• Ukraine and Russia are in an arms race to produce more drones to fuel their war efforts.
• One senior Ukrainian official described this as a kind of "cat-and-mouse game."
• "We do our best to be five steps ahead," Mykhailo Fedorov told Business Insider.

Away from the front lines in Ukraine, an unprecedented arms race is underway.

Kyiv and Moscow have both sought to significantly ramp up production of unmanned systems as each side looks to out-produce their enemy and score a numerical advantage. But it's not just numbers. One senior Ukrainian official said technology is making a difference on the battlefield and is constantly going through evolutions.

"For the first time in human history, the tech war has moved at such a pace," Mykhailo Fedorov, Ukraine's minister of digital transformation, said in translated remarks shared with Business Insider. He added "it's more like a cat-and-mouse game now, with one side advancing over the other."

Drones of all kinds have been invaluable in this war, with both sides using them to regularly to complete a variety of battlefield tasks, including carrying out attacks, conducting surveillance, monitoring enemy troop movements, laying mines, dropping bombs, delivering supplies, and evacuating casualties.

Both Ukraine and Russia have prioritized unmanned systems as a cheap but effective way to keep pace with the ever-evolving nature of this grinding conflict.

Russia has dramatically ramped up drone production, including its first-person-view drones, and trained thousands of operators, putting pressure on the Ukrainians to keep up.

"In terms of drone production, we see that Russia produces rather quickly," explained Fedorov, who has been at the forefront of Ukraine's war-time efforts to strengthen domestic innovation and procure unmanned systems.

"But at the same time, we do our best to be five steps ahead," he added.

Ukrainian officials said in December that Kyiv plans to produce one million first-person-view, or FPV, drones by the end of this year. These relatively cheap systems have had a tremendous impact, but building that many would be a monumental effort that would require the country to boost its already-elevated production levels. Ukraine also aims to produce thousands of other systems.

FPV drones, specifically, have emerged as an ever-present threat on the modern battlefield. Both Ukraine and Russia have relied on these systems, oftentimes nothing more than a small quadcopter drone loaded up with explosives, as a cheap way to deliver precision strikes on enemy personnel, positions, and armor.

In February, Fedorov said Ukraine will reach its FPV production goals by the end of the year. Some officials have said that Kyiv may actually eclipse these figures because the country is capable of producing 150,000 drones a month.

Even though Ukraine has its eyes set on 1 million FPV drones, Fedorov told BI that Kyiv still plans on producing other unmanned systems like exploding naval drones and long-range attack drones.

"Different missions require different drones," he said.

Naval drones and long-range attack drones, in particular, have emerged as innovative — and successful — solutions for Ukraine in areas where Kyiv had been lacking earlier in the war due to its essentially nonexistent navy and a shortage of missiles.

Ukraine doesn't have any warships of its own, but it has leaned on two types of naval drones to damage Russia's Black Sea Fleet, effectively forcing Moscow to relocate its vulnerable assets away from its long-held headquarters in the occupied Crimean peninsula. Initially, these naval drones were just packed with explosives, but now they also feature rocket launchers and heat-seeking missiles.

Long-range attack drones, meanwhile, emerged as a way for Ukraine to skirt restrictions on using Western weapons and conduct strikes deep inside Russian territory. Using domestically produced unmanned aircraft, Kyiv has gone after strategic military and energy facilities hundreds of miles from the front lines.

"You can track the successes of Ukraine's long-range program by the surprising news coming from Russia," Fedorov said.

• Someone finally mentioned Daeron Targaryen "House of the Dragon."
• Daeron is Alicent and Viserys' youngest son, sent as a ward to Oldtown — the seat of House Hightower.
• We won't see Daeron this season, but here's what role he plays in "Fire and Blood."

Warning: Spoilers ahead for "House of the Dragon" season two, episode two and for the book "Fire and Blood."

On this week's "House of the Dragon," Alicent and Otto Hightower finally remember that there's one more Targaryen/Hightower child floating around in Westeros.

That kid is Daeron, the youngest of Alicent and Viserys' four children and their third son. In both "Fire and Blood" and "House of the Dragon," Daeron was sent off as a ward to Oldtown, the seat of House Hightower. Now that Aegon II has removed Otto as his Hand (for those who are keeping score at home, this is the second time that's happened), Otto suggests going back to Oldtown to mentor Daeron. Alicent sends him instead to Highgarden, to bring House Tyrell in line.

Hearing about Daeron is a bit abrupt, given that we never saw him in season one. And you shouldn't expect to see him in season two: Showrunner Ryan Condal told Variety that Daeron hadn't yet been cast, and that at this point in the show, the character hadn't yet had his first dragon ride.

"He will come to the narrative and have a role to play, just as he does in the book — we're just not there yet in the storytelling," Condal said.

However, if you're curious about what may be to come, here's what happens to Daeron in "Fire and Blood." That doesn't necessarily mean these events will unfold in the same manner on "House of the Dragon," which has tweaked things (and even made some big changes) in the past.

But if you're concerned about major spoilers for either, it's best not to read ahead.

Daeron is Alicent and Viserys' youngest child

In "Fire and Blood," Alicent gives birth to Daeron around the same time Rhaenyra gives birth to her first child, Jacaerys. While "House of the Dragon" doesn't exactly follow the "Fire and Blood" timelines, Condal said that by season one, episode eight, all of the older Targaryen children are around the 17 to 21 age range. It's probably safe to assume that Daeron is, at minimum, in his late teens on the show.

In the book, Daeron is also bonded to Tessarion, who's described in the book as a "lovely blue she-dragon." Daeron, George R. R. Martin writes in "Fire and Blood," the most charming and well-liked of Alicent's sons, and was sent to serve as a cupbearer and squire to Lord Ormund Hightower in Oldtown at age 12.

Daeron's positioning in Oldtown came into play during the war, after Otto Hightower asked Ormund to quell several rebelling lords in the Reach. When Ormund was overwhelmed at the Battle of the Honeywine, Daeron saved him by entering the battle on Tessarion. After the battle, Ormund named Daeron a knight, bestowing upon him the title "Ser Daeron the Daring."

Daeron continued fighting with Lord Hightower in the Reach, eventually advancing on King's Landing after Rhaenyra claimed it during the war.

Daeron's fate was tied to the town of Tumbleton

During the war, the town of Tumbleton was one of the last strongholds between Ormund Hightower's march and King's Landing. Two of Rhaenyra's dragon riders, Hugh Hammer and Ulf White (bonded to Vermithor and Silverwing, respectively) were sent to defend it. However, after Daeron and Tessarion arrived, Hugh and Ulf switched sides and razed the town.

After the conquest, soldiers continued to menace the people of Tumbletown, though two historical accounts in "Fire and Blood" claim that Daeron attempted to stop the pillaging. The forces languished in the city rather than marching on King's Landing, and Hugh and Ulf began to make demands — in Hugh's case, to become a king himself.

Offput by Hugh and Ulf's ambition, lords serving under Prince Daeron conspired to kill them, and Daeron co-signed the plan. But before they could carry it out, Addam Velaryon (previously Addam of Hull) attacked the city on his dragon Seasmoke, eager to reclaim it and prove his loyalty to Rhaenyra's cause.

Addam's attack kicked off the Second Battle of Tumbleton while Daeron was still sleeping in his tent. Though the historical records referenced in "Fire and Blood" don't agree with the manner of his death, he was killed at some point during the subsequent battle.

Tessarion, Seasmoke, and eventually Vermithor fought, and all three dragons died as a result. Addam Velaryon also died during the battle.

• I spent four nights on Carnival Cruise Line's new Carnival Firenze cruise ship.
• The quality of the vacation reflects its relatively affordable fares.
• I have two major gripes about my experience: the lackluster food and incessant upselling.

People love to hate Carnival Cruise Line. After sailing on the new Carnival Firenze, I now understand why: The food was as bad as the incessant upselling.

The company's ships have a reputation for being affordable but rowdy, so much so that it had once threatened to fine unruly travelers $500.

But this sour standing doesn't seem to be negatively impacting business. Lately, it's been the opposite. Its parent company, Carnival Corp, experienced "record" deposits and high-priced bookings in the first quarter of 2024.

Despite its growing popularity, I don't think I'll willingly book another Carnival cruise, or at least Carnival Firenze, again.

And it's not for the reasons you might expect.

My four nights on Carnival Firenze weren't stellar — not because of the rambunctious crowd (shocker, I know), but because of the terrible food and annoyingly endless upselling.

Carnival certainly lives up to its reputation of having affordable cruises.

The cheapest Carnival Firenze itinerary in 2024 is a four-night sailing for $359 per person, including taxes and fees. That's less than $90 a night for a hotel room at sea, unlimited food, onboard activities, and the chance to see Catalina Island and Ensenada, Mexico.

Not bad, considering that new ships typically have a steep pricing premium (Royal Caribbean's new Icon of the Seas mega-ship starts at more than $260 a night).

The fares can’t be beat. And the quality of the food reflects that.

Look, I'm not expecting caviar and freshly shaved truffles on every plate. I can respect a sloppy burger and simple pasta, as I expected for a Carnival cruise. And seeing complimentary dishes like beef tartare was unexpectedly welcomed.

Unfortunately, everything I ate was mediocre.

The best word to describe most of my Carnival Firenze meals is "sweet."

The honey mustard dressing at the buffet salad station was so sugary it could've been a dessert. But even the thick, saccharine texture couldn't moisten up the incredibly bone-dry chicken.

Sure, sure. Honey mustard is supposed to be jam-packed with sugar, and I poured it with a heavy hand. But I think a salad dressing shouldn't send diners into a sugar rush.

Some savory dishes were overpowered by unnecessary sweetness.

My main dining room entrée of shrimp and fish cake could've been great. The shrimp was perfectly bouncy, and while the fish cake was questionably mushy, it was seasoned well with a dried garlicky, oniony spice mix.

Unfortunately, the accompanying tomato sauce, sweetened like it was meant to be a sorbet, lost all of the dish's accolades.

A good tomato sauce strikes a delicate balance between sweetness and acidity. This was just sugar — and a profound ability to make decent seafood taste bad.

The dining room's clams and linguini could've also been a win if not for some major issues.

I didn't love that it came with only four or five clams, but I do love pasta dishes with a contrasting texture!

Unfortunately, said "texture" was a hard, small piece of plastic hidden among the mound of noodles.

If the food wasn’t sweet, it was heavy.

The Guy Fieri-branded burger joint accrued lines before it opened for lunch. I, drawn to hyped food places like a moth to a light, was excited by its popularity.

Unfortunately, I couldn't enjoy it for long. I hit a food coma about four bites into the decadently greasy pepperoni pizza burger, served with a thick slab of fried mozzarella.

By day two, I began dreaming of light vegetables, freshness, and fiber.

But the two complimentary dining venues that catered to these needs — the Fresh Creations salad stand and La Strada Grill with sandwiches and sides — were only open during the last day of the sailing. At that point, the lack of fiber had already done its damage.

I even tried ordering off the vegan menu for breakfast one morning. Unfortunately, I was denied my meatless dish: The waiter said vegan breakfasts had to be ordered the night before, a restriction I've yet to see on another cruise.

The mediocre food marred my experience, but it wasn't the worst part of my Carnival cruise.

That title goes to the incessant, in-your-face upselling, done with a persistent annoyance reminiscent of an annoying fly buzzing around your home.

On paper, Carnival offers some ultra-cheap cruise fares. In reality, once you board the ship, you'll be met with an unsavory amount of pay-to-play options that could quickly double your vacation cost.

Mass-market cruise lines have been increasingly upselling on-board amenities and activities.

On Norwegian's newer ships, this includes slapping a $10 fee on the mini-golf course. On Royal Caribbean's latest vessel, this means paying $49 for a ropes course that could be completed in less than a minute.

But on Carnival, even complimentary venues had pay-to-play options.

For example, the buffet, where guests had to pay for chicken wings.

Or the free dining room, where breakfast juices — shown by a waiter at each table — could be purchased for $5.

Looking for a midday snack? You could hit complimentary venues like Il Mercato for sausages or the pizza stand for, well, pizza. Just be prepared to pay $6 if you want a Korean barbecue steak pie instead of pepperoni.

The dreaded dollar sign symbol followed me day to night, on and off the ship.

The nightly movie screenings were free to attend. But if you want a bag of buttery popcorn, you'll have to pay $4.

That's the same price guests had to pay if they wanted to take a shuttle from the port in Ensenada, Mexico, to downtown.

Even scheduled on-board activities had unnecessarily gratuitous upcharges.

Tea bags during "Tea Time" were $1.50. Unaware of the price before being approached by the server, I declined on the principle of not wanting to pay.

A few minutes later, he returned to inform me that he did, in fact, have two free options stashed behind the up-charged ones: Lipton and Bigelow's green tea — the only tea bags available at the buffet.

At breakfast, a server joked that my croissant and Lipton tea would cost $20.

If I didn't know any better, I would've believed him. It seemed like almost everything I wanted came with a sneaky price tag, as intended by its parent company.

Travelers spent more money aboard Carnival Corp's ships in the first quarter of 2024 than in the same time last year. To continue this success, Josh Weinstein, president and CEO of Carnival Corp, told investors in March that the company will continue to "push and press" its cruise lines to "optimize and maximize both on the ticket and onboard spending."

In truth, the ship does have some redeeming qualities.

The mini-golf course, waterslides, board games, and elevated ropes course were complimentary and a great way for families to pass sea days.

I arrogantly found the whole Italy-themed decor (it is called Firenze, after all) a bit tacky. But if you love the idea of a garish Las Vegas-ified Italy — think, the Walmart version of the Venetian — you could find some joy in the kitsch.

But these amenities weren’t enough to overlook the mediocre food and difficult-to-resist upselling.

Cruises are meant to be relaxing and fun. There's nothing relaxing about having to think about your finances whenever you're met with a pay-to-play option, which felt constant on Carnival Firenze. Nor is there anything fun about chewing into a piece of hidden plastic.

If you want the vacation of your dreams on Carnival's new ship, be prepared to pay up. But at that point, you might as well save that money for another ship — or cruise line.

• As an interior decorator, there are a few things I'd never have in my backyard. 
• In my opinion, plastic furniture and vinyl fencing can disrupt the natural beauty of a garden.
• I find that solar-powered lights are unreliable and aren't bright enough during dark winter months.

Home improvements like landscaping projects and backyard renovations can range from a few hundred dollars to over $20,000, so it's important to make sure any changes to your outdoor space are a worthwhile investment.

As an interior decorator, I encourage my clients to create a comfortable backyard space with a no-frills approach that enhances the natural environment. However, there are a lot of materials and design choices I'd avoid when creating a classic-looking yard space.

Here are eight things I would never have in my backyard as an interior decorator.

Plastic furniture doesn’t feel sophisticated to me.

In my opinion, colorful plastic chairs and tables feel flimsy and distract from the yard's natural beauty.

Unless you're willing to spring for a more durable option like Polywood, which is made from high-quality recycled plastic, colorful furniture will likely fade and wear quickly in the sun.

Instead, I create a timeless garden space using heavy wrought-iron or wooden furniture.

A fully hardscaped backyard is my nightmare.  

Hardscaping, or incorporating non-natural elements like stone walls, decks, or fences, can help create functional outdoor spaces for entertaining. These non-natural elements can be especially appealing to people who don't want to take care of lots of live plants.

However, I find that many designers overdo it when it comes to hardscaping — and to me, a wall-to-wall concrete yard with little plant life is a bit sad-looking and difficult to update.

You don't need to remove all vegetation to have a low-maintenance backyard. I recommend researching native plants or consulting with a landscaper to establish a beautiful, biodiverse garden that's easy to care for. 

I wouldn't recommend outdoor rugs in most climates.

Outdoor rugs are great in dry climates or areas where a portion of the yard is covered. However, they can get moldy and become maintenance nightmares in areas with heavy rainfall or pollen. 

I like to create interest and dimension in the yard by using various ground coverings like stone, tile, or wood decking. By diversifying my materials, I get the same effect as a rug but in a durable, design-focused way.

I find solar-powered path lights to be unreliable.

I find that solar-powered lights are unreliable and aren't bright enough during dark winter months. Therefore, I recommend installing path lights or other outdoor fixtures with regular bulbs.

For easy maintenance, select fixtures that allow bulb replacements instead of options that require removing the entire structure. 

Outdoor ottomans and poufs are not worth the maintenance for me.

I avoid large, fabric-heavy furniture like ottomans and poufs because they need to be protected from the elements during harsh weather and require lots of storage space.

Instead, I opt for woven-rope furniture or high-quality metal pieces with cushions. However, I make sure the cushions are made from durable materials like Sunbrella, which is resistant to fading and UV rays.

These synthetic fibers still need annual cleaning, and the cushions should be stored during rainy days or the offseason. However, these types of pieces are made to last and are more forgiving for low-maintenance backyards. 

I find vinyl fencing lacks the charm of real wood.

Vinyl fencing is popular for its low-maintenance qualities, but I don't like the look of sleek plastic in a natural landscape.

I prefer traditional wooden fencing, which is usually less expensive to install than vinyl and can blend into the yard as it naturally fades. Instead of painting a wooden fence, I recommend staining it for a long-lasting treatment that matches the yard's natural color palette. 

I'm not a fan of too many lawn ornaments. 

I find plastic trinkets, wind spinners, and garden gnomes charming in moderation, but I prefer to use live plants and landscaping as the main decoration.

For a quirky backyard with sophisticated embellishments, I lean toward decor made from natural materials like stone and glass. These materials usually resist sun fading, which can make the decor look shabby. 

I don’t recommend stamped concrete.

Stamped concrete, which creates a design that mimics brick or stone, is usually budget-friendly. However, I don't recommend it over traditional pavers.

Stamped concrete often gets slippery when wet, is difficult to repair, and can crack over time. 

On the other hand, I find most pavers' natural imperfections visually beautiful. Pavers are usually very durable, making them an investment that adds value to the home.