Month: October 2025

in your job interviews

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Every time a developer participates in a job interview they must pass a technical testthe routine seems clear: demonstrate your programming skills and advance in the selection process. However, behind these common dynamics, there is a risk that many had not stopped to analyze: cyber attacks that take advantage of the context of these interviews with developers. to steal sensitive data. Cybercriminals have perfected their techniques, using routine, seemingly legitimate personnel selection processes to deceive the most experts and access a bounty of data especially valuable. Deception in the job offer. At this point, I believe that there is no one left who has not at some point received a call from InfoJobs, Indeed or any other supposed employment platform indicating that their resume had been chosen to fill a vacancy. Obviously, it’s a scam of which the platforms themselves they have disengaged. This is what we could consider a “trawl fishing” in which the objective is to increase the possibilities of stealing data by increasing the database potential victims. However, the software developer David Dodda has alerted from your blog of a much more elaborate attack than the one he was about to be a victim of: a selective attack on computer experts camouflaged in the technical test of a job interview. As he tells it in the first person, “I was 30 seconds away from running malware on my machine.” A semblance of normality. Dodda is a freelance programmer with several years of experience and received an unexpected offer on LinkedIn that offered him work part-time at a startup dedicated to software development. “It seemed legitimate. So I accepted the call,” said the developer. The company’s LinkedIn profile seemed legitimate, had previous publications, employees, recent activity and everything verifiable on the platform. The same was true with the person who had contacted him. After scheduling the interview, his contact assigned him a technical test “to get ahead” before the interview. something routine for any developer, especially in processes where practical mastery is expected to be assessed before the interview with the recruiter. This apparent normality of the offer and the acceptance of the technical test reinforce the climate of trust, one of the most exploited elements in social engineering campaigns aimed at deceiving candidates. Code hidden in plain sight. The technical material of the test also did not raise the developer’s suspicions. Before executing the code, he reviewed it in detail, correcting some defects in a test without major complications for an experienced programmer like him. However, just as he was about to run it, and almost out of professional habit, “I had one of those paranoid developer moments.” The expert decided to ask his AI Cursor assistant to review the code. The surprise was capital. “Integrated between legitimate management functions, ready to run with full server privileges when accessing management routes,” is how the developer described the snippet. malware ready to run on your computer. Free access to all your data. The first phase of the malware was designed to extract critical information: passwords, personal files, system credentials and access to cryptocurrency wallets. But the scope of the attack went far beyond the victim’s personal data. According to a report From consulting firm Unit 42, developer teams host data from third-party servers and projects, which multiplies the value of the attack if the fraud is successful. In some cases analyzed, the malicious code used apparently legitimate code and Python backdoors, to ensure unrestricted remote access by the attacker. Analysis of an attack on the elite. According what was published by Telefónica Tech, the main objective of these attacks is not to capture basic data from ordinary users, but rather to access high-value resources managed by active programmers. The deception is structured in several phases where elements such as urgency, psychological pressure and the trust generated in the selection process are exploited. Technical tests, especially when required under time pressure, can lead candidates to skip security steps that they would normally execute in a more relaxed environment. This gives attackers a direct route to assets such as confidential documents, access to client servers and cryptocurrencies. According to the analyzes from Securonix, these methods have evolved since 2022 with targeted and persistent attacks on relevant targets in professional environments. In Xataka | People couldn’t stop hacking virtual job interviews with AI. Solution: we want to meet you in person Image | Unasplash (Joan Gamell)

that building nuclear power plants becomes increasingly cheaper

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While Western countries debated for or against nuclear energy, with the construction of new plants weighed down by decades of delays and cost overruns, China has not only continued building: He has done it against the trend of the sector. For the first time in more than 50 years, a country has made building nuclear reactors increasingly cheaper, faster and scalable. The difference is overwhelming. The only two reactors built in the United States this century (at the Vogtle plant in Georgia) took 11 years to complete and cost a whopping $35 billion, equivalent to about $15 per watt of capacity. According to a analysis published in NatureChina is building its new nuclear power plants for just $2 a watt. It is not an anomaly, but a trend. Construction costs in the United States have increased tenfold since the 1960s, and in France they have almost doubled. In China they halved during the 2000s and have remained stable since then. The big question is how they have achieved it, and whether the rest of the world can imitate them. The Chinese nuclear recipe. Building a nuclear power plant remains one of the most complex engineering projects on the planet. If China has managed to do this in an increasingly efficient way, it is thanks to a mix of standardization and unwavering state support. The three state nuclear giants receive low-interest loans, which greatly reduces the cost of financing. Unlike the West, where each project has been a new experiment with unique designs, China has often focused on building a handful of models, scaling its nuclear capability rapidly. But these are just the last steps of the recipe. To get here, Beijing had to invest in mastering each link in the supply chain. Made in China. As detailed in a extensive New York Times reportthe country has developed a robust national industry capable of forging everything from reactor vessels to the most critical components of each nuclear power plant. Components made in China, such as cargo pumps or ring cranes, cost half as much as their imported equivalents. A perfect example is the American-designed AP1000 reactor. Both the United States and China faced enormous challenges building this model. But as problems led to delays and skyrocketing costs that nearly buried the American industry, China paused, studied every flaw, and ended up developing an improved, nationalized version of the reactor: the CAP1000. It is now building nine reactors of this model within just five years, and at a drastically lower cost. The winning strategy. “China demonstrates that the construction and operation costs of nuclear power do not have to increase unabated,” explains Dan Kammenprofessor at Johns Hopkins University. Breaking the curse of cost overruns requires “more than technology: it requires an intelligent and strategic approach,” says Kammen. The result of this approach is that China is on track to overtake the United States as the largest nuclear power in the world in 2030. Today it has almost as many reactors under construction as the rest of the world combined. It is not a simple bet, but a State policy that does not end at its borders. China has already put two Hualong One reactors into operation in Pakistan, and has plans to continue expanding throughout Asia, Africa and South America. Waiting for the SMR. While China perfects the construction of large already proven reactors, Western countries follow a radically different path: betting on innovation through the private sector. Dozens of startups are working on a new generation of small modular reactors (SMR), theoretically cheaper and faster to build. Tech giants like Google, Amazon and Microsoft They have invested billions in them to power their energy-hungry data centers. The problem is not only that This technological advance will take years to maturebut China does not live apart from it. The country is already taking giant steps in future technologies, such as fourth-generation gas-cooled reactors or research into thorium reactors. And he could repeat the same strategies that have worked with traditional reactors. Image | CNNC In Xataka | China has turned the energy sector upside down: the first fusion-proof nuclear power plant is already a success

Cocina con Coqui has gone to Andorra like so many influencers. The difference is that his fans have not forgiven him.

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If you are a crypto bro who has as part of his speech a inalienable right to pay taxes that you consider fair (that is, the minimum, or even a little less), when you go to Andorra to pay much less taxes from there than from Spain, your followers will even applaud it. But of course: not all content creators are the same. Or maybe yes. Those who are not equal are his followers. Who is Cocina Con Coqui. If you are not one of the gastronomic influencers, you may not be aware of who it is. Cooking with Coqui. It is about a cook whose real name is Coco, and who has achieved a great fame, with nearly four million followers on social networks. Its recent success has been boosted by the release of a cookbook which will go on sale the first week of November: it is already at the top of reservations in the gastronomy category on websites like AmazonFor example. Her personal story, as an immigrant who came to Spain from China as a child and who managed to build a career based on a passion for cooking, has generated strong empathy and admiration in a wide audience. The controversy. Despite her friendly and unproblematic image, the influencer gastronomy has been the subject of some controversy revealed that it pays taxes in Andorraa European tax haven in which a large number of influencers and Spanish content creators to avoid the country’s taxes. This revelation was initially spread through the publication of a screenshot of the influencer’s newsletterwhere the tax address in Andorra was clearly shown. This seemingly technical detail became the source of an intense debate. The networks are burning. Based on this information, social networks exploded with accusations, calling Cocina con Coqui a tax evader and questioning her commitment to the country that has seen her career grow. The influencer kept silence in the first momentswhich increased speculation and criticism. Its success thus brings to the fore the discussion about the fiscal responsibility of content creators. Why Andorra. One of the main reasons why public figures like Cocina con Coqui they choose to pay taxes in Andorra It is the attractive tax advantage that this state offers. Compared to Spain, where personal income tax can exceed 45% for the highest incomes, Andorra applies a maximum tax rate of around 10%, which represents substantial savings for high-income content creators. The Andorran tax system is recognized for its simplicity and stability, factors that attract self-employed professionals or digital entrepreneurs seeking to optimize their tax burden. Question of solidarity. However, this phenomenon generates an intense debate between legality and morality. Although these moves do not constitute a crime if the tax residence requirements are met, they are seen by an important part of society as an act that, being legal, It is not ethical or supportive. Thus, paying what the law allows is not always synonymous with doing what is morally expected, especially when it comes to taxpayers who have built their success in a country but decide to pay taxes abroad, which opens a crack between the law and the social perception of tax justice. In Andorra. The Rubius was one of the first Spanish youtubers to publicly announce that he was going to Andorra. Although he justified his decision by claiming that he wanted to be close to his friends who already lived there, he could not prevent a social debate from breaking out.​ Vegetta777, TheGrefg and Willyrex, with millions of followers, also settled in Andorra mainly for tax advantages. On the contrary, influencers who have remained in Spain such as Ibai They have seen their popularity reinforced by a decision that affects their pockets. Why not this one and others yes. Clearly, you can see among TheGrefg’s audience, very young, masculine and individualistic, a clear difference with Cocina Con Coqui’s followers, largely female and somewhat older. And although the tangana will undoubtedly have brought together a good part of habitual insulters on social networks who have seen the opportunity to parade unjustifiable racism, the truth is that among the critics words such as “evasive” and expressions of disappointmentand old posts have been recovered, such as in which he announced his transfer to fill them with comments, spoiling their attitude. In Xataka | From promoting raw liver as a nutritious food to ending up arrested for threatening Joe Rogan, Liver King’s unique journey

If you want to know what winter is going to be like in Spain, the best thing you can do is take a look at Siberia right now

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It is not every day that you can write that good news comes from Siberia. But that’s how it is: the world is warming at an unprecedented rate, Arctic ice has reached historic lows in 2025 and the temperature of the Arctic Circle is increasing up to four times faster than that of the rest of the planet. And yet, snow coverage in Siberia has reached an above-average extent. But the important thing is not that. The important thing is not the 15.59 million square kilometers of snow in the northern hemisphere, nor what they mean for the region’s weakened ecosystems. The important thing is that, whether we want it or not, it can be sensational news for Spain. But what does Siberia have to do with Spain? At the end of the 90s, Judah Cohen (MIT climatologist) began to notice the blanket of snow that covered Siberia before November and, almost by chance, realized that its size kept a very close statistical relationship with what was happening in the rest of the continent. At first (and, it must be said, understandably) the international community viewed him with suspicion. But after 20 years of research, the Siberian Snow Advance Index (SAI) is perfectly established. Yes, indeed: what happens in Siberia has a lot to do with what happens here in Spain. How is it possible? The mechanism is very simple, so much so that most meteorologists did not even consider it. But its implications are enormous. The abundant snow in Siberia causes problems in winter in Europe by pure feedback. “More snow” means “more albedo”; that is, more solar reflection, colder soil and, therefore, a ‘push’ to the Siberian anticyclone. AND the stronger that anticyclone isthere is a more upward flow towards the stratosphere, there are more sudden warm-ups and more tropospheric patterns of negative AO. In summary: more air masses are moving towards mid-latitudes and more trains of storms are heading towards our geography. And yes, just take a look at Rutgers Global Snow Lab maps to verify that the extent of snow in mid/late 2025 is more than considerable. What does this mean for Spain? Basically, a negative AO and a weak vortex increase the probability of cold episodes coming from the north and that Atlantic storms move south. That is to say: that there is more rain and colder. Internationally, high snow levels in Siberia are the “sign” that we must begin to prepare: at the energy, agricultural and infrastructure levels. It is a clear statistical sign that, if things go wrong, a very complex situation can arise. Will we have a busy winter then? It’s not that simple. In meteorology, no matter how simple and robust the mechanism is, there is always something more. What happens in Eurasia is importantbut that interacts with the oceanic/arctic context (and with myriad other atmospheric processes). In this sense, a greater snow cover in the great Siberian plain has to coexist with an extremely scarce ice cover (something that conditions ambient humidity) and with seasonal models that point to a greater probability of temperatures above normal. In other words, everything is very open. But the siberian signal is here and, if everything continues like this until November, it will be good news. Some that suit us exceptionally well. Image | Copernicus In Xataka | Ski resorts without snow at the end of the century: the most pessimistic models show what could happen in our high mountains

How wellness marketing turned a vegetable into a potion

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From time to time, the algorithm decides which will be the new elixir of eternal youth. He did it with him water with lemon, with coconut oil on an empty stomach, with shots of weed and with apple cider vinegar. Now it’s the beet’s turn. On TikTok and in wellness magazines is presented in format shot morning that promises energy, luminous skin, sports performance and—of course—preventing premature aging. But is it really the new miracle superfood or just another example of health marketing wrapped in scientific language? All part of social networks. In just a few weeks, the so-called beet shots —the traditional beet shots—sneaked into the breakfasts of influencers and wellness devotees. The nutritionist Itziar Digón, in an interview with Vogueargued that this vegetable is “anti-inflammatory, improves circulation and helps prevent premature aging.” His recommendation was simple: a small glass, about 250 milliliters of blended raw beets every morning, to “activate the production of nitric oxide” and strengthen the immune system. The proposal did not take long to go viral. On social networks, the story fit perfectly with that modern idea of ​​quick and natural health: a miraculous molecule, a morning gesture and an almost immediate effect. The nitrates in beets, enthusiasts explained, are transformed into nitric oxide, which relaxes blood vessels and improves oxygenation. In practice, it promised more fluid circulation, less inflammation and extra energy to start the day. Under the promise. There is some truth behind fashion. Some studies —published in Frontiers in Nutrition either ScienceDirect— have seen that beet juice can slightly lower blood pressure or improve physical performance in certain cases, especially in athletes. Also Healthline explains that its red pigments, betalains, together with natural nitrates, provide a slight anti-inflammatory effect. Besides, according to WebMDthese compounds help reduce inflammation by removing reactive substances from the bloodstream and protecting cardiovascular health. In short, beets are healthy, rich in fiber, vitamins and minerals, and have real benefits for blood pressure and vascular function. However, it is one thing to include it as part of a balanced diet and quite another to believe that a morning shot will rejuvenate the body or strengthen the immune system. The other side The clinical studies are clear: there is no evidence that beets “prevent premature aging”, “reduce inflammation of the gut-brain” or “strengthen the immune system” directly. An essay collected in PubMed showed thatafter 13 weeks of regular consumption, no significant cognitive or metabolic improvements were observed. There is also no scientific basis to claim that it “detoxifies” the body. As we have explained in Xatakadetoxification is a function carried out naturally by the liver and kidneys; It does not blend in a blender. And, as if that were not enough, excess beets can have unwanted effects. According to Healthlineits high oxalate content can increase the risk of gout in predisposed people. So no, not everything natural is harmless. The pattern repeats. If the script sounds familiar, it is because we have already seen it with other express remedies. It’s not that beets don’t have benefits—they do—but because the discourse surrounding them exaggerates, simplifies, and generalizes. The mix of scientific jargon (“nitric oxide,” “microbiota,” “low-grade inflammation”) and aspirational testimonials builds an illusion of rigor that sells more than reality. Behind the craze for morning shots is something deeper than a vegetable smoothie: a culture that seeks quick, instant, and visually shareable results. In an environment dominated by immediacy, well-being becomes contained; and the content, an emotional commodity. The critical point. The beet is not the problem. The problematic thing is believing that well-being fits in a 250 milliliter glass. Incorporating it into your diet may be a good idea—because of its fiber, iron, and antioxidants—but it won’t magically make you age slower or make your cells work better. So, if you really want to take care of your body, it’s better to stick to the usual things: eat a variety of foods, move, rest and not believe everything that shines magenta in your feed. Image | FreePik Xataka | Silicon Valley’s silent obsession is not AI: it is beating death

The ‘trash’ has become the hot potato of Madrid politics. One that has forced the City Council to rectify

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It’s not the only town hall of Spain that has been shaken by he ‘garbage’but the controversy surrounding the new waste collection rate has had a special impact in Madrid. Because of its reach. And due to the formula chosen by the City Council to calculate receipts, a system that the OCU has come to call “original and unfair”. Now the Government of José Luis Martínez-Almeida has decided to reconsider the calculation of the tax to take into account a fundamental factor: the number of people registered in each residential property. The question is… Will it settle the debate? What has happened? That the Madrid City Council has decided to change your calculation system for the new garbage ratea tax that has been forced to adopt (like the rest of the cities in Spain with more than 5,000 residents) to comply a law of 2022. As a backdrop are the guidelines set by Brussels to improve waste management in the EU. After the neighborhood criticism and organizations like the OCUthe Government headed by José Luis Martínez-Almeida has decided to rectify its initial criterion and give more weight to a key factor in the equation: the number of people residing in each home. In that way, they assure from Cibelesthe average increase in the garbage rate for next year will be minimal: from 141 it will go to €142.6. Why so much trouble with the rate? To understand it you have to go back to at least April. It was then that the deadline for the Law 7/2022 It gave Spanish municipalities with more than 5,000 residents to adjust to its guidelines, which basically oblige the majority of councils to provide themselves with “a specific, differentiated and non-deficit rate” for waste collection, one also based on “payment per generation” (‘Whoever pollutes, pays’) and that “reflects the real cost.” Some town councils, like Barcelona, ​​had been preparing the ground to soften the blow of the rate. In other parts of Spain they are far behind, in case of Malaga or the Balearic Islands. In Madrid the receipts began to arrive in september, not without stirsomething that is explained by three main reasons. The first, the impact that the capital has. The second, because in 2015 the then mayor (Ana Botella) had decided “eliminate” the tax for the sake of “less fiscal pressure for the citizen.” The third (and most important) factor was the calculation system chosen by the Madrid City Council to calculate the new rate, a formula that the OCU came to cross out “original… and unfair.” Why’s that? Due to the elements that the City Council took into account when calibrating the rate it charges each neighbor. Among them (in the case of residential properties) included the cadastral value, the generation rate of each neighborhood and the waste separation coefficient. I didn’t like the formula to the oppositionto part of the neighbors (who went beyond Madrid and charged against the law) and the OCU, which after knowing the calculation criteria launched a very critical statement. What do they criticize?. “The problem is that the criteria chosen in Madrid are not really fair. There are large price differences depending on the neighborhoods and it is the case that neighbors may have to pay for garbage that they are not actually generating,” warned the consumer organization. In his opinion “it is already quite new” that part of the rate is estimated based on the cadastral value of the home, but the rest of the criteria are also far from being perfect. For example, the OCU pointed out that if the tons of garbage collected in each neighborhood are taken into account, without further ado, the calculation ends up being distorted. The reason? “The incorporation of waste whose origin is not strictly residential, such as tourist apartments, shops or businesses whose collection is done jointly with the ordinary collection”, warns. “The result is a strong penalty for residents who live in more central neighborhoods, with greater tourist or commercial activity.” And what has happened? That after weeks of complaints and criticism, the Madrid City Council has ‘rectified’ taking into account part of the proposals brandished by the opposition. On Thursday the City Council revealed that next year “a new ordinance” of the Waste Management Rate (TGR) will be approved “as a result of the need to include new parameters, which will provide greater equity and legal certainty in its calculation.” Which is it? Specifically, one stands out: the number of people registered in each home, “an aspect that has resulted from great technical complexity.” “Thanks to this, rates will be established distributed in ten sections (from one registered person to ten or more) depending on the number of registered people in the property on January 1, 2026,” ditch Martínez-Almeida’s team. That variable is completed with others. “For the calculation of the basic rate, the information on the individual cadastral value of each home or premises has been taken into account, while for the generation rate, the amount of waste generated and the percentage of quality of the separation of each of the 131 neighborhoods have been taken into consideration.” Have you announced anything else? Yes. The City Council has clarified that, according to its calculations, the average collection rate received for 2026 will be 142.6 euros, “practically the same amount” as this year. The advertisement It has also come preceded by other developments in municipal taxation, such as a lowering of the IBI rate that will benefit more than 2.2 million properties. The City Council assures that in total the reduction in taxes and fees planned for next year will allow Madrid residents to pay 33.5 million euros less than in 2025. Matter settled? Not at all. The one known as ‘garbage’ has generated a considerable political stir that extends far beyond the capital and pivots around a key debate: Is the 2022 law that has led cities to review their garbage rates the result of the community guidelines that they aspire … Read more

Diza Consultores has insisted that you have something at home: a breakfast nook

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In each video of Diza Real Estate Consultants there is a moment that is almost a gag architectural. The salesman opens the door of a closet, shows a small space with wooden shelves and a coffee maker and says: “The breakfast nook would go here.” The networks have done the rest. The most unremarkable piece of furniture in the kitchen has become a viral icon, object of desire and meme at the same time. Where once there was a nondescript corner with a toaster, now there is a whole philosophy of life: hyggeminimalism and well-being concentrated between two folding doors. What began as a functional gesture—bringing together the coffee maker, cups and bread in one place—has ended up becoming the symbol of the aspirational home. Influencers like Ariane Hoyos they have popularized it under the concept of “my cafeteria at home”, while Almu Carrión talks about his coffee corner. In TikTok and instagramthe videos tagged with #desayunador exceed one hundred thousand references. But what is behind this aesthetic fever? When did a piece of furniture designed to hide the toaster become a cult object? ¿What is a breakfast room? In the words of design studios, a breakfast nook is a kitchen module dedicated to storing and organizing everything necessary for the first meal of the day. According to Himera Studyits function is clear: “hide small appliances, maintain visual order and free up the countertop.” Typically, it includes a small interior work surface, shelves for cups and integrated sockets for daily use of the coffee maker or toaster. Beyond the technical definition, the means of interior design they present it as a perfect example of how modern design seeks to balance functionality and aesthetics. The breakfast cabinet has ceased to be a decorative whim and has become a key piece in functional and modern kitchens, both for its practicality and its aesthetic value. From utility to trend. The phenomenon was not born in nothing. According to a report from El Paísthis trend arose from the desire to reproduce at home the coffee and tea stations so popular in hotel buffets. “Having a breakfast area in the kitchen is fashionable, and its demand is growing because it allows you to leave the countertop free and improve the aesthetics of the set,” the Mobalpa firm explains to the same medium. This mix of utility and visual pleasure has made the breakfast nook a symbol of everyday well-being. The architect Emma Guillén He details it simply: “It is the secret to starting the day in order and peace.” He recommends placing it near the microwave to speed up morning routines and providing it with indirect lighting that creates a warm and functional atmosphere: “An LED strip under the shelves transforms the space and helps differentiate it from the rest of the kitchen,” he points out. In short, you can see how the attraction lies in the promise of calm. Gathering everything you need for breakfast in the same space will allow you to enjoy more relaxed and stress-free mornings. The interior designers match in which this corner functions as a domestic refuge: a small sanctuary where the morning chaos stops for a moment to grind coffee, heat milk or open a jar of jam without haste. Fashion or necessity? The answer, as almost always, depends on space and budget. But, as interior designer Mireia Torruella explains to El Paísthe breakfast nook is above all an aspirational phenomenon: “On social media everything appears perfect, but in real life these elements complicate maintenance and detract from practicality. The breakfast nook is promoted as a mustwhen in reality it responds more to the aesthetics of a photo than to the true experience in the kitchen. Along the same lines, Himera Estudio remember that many times It is enough to “extend the countertop or install a small office” to fulfill the same function without making the renovation more expensive. Of course, they recognize its charm: “Visual cleanliness in a kitchen is basic. When the countertops are free of appliances, the space appears larger, more orderly, more zen.” A contemporary ritual. The success of the breakfast nook reveals something profound about our relationship with home. As Guillén points outhaving everything you need together in one corner avoids comings and goings and provides a more orderly start to the day. That order, he says, “translates into well-being.” Perhaps that is why the furniture triumphs: because it promises calm. A space where coffee is not prepared in a hurry, but as a small domestic ritual. A corner that summarizes our aspirations for an aesthetic, efficient and controlled life. And, of course, also because it looks very good on video. Image | Diza Real Estate Consultants Xataka | The best building in the world in 2024 has not been an airport or skyscraper. It’s a school in a suburb of Australia

they use Huawei and DeepSeek chips

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China’s race to get become technologically independent from the United States It is reaching the military sector. The military is accelerating the integration of artificial intelligence into its operations and most importantly: they are favoring national technologies. In the software, DeepSeek. In hardware, Huawei chips. what’s happening. the chinese army is using AI to support strategic decision making and target detection. According to an analysis of Reutersseveral studies and patents suggest that they are also applying it in new vehicles such as robot dogs and autonomous drones, all prioritizing the use of national technologies, both in software and hardware. Why is it important. China has already given steps to stop depending on Nvidiathe maker of the most powerful AI chips. This is one more step towards technological independence, but in a critical sector such as the military. The objective is to eliminate foreign influence in its defense infrastructure, just like the United States does. Huawei chips. Speaking to Reuters, the defense policy expert Sunny Cheungassures that since the beginning of this year the Chinese military has increased the number of contractors that exclusively use national hardware. That is to say, AI chips made by Huawei. Although the military still uses Nvidia chips (it is not known if they were imported before or after of the blockade), there is a movement towards the use of own chips. DeepSeek. At the beginning of the year, military experts in China assured that the military was testing DeepSeek integration. In May, researchers from Xi’an University showed a system based on DeepSeek capable of creating and analyzing 10,000 combat scenarios in just 48 seconds. Reuters analyzed several tenders awarded to various companies by the Chinese military and at least a dozen mentioned DeepSeek, while only one referenced Alibaba’s Qwen. It is clear which is the preferred model for the Chinese army. Robot dogs and drones. The documents analyzed by Reuters also suggest that the Chinese military is integrating AI into autonomous vehicles such as robot dogs. It is no secret, in 2024 the army itself published a video promoting robot dogs who moved in packs to eliminate explosives and other threats. The robots in the video were from the Chinese company Unitree, but there are also other national companies dedicated to the manufacturing of these vehicles such as Norinco, which confirmed in a technical report that they use Huawei chips. On the other hand, Deepseek is also being integrated into drones to give them the ability to recognize and follow targets with hardly any human intervention. Image | Wikipedia, Flickr In Xataka | Europe already has the future of war drones within its reach. And it is offered by a country accustomed to them: Israel

restore mobility to millions of stroke patients for 15,000 euros

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The Spanish company Robopedics has presented the final design of Awake, your bionic mobility assistance device. It is a unique product in the world and is developed with a clear and very specific objective: to help people who have suffered a stroke rehabilitate and regain the ability to walk. You have probably heard of this disease, but it is also very likely that you do not know its subsequent impact: 93% of those who survive end up having significant consequences, and in fact 82% end up having continuous dependence and permanent help in the chronic phase. Many lose their autonomy and ability to walk. And that’s where Robopedics comes in. From the storage room to a promising medical revolution TO Ivan MartinezCEO and co-founder of Robopedics, it didn’t occur to him that he wanted to create a company to help stroke patients walk again. The only thing he wanted was to help his father, who suffered a stroke before the pandemic that left him without that ability. Iván Ramírez, CEO and co-founder of Robopedics. With that illness Iván had a shock of reality. After the stroke came dependency, the slowness of the system and the frustration of seeing that the technology did not seem to be made for cases like his father’s. “He only had one leg affected, but all the solutions were for two.” That’s how it is. The solutions that we usually find on the market are bilateral clinical devices that are designed for spinal cord injuries. These exoskeletons are striking, but they have many limitations. The first, the price, which usually starts at 100,000 euros. The second, the weight: they do not weigh less than 20 kg and make handling complicated. In fact, Ramírez points out, current solutions barely have any scope: although it may seem more because of their popularity in the media, only about 500 units are sold a year, when there are more than 20 million people who would need them. Ramírez decided to build from scratch a unilateral bionic device (“it is not an exoskeleton,” its creators insist) that would be capable of helping those who had lost unilateral mobility after a stroke to walk. Ramírez tells us without drama: “during the first four years I was alone. I took notes from my degree, tutorials, papers, I went to events… I learned as I went.” Iván had the help of the medical staff who treated his father, for example, but the technological solution was entirely in his hands. Without resources or equipment, he began to design and test his first structures from home, with basic engines. “I thought it would be a three-afternoon project, and I spent four whole years on it.” And then something happened. His father died during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the blow was tremendous. “Ramírez kept the prototype in the storage room and forgot about it for months.” But then, “by circumstances and coincidences,” he confesses, he met his co-founders, Dionís Guzmán and Marc Serraand decided that this device could become a commercial product. One that would help improve the lives of many people, even if he would not be able to help Iván’s father. Get up and walk This is how Robopedics was born, which little by little developed its current solution, Awake. Until then, Ramírez explains to us, existing exoskeletons were bilateraldesigned for people with spinal injuries or who cannot move either leg. This engineer soon understood why there were no solutions for those who only had one leg affected: it was much more difficult. With two robotic legs there is always one resting on the ground, making balance and control easier. But with only one, the system has to coordinate the robotic leg with the patient’s healthy leg, which does not have sensors or assistance. “Doing it with one leg seemed simpler, but it was just the opposite: without instrumenting the healthy leg, everything is much more complex,” he explains. The result was a lightweight unipodal exoskeletonwith adjustable telescopic joints and an electronic system curiously based on a Raspberry Pi in its industrial model. The idea not only reduced costs – key in a market where prices are skyrocketing – but also opened the door to more accessible and modular manufacturing. With the start of the business project, Iván and his partners added physiotherapists and neurological rehabilitation specialists to the team. Sandra Torrell, a team physiotherapist who has been working with stroke patients for years, explains how in the initial tests “we saw that the device really worked. There were patients who arrived tired and left walking straighter, more confident. And that change was maintained over time.” The device has already passed the technical development and laboratory testing phases, and is now entering the clinical trials stage to achieve medical certification. This approval, in which they have spent four years, has been long but, curiously, fruitful: by having to meet the demanding medical requirements, the product “is much better than it was at the beginning of the process,” confesses Ramírez. In fact, if everything goes as expected, Awake will be available in Spain in the second half of next year. And subsequently the idea is to expand the market, first in the European Union and then in the rest of the world. For this expansion, Robopedics has been closing successive rounds of investment, raising two million euros in the past, to which another million more is added in a new recent financing round and another 700,000 euros that they hope to raise in an imminent round. Among its key partners, Iván Ramírez highlights, are the Mondragón group as the main investor, in addition to Erreka as in charge of global manufacturing. To develop the product they have worked in collaboration with the Valencia Biomechanics Institute and The CT Engineering Group. The funds are used, for example, to achieve regulatory authorization as a class IIa medical device and thus be able to launch it on the market. How does Awake work… and how much does it … Read more

There is an industry losing 42,000 jobs and bleeding before us: Hollywood

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The entertainment industry in Los Angeles is going through its worst crisis in decadeswith a dizzying drop in the number of productions and jobs, which has caused a feeling of “economic disaster” in the creative heart of California. It seems like a well-known story that we recover cyclically every few years, but this time some abysmal figures, never seen before, accompany: the media have detected how companies are entering a real emergency situation. Are we contemplating Hollywood’s last great crisis? Two years of chaos. According to The Wall Street Journalthe crisis that Hollywood is going through not only affects the large studios and production companies, but also has an impact on thousands of indirect jobs and the commercial fabric of the city: restaurants, technical services, prop stores and housing have seen how the activity linked to film and television is drastically reduced. In the last two years, more than 40,000 jobs have been lost in the sector, leaving animators, technicians, scriptwriters, operators and small businesses in a precarious situation, and raising the local unemployment rate above the state and national average.​ Some data. These 40,000 direct jobs disappeared represent a drop of more than 20% of the sector’s total. With this, the unemployment rate in Los Angeles County for industry professionals has reached 5.7%, exceeding not only the state average of California (5.5%) but also the national average of the United States, around 4.3%. All this has led to a drop in local production to historical record numberswith a decrease of at least 30% in film and television projects recorded in Los Angeles, continuously since 2023.​ And how is that reflected for practical purposes? In it production exodus: The number of Hollywood projects filming outside of California, primarily in states with more competitive tax incentives such as Georgia and New Mexico, has risen 25%.​ The signal from the sets. The occupation of the Hollywood sets It is perhaps the clearest sign of how the area’s economy has fallen. In 2024, the average occupancy of sets in Los Angeles fell to a historic 63%, a significant decrease from the average of more than 90% that remained constant between 2016 and 2022. And there is another fact: only 20% of the activity on sets was destined for television, down from 30% in previous years. The cause, as we will see below, is the reduction in expenses that the platforms of streamingimmersed in extreme savings policies.​ But why does it happen? First of all, prolonged strikes of scriptwriters and actors since 2023, which paralyzed a good part of local production, generating million-dollar losses and discouraging new investments from being generated. Added to this is the considerable increase in the cost of living and production in Los Angeles, which has led many studios and production companies to seek alternative destinations with tax incentives and more attractive subsidies, such as those mentioned above, Canada or other emerging markets.​ Another significant cause is the transformation of the entertainment economic modelparticularly with the proliferation of platforms streaming. These platforms, faced with market saturation and pressure to maintain profitability, have reduced their budgets and the number of projectstaking away part of the total production volume in Los Angeles. The combination of lower demand and budgetary adjustments has pushed the industry into a prolonged contraction.​ And finally, there is the emergence of artificial intelligencewith its challenge to traditional labor, especially in fields such as animation, visual effects and post-production. And now what. To begin with, an immediate effect: The position of the United States as a global leader in audiovisual production is in danger. Not only are a significant number of productions moving to other regions and even countries, attracted by better fiscal conditions, lower costs and cheaper technical equipment. It is that thanks to the globalization of entertainment that has brought streamingticket offices like those in Korea or China They are no longer secondary. This week’s highest-grossing film worldwide it has been an anime. The animation phenomenon of the year has been a k-pop idol movie. The throne is more disputed than ever. Header | Braden Egli in Unsplash In Xataka | While Hollywood goes through a slump, one film industry is constantly filling theaters: the Chinese one

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