California’s Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program awarded the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System over $60 million for regional electric rail and bus services.

According to a report in Times of San Diego, roughly $48.3 million will be used for the Orange Line Improvement Project, part of the San Diego Trolley system. “In addition, $12.1 million is set to fund phase 1 of the electrification of MTS’ Kearny Mesa Division, including construction of an overhead charging system to support the first 30 battery-electric buses.”

• San Diego
• Public Transit
• San Diego Trolley
• Electric Buses
• Metropolitan Transit System

The California Department of Housing and Community Development issued “final warning” notices to 15 city and county entities that have not yet submitted state-approved housing elements as required by state law.

As Tim Fang explains for CBS News, “Jurisdictions that received the notices stretched across the state, from Half Moon Bay in the San Francisco Bay Area, to Montclair in Southern California. Two counties in the Central Valley, Kings and Merced, also received notices.”

Since 1969, California communities have been required to update their housing elements to meet the housing needs of their residents at all income levels. Without approved housing plans, jurisdictions are subject to a law known as the Builder’s Remedy, which allows developers to build without city permits. 

Fang adds that 480 communities, or 92 percent of the state’s total, have adopted a final housing element and the zoning changes necessary to implement it, with another 22 expected to finalize their plans in the next two months.

• Housing Element
• Housing Plans
• Affordable Housing
• Housing Supply
• Housing Crisis
• State Preemption
• Zoning
• Local Control
• Density

Oakland has released a draft of the second phase of its General Plan update, a Land Use Framework that will guide the city’s development over the next two decades.

According to an article in The Oaklandside by Jose Fermoso, “The General Plan, once completed by the end of 2027, will be the first of its kind in the city since 1998. Already, several parts of phase one were adopted by the City Council, including the Downtown Specific Plan, which provided policy planning blueprints for infrastructure, jobs, and housing in parts of Downtown, Jack London Square, and Lake Merritt.”

The second phase focuses on transportation, land use, and infrastructure. It includes recommendations for boosting transit use, walking, and biking, as well as suggestions for traffic calming infrastructure and improved sidewalks. 

• Oakland
• General Plan
• Transportation Planning
• Regional Planning
• land use planning

The Miami-Dade County Transportation Planning Organization (TPO) is considering a new non-stop train service that would ease traffic between Miami International Airport and Port Miami, one of the world’s busiest cruise ship terminals that receives over 8.5 million passengers every year. 

As Larry Seward explains for CBS News, “The project comes with a significant price tag, estimated to cost $600 million to $800 million for capital expenses and between $9 million and $15 million annually to operate, the TPO research noted.”

The new train would require a 9-mile extension of an existing people mover track or, for a higher-capacity option, a 10-mile track extension and a new bridge over the Intracoastal Waterway.

• Miami
• Cruise Ships
• Cruise Terminal
• Port Miami
• Ports
• Traffic
• Public Transit
• Trains
• People Mover
• Miami International Airport

This review is part of a special collaboration between Planetizen and Booked on Planning, a biweekly podcast where AICP planners Stephanie Rouse and Jennifer Hiatt chat with authors of the latest books shaping urban planning today. Listen to the episode with today’s author in the player below.

Five years ago, the American Planning Association (APA), in partnership with the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, began publishing the “Trend Report for Planners.” They utilize a foresight community of multidisciplinary experts who meet regularly and participate in facilitated workshops to identify trends most likely to impact the planning profession over the next year. The community members provide forward thinking perspectives and are most often thought leaders in their respective fields.

The report focuses on multiple timeframes, including Act Now, Prepare, and Learn & Watch. These timeframes indicate the urgency of the trend they are reporting on. Each report covers over 100 existing, emerging, and potential future trends the APA Foresight Team and their Trend Scouting Foresight Community believe are relevant to planning and other related fields.

Across the five “Trend Reports for Planners” (2022–2026), a consistent core focus emerges around the interconnectedness of climate change, digital transformation, and shifting demographics, requiring planners to move from reactive to proactive foresight strategies. Common trends throughout all five years include the critical urgency of climate adaptation, the "digitalization of everything" including the use of AI, and a persistent housing affordability crisis. 

However, the reports highlight distinct shifts in focus as new signals emerge: the 2022 report was heavily shaped by the immediate post-pandemic reality of economic restructuring and the Great Resignation, whereas the 2024 and 2025 reports introduced more niche environmental and social signals, such as the potential of fungi-based materials and the rise of pet-centric urban planning. 

This year’s “2026 Trend Report for Planners” serves as an optimistic and essential roadmap for the planning profession and related fields. Rather than focusing on fear of the unknown, the report is meant to be used as a proactive toolkit designed to empower planners to “embrace uncertainty” and lead their communities toward more resilient and equitable futures.

In this episode of Booked on Planning, we spoke with Petra Hurtado, APA’s Chief Foresight and Knowledge Officer about this year’s future trends. Petra points out that the APA Foresight Team and their Trend Scouting Foresight Community are not in the game of predicting the future. Instead, they “use today’s facts to help planners really prepare for what the future might look like.” As Petra says in the interview, “looking away won’t make it go away” so we might as well take a good look at some scenarios about where the planning field could be headed.

This year’s report is particularly impressive for its structured, actionable approach to uncertainty. It moves beyond mere observation and provides a strategic roadmap for professional intervention. The report does this through scenarios projecting four paths forward 5, 10, and 15 years into the future in areas including mobility, artificial intelligence, and privacy concerns. 

Here are three key examples from the report that highlight this forward thinking approach:

• Human-Centric AI Insights: The report offers a nuanced "Deep Dive" into the intensifying bonds between humans and AI. It goes beyond technical jargon to address how generative AI (GenAI) and large language models (LLMs) are reshaping public engagement, warning planners to balance efficiency with essential human interaction.
• Commitment to Equity: The inclusion of "An Inclusive Approach to Futures" is a key feature. It challenges dominant perspectives and advocates for "decolonizing the future," ensuring that marginalized voices and cultural identities are central to the visioning process.
• Pragmatic Environmentalism: The report identifies "Greenhushing,” a shift where companies and municipalities are continuing to meet ambitious climate goals but doing so without the “public flag-waiving,” as a critical emerging trend, providing a clever tactical shift for planners to continue making climate progress even when public political winds are shifting.

In an era of "polycrisis” where climate change, political volatility, and technological upheaval collide, this report doesn't just list problems; it builds future literacy. It empowers planners to move from being reactive to being proactive, transforming potential disruptions into opportunities for community resilience and growth.

Whether you are a seasoned urban planner or a local community leader, this report is a masterclass in strategic foresight that will keep you a step ahead of the issues impacting our collective future.

• Trend Report for Planners
• American Planning Association
• Urban Planning
• Urban Planners
• Trends
• Urbanism
• Planning
• Planning Profession
• Artificial Intelligence
• Climate Resilience
• Equity

Tucked along the picturesque Zeravshan River in the rocky mountains of northwestern Tajikistan lies the ruins of a forgotten, ancient palace. The monumental royal complex once presided over a bustling city along the Silk Road, not far from modern Tajikistan’s border with Uzbekistan. In its heyday, the palace’s walls were covered with colorful murals and intricate wooden carvings, most of which have been lost to time—until now.

A study recently published in the academic journal Antiquity recreates and analyzes one of palace’s most surprising murals. The mural shows four priests accompanying a young boy to a fire altar and is unlike anything that has been previously discovered. For the archeologists in this new study, the depiction raises far more questions than answers. 

For centuries, the palace was an impressive seat of power of Sogdiana, the homeland of an ancient Iranian people known as the Sogdians. One of the earliest mentions of Sogdiana is in the fifth century BCE, when the land was a territory of one of the world’s first empires—the Achaemenid Persian Empire. During the early fourth century BCE, Alexander the Great conquered Sogdiana, absorbing the land into his own massive, but short-lived empire.

Seven hundred years after Alexander, the Sogdians reached their zenith. Capitalizing on their strategic location between Asia and Europe, they became skilled merchants, trading in Indian gemstones, Tibetan musk, and luxurious furs from the Asian steppes during the fourth century CE. 

The Sogdian golden age persisted until the eighth century CE, when Islamic forces took control of much of the region. Some Sogdians converted to Islam, while others assimilated into Chinese culture or other civilizations. Within several centuries, the Sogdians had largely lost their distinct cultural identity. 

While much of Sogdian culture may be lost to time, some of their structures still stand, including the ruins of an ornate palace hidden among northwestern Tajikistan’s dry, rocky terrain. Known as the Royal Palace at Sanjar-Shar, its remains are about seven miles east of modern-day Panjakent. 

Built sometime in the fifth century CE, the palace was a massive complex built to impress. It had numerous, grand reception halls arranged asymmetrically along a central T-shaped corridor, a layout that mirrors other official Sogdian residences. Visitors to the ancient palace would’ve been greeted by a treasure trove of goods from across the ancient world, from ornate Chinese mirrors to gilded belt buckles. 

But some 300 years after its construction, the illustrious palace burned to the ground. Peasants moved into the ruins, using the once-noble palace as utilitarian storage space for at least another century.

In the late 1940s, Soviet archaeologists began excavating the Royal Palace at Sanjar-Shar. In the decades since, numerous excavations have taken place at the site. Archaeologists have found a wealth of goods that once decorated the lavish residence, including numerous fragments of wall murals. 

A bright blue lotus flower once adorned the palace’s central T-shaped corridor. Nearby, a hunting scene graced the walls of a smaller square room. The walls of a great rectangular hall displayed mounted cavalry riding alongside demonic figures with “bulging eyes and raised eyebrows,” the study’s lead author, archaeologist Michael Shenkar of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, writes.

In the same room as the big-eyed demons and horseriders, perhaps the most puzzling mural fragments were discovered in 2022 and 2023. Reconstructed for the first time by Shenkar and his team, the fragments show four priests, and possibly a small child, approaching a stationary fire altar. Depictions like these have only ever been found on ossuaries (chambers for storing human remains), and even then, those paintings usually only show two priests. 

The priest at the front of the mural’s procession was “evidently the most significant,” but he’s “also the most poorly preserved,” Shenkar writes. “He was likely depicted kneeling on both knees, raising a small altar towards the larger, stationary one—a common posture in Sogdian art, often showing worshippers offering incense on a portable incense burner.” 

However, offerings like these were usually made to painted or sculpted deities, not to fire altars. Shenkar and others are still figuring out what exactly the connection is between the incense offering and fire worship.

Meanwhile, “the second and third figures in the procession likely held objects,” but what exactly they held remains a mystery. The third figure also wears a padām, “a ritual mouth cover, still in use today by Zoroastrian priests,” Shenkar writes. “The second figure may also have worn a padām, while the ribbon extending from the back of his neck is an unusual feature, as such ribbons in Sogdian art typically accompany deities and kings.” 

Is the priest some sort of deity or king, then? Perhaps this specific priest held a particularly important position of power? Scholars don’t know. “The fire-worship scene is a rare addition to Sogdian visual culture,” Shenkar writes, offering unparalleled insights into Sogdian society on the eve of their downfall. 

Today, scholars can only hope that the Sogdians have left more clues to unravel this mysterious mural and other secrets of the illustrious Royal Palace at Sanjar-Shar.

The post Lost mural reveals ancient Silk Road fire ritual appeared first on Popular Science.

It’s that time of year again! Open up the weather radar and you might see what looks like precipitation when it’s not raining at all. Those bright green spots are often birds during their annual fall migration–and you can follow along.

According to BirdCast, 262 million birds are predicted to hit the skies tonight alone. The bird tracking and forecasting tool helps scientists and citizen scientists alike monitor bird populations as they travel. For tonight, the largest concentrations are expected to be in the Midwest and parts of the southeastern United States.

It’s generally pretty simple: food and nesting locations. They move away from areas with lower or decreasing resources and into areas where resources are higher or increasing. 

In the Northern Hemisphere, they tend to migrate north during the spring, when insect populations are increasing, plants are budding, and more nesting locations are available. 

During the late summer and early fall, the availability of insects and other food drops. Birds will then move south for the winter. According to Cornell Ornithology, getting out of the cold is a motivating factor for many species, but some like hummingbirds can survive freezing temperatures as long as they have enough food.

There are over 800 known species of birds in North America and not all of them migrate alike–or at all. Ornithologists use the distances that they travel to group them into four main migrant groups.

Permanent residents like northern cardinals and black-capped chickadees do not migrate at all. These birds can find adequate supplies of food all year and do not need to head south. 

Short-distance migrants make relatively small movements. They may move from a higher elevation down a mountainside towards a lower elevation.  The American robin and red-winged blackbird are considered short-distance migrants.

Medium-distance migrants generally fly only a few hundred miles. For example, they may breed in the Northeast and then spend the winter in the Southeast. Many types of warblers, the western tanager, and the snow bunting are all considered medium-distance.

Long-distance migrants are in it for the long haul, with some traveling upwards of 8,000 miles.  They typically move from their breeding spaces in the United States and Canada, south to their wintering grounds in Central and South America. The ruby-throated hummingbird takes a non-stop journey of up to 500 miles across the Gulf of Mexico during their biannual migration. Globally speaking, the Arctic tern has the longest migration with some from the Netherlands flying over 50,000 miles in one year. 

BirdCast uses National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration weather data (which detects large groups of them) and weather forecasts to predict nightly migration hotspots. Every night, the live map will give you an idea of how many birds will be in the air across the country. The brighter and warmer colors mean more birds.

BirdCast’s developers recommend starting with their three-day forecast maps. These offer a good nationwide view of where the birds are expected to take off a few hours after sunset.

For more location-specific data, you can use the Migration Dashboard. This will show how many birds crossed a county the previous night based on radar. If you want to know which species might be traveling through your area, the dashboard is integrated with Cornell’s eBird database, which indicates common bird sightings from the same time in previous years.

Some simple ways to help avians include making your windows safer by adding a film or break up reflections that keep birds from colliding with the glass, keeping cats indoors, planting native plants, and avoiding pesticide use. 

You can also turn off all excess outdoor lights and use motion-sensored lighting systems, especially during the spring and fall migration seasons. 

The post 262 million birds forecast to take to the skies tonight appeared first on Popular Science.

Millions of years of evolution have taught some reptiles the importance of the old adage, “Where there’s smoke, there’s fire.” Take the sleepy lizards (Tiliqua rugosus) of Australia. Researchers at Macquarie University found that these small, stubby-tailed reptiles become agitated after catching a whiff of something burning. But as they explain in their study recently published in the journal Biology Letters, there are still limits to the animals’ sensory cues.

The theory that certain reptiles innately recognize the dangers associated with smoke is supported by years of anecdotal evidence. One of the odder examples occurred completely by chance at the Audubon Zoo in New Orleans. After staffers accidentally burned their lunch, they noticed that the facility’s sleepy lizards started frantically tasting the circulating air with their tongues. Their agitation was so severe that the lizards even attempted to escape their enclosures. Meanwhile, other nearby reptile species remained calm despite the smell.

What made the incident even more striking was that most of Audubon Zoo’s sleepy lizards were bred in captivity, implying the reaction was an innate response instead of learned behavior. Since then, multiple studies have explored potential evolutionary explanations to the responses. But reptiles aren’t the only animals documented to possess a sensitivity to smoke.

“Many animals from fire-prone regions, such as Australia, appear to have this miraculous ability to survive their homes being burned,” Macquarie University animal behavioralist Chris Jolly explained in a statement.

In the case of sleepy lizards, Jolly and colleagues decided to test this direct correlation in a controlled environment. To do so, they safely exposed a group of the reptiles to the scent of smoke and sound of crackling fire separately, then combined together. It soon became clear that the sleepy lizards would flee if they smelled a fire, but did nothing if they simply heard the flames.

“Our study demonstrates that some lizards innately recognize smoke as a cue of approaching fire and respond by running away,” said Jolly.

The theory’s confirmation is particularly significant as climate change continues to increase the frequency and intensity of wildfires in Australia and around the world. A common assumption is that animals caught in these dire emergencies rarely escape harm, when many species already possess lifesaving evolutionary strategies.

This is not to say that wildlife is suited to handle the climate crisis—mountains of evidence clearly show otherwise. But understanding that species like sleepy lizards may have at least some advantages helps inform ongoing conservation efforts.

“As fires become more frequent, intense and unpredictable—including in habitats that rarely burned in the past, like rainforests—we need to know which species can respond to fire cues, and which are most vulnerable,” said Jolly.

The post A zookeeper’s burnt lunch revealed a lizard’s secret survival skill appeared first on Popular Science.

There are plenty of studies that suggest that being out in nature is good for your health, so it makes sense that sleeping beneath the stars would be, too. But if you’re not a person that’s prone to camping, are you missing out? 

“Like most things related to sleep, there’s a lot of personalization involved,” says Dr. Jennifer L. Martin, a spokesperson for the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) and former president of its board of directors. “What helps one person sleep well may not work for everyone.” Still, there seems to be real evidence that a night (or three) in nature can help both your body and mind reset.

Unhoused populations aside, Martin believes there are two main reasons why some people feel like they sleep really well outside. The first is that many of the factors that disrupt our rest in a normal sleep environment—things like smart phones, television sets, and laptops—have been removed from the equation. When you’re out in the wilderness things like electricity and good WiFi are typically limited, and you’re in a place that’s “quiet, cool, and comfortable,” she says. “All factors that can benefit sleep.” 

Secondly, people who find themselves sleeping outdoors are often on vacation. “Overall stress levels tend to be lowered,” she says, “which can lead us to be more relaxed and allows us to fall asleep more easily and sleep more soundly.”

There’s also proof that spending time outdoors in general promotes better sleep quality.

Nature can reset our circadian rhythm, the body’s natural 24-hour clock, helping us synchronize our bodies with the natural rise and fall of the sun. This ensures we can maintain healthy wake-sleep cycles.

Why does food by the campfire taste better?

What causes you to jolt awake right before falling asleep?

Is it better to sleep in cycles?

Why do some people need less sleep?

Can tracking make my sleep worse? The quiet torment of sleep tech.

“Human sleep changed a lot with the advent of artificial lighting,” the kind that comes from electricity, says Martin. Before that, one of our main sources of light exposure beyond the sun was from fire. Although a campfire is still an artificial form of light, the warm yellows and reds of its flames are less disruptive to our wake-sleep cycles than the bright, cool blue lights emitted from computers, TVs, and fluorescent bulbs. 

Disruptive blue wavelengths can wreak havoc on the body’s internal clock, even suppressing the production of melatonin—a hormone that helps regulate our circadian rhythm. By sleeping outdoors we’re limiting those illuminated snooze-disrupters and allowing melatonin to occur naturally while we rest. The morning sunlight then keeps our bodies in balance, cueing up the production of serotonin—the “feel good” hormone—to start the day. 

“Noise, light and temperature—all of these things definitely come into play when you’re sleeping outdoors,” says Martin, “just like when you’re in your home environment.” 

For the best night’s sleep, Martin recommends considering what relaxes you and makes you cozy when planning a night under the stars. If you’re staying in a campground, think about booking a spot that’s removed from roadways, so that you’re not dealing with constant headlights. The sounds of nature can be much more calming than artificial sounds like TV sets and traffic horns, but bring along ear plugs in case noisy neighbors tend to keep you up at night. Check that you have an appropriate sleeping bag and enough layers for adequate warmth, and have a comfortable surface to sleep on. “I bought my son, who’s a big outdoorsman, a really nice sleeping pad [which provides padding and thermal insulation beneath a sleeping bag] for camping,” she says. “He’s been telling me what a difference it makes.” 

The ideal sleeping spot should be flat and level, away from the wind and possible falling branches, and out of the line of water drainage paths. When it comes to getting proper ZZZs, comfort and safety are key. 

“If the thought of sleeping outside is going to stress you out, it sort of counteracts the potential benefits,” says Martin. 

One alternative to spending the night in a tent (or even sleeping in the open air) is glamping, which combines the benefits of being outdoors with many of the comforts of home. Think furnished canvas tents or yurts, proper beds, electricity, and often heating and/or air conditioning. “You can have that experience of sleeping in nature without giving up many of the creature comforts that many people have come to like and enjoy.”

Glamping offers a kind of middle ground for people who aren’t quite ready to ‘rough it’ but want to enjoy the many perks of being out in nature. “You still wake up in the morning and walk out, breathe in fresh air, and see beautiful scenery and trees and all of that good stuff,” Martin explains.

While breathing in outdoor air is generally advantageous, things like wildfires (which can release dangerous smoke from fine particulates) and allergens in the environment may do more harm than good. Whether we’re sleeping outside or getting comfy in our beds, getting a good night’s sleep should be our primary goal, says Martin. 

The benefits of a good night’s sleep are countless. “Getting the right amount of sleep consistently is probably the best way to avoid chronic health problems and to maintain good mental health. It’s really good for immune systems, reduces inflammation, and helps regulate blood pressure.” Our moods are often better, as are our relationships with other people. 

Most adults need seven or more hours of sleep to maintain our physical and mental health. Having a consistent sleeping schedule is also important. “It doesn’t have to be perfect, but you should go to bed within an hour of the same time every night,” says Martin. “You should get up around the same time,” too, give or take an hour.

Add in the many health benefits associated with being outdoors, and it’s a win-win situation. 

“Spending time in nature is just so good for us in general,” says Martin. 

Bedding down under the stars not only parlays these benefits, but it also allows us to get our bodies and minds back in balance. 

This story is part of Popular Science’s Ask Us Anything series, where we answer your most outlandish, mind-burning questions, from the ordinary to the off-the-wall. Have something you’ve always wanted to know? Ask us.

The post Is sleeping outside good for you? Science has a clear answer. appeared first on Popular Science.

• Liquid Glass - ‌watchOS 26‌ adopts Liquid Glass, with translucent, glass-like buttons and interface elements. It's most visible with select watch faces, the Smart Stack, and Control Center.


• Control Center - Control Center is customizable, and you can rearrange it and add third-party app controls. If you don't like your changes, you can revert to the original design.


• Smart Stack - The Smart Stack uses a new prediction algorithm and it will prompt you if there is a suggestion that's immediately useful.


• Widgets - Widgets in the Smart Stack are customizable, so you can rearrange them to show what's most important to you first. Third-party apps are supported.

• Wrist Flick - There's a wrist flick gesture for things like silencing incoming calls and dismissing notifications one-handed.

• Hypertension Notifications - ‌watchOS 26‌ adds hypertension notifications based on heart rate, letting you know if high blood pressure is detected over time. It's available on the Series 9 and later and Apple Watch Ultra 2 and later.


• Sleep Score - Sleep Score gives you a number-based evaluation of your sleep quality. It takes into account sleep duration, the number of times you woke up in the night, and when you went to bed.

• Workout Buddy - There's an AI-powered Workout Buddy that motivates you during workouts and provides helpful insights.


• Workout app - Apple redesigned the Workout app with an updated layout that makes options like custom workout, Workout Buddy, and Pacer easier to get to.


• Media - There's an Autoplay Media option that will automatically play music that matches your workout. You can also select your own media to have autoplay when a workout is started.

• Smart Actions - The Messages app can suggest smart actions like location sharing, providing an address, and more based on the context of a text.


• Smart Replies - Smart replies have been improved so you should get more relevant one-tap responses for incoming messages.


• Live Translation - The Messages app supports Live Translation, so incoming texts in another language can be translated to your language.


• Backgrounds - Personalized backgrounds that you create for conversations on iPhone sync to the watch.

• Call Screening - Call Screening asks callers for more information before your phone or Apple Watch rings.


• Hold Assist - You can use the Hold Assist feature on the Apple Watch. It waits on the line for you so you can do other things.

• Photos - The Photos watch face uses Liquid Glass for the time, and the size and location of the time adjust based on the image that's being displayed. The shuffle option also uses Featured content from ‌Photos‌.


• Flow - Flow is a watch face designed for Liquid Glass. It features an orb of color with Liquid Glass numbers.


• Exactograph - Exactograph has hour, minute, and second dials for precise time keeping. If you tap on the face, it zooms in on the minutes and seconds dials so you can measure in even smaller increments of time.


• Waypoint - Waypoint is only for the Apple Watch Ultra, but it shows points of interest in relation to where you are.


• Hermes - There's a Hermes Faubourg Party watch face for Hermes watches. It displays different animations based on the time of day.


• Ticking Seconds - More watch faces support the 1Hz refresh rate on the Apple Watch Series 10 and later, showing a ticking second hand even when your wrist is down.


• Gallery - The watch face gallery has a new design that groups faces into collections.

• Volume Adjustment - The volume of incoming calls and notifications adjusts based on the ambient sound around you. So if you're in a quiet room, your watch won't have a super loud ring.


• Live Listen - When using Live Listen on a connected ‌iPhone‌, a transcript of what's being said is displayed on the watch.


• Notes - The Notes app is available on the Apple Watch, so you can view existing notes and create new ones.