having captured everyone’s attention, are having a bit of a slide into what Gartner calls “the trough of depression.” But as skeptics push back on battery EVs, another style of electrified car looks set to travel back up the slope of enlightenment. Plug-in hybrids are finding their second wind, as automakers and regulators look to PHEVs as a way to reduce transport-related carbon emissions.
Lincoln’s Corsair Grand Touring is not a particularly new PHEV, but since we hadn’t tested one yet and there was an example on the local press fleet, it seemed prudent to schedule a week with this compact crossover from one of America’s luxury brands.
The first thing to note is that, despite the way it might look in photos, this is not a huge land barge. The Corsair is 181.4 inches (4,608 mm) long, 76.4 inches (1,941 mm) wide, and 64.1 inches (1,628 mm) tall, so about the same size as a Toyota RAV4, or six inches shorter than a Tesla Model Y. The shape uses plenty of curved edges, dominated by the large Lincoln grille up front, with a hint of late-teens Audi SUV to it.
Under the hood you’ll find a 165 hp (123 kW) 2.5 L four-cylinder gasoline engine, which uses the more-efficient Atkinson cycle and drives the front wheels via a PowerSplit electric CVT transmission. (This uses a pair of electric motors and a single planetary gear set, with no clutches or torque converter or rubber belts.) The rear wheels are powered by a permanent magnet synchronous motor that generates 67 hp (50 kW) and 110 lb-ft (150 Nm). (Lincoln chose not to disclose a combined torque figure for the powertrain.)
Enlarge/ It’s a compact crossover, but not a particularly cheap one.
Jonathan Gitlin
The electric motor is powered by a 14.4 kWh lithium-ion traction battery, made up of 84 prismatic cells. Recharging times are 10–11 hours if you only have access to a 120 V socket, or between 3–4 hours with a 240 V level 2 charger. In practice, 3.5 hours on a level 2 charger was sufficient to give me a full battery. Should you wish, you can also set the Corsair Grand Touring to Preserve mode, which uses spare engine power to top up the battery, to about 75 percent state of charge. (Like most PHEVs, the Corsair Grand Tourer has a reserve that means even if it doesn’t have a sufficient state of charge to operate on electric power alone, the powertrain will still function as a hybrid, and the electric motor will still engage at low speeds and as a boost.)
When fully charged, the EPA rating gives the Corsair Grand Touring an electric-only range of 27 miles (43 km). But our time with the Corsair Grand Touring was scheduled for late December, and the cold weather at the time had other thoughts about that. After a full charge, the littlest Lincoln reported 23 miles of electric range, which dropped to 21 miles after a couple of blocks. Like BEVs, PHEV powertrains also suffer in terms of range when the temperatures approach freezing.
In fact, all vehicles suffer from worse economy in freezing temperatures, and the US Department of Energy points out that even hybrids can suffer up to 45 percent worse efficiency on short trips in cold weather. Gas mileage is rated at a combined 33 mpg (7.13 L/100 km), but here I actually saw as high as 38 mpg (6.19 L/100 km) on short trips even with a depleted battery. The cold weather also meant that the car would fire up the engine even when there was charge in the battery, presumably to help run the heater and also battery cooling—another common PHEV trait in winter.
Enlarge/ The clamshell rear hatch is a Lincoln SUV design cue at this point.
Jonathan Gitlin
For most of the week, I used either Normal or Conserve drive modes—the latter is the eco setting with more gentle throttle response. There’s also Excite mode, which keeps the engine running and the battery cooled for better performance, plus there’s a sharper throttle response and more weight to the steering. But the Corsair Grand Touring still weighs 4,397 lbs (1,994 kg), 561 lbs (255 kg) more than the non-hybrid AWD Corsair, and driving it like a sports car didn’t seem in keeping with the Lincoln’s vibes.
On the road, the ride was smooth and well-controlled, although definitely on the softer side of things. Happily, there wasn’t excessive road noise from the tires or air flow around the car at highway speeds. Lincoln says its designers “obsessed over each detail to create a sanctuary for the senses,” and in that regard they did a pretty good job.
I also have to commend the interior design team—the mix of tan leather and aluminum trim work well together. Unfortunately, with just 12,000 miles on the odometer, our test car creaked and rattled more than any other car I’ve driven in the last few years. The culprit seemed to be the dashboard, or something behind it, which registered its protest over each bump or jolt that made it past the adaptive suspension.
Jonathan Gitlin
There’s up to 43.2 inches (1,097 mm) of rear leg room.
Jonathan Gitlin
There’s 26.9 cubic feet (762 L) of cargo volume with the rear seats in use, or 56.2 cubic feet (1,591 L) with the rear seats folded down.
Jonathan Gitlin
For a model that has been in production for some time, it’s not unreasonable to expect better quality, especially with a starting price of $53,925.
In fact, our test car tipped the scales at $65,390, largely due to the $8,675 Collection III package that added (among other features) Lincoln ActiveGlide, the brand’s name for parent company Ford’s BlueCruise hands-free driver assist. This works as well as BlueCruise in other recent Fords we’ve tested and only operates on premapped restricted-access highways, and the car’s UI does a good job of indicating which mode you’re in so there’s no confusion.
While I’m praising UI stuff, I’ll add the infotainment to the list—the interface and fonts are clear but also aesthetically pleasing and are in keeping with the car’s vaguely art deco look and feel. Amazon Alexa is included as a voice assistant (with three years of free connectivity), but I imagine most drivers will just use Apple CarPlay or Android Auto.
Despite the cold weather and its deleterious effect on battery range, I finished my week with warm feelings toward the Corsair Grand Touring. It’s an example of a luxury car that doesn’t try to be a sports car as well, and I’ve already described how much I like the interior. But the amount of creaks and rattles in the cabin aren’t really acceptable for a car with just a year under its belt, and the sticker price is quite high, although the car is eligible for a $3,750 IRS clean vehicle tax credit.
