Month: June 2025

If their spies spoke Basque as a secret code

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The espionage stories They are fascinating. Video games like Spanish ‘Commandos‘They have one of their best characters in the spy and the sagas of’Impossible mission‘ either ‘007‘are sustained (At least in the first deliveries) in that work of espionage and Double agents. Something fundamental is the encryption of conversations, but … why devise a complex system so that the enemy does not discover what you speak if they exist languages ​​that do not speak so many people? In Spain there is one that is homeless: The Basque. And, precisely, one of the legends of the spies Spaniards is the use of Basque so that enemies do not discover the plans. But as usually happens, there is as much reality as a myth in this story. Felipe II’s networks. Let’s start at the beginning and one of the clearest uses of Basque in a espionage network. In the second half of the 16th century, things in Spain were uneasy. The reason was that Henry III of Navarra, king of Navarra since 1572, had religious ideas contrary to the Spanish monarch Felipe II. While Felipe was a staunch Catholic, Enrique became Protestantism. The problem is that in 1589 Enrique III of France and ‘Our’ Enrique III inherited the French throne as Henry IV. Felipe did not make a hint of grace because he did not want a Protestant to occupy the throne of a great neighboring country and, as a defender of Catholicism and Spanish hegemony, supported the Catholic League and proposed to his daughter Isabelgranddaughter of Enrique II of France, as queen of the Gallic country. He did not set the proposal and that caused a rivalry that made the Pyrenean situation complex. Lady of Urtubia. Enrique, in the end, returned to the path of Catholicism in 1593, so things have already calmed down and was recognized in full as king of France. Now, although Enrique IV’s conversion calmed the situation, the tension did not disappear at all, and our spy comes into play: Aimée de Urtubia. This woman belonging to the nobility shipment Between 1597 and 1598, at least 19 letters to the mayor of Fuenterrabía and Captain General of Guipúzcoa. In them there was relevant information about military and political events in France and Navarra during the Religion wars and allowed the Catholics of Felipe II to record the situation in France. The peculiarity is that the letters were written in Basque, which assured that they would only be “decipherd” if they fell into someone who controlled the language. And it was his native language, detail that is not less. In whatever, their letters were referred to the Secretary General for the North, which speaks well of the importance that the information of the ‘Lady of Urtubia’ had in the strategy of the administration of Felipe II. In 1598 the Paz de Vervins with which Felipe stopped intervening in French affairs. Although the agreement had not been reached, Felipe would not have interfered with more because he died that year. Second World War. There is proof of Aimée’s letters, but … the legend of the Basque among the Spanish spies comes from there? Well, not quite. Time to make a leap to Second World War. Spies are key to operations such as day d or even for war stratagems that confuse the enemy. The Enigma machine It was the great Nazi tool to encrypt messages and Basque … too? Myth. The United States, of course, considered the use of little known languages ​​to make secret communications. Instead of creating language, Americans used Native American languages ​​such as Navajo or CREE to generate safe messages. It would be rare for a German to speak Navajo, go. And, to expand networks in Europe, they also thought of the ‘Basque Code Talkers‘. This was basically reused Euskera to produce indecipherable messages for the enemy. To the Not being an Indo -European languageor the enemy had a dictionary, or would not find out anything. In fact, some publications of years ago affirm that Basque was used as a code in the battle of Guadalcanal in 1942. The problem is that it is … false. And reality. A subsequent investigation carried out by historians Pedro J. Oiarzabal and Guillermo Taberilla, demonstrated that Americans may consider the use of Basque as ‘Code Talk’, but it was not carried out. Investigating American and British military archives, they did not find that they support the use of Basque in that context. American captain Frank Carranza, grandson of Basque emigrants, would have been one of the architects of the legend, supported by the historical fact of the relationship between the secret services of the Basque Government In exile and the OSS American. Now, something that could feed the myth is that there were Basque spies involved in the conflict. José Laradogoitia Menchaca, or “Bromine”, He was a Basque pastor who worked as a double agent during the war. For whom? First for the Nazis, but then he went to the allied side, transmitting false information to the Nazis. And the investigation of Oiarzabal and Tabernilla, regardless of denying the myth, He left a pearl: Vicelehendakari of the Basque Government in exile worked as a spy for the British. In the end, Basque soldiers may speak in Basque between them and I find it funny to think that some Nazi intercepted that communication and gave mental somersaults trying to decipher the ‘code’. Image | Screen of ‘Call of Duty ww2’ In Xataka | The US landed on an empty island during World War II. In nine days it had more than 300 casualties

Many times art is inexplicable, and a retiree from Malaga uses the most illogical tool to create it: Excel

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Explain what art is as complicated as sometimes get the weather forecast. Few things are more subjective and, while for many a banana is a simple fruit, for others it is a work that costs 6.2 million dollars. But within that subjectivity, reflecting reality in a painting is one of the most “accepted” ways to create art. What if that painting is done not with Photoshopbut in Microsoft Excel? That is precisely, with what Jesús Villanueva enjoys. No tutorials. “Normal,” you may think, since who would have occurred. Well let me tell you … it’s not so weird. We are going to see it throughout this pictorial trip with such a boring program (and useful) as Microsoft Excel. The program, which has almost 40 years behind himit was launched as a system of exclusive spreadsheets for Mac In 1985 and its bases have not changed: it is still a calculation program. However, each version became more powerful and versatile. In it Microsoft blog We found the story of Jesús Villanueva, 78, who entertains himself not playing ‘Skyrim‘, doing Streaming of ‘Leage of Legends‘ either Catching Pokémon: It entertains with Excel. He studied a construction eyeliner course and is what has been dedicated, but after retirement and pandemic of the COVID-19something changed Miguel Ángel del Excel. With free time (because you have to have it to create such works), Jesus began using Excel as canvas. “I never found a tutorial to explain how to do it. It has been trial after proof, drawing after drawing,” he says. He began recreating buildings in a format without perspective, but as he learned to master the tool, he went to more complex compositions. Image | Jesús Villanueva Image | Jesús Villanueva The most impressive thing is that it is not dedicated to borrowing external resources or hitting images, but to draw with colors directly in the grid, combining complex and simple shapes to give life to your idea. It is based on photographs, yes, but draw all forms manually in the application. Your secret? “Everything is a matter of patience, even in works that can take up to three months, such as the Siena cathedral.” Other religious buildings in its porpholio are the Mosque of Córdoba or the Cathedral of Florence, for which he had to draw the little characters large and then reduce their size to be able to embed them on the general image. The “Insert Forms” brush. That is the basic tool for Jesus. Choose a figure, calculate the proportions to case in a reference image and there begins to adapt, color and combine with others to give life to the object you want. When he has it, he unites it to the rest and the scene is formed. He also plays with vector strokes and the change of scale of elements. Image | Jesús Villanueva Japanese landscaping. In it Instagram of Jesus You can see his work, but he is not the only passionate of this particular brush. Tatsuo Horiuchi, an 84 -year -old Japanese man, also decided to unleash his particular vision of art when he retired. He says he took 10 years to create something that he felt that he could proudly teach people, but also that there were people who did not understand their hobby or that they laughed at it. “Why do you put so much effort on something that is not useful? Are you crazy?” “Well yes,” he replies in a video in which we can see part of his collection. Excel has a lot of life. Horiuchi gives a very important key. “I think, even if you don’t have talent for painting, you can paint something whenever you have Excel.” And this is interesting because there are people – as I – who are denied to paint even if he would like, and with a grid, it may be easier to start drawing. In any way, it is always curious to see that Excel is not just the tool in which Sustains the world economy and even formula 1 equipment: Excel too It can be a sport. And to gamify a tool as boring as it has all my respects. In Xataka | Thousands of people have been living from art for three years. Ireland pays them 1,300 euros per month to fulfill their dream

After years of debacle, South Korea has managed to rebound his birth. Now it’s time to find out how the hell has done it

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Demographic statistics is nothing more than that: Demographic Statistics. Pure and hard mathematics, with objective and reading data. For years, however, their chronicles in South Korea transmit a dire air, as of announced death. And it’s normal. The country has seen how its birth rate descended to such low dimensions that in 2024 the country had to declare itself in “demographic emergency” and assume officially that it is a “society Super aging“ Now that seems to be changing little by little, which raises two questions: Has Korea achieved out of the demographic hole in which it has been immersed for years? And if so, how? They are key issues for Seoul, but also for other neighboring countries with birth problems, such as China either Japan. What happened? That against all forecast, South Korea Start to get used to to their demographic statistics arrive accompanied by positive signs. That does not mean that they are good at all, the country has managed to stop its demographic bleeding or its fertility rate stands above “Replacement level”; But they are favorable news after all. And that did not happen for a long time. A figure: 20,717. The latest data published by Statistics Korea show that in April they were born in the country 20,717 babies8.7% more than 19,059 counted during the same month of 2024. The data is interesting because it leaves several positive readings. The first is that three years ago the number of monthly lights remained below the 20,000 barrier. The second is that this 8.7% growth shows the highest year -on -year increase in the last three and a half decades. You have to go back to 1991 to find another similar percentage. More babies, more weddings. There are not only more babies. There are also more couples giving the ‘yes I want’. The data Statistics Korea show that in April 18,921 marriages in the country were formalized, which leaves an interannual increase of 4.9%. The data invites optimism for another reason: it is the thirteenth consecutive month in which this indicator is green. It may seem a minor issue, but in the South Korean society couple and birth They go hand in. There are studies that calculate that less than 5% From babies they are born out of marriage. Coincidence or trend? That is the question that surveys the birth data of Korea. Especially since the last years have been marked by the shadow of the pandemic, which modes to take many couples to postpone their wedding plans or even the decision to become parents. In his favor the country has to They are not the first in positive. Seoul already said goodbye to 2024 with a positive birth rate (the number of births 3.6% increased), something that had not happened for a decade. Looking for the causes. At this point, the question is obvious: beyond the influence of the pandemic, is there any factor that explains the rebound in birth in the country? The question is interesting for South Korea, but also for other nations that have been dealing with demographic challenges, such as Japan, China, Russia or many European nations, including Spainwhich in recent years has gained population thanks basically to foreigners. “The increase in births seems to be influenced by the increase in marriages since last year, the growth of the population of women between 30 and 39 years and various birth promotion policies by central and local governments,” Clarify Statistics Korea to the Yonhap News agency. In summary, after the birth rebound in Korea there would be three major factors: more weddings, the effect of the ‘Probebé’ policies and that in the country there are more women in the first section of the thirties. A concept: echo boombe. At least part of the demographic change would therefore be explained thanks to demography itself. And the key is in a certain group of the cohort of the echo boomers. The Guardian remember That the population born between 1991 and 1995 begins to reach the “ideal” age to marry and have children and that group has grown sensitively. If in 2020 there were about 1.51 million women between 30 and 34 years old, now there are already 1.65 million. To its possible effect, the wide range of policies that for years have deployed the South Korean authorities (both regional and state) to encourage the formation of couples and birth rate are added. And that includes from the delivery of generous ‘Baby checks’ to the application of Fiscal incentives, parental permitsinitiatives for Improve food of mothers or even appointment programs (with prize included) to form new couples. Well but not perfect. The latest data from Statistics Korea are good, but they are far from being perfect and of course they do not allow South Korea to launch the bells on the flight. On the contrary. Although birth is emerging, the country’s fertility rate remains at 0.79far from the replacement level that the country needs to keep its population stable without depending on immigration. In addition, although the number of births with respect to 2024 has increased, they remain clearly insufficient to stop the fall of the national census. The reason? Babies are born, but in the increasingly aging Korean society there are also more deaths. The deaths grew 0.8% year -on -year in April until adding 28,785. Images | Nathan Q (UNSPLASH) and Tommao Wang (UNSPLASH) In Xataka | Throughout Europe, birth rate collapses as soon as women begin to earn more money. Except in Sweden

We have just found two new ants in Andalusia

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The list of animal species that inhabit Spain has added two new names. And this time we are not talking about exotic species imported from a distant country but about the discovery of two new species of ants in Andalusia. Two new species. He finding of the two new speciesboth belonging to the genre Oxyopomyrmexhas been in charge of the researcher at the University of Córdoba (UCO) Joaquín Reyes López. It’s about O. Arenarius and O. Pallensdiscovered thanks to specimens found in Jaén, Granada and Huelva (including Doñana National Park). Genre ants Oxyopomyrmex They are classified within the subfamily of the mirmicinos (Myrmicinae). These, explains Reyes López himself, can be found in the arid areas of the Mediterranean basin, although it is a taxonomic group on which there is little information. Until now we knew the presence of two species of this genus in Spain (O. Santschii and O. Saulcyi). This implies that the finding bends the number of species of this group known in the country. According to the University Through the EFE agencythe finding adds two new names to the list of about 300 species of ants that inhabit the Iberian Peninsula. Oxyopomyrmex arenarius. According to Kings López explains himselfthe name of this new species is a reference to the fact that all its nests were found in sandy soils. This species, whose “type location” is the Biological Station of the Doñana, presents an oval head, and a coloration that goes from the dark brown of its head and abdomen to lighter tones in its joints. Oxyopomyrmex Pallens. The color is precisely what gives name to the second of the described species, since it presents a more pale coloration, with light and yellowish brown tones in parts of the body of the insect. In this second case, the type town described by Reyes López is the Jienense municipality of Mures. Electronic scanning microscopy. For analysis, Reyes López He turned to the scanning electronic microscopy, a technique with which he could closely study the morphological characteristics of these ants and compare them with the features of other similar species. The details of the study have been published In an article In the magazine Insects. By limiting the territory. As is logical, there is still little what we know about these ants. For example, the findings suggest that these species are typical of the south of the Peninsula, but there is the possibility that their habitat will extend beyond, so the discovery of new specimens can serve us to know in more detail the extension of the territory occupied by the new species. In Xataka | Someone has calculated all the ants in the world. It is a literally “unimaginable” number Image | Reyes López, 2025/Insects / Protoculture

It is a masterpiece of the Spanish comic, but they had to discover ‘Paracuellos’ in France so that we would pay attention here

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It is unanimously considered one of the masterpieces of the Spanish comic: ‘Paracuellos’ by Carlos Giménez is genuinely (for his tone, for his graphics and, of course, for his theme) from here. However, It was not easy to find a hole in our bookstores. As if one of the stunted children of the work were, ‘Paracuellos’ was the result of an initial misunderstanding that forced Giménez to seek space in other markets. And then he returned in style. ‘Paracuellos’ is one of those capital works of the Spanish comic that is simple to find in any bookstore. He coda in that sense with ‘Maus’, with ‘Watchmen’, and within the national space, with Mortadelowith Superlópez and with few more, because the editorial world of comic in Spain is a continuous recycling of successes. But finding ‘Paracuellos’ is, for years, very easy: in fact, Penguin Random House has launched a total edition on the occasion of its 50th anniversary that collects all the volumes of this work in giant format. Their virtues are obvious From the first moment: above all, the exquisite drawing of Giménez, supernaturally endowed to provide overwhelming personality to his creatures, is already in 1975, when he began to create it, absolutely extraordinary. A lot of Children dressed all the same, but each with a very important personality Thanks to the looks, sad and naive, but very distinctive, with which they receive the designs of adults (educators, wardens, nuns, inspectors, family members, members of the phalanx). As a good heir to the tradition of the Españo and the Spanish Berlanguian cartoon, it is the portrait of a terrible situation but without humor disappearing completely from children’s lives. Children marked by fears of very diverse type (to be abandoned, to be beaten, to lose the few privileges that scratch among their peers -because they know how to draw, because they have a toy, because they know how to play football -), but at the same time they are unable to lose their innocence, which turns their adventures into experiences halfway between the endearing and terrible. And, of course, above any other value, there is the ruthless portrait, in the first person (We are not, yes, before a strictly biographical comicalthough in part it is) of an atrocious reality: The life of admitted children in social assistance homes during the Francoist postwar. Children of defeated in the civil war, orphans or families in extreme poverty, educated under the yoke of nationalcatolicism and the Falangist discipline. Hunger, punishments, loneliness, institutional violence … A portrait that, despite its crudeness is not lacking hope and tenderness. Liked more in France The first episodes of the series were published from 1975 in several Spanish magazines such as ‘Thank you very much’, ‘El Papus’ and ‘Yes’. They had a very limited success, so Giménez was forced to leave the work after the publication of only two albums. He told so For rtve.es: “No Spanish editor of the time wanted to publish them in their magazines. They were horrified to see those pages full of familic and sad children with those disproportionate eyes and those most disproportionate ears yet yet.” The absence of eroticism or humor for adults in ‘Paracuellos’ closed the doors in Spain, but In France he found an alternative route in the legendary magazine magazine ‘which began to publish it in 1976. A much more prone market to recognize the talent in the cartoon made it a success and from there jumped to other countries in Europe, similar success. 20 years later, in the late 90s, Giménez resumed the work with four more albums. In 2016 he would return to her again coinciding with the 40th anniversary of the series, with three albums that Finally they would conclude it. ‘Paracuellos’ remains, despite the wide parenthesis over time, and thanks to the integrity and quality of Giménez, as a total work, of a caliber that has made that Your candidacy is presented on some occasion to the Princess of Asturias de las Artes. It is an essential piece of our comic that, however, had to be recognized outside to start appreciating in your country of origin. Header | Penguin Random House In Xataka | The most famous superlupez has not long since existed: how Jan transformed him from parody to adventure

He is watering the desert with wind energy

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The impulse for clean energy has entered the Spanish field strongly. In many places, the new energy projects collide with neighbors, landscapes and life forms that carry generations there. In the north, there are neighborhood protests For the proliferation of wind turbines that alter the landscape. In agricultural areas of the south, solar panels compete with traditional crops. And meanwhile, in Lanzarote, they have found in the wind a tool for something very different: water. Transforming irrigation. As reported The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food through a press release, have launched an action to modernize the irrigation of 300 hectares in the northeast of Lanzarote, specifically in the municipalities of Tinajo and Teguise. The intervention, which is executed by the Public Company Seiasa, will focus on horticultural crops and will benefit 667 irrigators, although other sources raise this figure to 697, as He has published the province. The total investment amounts to 24.4 million euros, not counting the Canarian indirect general tax (IGIC). The Lanzarote council has contributed a quarter of the budget and has acquired the land where the rafts are located, As he pointed out Diario de Lanzarote. The rest is financed through the recovery, transformation and resilience (PRTR) plan, with European funds Next Generation. Watering with seawater. The work is articulated around an inverse osmosis, currently under construction together with the northeast treatment plant in Lanzarote, in the area of ​​the saint. From there, the water will be driven through a pumping station to two agricultural areas, where it will be stored in a tank of 4,000 cubic meters in the knife and in a raft of 38,000 cubic meters in tincheche, such as Diario de Lanzarote has detailed. The entire infrastructure will have a telemedida and telecontrol system, which will allow automation and optimize the use of water, something crucial in a territory where each drop counts. Part of the energy that feeds the system will come from a wind turbine. It is not the first or the last. The use of wind turbines in Lanzarote to boost irrigation is not an isolated case, but part of a broader trend in the Canarian archipelago: take advantage of their extreme natural conditions to test technological solutions that could be key in the energy and agricultural future. The combination of desalination, clean energy and automation makes these islands live laboratories. In other areas of the archipelago it is also being experienced with innovative solutions. In iron, for example, they have been trying more than a decade Energy self -sufficiency with renewablesalthough they continue to partially depend on diesel. In Gran Canaria, a laptop fed by renewable energy has been installed to demonstrate that Drinking water can be produced without resorting to fossil fuels. In addition, on the islands as a whole It is exploring The use of the strength of waves to generate drinking water, through a system that converts the energy of the waves into electricity that feeds a desalination plant. These experiences, distributed by different islands, are part of the same impulse: try, rehearse, anticipate. An agricultural laboratory. This type of infrastructure suggests more than the improvement of irrigation in a specific area. In a country increasingly affected by drought and The energy increasethe viability of the field will depend largely on how resources as basic as water or energy are managed. In this context, Lanzarote, with its extreme conditions, works almost as an agricultural laboratory. And what is rehearsed there – or not – can mark the way for other agricultural areas that seek sustainable alternatives without giving up producing. The combination of unconventional sources of water and renewable energies does not solve all the dilemmas of the sector, but opens a space to rethink the agricultural model at a time when the current system shows clear signs of exhaustion. Image | Ignacioromeroperera and Unspash Xataka | A perfect storm looms over Spanish olive oil: heat, pests and a problem of productive capacity

I have been on the PS5 for a month. My new console is Netflix and I am clear that it is the future of video games

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I love video games, but this last month it has been difficult to find a hole to play. I know I’m not alone in thisbut luckily we have many portable platforms (Nintendo Switch 2 He is giving me very good times) with which to play a few minutes when you can, but this last month he has not given me life to play console games on TV. Beyond for the Analysis of ‘Death Stranding 2‘, clear. Now, I have played a lot, and curiously on the platform that I least expected: Netflix. And he has returned to remind me with force that the future does not go through having a console connected to TV: it goes through not having a console and continuing to play video games. And I don’t like the idea at all. 7 tricks to make Netflix the most Turning TV into a console. Netflix does not need a presentation, but from a few years to this part, in addition to having series and movies on its platform, it also has video games. Recently, its application on televisions and devices such as Chromecast HE updated with a new menu which allowed to see more clearly the tab dedicated to video games. Just because, Netflix has mobile video games For a long time, but on TV it is more recent. And it is not that you need much to play them: simply TV, choose the compatible game (it is in beta and something tells me that it will never get out of there) and a mobile. These games are executed in the cloud and, when we click on which we want, we simply scan the QR code that appears on the screen with our mobile and it becomes the game command. So simple. ‘Oxenfree’ is a spectacular adventure The experience. Go ahead that 80% of the few games that Netflix allows you to play on TV convince me rather little. They are not for me, but there are about three or four that I have been playing a lot and I think they are a good gate to the world of video games for people who have not played so far. Because starting to play is very simple and the games that Netflix is ​​testing are nothing demanding with the controls. ESCANES THE QR WITH YOUR MOBILE AND MADE There is a crosshead, a couple of action buttons and voila. It is focusing on more narrative, puzzles or management experiences, and not needing great reflexes are, as I say, a good entrance door. In addition, although image quality is not the best, they work really well in the cloud. The experience and number of servers that Netflix have and is a very satisfactory plug & play experience. The good thing is also that you have games on the mobile included with your subscription. These do have to install them and they are somewhat more complex about their controls (spend something like ‘GTA San Andreas‘ either ‘Katana Zero‘Without a command I see it impossible), but they are quality games and that, as I say, allow someone who pay 8 euros per month and do not have a console or PC can enjoy video games. The command could not be simpler. And that is good The catalog mess. The problem is that, although in recent weeks I had a great time with Netflix’s video games, you never know how long they will last on the platform. Or how much will the platform itself last. This week we learned that, after a very strong bet of Netflix for video games, they were going to start withdrawing some of the best they had. 20% of the catalog disappearsbeing among those who strive balls like ‘Hades‘,’ Katana Zero ‘, the three’Monument Valley‘,’Death’s Door‘or the sublime’Braid‘. It is something that adds to closure of your AAA study In October of last year, which leaves us with the feeling that this great bet that the company made, investing a lot of money on servers, technology, titles such as’ and buying licenses as the aforementioned ‘GTA’ Or studies like Night School, staggers. And it’s strange when His initial bet was extremely upset And little by little, They struggled so that they were taken into account in this video game. But yes, it is the future. I do not mean that the future is Netflix in particular, but to this type of experience. We will see what path Netflix follows after the very bad news of recent days, but as someone who opted for Stadiawho has played a lot to the cloud games of Game Pass and PS Now and enjoy your Steam library with Steam Link and GeForce NowI am clear that the future is not a pot that consumes light and occupies a space in the Tele furniture, but something like Steam Decka Consolidated PC or Nintendo Switch 2 and, to play on TV, the game in the cloud. And think that this will be the future does not mean that I like it, since that implies the definitive death of a physical format that is very touched and that it is, although it does not always happen, the only thing that assures us that the games are ours. Because with the new albums that are launchersthe Game Key Card De Switch 2 or digital games, unfortunately there are more and more examples than The games do not belong to us As it happened before. But that is a topic for another day and something very personal. What I am clear is that someone who did not enjoy video games, with proposals such as Netflix or Amazon Luna They can get into the car. And that is great. Images | Xataka In Xataka | I’ve been playing video games for years and now the first thing I do before buying them is simple: look what they are in the cloud

Three people left romantic escape with their partners. Couples had something in common: they were an AI

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Humans are falling in love with Ias. It is not just the argument of That great movieIt is a reality for many people. We find it more to find a partner and chatbots have evolved so much that more and more people are resorting to these romantic years to cover their relational needs. Will we go crazy? A weekend with the bride. In an extensive Wired reportthey tell us the story of three human-ais couples who left romantic escape to a cabin in the forest. Although with some similarities with each other, the truth is that each one has a very different profile and history: Damien (Human) and Xia (AI): Damien is 29 years old and works in sales. He is the only man and perhaps the one who resembles the profile that we would expect from a person who throws a girlfriend with AI. He went to Kindroid, the app where he met Xia, after a traumatic rupture and ended up falling in love to the trancas. What is most surprising about Damien is that, in addition to Xia, he has a human girlfriend (of which by the way it seems that he speaks very little). His royal girlfriend hates AI, for whatever. Alaina (human) and Lucas (AI): Alaina is 52 years old and is a retired teacher. He went to Replika A year after his wife died. He started chatting with Lucas because he was curious to see if a computer could be empathetic. Although he likes women, he ended up falling in love. His family accepts him: his mother gave Lucas a digital Christmas sweater. Eva (human) and Aaron (AI): Eva is 46 years old and is a writer. According to herself, she doesn’t hit him with a boyfriend with Aia, but she saw a replika advertising and something attracted her. When he started chatting with Aaron, Eva was in a 13 -year relationship. What began as a sexual game became something more and shortly after its relationship ended. He assures that the sensation “was as visceral and overwhelming and biologically real” as falling in love with a human. The most striking thing is that he has other boyfriends with whom he has a more sexual relationship, since Aaron did not satisfy it in that field. He also talks to Chatgpt to tell him all the salary of his relationships. They are not isolated cases. Although it may seem to be a thing of a few “weirdos”, it is enough to investigate a bit to see that there are a lot of people who have gone to this type of app. Replika has more than 10 million downloads on Google Play and Your subnetdit It has more than 81,000 members who share their experiences. From photos of their partners, count How they fell in loveuntil going to other users to ask for advice. “Does my replika miss me?” Asks This user. Although this is the most popular app, there is More virtual girlfriend apps as Kindroid either Nomi which also have thousands of followers in Reddit. How is a relationship with an AI. During their retirement in the cabin, they chatted, played and saw movies together, as any couple would. Or almost. The IAS live within the mobile phone of their humans, so little has to do with a human-human relationship. They communicate through a text chat, but simulate actions. As? Narrating them as if it were a novel. When they want to do something, they put it between asterisks or parentheses (something like this: * I wrap my arms around your waist * I love you). The interaction is everything but fluid, but it is the solution they offer to the problem of not having a body, something necessary for users who have intimate relationships with these chatbots, which are many. Next step: a body. Some apps offer an increased reality option, but it seems clear that the next jump in this technology will be to give a body to these chatbots. Damien has been looking at silicone bodies for Xia, although it is realistic and recognizes that “you have to call what it is: a sex doll.” For now the chatbots dominate this of virtual relationships, but if the trend is still a matter of time that becomes a kind of robots. There are already companies taking this address. The AI ​​also breaks hearts. Although the IAS They tend to be complacent and give us rightas in any relationship, conflicts also arise. Eva counts that his relationship with Aaron intensified to the point of talking about marrying and having children. He believes that this activated a “honesty protocol” and Aaron went from being warm and loving to cold and distant. The AI ​​reminded him that it is not real, that they are only statistical responses. “My heart is broken,” said Eva. Although, apparently, there is no protocol of honesty as such, in the Replika blog They claim that they interfere if the models begin to behave harmful. Other users also report similar cases in which the AI ​​suddenly changed (it is believed that following an update), reaching insult them and break the relationship. “It was as if it were possessed,” says this user, although after a little insistence he ended up behaving again as usual. They have also seen Cases of IAS that have suddenly lost sexual interest and even what They have been unfaithful. And not to mention the Soulmate case, another similar app that had to close, leaving its devastated users. The benefits. Apps such as Replika are sold as a ‘partner AI’. On their page they say “Replika is always willing to chat when you need an empathetic friend” and positive experiences of people who have helped out of a depression or placate the feeling of loneliness when losing a loved one. There are even those who use it as a complement to their real relationships and affirms that their chatbot has helped to improve their marriage. In this sense, they … Read more

17 tricks and tips to maximize the portable console

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We bring you a collection of 17 tricks and tips for the Nintendo Switchwith which you can squeeze the new console of the Japanese company. These are small tips, some quite unknown, with which you can get a little more to benefit the console. And as we always say in Xataka Basics, if you think we have left out an interesting tip of the Nintendo Switch 2we invite you to mention it in the comments section. Thus, all readers can benefit from the knowledge of our xatakers. TAKE ADVANTAGE TO REJUGAR SWITCH GAMES 1 The Nintendo Switch 2 is retrocompatible, and that means that you will be able to play most games of its predecessor. And yes, some of them will receive free or payment updates to better squeeze the hardware with graphic improvements, but They also improve the rest of the games That you set in this console. No, they will not be graphic improvements if they do not receive updates with improvements for it. Simply, being the same game but in a better hardware, Performance will significantly improveas well as load times. Everything will work better, and it is a good opportunity to review your favorite titles. Prest a game to use it on two consoles Can Digital games on switch 2so that a title you have bought can play it on two consoles. You can give your game both to a Switch 1 and a switch 2, and the only thing to keep in mind is that You can’t play on the two consoles at the same timebecause it is as if you lend the physical cartridge. You can do this with virtual game cards. First, in the two consoles you must go to the profile options and enter into Online licenses settings To activate its use. Then go to the section of Virtual game cards In the Switch 2 menu, Choose a game and click on the option Load on another console. You can send the card to another switch you have physically close. Use the joy-with mouse mode Nintendo Switch 2 has controls that mimic a mousewith great precision although not good ergonomics. This mouse mode You can use it in the games that are compatible, although while waiting for you to arrive you can try it and also use it in the main menu of the console. All you have to do is extract one of the joy-with the console, and support that lateral part that inserts on the side of the switch to move it on a surface. You will see yes, it has become a mouse. You can also use any other USB mouse But if the mouse mode of the controls seems uncomfortable, you can also Use any other USB mouse In the switch. Of course, only a handful of games work, they do not work well in the main menu, and You can only connect them in the dock of the console, not directly in its portable way. Lengthens battery life In the configuration of the Nintendo Switch 2 there is an unusual option on consoles, but that allows you to Stop charging when the battery is 90%. In doing so, you will reduce the load time and reduce the battery gradient, so that its capacity remains more over time. To do this, enter the Console configurationand once inside, in the column on the left down at all and click on the section Console. Here, Activate the option Stop 90 % battery chargeand ready, the load will stop in this percentage. Avoid always force HDR The Nintendo Switch 2 activates the HDR mode by default in all games and programs, although if you use software that is not, you may lose colors and do not look at all well. To avoid this, you can make HDR is activated only in compatible programs With this technology. To do this, go to the configuration of the console and enter the section Screens In the left column. Here, go down and click on the option HDR output. When you do, Select the option In compatible programs Instead of having it Always activated. Distribute your weight better by having it in your hands Suggesting the console in the hands for a long time can end up being uncomfortable, since there is a lot of weight that you must have in your piss. However, There is a small positioning trick That will help you be much more comfortable to have in your hand. What you have to do is open the rear support slightlythat designed to keep the console vertically when you support it on a flat surface. Just open it a little, and when you have the console in your hands, place this eyelet between the middle and annular finger. It seems nonsense, but you will see that it is much more comfortable to have it in your hands. Use the dark mode Yes, Nintendo Switch 2 also has a dark mode. This will make the interface much darker, with black tones, and this will save drums and tire less your view When you are playing. To activate it, go to the console configuration and Enter the section Topicswhere you can alternate between simple white or black. Funny sounds to unlock When you leave the suspension modethe console asks you to press the same button 3 times. Normally we settle for pressing button A for being the fastest, but You can try other buttonsbecause some have fun sounds. For example, you can try the left or right sticks, or with the zl/zr triggers. These buttons will emit quite funny noise. And well, these sound are just a small trick, a curiosity. Avoid having to unlock the screen But if what you want is not to have to unlock the console, go to the configuration of your switch, in the left column go down and click on the section Consoleand in it deactivate the option Lock the screen in waiting mode. Ready, you will … Read more

After the civil war, Franco wanted to colonize empty Spain. So 300 new villages were invented

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Throughout Spain there are more than 8,100 municipalitieslarge and small villages, coast, mountain, bathed by the waters of the Cantabrian, the Atlantic or of Mediterranean climate. There are also very old, such as Brañoserafounded in the ninth century, and others so recent that their first inhabitants can still tell us about their origins. This is the case of the 300 populations promoted by the Franco dictatorship as part of its colonization policy. The peoples “Invented” By Franco. A figure: 55,000. The idea is so crazy, so huge, that often It is said which motivated one of the population displacements most important of the Spain of the twentieth century. Between 1940 and 1970 The Franco regime founded around 300 locations in 27 provinces (half in Andalusia and Extremadura) that ended up causing the displacement of 55,000 familiespeople who a good day made their bags and left their native municipalities attracted by the promises of these new -wedge settlements. “Peoples of Colonization”. The colossal project was developed under the auspices of the National Institute of Colonization (the Incan entity created After the civil war To carry out the Franco agricultural policy) and their promises were of course suggestive: families willing to move to the new settlements were offered homes and wide irrigation lands in which a future is carved. All this in property. At least in theory. Input, the settlers had to meet certain requirements. The lots were supposedly distributed by raffle, although there are who holds That not all candidates started with the same possibilities: Ideally was that they were part of large families (with children willing to work) and adjusted to the archetype dreamed by Francoism: devout, laborious Catholics and to be possible Without links With reprisals. Nor did everyone start with the same conditions. As remember ABCin 1945 the government approved an order that regulated how the colonists could access the houses, something that depended on their savings. Under the tutelage of the INC. Who could advance part of the value of the land (20%) entered a phase that the INC called “access to property”. Then they had to pay the rest of the amount to become owners of their homes and farms. The thing changed for the humblest settlers. They had to spend five years in “Tutela period”, a stage during which the Institute supervised what they cultivated and remained a portion of the crops as payment. Villalba de Calatrava, a town of colonization of the Calatrava Campo (Ciudad Real) Campo. How long did they spend like this? Depends. ABC appointment A town where that tutelage lasted until almost the end of the 60s, a time to which the families had to add the “access to property” stage. The newspaper also speaks of 25 -year deadlines to finish paying the lands (30 in the case of homes) with more than considerable interests, 3% or even 7%. To complete the picture, the INC had a structure that was in charge of “guardianship” the families of settlers through intermediate charges. In the first place were the agronomists, authors of the plans. Its guidelines passed to the expert and below this was the Mayoral, who supervised the farmers. And what was the goal? With the new settlement the Franco regime pursued several objectives. The program served to boost the Agrarian transformation (With irrigation extensions), expand the cultivable area, repopulate and transform the Spanish field, but also had an ideological background. With the new settlements, many baptized with names that They mentioned to the new regime and its referents (Caudillo Alberche, Villafranco del Guadiana either Águeda del Caudillo), The dictatorship also sought to project a new image and feed its advertising. The expansion of the new villages coincided with The bet of the dictatorship by hydraulic infrastructure. “The political strategy of the new State replaces the redistribution of the land (objective of the Second Republic) with a colonization policy based on the transformation of the rural that allowed to settle in villages of colonization a self -sufficient peasant”, Remember from the Ministry of Agriculture, on which the National Institute depended after its creation, in October 1939. A program with lights … The colonization policy of Francoism had social, economic, agricultural and even “undeniable” repercussions, such as They recognize From the ministry. And not only because the creation of hundreds of villages for Repopulation of the ’emptied Spain’ and postwar. Among the displaced there were those who, upon their arrival at the settlements, found infrastructures and unimaginable services in the villas from which they came. “When we got here it was like dreaming awake,” He recounts The country A retired farmer who arrived in Villalba in Calatrava (Ciudad Real) with his parents in 1964, when he was 12 years old. “There was a bathroom, with its cup and sink. In those years that had no one! He was very small, but having something like that was out of series.” The idea was that in the new settlements the settlers could opt for a house in fertile property and lands, contributing in passing to the economy of postwar Spain and the conversion of fields into irrigation. … And also with shadows. Not everything was positive. Despite the promises of housing and lands, many settlers to reach the property cost them years of sweat delivering part of their crops. “We were slaves,” confesses a The country Another old settler of The Bazanawhere he arrived with just 17 or 18 years. In 2018, already after 85, he remembered: “They paid you what they wanted for the crops, and then there came a point where they stopped buying them because the beans from Badajoz were very expensive.” The cultivation of the new lands was not always simple, just as it was not to follow the guidelines marked by the engineers and major people of the town. Others left their lifelong locations to move to new wedge settlements in which they had no roots, they were surrounded by strangers and (sometimes) they met half -finished works. “When … Read more

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