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Dustin Feider never expected to become a full-time treehouse designer. But for the last two decades, hes made a career out of building treehouses as a form of art. In one of his projects, a geometric pod shaped like a pinecone is suspended 50 feet above the ground inside a grove of giant redwood trees. Honey Sphere, Los Angeles [Photo: O2 Treehouse] In another project, tucked behind a house in Northern California, a 30-foot-high spiral staircase leads to a large wooden deck for dinner parties, with tunnels underneath for children to play. Across a rope bridge, a geodesic dome hangs in the air between another cluster of redwoods. In L.A., another spherical treehouse was exhibited at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and then installed in the backyard of Doors guitarist Robby Krieger. Cloud Ripple, Mill Valley [Photo: O2 Treehouse] These arent typical treehousesand some can cost as much as an actual house. Feiders company, O2 Treehouse, charges a minimum of $50,000 for a base custom model. But its average treehouse costs an eye-popping $400,000. Cloud Ripple, Mill Valley [Photo: O2 Treehouse] Feider started thinking about treehouses in a class project when he was studying furniture design at Minneapolis College of Art and Design. He took inspiration from Buckminster Fuller’s famous geodesic domes. “I was considering a form for a modern treehouse, with this idea that you could create something that was flat-packed and shippable,” he says. Blackbird, Seattle [Photo: O2 Treehouse] After graduating, he took a series of other design jobs, but simultaneously put together a website with his design. His first client wanted a geodesic treehouse mounted 50 feet up a poplar tree in Wisconsin. Initially, Fieder thought the treehouses would be the first in a series of different products that focused on sustainable design. But they quickly became so popular that he never stopped making them. Blackbird, Seattle [Photo: O2 Treehouse] After some early media coverage, he started working with a client in Beverly Hills, and then ended up building treehouses for others on the same block. The projects kept coming, and Fieder realized that he had a viable business. “I thought, wow, this can work,” he says. O2 Treehouse now employs around 40 people, including woodworkers and metalworkers who build prefab parts in a shop in Northern California, designers, and three construction crews. Pinecone, Bonny Doon [Photo: O2 Treehouse] The process takes time. First, the team visits a new site and starts sketching and discussing early ideas with the client. They also carefully study the available treessomething that’s made easier with iPhones, which now have LiDAR scanners that can map out a tree’s exact form. The design and engineering process usually takes three months. Prefabricating the parts takes another three months, and installation typically takes three months as well. Some projects take longer; one treehouse completed in 2024 took a year and a half to finish. Pinecone, Bonny Doon [Photo: O2 Treehouse] The company has custom hardware that helps securely attach the treehouses to trees without restricting the trees’ movement. The weight is enormous: the dangling “pinecone,” for example, weighs 5.5 tons. But large trees can support the structures without harming the tree’s health. “The trees grow outward and basically seal around the hardware,” Fieder says. “It’s a natural process of healing that wound.” Honey Sphere, Los Angeles [Photo: O2 Treehouse] So far, the company has built more than 100 treehouses. Most are for recreation, though Fieder has envisioned more complex designs that could serve as homes. “The idea being that when you buy a new property, you don’t have to clear the trees to build your house,” he says. “We actually plan the programming of your house around the trees are already on site, creating courtyards and an indoor-outdoor type of living space.” Blackbird, Seattle [Photo: O2 Treehouse] The company is now beginning to build treehouses where guests can stay through a franchise it calls Treewalkers, beginning with a glamping site near Atlanta. As people ascend into the tree canopy, looking through a treehouse’s large windows at a new view of the woods, Fieder wants to help inspire them to take better care of the planet. “I’ve been on this mission to reconnect people with nature through these architectural experiences in the woods,” he says. Treewalkers “will allow us to release our works from private backyards and open it to the public.”
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E-Commerce
YouTube Shorts, the shortform platform from Google-owned video giant YouTube, has seen massive success since its launch in September 2020. Today, an estimated 1% of all waking human hours are spent watching Shorts, with videos amassing around 200 billion views daily. But what users watch is ultimately shaped by YouTubes algorithmand a new study published in the Cornell University preprint server arXiv suggests that the algorithm nudges viewers away from politically sensitive content. When you start [watching] a political topic or specific political topics, YouTube is trying to push you away to more entertainment videos, more funny videos, especially in YouTube Shorts, says Mert Can Cakmak, a researcher at the University of Arkansas, Little Rock, and one of the studys authors. Cakmak and his colleagues scraped between 2,100 and 2,800 initial videos across three themes: the South China Sea dispute, Taiwans 2024 election, and a broader general category. They then followed 50 successive recommendations for each video under three viewing scenarios, which varied how long a simulated user watched: 3 seconds, 15 seconds, or the full video. The researchers tracked how YouTube presented 685,842 Shorts videos. Titles and transcripts were classified by topic, relevance, and emotional tone using OpenAIs GPT-4o model. When engagement began with politically sensitive themes like the South China Sea or Taiwans 2024 election, the algorithm quickly steered users toward more entertainment-focused content. The emotional tone, as assessed by AI, also shiftedmoving from neutral or angry to mostly joyful or neutral. Early in the recommendation chain, videos with the highest view counts, likes, and comments were favored, reinforcing a popularity bias. Maybe some people were aware of this, but Im sure the majority of people are not aware what the algorithm is doing, Cakmak says. They are just going and watching. Neither YouTube nor its parent company, Google, responded to Fast Companys request for comment on the studys findings. Cakmak doesnt believe this is a deliberate effort to suppress political discourse, but rather a design choice focused on user engagement. What YouTube is trying to do, he says, [is] remove you from that area or topic, and push you [to a happier] topic so that it can increase . . . engagement [and] earn more money.
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E-Commerce
At the conclusion of an interview, its customary for the hiring manager to ask the job candidate if they have any questions. You’ve probably responded with generic questions like When will I hear back? or What are the next steps?” But there are more compelling questions about the position you can ask before the end of the interviewto help you and help you stand out, leaving a positive lasting impression and reiterating your interest in the job. Why are compelling questions important at the end of an interview? When job candidates ask thoughtful questions, it sends a powerful message to employers. It shows that they’re not just invested in their own success but also in the well-being and goals of the organization, says Jenny Matthew, director of talent acquisition and attraction at Paycom Software, who is based in Oklahoma City, OK. It also gives the candidate the chance to clarify any gray areas they may have about company culture, expectations of the position, and next steps. These questions demonstrate youre doing your due diligence to determine whether the role is a mutual fit for both the organization and you, she says. The last few minutes of an interview can leave the interviewer with a lasting impression The conclusion of your interview is a final chance to offer parting thoughts or even bring a new idea to the table for the interviewer to ponder after the interview. The end of the interview is the mic-drop moment, says Matthew. It allows job candidates to be intentional by reiterating who they are, what they bring to the table, their interest in the position and company, and some of their future desires. 3 compelling questions for the conclusion of your interview What are some gaps in the organization you are hoping I can fill? This question encourages the interviewer to reflect on the candidates credentials. The hiring manager can then delve into how your skills and experience can be a win for their team. The conversation also affords them the opportunity to explain how they would manage some specific projects, says Matthew. This interview question also demonstrates that youre genuinely interested in the companys priorities and goals, and eager to contribute to its success, she notes. How would you describe the company culture? Beyond the job description, an eagerness and curiosity to learn about a companys internal culture shows interest and professionalism. This question highlights a desire to learn about the inner workings of the company, says Matthews. Also, this question can be used to the candidates personal advantage as they are navigating their job search. This question gives the candidate insight into potential red flags and/or reasons why a certain role has been open for a long period of time, Matthew says. Employers are not the only ones in the drivers seat; the job candidate is conducting an interview of their own. By asking informed questions at the end of the interview, candidates demonstrate that they’re not just looking for any job, but a meaningful opportunity that aligns with their goals and work style. What does success look like in this role, especially within the first 90 days? After learning about the scope of the role, the corporate culture and how your skillset could be an asset, inquiring about expectations of the position is beneficial. This helps candidates ensure theyre aligned with the hiring manager on job responsibilities and expectations, while also understanding by what metrics job performance is assessed, explains Michelle Reisdorf, a district director at Robert Half in Chicago. It also demonstrates to the hiring manager a commitment to starting strong and succeeding early. Should you go off script at the end of the interview? Applicants should ask relevant questions that stem from the conversation, sticking to what was discussed, the position, or something on point to the company. Going off script is encouraged so long as the questions clearly reflect active listening and thoughtful consideration of whats been discussed, says Reisdorf. This approach can often demonstrate genuine engagement and curiosity about the role, as well as strong communication skills.
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E-Commerce
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