the brick once again showed which side it plays

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While young Spaniards increasingly it is more difficult for them to emancipateand the price per square meter keeps breaking recordsthere is another Spain that went well in 2025. Very, very good, in fact. The same year in which buying an apartment in Madrid or Barcelona became harder than ever, Almost 13,100 people added a million dollars in assets to their assets, according to pointed he World Wealth Report 2026 prepared by the consulting firm Capgemini. The stock market and housing did all the work. According to the report, the growth in the number of millionaires that our country gained did not fall from the sky. It has three very specific engines: the stock market, the bank and the brick. The Ibex 35 closed 2025 with an increase of 49%, the highest in 32 years, which took the Spanish stock market capitalization to exceed one trillion euros and reach almost the level of GDP. For those who had money in the stock market, it was a very good year. Banks alone rose almost 96% in the year, and the sector contributed 18.5 billion in net profits, 5.1% more than in 2023. The housing market added another push. Real estate investment exceeded 18,450 million euros in 2025, 31% more than the previous year, the best figure since 2018. The average price per square meter reached historical highs, with double-digit increases in large cities. For whom already had real estate assetseach floor was worth more. For those who wanted to access housing, things were getting complicated. There are richer, richer. As the report reveals, the state of wealth in Spain has improved throughout 2025, but the global context contextualizes it better. On a global scale, the wealth ofThe great assets grew 8.7% during 2025. This represents the greatest advance since 2018, reaching 98.3 trillion dollars in the hands of the richest 1.1% of the population. The figure is a record, and the number of millionaires on the planet became 25.3 million, almost 2 million more than in the 2024 count. The Capgemini data corroborates something that other reports such as the ‘Millionaire Tracker’ report prepared by the British Adam Smith Institute, which pointed to Asia as one of the poles with the greatest potential for growth in terms of wealth. Asia-Pacific led with a 10.5% growth in large fortunes, followed by the US, which added 736,000 new millionaires, more than any other country, and already has 8.7 million. In Spain the number of millionaires is also growing. Within the European framework, Germany grew by 11.1% in its high-net-worth population, while Spain advanced, but was not the fastest, rising to 14th place in the ranking of the top 25 countries by ultra-rich population. However, in Spain that wealth only grew 5.3% (3.4% below the global average) creating 13,100 new millionaires with capital of more than one million dollars available to invest, excluding the value of their residence and consumer items. According to Capgemini estimates, that leaves a total of 259,700 millionaires in Spain who meet that requirement. The financial wealth of this ultra-rich population also increased in Spain in 2025, registering a growth of 6.7%, reaching a total of 672,112 million euros as a whole. Those who earn the most are those who already had more. There is one piece of information that gives an idea of ​​the level of concentration of wealth in a few hands. Only 1% of the high net worth accumulate 34.8% of all the wealth of that group. And the segment that grew the most in 2025 was not the “poorest” millionaires, but the group of millionaires among millionaires: people with more than 30 million in assets. Their number rose by 9.4%, while their wealth rose by 9.7%, above the group as a whole. This phenomenon of concentration is not new, but it is repeated with more intensity. The reason has to do with access to capital. Those who have more available capital can invest in assets that give more returns in private capital, alternative funds, investment structures that the small investor cannot access. The report indicates that 68% of large net worth companies intend to increase their exposure to private capital. Access to this world of large investments is not available to everyone, and that widen the gap even among the richest 1.1% of the population. In Xataka | “I am a millionaire and I don’t know what to do with my life”: a millionaire is looking for ideas because money has not given him happiness Image | Unsplash (Jp Valery)

The Kings League was born in 2023 to put an end to traditional football. Three years later he declared an ERE

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Gerard Piqué built a soccer league for the Twitch generation, and three years later he has cut 50% of his team, closed his leagues in France and Germany with no return date at the moment, and paralyzed the Spanish competition for six months. and the internet numbers and engagement on the internet they were not badbut that wasn’t the problem. The problem is that real football has other places where it reigns without rival. What has happened? Kings League workers published yesterday a statement in which they dismantled the version that the company had leaked to the press two days before starting the ERE negotiations. The company had spoken of a 30% cut in the workforce and the real figure, according to those affected themselves, is 41 layoffs out of 83 workers: almost 50%. At the same time, the French and German leagues are paralyzed with no expected return date, and the Spanish league stops its activity for six months to, in the words of the organization, “prepare the product for the future.” Kings League CEO Djamel Agaoua, incorporated in 2025, admits in the corporate statement that “money has been burned.” The simultaneous expansion to Brazil, Germany, Italy and the MENA region, managed from the offices in Spain, was economically unaffordable. Story of an ambition. The Kings League started on January 1, 2023 with digital audience figures that scared LaLiga. The first day reached an average of 300,000 people watching the matches between the league channel and the streamers on Twitch. They achieved a peak of 800,000 viewers only on the league’s main channel, data similar to the average of all LaLiga matches the previous season. Comparisons were published everywhere: it seemed that Piqué had found the crack in traditional football. Streamer world. Streamers like Ibai Llanos, TheGrefg or Guarnizo were presidents of the teams, and that turned each game into an extension of the entertainment that their communities already consumed. The format had gamified rules, random penalties, special cards. It was soccer 7, but designed for those who have been playing ‘FIFA’ for ten years. The numbers trick. However, Twitch’s numbers don’t exactly measure sustained following. In 2024 the drop compared to the first figures was evident: the decrease was 54% compared to the first months of the competition, with an average of 192,000 spectators at the beginning of that season. That year’s final reached only 258,000 people on average with a peak of 425,000. In the first months of 2023, the same competition had accumulated more than two million viewers at its maximum peak, adding the official channel plus those of each streamer-president. By then, the Kings League had bought into its own narrative, and oversupply compounded the problem. The first split, the second split, the Queens League, the Prince Cup, the Kings Cup, the Queen’s Cup and the Kingdom Cup suffocated the product, and each new tournament diluted attention rather than focused it. One round. In February 2026, with audiences already declining, the Kings League closed an investment round for 53 million euros. The round was led by the American fund Alignment Growth, with the stated objective of expanding the competition globally, with the United States as a goal. With this operation, the Kings League accumulated more than 160 million dollars in total financing since its launch. Four months later the ERE has arrived, and the workers are pointing in that direction: the company has just raised 63 million euros and the savings that justifies dismissing almost half of the workforce is just over two million. A martyrdom The workers’ statement also describes the work culture that prevailed in the company: three years of seven-day weeks, averages of ten hours a day, and overtime systematically above the legal limit of 80 hours per year established by the Workers’ Statute, in most cases without financial compensation or rest. On June 8, the CEO congratulated the entire team on the success of the Queens League final and two days later, the ERE was in the media. Had he left? The question, then, is whether the Kings League has ever had the possibility of competing with football. We have a precedent in American football: in 2001, Vince McMahon and NBC they launched the XFL with the aim of becoming the entertaining alternative to the NFL, with fewer penalties and a format with elements of reality show. The first broadcast achieved 54 million viewers, but by the following week the audience had fallen by 50%, with a continuous decline until the closure after a single season. Apparently, viewers were not interested in a hybrid between sport and wrestling spectacle. Unbeatable football. Spanish football has fans in third regional teams that fill stands with 800 people every weekend. This link does not arise from the product being entertaining, but rather from the fact that it is part of the local identity and, in many cases, family or territorial traditions. A child who grows up watching Rayo Vallecano or Villarreal with his father does not give the same identification value to a streamer. Even though he has a million followers. Football accumulates emotional capital for decades and the Kings League had to build it from scratch. And now? There are some pending issues: the Kings World Cup Clubs in Italy will be held in July 2026, and we will try to move forward with those who are still in the company. Piqué, in turn, publicly tested after the Queens League final the possibility of compressing the entire competition into a format of a few days. That is, a possible solution is to lower the ambition. Maybe it would have been a good exit idea. In Xataka | The Kings League has debuted on traditional television. It has had less audience than a La 2 documentary

A German driver set out to discover how much he could stretch the tank of his old diesel car. And he has done 2,400 kilometers

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Autonomy of 1,000 kilometers. It is the psychological barrier that seems to have been installed in the collective imagination when it comes to talking about electric or highly electrified cars. It doesn’t matter that it is a figure that is worthless because, obviously, it is totally inadvisable to sit in the car and put in 1,000 kilometers at a stretch between your chest and back. Right now, with a good part of the electric car market recharging 300 kilometers or more (real) in about 20 minutesthere are not many reasons to defend those ranges of more than 1,000 kilometers. And yet, such has been the insistence of those who do not trust the electric car that the manufacturers of plug-in hybrids themselves have focused their communication on selling us autonomies that exceed those 1,000 kilometers. And promise, among the electric ones, that we will see batteries that can withstand them. However, and although for everyday life it is something completely absurd, one always feels attracted to challenges like the one presented by the host and owner of the channel. Offroad adventure on YouTube. How many kilometers can your old diesel Volkswagen Passat travel? 2,300 kilometers with its little tricks He promised that he would repeat it if the video went viral. And he has done it. Elias is a German YouTuber specialized in car travel videos. His YouTube channel is full of incredible landscapes, challenges aboard his cars and videos in which he explains how he has transformed the vehicles. In one of them, he picked up an old Volkswagen Passat B5 diesel from 1998 and he decided to know how far he could go. He traveled more than 1,900 kilometers but did not manage to break the two-mile ceiling with a single tank. The promise seemed obvious: likes to the video and a new challenge ahead. No sooner said than done. More than 2,400 kilometers with just a tank? This is the title of the video in which Elias tells of his new experience with this familiar diesel with almost 30 years behind him. The car, at that time, approved an average consumption of 5.6 l/100 km (4.5 l/100 km in the extra-urban) and a 62-liter tank in Spain but in Germany, according to the data provided by the Youtuber, it reached 72 liters. That is, to cover 2,400 kilometers it was necessary to maintain a consumption of about 3 l/100 km. And with these tools, what seemed impossible was posed: how to get from Hildesheim (Germany) to the Arctic Circle with a single deposit of fuel? Let’s get to work. Elias swapped the original rims for closed hubcaps to improve aerodynamics on the wheels and reduce drag. It eliminated everything that could interfere with the exterior: goodbye to the roof bars and the antenna. He also points out that he changed some of the car’s filters to improve efficiency, as well as the lights, replaced by LEDs that consume less energy. Some air vents were covered to further improve efficiency. The YouTuber also points out that he installed a cruise control system, used low-friction oils and Michelin, which is one of the sponsors, gave him a set of low-friction tires that have been inflated to the maximum pressure allowed to reduce resistance. Searching for the sweet spot between driving at a constant speed high enough for the car to move at a low rev rate but without forcing it to downshift and increase consumption, the YouTuber manages to achieve his goal and shows how the car ends up stopping after 2,398.7 kilometers, registering an average speed of 74 km/h and a consumption of 3.0054 l/100 km. The car, in fact, at some point reaches a much lower figure, of about 2.5 l/100 km of consumption. However, in the last kilometers this figure “skyrockets” and leaves our protagonist on the verge of breaking the 2,400 kilometer barrier. Moment in which he removes the seal from the fuel tank to add a little more diesel and be able to get to a gas station. The test demonstrates how far diesels from a few decades ago were capable of reaching, but it also confirms that if the road is clear and used correctly, adaptive cruise control can save a lot of fuel by keeping the car at a sustained speed. Photo | offroadadventure In Xataka | Driving at 110 km/h instead of 120 km/h to save gas seems like a good idea. It’s just a patch

The latest trick for AI companies to appear less artificial is to use classic fonts. It’s the arrival of ‘Tasteslop’

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It has rained a lot since the Will Smith who had a hard time eating spaghetti and the AI videos we have nowwith the potential for us to swallow them if we don’t pay attention. More curious is that, not so long ago, AIs were useless when it came to representing letters in an image, but they have improved so much that they have even converted a specific font into something that denotes that a text has been made with AI: the serif font. And it is a huge problem. Suspicious typography. AI is in everything. In recent days, non-E3 has been held, the week in which different video game companies present their new products for the coming months, and many players were on the lookout. Many video game companies have found in AI a quick way out to speed up development (and fire employees along the way) and it seems that they are in a competition to see if they can sneak it in. Titles like the new ‘Stellar Blade 2’ or ‘1666 Amsterdam’ (with AI assets when they declare themselves as a “team of craftsmen”) are two examples. Others classify it as a “carcinogenic” technology. AI is in everything and, as they point out in this article from Wired, also in typography. The improvement of this technology when it comes to representing texts is so notable that AI companies are training them to use a specific typeface: certain varieties of sarif or sarifa (depending on the program you use to edit texts). In fact, writer and designer Keya Vadgama has noticed so many companies using the typeface that he has coined the term “the serif renaissance” to describe the phenomenon. Why sarif? This font is very interesting because it has “thanks” or “punchlines”. The serif fonts are some like Times, Georgia or Courier, while then there are the sans-serif fonts, which are the ones that would not have those endings. The endings are the decorations that copyists used to use in books and it is a warmer and more human source and, precisely, that is the key. Vagama explains that “it’s not that hard to guess why native AI companies are attracted to serif fonts.” According to his thesis, it is because AI is a cold technology, soulless and incapable of creating, but a font with those endings in the letters brings that soulless creation of AI closer to the warmth of human calligraphy. “It connotes a very human and fluid way of making letter shapes,” notes Vadgama. ‘Tasteslop‘. And since everything on the Internet must have a name, this trend has been framed within a term that already existed and in which it fits perfectly: ‘tasteslop‘. What that means is that it’s something with that aesthetic that wants to look sophisticated and curated, but is actually a collage of superficial design decisions that are simply guided by templates and generative models, not by deeper criteria. Visually it is curated, it is powerful, it is elegant, but the problem is that it is still a machine posing as a human. It is replicable with a prompt. And we are talking about simple text, yes, but also about an intention that shows that, in the world of marketing, there is no stitch without a thread and the objective is to leave the cold sans-serif typography aside to opt for a more human and warm one that, subconsciously, causes us less rejection. The answer. Claude, Manus, Runway or Perplexity, among others, use serif typography and, after asking, Wired received a response from a Perplexity representative who pointed out that why wouldn’t they have a human design… if Perplexity is for people. The curious case of Anthropic. The logo is sans-serif, it has sans-serif fonts, but also serif Implications for the designer. If AI is already taking this space (too) to simulate that it is not a machine, but something created by a human, now is the time for designers (again) to have to move to find a new space. We are already seeing that, if someone creates an image and it is very perfect, there are comments on networks like “that’s AI.” Or the more ‘Bro’ version of “hey Grok, is that AI?” And it is a problem because artists and designers are seeing how a technology that has plundered their work is imitating them perfectly in many aspects. As models absorb that serif font boom and AI learns from AI and its aesthetics, humans will be the ones who have to adapt to find a new visual code that indicates that there is craftsmanship there. It is to carry the battlefield art/prompt to fonts, something that would seem absurd until not long ago, but we are already seeing that it is giving something to talk about. Especially when the AI ​​is already asked to make images with text that appear human in aesthetics and less tech. I wish they used Comic Sans. The identification problem. In the background there is something much more serious: how we separate the wheat from the chaff, the slop from the artisanal. Trying to achieve enough perfection to confuse us is something we are constantly seeing in AIs. In the generation of images, fingers and letters were the clues we had left to know if something was human or not, but they are overcoming the limitations by leaps and bounds. The United States Department of State, for example, went from a sans-serif font to a Times New Roman with those serifs in the letters, and there are already those who have raised an eyebrow. Are communications made in images with AI? Well, it is not known, but this adds another complication: separating what is made with AI and what is not. In this image, if we draw a line from a point in the figure to the same point reflected in the mirror, we see that the lines do not converge at a single point either. We will have to study a degree … Read more

what you need to travel with a 90% discount this summer

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Let’s explain to you all the details about the Young Summerexplaining step by step what it is and how you can get these discounts for free to travel in summer. In this article we will explain all the conditions that you must meet, how you can book your train or bus with discounts of up to 90% and how long this offer will be available, since it will expire on September 30. What is Young Summer? He Young Summer This is what the summer offers that the Government has active have been called so that those over 18 years of age and under 30 years of age can travel with extensive discounts during this summer. The discount is applicable on services throughout Spain but also in Europe using the Interrail voucher. The measure is approved by the Council of Ministers and an amount of 130 million euros has been allocated. Accounting for the past editionsit is the fourth time in which the measure is repeated. In the previous three, four million people have joined this discount plan, totaling 16 million subsidized journeys. Conditions to take advantage of the Young Summer In order to join the Young Summer discounts, you need to keep in mind that it is not available to everyone. So, here is a summary with the conditions that you must take into account: The Young Summer is available for trips to be made between July 1, 2026 and September 30, 2026. It is necessary to have been born between January 1, 1996 and December 31, 2008, both inclusive. Have Spanish nationality or have legal residence in Spain if you are a foreigner. Where and how to use Young Summer To be able to use the Young Summer it is necessary to register on this website that the Ministry of Transport has not yet enabled (they will do so in the coming days). In addition, it will be necessary to register 24 hours before taking the first trip. If those 24 hours have not passed, it will be impossible to make the reservation according to the discounts. The discounts that are contemplated in the Young Summer are the following: 90% discount for regular bus services under state jurisdiction. 90% discount on conventional medium distance services and metric gauge networks. 50% discount on Avant single titles. 50% discount, with a maximum of 30 euros per ticket, for long-distance or high-speed commercial services of all railway operators (Renfe, Ouigo and Iryo) 50% discount on the Global Flexible Interrail of 10 days in 2 months, when marketed through Renfe. The discount is applied to the official Interrail fares, with their price characteristics according to age, etc. To avoid abuses, the Government has informed that it will not be possible to book two return tickets for the same day, unless the first journey has already been made or cancelled. Please note that the Registration Code provided during the registration process is personal and non-transferable and cannot be used by a third party. Likewise, cancellations must be made more than 24 hours in advance. It has also been noted that the beneficiary who misuses the Registration Code will be penalized with the withdrawal of the discount and will not be able to register in the system again. These improper uses will be informed by the company with which the trip is made to the alleged offender with SMS or an email in which the consequences of said failure will be explained. Photo | Pablo Nieto Abad In Xataka | How to know if your personal data has been investigated: see if the Police, DGT, Treasury or other organizations have done so

It is not a mobile phone, but a perfect mouse for professionals who travel frequently

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I usually work outside the home very frequently and I always have the mouse on me. And it’s not exactly a small one, because it’s the Logitech MX Vertical. But it seems that the brand has hit the nail on the head by offering an alternative dedicated to users like me who tend to travel frequently: a foldable mouse. The Logitech Mobi Fold is available in two versions: Logitech Mobi Fold by 79.99 euros. Logitech Mobi Fold For Business (with Logi Bolt) for 84.99 euros. The price could vary. We earn commission from these links A foldable mouse with very fast charging He Mobi Fold It is Logitech’s first foldable mouse and it is quite interesting to save space when having to carry it in a pocket. Personally, I find it especially interesting as long as we are going to use it outside the home very frequently. It’s good for me for traveling, but it’s also practical to take to university, for example. What we have been seeing for years in folding mobile phones we now have, bridging the gap, in a mouse. The Mobi Fold has a shell formatand perhaps the displayed design is a little strange, but the posture we must have with our hand is very similar to that we have with a traditional mouse. In fact, the design displayed is not far from what we have seen other times, such as with the Microsoft Surface Arc. Of course, the functions that are activated or deactivated when opening or closing the mouse cannot be missing, and that is that When you deploy it, the mouse will be activated and when you fold it it will turn off. In case this is something that worries you, Logitech itself mentions that it can withstand 15 years of daily use. However, this must be taken with a grain of salt because the tests are carried out under controlled conditions. As far as the scroll wheel is concerned, there is no one: the mouse incorporates Touch Scrolling, which by touch allows you to use this function that is so necessary for everyday life. In addition, the brand also comments that its autonomy is approximately 30 days and with a charge of 1 minute it offers 22 hours of autonomy. To top it off, it is worth mentioning that, as we see in other Logitech models, the Mobi Fold supports the Simultaneous connection with up to three devices at the same timeand of course it is compatible with a good variety of devices: Windows, macOS, ChromeOS, Android, iPadOS and Linux. ⚡ IN SUMMARY: Logitech Mobi Fold ✅ THE BEST Yesu format: The fact that it can be folded makes it smaller, something very interesting to use outside the home. Your battery: Beyond its autonomy of up to 30 hours, the most interesting thing is the fast charging that, with one minute of charging, offers up to 22 hours of use. ❌ THE WORST Your fold: Logitech mentions that it can last up to 15 years, but at the end of the day it is a fold that, depending on use, can last less. 💡 BUY IT IF… You usually study or work outside the home and want to take a very compact mouse with you. ⛔ DON’T BUY IT IF… You are going to study or work mostly at home, since there are cheaper, although less transportable, mice within the brand. You may also be interested Logitech Lift Ergonomic Vertical Mouse, Wireless, Bluetooth or Logi Bolt USB Receiver, Silent Clicks, 4 Buttons, Compatible with Windows/macOS/iPadOS, Laptop, PC – Sand The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Logitech MX Master 3S, High Performance Wireless Mouse with Ultra-Fast Scrolling, Ergo, 8000 dpi, Glass Tracking, Discreet Clicks, Bluetooth, Windows, Linux and Chrome – Graphite The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Some of the links in this article are affiliated and may provide a benefit to Xataka. In case of non-availability, offers may vary. Images | Logitech In Xataka | Best keyboards for writing and working: which one to buy and six recommended models In Xataka | Best gaming keyboards. Which one to buy and 11 recommended gaming keyboards for different users and budgets

Experts agree that “the quality of rest depends on whether you go to bed at the time when your body is ready to sleep”

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When you read the question “what time should you go to bed?” He usually waits for a number, a specific time, a recurring pattern to do as the day ends. Bad news. What research has discovered is that the ‘perfect time’ for going to bed is with parents. That is, genetics (chronotype) and a handful of other things. That’s why it’s time to see what the experts say. The time to go to sleep. These days, there are some statements from dr. Celia García Maloneurologist specializing in Sleep Medicine and co-director of the Madrid Clinic CISNe in which she explains that the quality of rest does not depend only on the number of hours. On the contrary, it often depends on sleeping at a time when the body is biologically ready for it. This is interesting because it shows a paradigm shift in global sleep science. That moment matters, yes (but not that much). In 2021, Nikbakhtian and his team reviewed sleep routines of more than 100,000 adults. The interesting thing about this study is that they did not use self-reported responses, but rather what a week of wrist accelerometer data said. Their conclusions were clear: going to bed between 10:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. was associated with a lower cardiovascular incidence. It was bad news for Spain, the European country that takes the longest to go to bed. However, the details are important: it was not a question of ‘the earlier you go to bed the better’ (because going to bed before 10pm was also a problem); It was about finding the appropriate moment for each society, country or culture. And that’s where the surprises begin. Because what we are discovering is that regularity is the key. In this case, the Windred team reviewed data from six years of life of about 60,000 people. Their conclusions were that the most regular quartiles showed between 20% and 48% less mortality from all causes compared to the most irregular ones. This is because, we now believe, genetic variants are associated more with schedule than with duration and quality of the dream. The researchers’ thesis is that when we find a stable time to go to bed, the rest of the pieces begin to organize themselves. What does all this mean? For us mortals who just want to sleep, there are a handful of consequences: There is no magic hour. What we have to do is look for a stable window: if we find a time to go to bed, the rest of the system tends to adapt. However, chronotypes exist. It’s a good idea to find out which one is ours and “negotiate with it.” Take care of your dream. Although we sometimes insist on sleeping at a certain time, we often forget that sleep hygiene (and, above all, light) is one of the most important things to sleep well. Image | Annie Spratt In Xataka | You take some melatonin and fall asleep. It seems like a harmless practice for your health but it is not so.

with US weapons

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In the late 1950s, China bombed for weeks the Taiwanese islands of Kinmen and Matsu with hundreds of thousands of projectiles to test the resolve of Taiwan and the United States. That crisis turned the Taiwan Strait into one of the most dangerous points of the Cold War and left a mark that still conditions military planning on both sides. From drills to real preparations. China has been rehearsing scenarios of blockade, landing and invasion around Taiwan. Its ships and planes operate constantly around the island and Beijing has never renounced the use of force to achieve reunification. In the face of this growing pressure, Taiwan has given an unprecedented step: for the first time you have used your HIMARS rocket launcher in live fire from the western coast of the island, precisely in an area considered one of the most likely places for a Chinese landing. More than just a test, the exercise represented a shift in focus from training away from a potential battlefield to practicing how to stop an invasion right where it might occur. The directed message. The demonstration had an obvious strategic significance. HIMARS were deployed facing the strait from Taiwan and launched dozens of rockets from a position near a possible landing area. The implicit message is that any Chinese amphibious force attempting to cross the strait would have to face a volume of fire capable of destroying shipstroop concentrations and support points before even reaching the coast. For years, China has shown in your own exercises how it would attack Taiwanese defenses; now Taiwan is showing how it would try to scuttle an invasion before it can take hold. US weapons at the center of strategy. The HIMARS have become one of the pillars of the new Taiwanese defense. The system, popularized by his performance in Ukrainecombines mobility, precision and survivability. Taiwan already has missiles capable of hitting targets on the Chinese mainland coast and has received authorization to significantly expand its arsenal with new launchers and hundreds of ATACMS missiles. The acquisition is part of a strategy designed to compensate the enormous Chinese military superiority through relatively small, mobile and difficult-to-destroy weapons that can inflict disproportionate damage on a much larger invading force. Himars The “porcupine” doctrine. Taiwan’s military transformation seeks to turn the island into a extremely expensive target to conquer Instead of trying to match the size of the Chinese military, Taipei is betting on an asymmetric defense based on mobile, dispersed and difficult to locate systems. HIMARS fit perfectly into that philosophy. Their ability to fire and rapidly change position reduces the risk of being detected and destroyed by radar or retaliatory attacks, allowing them to continue operating even in the midst of a high-intensity conflict. The beaches where war could be decided. The exercises were carried out on the west coast because there are many of the beaches and plains coastal areas considered more suitable for a Chinese amphibious operation. For years, military strategists identify these areas as the points where an invasion would have the best chance of success. In fact, for this reason Taiwan no longer wants to limit itself to training in testing fields far from the potential front. The goal is to familiarize units with the actual terrain, rehearse rapid deployments and see how weapons systems would respond in the same areas they would have to defend under enemy fire. Washington watches. The demonstration was not only aimed at China. Taiwan also wanted to send a signal to the United States at a time when remains blocked a major military aid package worth billions of dollars. The Taiwanese authorities are trying to show that they are willing to take an active part of its own defense and that the weapons supplied by Washington are being integrated into concrete plans to resist aggression. In a context of debate about the American commitment to the island’s security, each exercise also serves to reinforce the argument that Taiwan is seriously preparing to fight if the worst-case scenario arrives. An increasingly visible war. The symbolic importance of these maneuvers It goes beyond the rockets launched. For years, Chinese exercises have revolved around how to isolate, surround and eventually invade Taiwan. The Taiwanese exercises are evolving in parallel toward a different question: how to destroy an invading force before it can establish itself on the ground. The appearance of HIMARS on western beaches reflects precisely that change. It is not just about showing a new weapon, but rather about rehearse an answer It specifies the military scenario that most worries the island and that increasingly determines the security of the entire Indo-Pacific region. Image | X, US Army In Xataka | China has resurrected the strangest concept of the Cold War: a plane, a ship and a missile launcher in one machine In Xataka | There are hundreds of Chinese fishing boats off Argentina and Taiwan. The disturbing thing is that none of them have thrown the nets into the sea

only China stands up to BMW and Mercedes

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One by one, line up and see how far they go. Examiners from Norges Automobil-Forbund (NAF), the Norwegian automobile association, has been tested again to the most representative electric cars on the market. This time, the test was carried out in summer and the results, once again, leave us with interesting conclusions. Further. The electric car market has a new king when it comes to going further than anyone else. It is the BMW iX3 which has traveled a total of 781 kilometers before coming to a complete stop. The figure is even higher than that announced by the WLTP approval, which leaves it at 770 kilometers before stopping. The BMW iX3 bases its great result on a gigantic 108.7 kWh battery but its consumption has barely remained at 14.2 kWh/100 km, which is why it combines a huge battery with an enviable consumption for such a large, heavy car with so much frontal surface area. a surprise. If you have been aware of the latest launches in the electric car market, it is very likely that this first position of the German SUV has not surprised you. That honor probably goes to the XPeng X9, a Chinese electric minivan that, at the moment, is not sold in Spain. And this minivan is approved for 580 kilometers according to the WLTP cycle. However, in the Norwegian test it managed to cover 646 kilometers before stopping. That is, he was able to travel 66 kilometers more than expected and was the one who managed to put the most distance between driving in real circumstances and the homologation tests. Those who added. Far from those +66 kilometers, another 11 cars managed to obtain figures above what was expected. Except for the Mercedes GLB and GLC (+30 and +22, respectively), no other managed to travel 20 kilometers more than those stipulated by the WLTP cycle. Of those 11 cars, five are Chinese (taking into account that the Mazda 6e is, in reality, a Deepal car with a Japanese body). In addition to the latter and the Xpeng, the MG S6 EVhe Smart #5 and the Dongfeng Vigo (a huge Chinese SUV) were the Chinese cars that slipped into this category. Among the “traditionals”, in addition to Mercedes and BMW, Kia was the other brand with two cars that offered better than expected performance. Those who remained. On the other hand, there are those who remained. Of the 24 cars, another 12 cars provided lower performance than reflected in the WLTP cycle. If you’ve done the math, you’ll see that one is missing. The Toyota Bz4X nailed the test: it promised 506 kilometers of autonomy and stopped after 506 kilometers of travel. Of those that met the forecasts the worst, the MG IM6 recorded 59 kilometers less than expected, followed by the Hyundai Ioniq 9 (-34 km) and Mercedes CLA (-33 km). From here, all recorded deviations of less than 30 kilometers. More positive than negative If we continue at the bottom of the table, we have four other Chinese cars. In addition to the MG, the Polestar 3 (-24 km), the Deepal S05 (-14 km) and the BYD Atto 3 EVO (-10 km) also fell short of expectations. That is to say, there were more cars classified on the positive side of the comparison and the other half on the negative side, but this is well understood considering their battery type. All the Chinese cars that obtained better results than expected use NCM chemicals, except for the Dongfeng proposal, which is LFP and is the car that is closest to its homologation. On the contrary, almost all the proposals that lose kilometers among the Chinese models are cars that use LFP chemistries. This is not met with the Polestar 3, which does have NCM chemistry and which, unlike the Dongfeng, is the negative exception. And LFP chemistries tend to be more stable. They do not perform as well as an NCM in good weather but, in exchange, they perform better in cold conditions. And how is all this done? On the NAF website you can check all the details of when and how the exams are carried out. The Norwegians test cars twice a year to see how they perform when cold and how they perform when hot. The test is carried out uninterruptedly until the car comes to a complete stop and is used a route that is considered standard what Norwegian drivers are up to, including going up to a pass. Besides, They review the temperature and what the weather was like in every place. This time clouds and mild temperatures predominated. But, in addition, in the test they also note how many kilometers each car traveled before marking an energy reserve of 20% and 10%. They emphasize the importance of the latter because a driver almost always charges in this range, reducing the risk of being stranded before reaching the destination. If you are more curious, in this link leave all the data and Each car has its own technical sheet with the consumption at each moment, the expected kilometers and consumption and those finally reflected. Photo | NAF In Xataka | The big drawback to the electric car is that it takes a long time to charge. CATL has a solution of 6 minutes and 27 seconds

removing magnets from the fridge saves exactly zero euros on your bill, although there are other things that do work

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The magnetic decorations that decorate refrigerators in many homes have been the subject of a curious urban legendthat they make our appliance consume more. “Everything in this myth is false,” Endesa pointed out one of the last times the rumor resurfaced. Refrigerator magnets do not have an impact on the electrical consumption of these appliances since the magnetic fields of the magnets that we place in our refrigerators are very weak. So much so that “they don’t even go through the refrigerator door,” the electric company continues to explain on the company blog. And it is that some of the magnets we place on our refrigerator barely have the strength to keep themselves in place, but nor the most powerful magnets in this range they could do it. We would need a very powerful magnet, outside the range of refrigerator magnets to affect its operation. “Only (would consumption increase) if the magnets on your refrigerator were electromagnets” answered a forum user Physics Forums back in 2012 when another user raised this question. Endesa has not been the only company that has spoken out in recent years about this urban legend. When we asked LGthey told us that it was a “myth”: “fridge magnets have no effect on consumption, shelf life or food. The magnets located on the outside of the refrigerator do not influence the operation or the internal cooling capacity of the appliance.” In that same line he answered us another manufacturer, Bosch, which assured that the magnets were not going to affect the operation at all beyond causing scratches on the surface or, if someone feels especially inspired and fills the door with magnets, they could affect the useful life of the door hinge if its weight increases a lot. In any case, they were very emphatic about it: it will never affect the electrical consumption of the appliance. How to save with the refrigerator. The refrigerators can assume the largest source of energy consumption behind heating and hot water and can account for almost a fifth of electricity consumption. They must be plugged in and running all day, which limits possible strategies to save on expenses, although some exist. The option that most reduces electricity consumption is one that may not be available to everyone: obtaining a more efficient refrigerator. We may not have yet paid off the one we have or we may not yet have the budget to change it, but opting for more efficient models will imply less long-term savings. Other ways to save are well known: keeping the door open as little as possible or not putting hot food in it are well-known tricks. Maintain seal from the refrigerator, yes, it goes a little further. To achieve this we must always make sure that there are no foods that could make it difficult to close and that the sealing elements (the rubber) are in good condition. Where we place the refrigerator can also affect its performance. Embedding it, placing it in sunlight, or near a heat source such as a radiator or oven can cause it to require more energy to keep its interior cool. Finally, we must keep the freezer frost free as far as possible. The frost works as an insulator (as if we had an igloo inside the freezer. This causes the freezer to require more energy to cool the products inside. In the midst of a unique energy crisis in almost half a century, saving electricity has become an obsession for some and a necessity for many. That is why it is important focus on those strategies that do allow us to save energy and money. Image | Giulia Hetherington A version of this topic was originally published in 2023. Unfortunately for science, it is still fully valid in 2026…

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