Month: October 2025

Maybe it’s time we stopped answering “maybe” to calendar invites

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Science has just demonstrated something that we all intuited but no one wanted to admit: when you respond “maybe” to an invitation, You are not being polite. You are being selfish. A study published in Science Direct and brought by Causes and Chances explains that hosts prefer a firm “no” to an ambiguous “maybe.” The reason is simple: the “maybe” forces them to plan for two simultaneous scenarios: Should I reserve a table for five or six? Should I buy food for eight or nine? Do I leave time for questions from twelve people or eighteen? That uncertainty is not courtesy. It is a burden that we transfer to others. Those who answer “maybe” operate under a systematic illusion: They think they are showing interest, that their indecision is better than rejection. But the data shows the opposite: Hosts feel more respected with a “no” than with a “maybe.” There’s something telling here: we confuse keeping our options open with being thoughtful, when in fact we are exporting our own indecision as a problemoblivious ma. We transfer our problem (I’m afraid of sounding rude, I don’t want to have to choose yet) to the other (how the hell am I going to plan the event if there are 10 yeses and 24 maybes). The study identifies a classic case of motivated reasoning here: We answer “maybe” because it suits us (we reserve the freedom to decide later). And then we rationalize that selfish decision as if it were what the other person prefers. It is such a common self-deception that we don’t even notice it. We project our preferences over othersand thus we save ourselves the discomfort of recognizing that we are prioritizing our flexibility over your planning. The practical implication is clear: if you’re going to answer “maybe,” it better be because you really need time to figure something out, not because you want to wait to see if something better comes along. Not because it’s hard for you to say no. The “maybe” has a cost that is paid by whoever sends the invitation. The next time we get a calendar invitation, we should ask ourselves if we are being thoughtful or just covering our backs. The answer probably makes us uncomfortable. In Xataka | This is how I use the calendar to organize my entire life Featured image | Xataka with Mockuuups Studio

The five best MediaMarkt offers in technology, today October 26

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MediaMarkt has launched a campaign in which we can find many offers on all types of devices. Until next November 2, we will find highly discounted cell phones, televisions and even projectors. Therefore, in this article we have gathered the five best offers in the store. Xiaomi Smart Projector L1 by 139 eurosan ideal projector for the living room that is very cheap with the new MediaMarkt offer. Google Pixel 10 by 721.65 euros with coupon, the latest Google mobile now much cheaper. MacBook Air M4 by 949 eurosthe Apple laptop with the best quality-price ratio, now cheaper. Google Pixel Watch 3 by 237.15 euros with coupon, a good smartwatch that is now cheaper. Xiaomi A 2025 by 139 eurosa very cheap television that is ideal for the bedroom or kitchen. Xiaomi Smart Projector L1 Not all home projectors are very expensive, some even brand name projectors have a good price, especially when they are on sale. He Xiaomi Smart Projector L1 can be found on MediaMarkt by 139 euros and, for what it costs, it has a good technical sheet: Full HD resolution, maximum brightness of 400 ANSI lumens, size of 40 to 120 inchesbuilt-in speakers and even operating system Google TV. In addition, it comes with functions such as autofocus or automatic keystone correction. Xiaomi Smart Projector L1 The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Google Pixel 10 The latest Google mobile phone has not missed the MediaMarkt offers and through the coupon 15MMGOOGLEwhich really works for any brand product, we can take the Google Pixel 10 by 721.65 euros. This is a mobile phone that, just like we saw last year, once again stands out for its excellent multimedia section and for cameras that remain at a high level. The price could vary. We earn commission from these links MacBook Air M4 There are many offers that the MacBook Air M4 since its launch, and they have also generally been good discounts. Now, at MediaMarkt, it is discounted by 949 euros. This is an ideal computer for studying or working, since it incorporates the M4 chip from Apple, is light (1.24 kg) and its battery offers approximately autonomy of up to 18 hours video playback. MacBook Air M4 (16GB, 256GB) The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Google Pixel Watch 3 The Google coupon that MediaMarkt has not only works on mobile phones, but also on other products such as smart watches. For 237.15 euros thanks to the coupon 15MMGOOGLEhe Google Pixel Watch 3 It is a beautiful and elegant smartwatch that incorporates 32 GB of storage, includes a crown with haptic feedback and comes with a good assortment of sensors to monitor physical activity. Google Pixel Watch 3 (45mm, SL) The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Xiaomi A 2025 On the other hand, if what you are looking for is a good television for the bedroom or kitchen and you want to spend very little money, the Xiaomi A 2025 has fallen to 139 euros. It is a smart TV that offers 178º horizontal and vertical viewing angles, its speaker system supports Dolby Audioyour operating system is Google TV and comes with a 32-inch screen. Xiaomi A 2025 (32 inches) The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Some of the links in this article are affiliated and may provide a benefit to Xataka. In case of non-availability, offers may vary. Images | MediaMarkt and Compradicción (header), Xiaomi, Google, Apple In Xataka | The best mobile phones (2025), we have tested them and here are their analyzes In Xataka | Best televisions in quality price. Which one to buy and seven recommended 4K smart TVs

The average price of Mb/s in each country in the world, arranged in a graph in which there is a unicorn: United Arab Emirates

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Accessing the Internet is a necessity. In an increasingly connected world and in which we trust practically all aspects of our lives to online applicationshave a good coverage and speed It has become something essential. In fact, a server “blackout” like him recently lived with those from AWS demonstrates to what extent we depend on this connection. However, although the Internet is global, there is a huge digital divide. To the point that there are some who pay a cent per Mbps… and others exceed four euros for the same amount. The graph. With data from We Are Socialthe graph prepared by Visual Capitalist compare the price of megabit per secondor Mbps, in more than 60 countries in 2025. Before commenting on individual cases, because there are very striking ones, it must be said that the estimate is that the average price of Mbps worldwide is around 45 cents. The global average is also around 40 euros, but as we can see in the data, there are countries above and below that completely distort that average. And something important to understand is that the price of Internet responds to infrastructure and population density (it is expensive to bring broadband Internet to remote populations), but also to factors such as competition and tax policies. One question: United Arab Emirates. The United Arab Emirates perfectly exemplifies those last two points. It almost seems incredible, but the price of Mbps in the country exceeds four euros. Data from We Are Social puts it at $4.31 per Mb/s, almost double what is paid in the next most expensive country: Ghana with its $2.58 per Mb/s. On average, an Emirati pays between 100 and 140 dollars just to have Internet, and the big question is what is happening to make that happen. The answer? Politics and competition. In the UAE there are only two companies that provide the service, so this lack of real competition means that they do not have a need to lower the price. Do you want Internet? Well, take it or leave it. Plus, there is the political part. The State forces operators to transfer up to 30% of their profits to the country’s coffers, and it is something that directly affects the price of the final bill for the consumer. The speed not bad (an average of 300 Mbps), but it is evident that the price is prohibitive for many, potentially generating the aforementioned digital divide. The Romanian secret. In it opposite side On the spectrum we have the countries of Eastern Europe, specifically in a country whose flagship company we know well in Spain: Romania and DIGI. The average prices for fiber optics in the country are around 10 euros and the price of Mb/s is just 0.01 dollars. Russia and Poland are not far behind, and what has caused this is precisely the opposite of what is happening in the UAE. After the fall of communism, dozens of private operators They began to deploy decentralized fiber optic networks. Taking advantage of community wiring in cities and building blocks, the “last mile” problem was solved, allowing Internet to be offered to a large number of people with minimal costs. It is estimated that almost 90% of Romanian homes have high-speed Internet and DIGI has exported that “policy” outside its borders, offering the longed for 10 Gbps at the price of 1 Gbps in countries like Spain. Above the dollar. Commenting on each country is a complex process because there are multiple factors that come into play, but I find it almost more interesting to see which countries are whose Mbps exceeds the dollar. In fact, these countries perfectly exemplify everything that comes into play when it comes to offering a cheap connection: Swiss: The average price is just over two dollars per Mbps due to the dominance of a single operator and the country’s salary structure: high salaries and, therefore, high maintenance costs. Kenya: averages about $1.54 per Mbps due to its poor fiber infrastructure that makes the country depend to technologies like starlink or the google balloons. Now, the competition is increasing little by little. Morocco: its $1.16 is explained by uneven infrastructure and just three companies that dominate the market. Australia: At its $1.33 per Mbps, the tremendously dispersed geography comes into play, with rural areas very far from each other. Germany: It is the one that is around a dollar per Mb/s and is not the fastest connection in Europe, far from it. In fact, it is a paradoxical situation as it is a power in Europe while having a worse cost/speed ratio than its neighbors. Reason? A large operator that dominates the sector and an old infrastructure, with many areas in which copper continues to be the trend. The Spanish situation. Within our borders, Spain has a comfortable position. There is enough competition so that prices are affordable, with an average of about 10 cents per Mb/s and 1 Gbps packages that are around 30-40 euros per month, depending on the company. Unlimited data is not uncommon on smartphones either. There are many companies that compete in a controlled and regulated environment, with obligations such as sharing infrastructure, and all of this has caused Spain to be a benchmark in the fiber deploymenteven in rural areas. In Xataka | How to improve your WiFi signal in seven easy steps

a tunnel between Russia and Alaska

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The United States and Russia are separated by the Bering Strait. Barely 80 kilometers of sea divide the two nations, but in the winter months, something curious happens: it is possible to go from the United States to Russia by walking on the waters. In the middle of the strait are the Diomedes Islands, and each one belongs to a country. When the sea freezes, the four kilometers between islands become a corridor what is illegal travel. Now, however, Russia and the United States are approaching positions to create a corridor between the two countries. A tunnel between Alaska and Chukotka in Russia. In short. US President Donald Trump has emerged as a key actor in two of the most important and media conflicts of recent times: the Israeli intervention in Palestine and the war between Russia and Ukraine. Whether it was a campaign to get the long-awaited Nobel Peace Prize or not, the truth is that Trump has convertedand has turned the United States, in a considerable entity in both conflicts. Maintains constant calls with Zelensky and Putinand after one with the Russian president, the idea of ​​physically connecting the United States and Russia has returned. After one of those calls, Kirill Dmitriev, director of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) and the Kremlin’s special representative for international economic cooperation, launched the proposal in Twitter X: a 112-kilometer railway tunnel between both countries, in the Bering Strait and under the Diomedes. Dmitriev’s decision was not spontaneous and, according to him, the RDIF has been carrying out a feasibility study of the project for months based on previous experience connecting Russia and China over the Amur River. 150 years of projects. The idea is not new either. In fact, Dmitriev himself alluded days before ‘World Peace Bridge‘that was created in the Cold warduring the Kennedy-Khrushchev era, but the truth is that plans to connect both territories have been on the table since the 19th century. In 1890, an American governor proposed a railroad that would link the world and pass through the Bering Strait. Two years later, the designer of the golden gate He presented his idea, although the Russians rejected it. In 1904, American railroad entrepreneurs they returned to the charge with the idea, the tsar Nicholas II gave the go-ahead and then came the Russian Revolution and the World War I. He later explored the possibility of the connection again, but 150 years later, Russia and the United States still do not have their tunnel. The letter from “the boring company”. What could be the key now to undertake the works? Beyond the geopolitical card, the costs. In his proposal, Dmitriev outlined some of the results of that feasibility plan, stating that a tunnel in the Bering Strait would cost more than $65 billion if traditional methods are used, but (and here comes the “but”), another entity could lower the total cost of the project to less than $8 billion. Who? Elon Musk and his company The Boring Companionand. The Russian representative claims that the technology from Musk’s tunneling company (which built the The Loop tunnel in Las Vegasin addition to starring in several controversies for their projects) would allow not only to turn the project into reality with a low budget, but to do so in less than eight years. frozen enemy. The problem, if all parties agree, is that the soil in Las Vegas is not the same as that in the Bering Strait. At 112 kilometers in length, the tunnel would be twice as long as the Eurotunnel between France and England and, furthermore, it would have to be excavated in very complex terrain. To begin with, the region is located in the Pacific Ring of Firean area with moderate seismic activity, but where earthquakes of magnitude seven can occur. In addition, it would have to be excavated 45 meters below the seabed to protect from currents and, most importantly, the entrances to the tunnel would be in permanently frozen ground. If everything remained unchanged, it wouldn’t be much of a problem, but Alaska has experienced a increase in average temperature during recent yearssomething that is expected to continue due to climate change, and melting ice would complicate maintenance of these parts of the tunnel. In fact, it’s already happened on the Trans-Alaska pipeline. We will see if this project comes to fruition or if it ends up on the list of “we should make a tunnel”, but the truth is that there are too many against it, starting with issues of national security, geopolitics, the terrain itself, the extreme geological conditions and even the train connections that would have to be made through Alaska and Russia for the tunnel to be of any use. In Xataka | In June, a resident of a tiny island in Alaska saw a rat. Since then there are 400 people looking for her like crazy

The origin of the oceans on Earth has always been somewhat mysterious. Now we are clearer how it happened

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A team of scientists, analyzing the tiny and invaluable samples of the asteroid Ryugu brought to Earth by the Hayabusa2 missionhas made a discovery that shakes our understanding of water in the early solar system. The discovery, published in the prestigious magazine Naturereveals that liquid water flowed in Ryugu’s progenitor body more than a billion years after its formation. Something that changes our paradigms. Contradiction. This new discovery contradicts the belief that water activity on asteroids It was a phenomenon exclusive to the first moments of the history of our solar system. And most importantly, it could force us to recalculate how much water these bodies brought to a young Earth. Many doubts. The story of how our planet became an aquatic world still has gaps. One of the most accepted theories is that carbonaceous asteroidsformed from ice and dust in the confines of the Solar Systemacted as a cosmic “water delivery” service for the inner planets. JAXA’s Hayabusa2 mission has provided us with a unique opportunity to study this process by bringing back 5.4 grams of pure material from the asteroid Ryugu. And this is very important. While meteorites that fall to Earth are altered by contact with the atmosphere and environment, the Ryugu samples are a near-perfect time capsule. This is because a perfect record of water activity is preserved within it, proof that fluids moved through its rocks sooner than could be expected. This is something fundamental that changes the way we think about where the water in asteroids comes from and ends up on our planets. Isotopic clock. To reach this conclusion, the team turned to a “radiometric dating“based on isotopes: the radioactive decay of Lutetium-176 into Hafnium-176. Something that can be similar to the ‘Carbon-14’ test that is better known. In an object as old as Ryugu’s father, you would expect the proportion of these elements to follow a predictable line, known as isochronewhich dates back to 4,565 million years ago. But Ryugu’s data did not fit these models. The samples deviated from that ‘reference’ line showing an excess of hafnium (or a deficiency of lutetium). In order to understand why, it was first ruled out that it was due to accelerated disintegration or the effects of cosmic radiation. This made the conclusion point differently than that, at some point, a liquid ‘washed’ and took away some of the lutetium from the asteroid’s rocks. The reasons. The event that triggered this late flow of water was, most likely, a violent impact. While the first aqueous activity, which occurred in the first seven million years of the solar system, was driven by heat from the decay of radioactive elements, this second event was different. Specifically, we are talking about an impact on the body of Ryugu’s ‘father’ that would have generated enough heat to melt the ice that had remained frozen inside for eons, and at the same time, would have created fractures in the rock that emerged as channels for liquid water to flow. On the Primitive Earth. If asteroids like Ryugu’s father were able to retain not only hydrated minerals but also large amounts of water ice for more than a billion years, their potential to ‘water’ other planets is much greater than expected. Current models of the formation of terrestrial planets could be underestimating the amount of water contributed by these bodies. According to this study, Ryugu-like planetesimals could have entered two to three times more water into Earth than is commonly estimated. This would have direct implications on our understanding of the origin of the oceans, the atmosphere and in general the conditions that made it possible for us all to be living here. Images | NASA Hubble Space Telescope Carl Wang In Xataka | The last asteroid loaded with precious metals to graze the Earth escaped us. For the next one we already have a plan

In 2018 it was a countryside on the outskirts of Chongqing. In 2025 it will be the largest train station in the world

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On June 27, China inaugurated the Chongqing East Railway Station, officially the largest railway terminal on the planet. With 1.22 million square metersThe equivalent of 170 football fields, this colossus is five times the size of New York’s iconic Grand Central. The project cost around 6.7 billion euros to materialize. In addition to its magnitude, this megastructure also has a series of very interesting characteristics that we are going to tell you about below. A titanic project in record time. Work officially began in November 2018, but satellite images shared by China Perspective on social networks show how between 2023 and 2025 the project went from being a vacant lot to a fully functional station. In fact, before work began in 2018, the area was a complete valley. The terminal opened to the public last June and already moves up to 16,000 passengers per hour. Click on the image to go to the post In addition to a station, a strategic node. Located in the Nan’an district, on the outskirts of Chongqing (a megacity in southwest China), the station has 15 platforms and 29 tracks. It is designed like a central axis within the national railway network known as “Ocho Verticales y Ocho Horizontales”, which connects the western and eastern regions of the country. From here, travelers can reach Beijing, Shanghai or Guangzhou in just six or eight hours. It also serves as a gateway to cities such as Chengdu, Wuhan or Kunming in times ranging from one to three hours. Image: Reddit Design inspired by the region. Unlike some of the stations we have in Europe, with a somewhat more austere design, Chongqing East boasts an aesthetic with cultural identityas well as functionality. The columns imitate the huangjue trees, typical of the area; the vents are shaped like flowers, and the welcome signs are designed like bamboo scrolls. Its glass ceiling also stands out, offering a good amount of natural light to the main room. A model of urban development. The station environment is conceived as a transit-oriented development zone, which will include hotels, offices, shopping centers and cultural facilities. In this way, the extensive land that existed before has now not only become a large station, but a whole new urban district. A way of doing things already classic in China. What’s coming Chongqing East is not finished, as it is only the beginning of an even more ambitious railway network. High-speed lines such as Zhengyu and Yukun are under construction and will further reinforce the station’s role as a continental hub. China has been showing us for decades how efficient its mega-constructions are, which go from record to record, as in the case of this station. Cover image | Yi Cheng (shared by China Perspective) In Xataka | While half the world debates and makes promises about nuclear energy, only one country is keeping them: China

BYD has built a megafactory in record time. And it’s not just a car factory: it’s a city

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The chinese automotive industry has one goal: flood the west with their cars. BYD is one of the companies that, while wanting to take over the national market, wants a good slice of the international pie. For this you have as many employees as a small countryand to carry out its vision it has the most beastly car factory you can imagine. This is the Zhengzhou plant, and more than a factory, it is a city. Gigafactory? Best Uberfactory. Everything that surrounds the Zhengzhou plant It is imposing. Starting with the times, BYD and the Henan government they signed the project in September 2021, in just one month the works began and less than two years later the factory began production. His ability It is imposing and, already in its first operational phase in April 2023, it demonstrated that it could have a ability 400,000 vehicles annually. Not only did they get it up and running in record time: its dimensions are also impressive. The plant is estimated to have an area of ​​10.68 square kilometers in factories alone, but when the project comes to completion, it will occupy about 130 km². Context. Ten times more than Tesla Gigafactory in Nevadawith its 12 km², and larger than the area of ​​the city of San Francisco (it is approximately 120 km²). It is not unusual for large technology companies to have “cities” under their control and, without leaving China, Huawei has a similar campus (and another that copy different European cities). But BYD is overwhelming. More than cars. The factory is a “living” project of which four phases have been completed so far. The first two have focused on the production of cars, but as we said, we are talking about a factory that goes beyond vehicles. The third phase launched a plant for the battery manufacturing and the fourth has the necessary facilities for the production of semiconductors. They are underway new phases to expand production to two million vehicles annually and it is estimated that the facility generates a complete vehicle every 50 seconds. Technology. This is achieved thanks to an automation rate of 98%, one of the highest in the automotive industry worldwide. For example, the welding process is carried out with 91% robot labor and there are hundreds of them operating in other sectors, such as assembly or logistics. It is not due to a lack of human work, since the factory currently employs about 60,000 people, 90% of them coming from Zhengzhou or its surroundings and there are plans to reach up to 200,000 employees in 2026. Imagine all of Salamanca working in the same factory. Independent Republic of BYD. That is why we are not just talking about a factory: it also has housing and everything necessary is being built to make it a full-fledged city. Apart from housing blocks for employees, the megafactory has canteens, commercial areas, recreational facilities such as soccer fields and other areas for playing sports, as well as an internal transportation system. It also has additional facilities to carry out tests on their vehicles, such as a 1,758 meter circuit with nine curves, sand dunes to carry out off-road tests, a 70 meter pool (this is where you can see the Yangwang U8 in action) and multifunctional areas to carry out braking, acceleration and other more specific tests, such as autonomous parking. Apart from testing, it is like an amusement park for those who want to see the benefits of the brand’s EV cars. International connection. In the end, it is a mix between ambition and space (something that is abundant in China), which gives rise to a city focused on a single task: producing new energy cars with which China is setting the standard globally. In addition, it is an economic engine for the region and such a strategic element that, in 2024, Zhengzhou inaugurated the International Land Port with a one kilometer railway line to the BYD base. In this way, BYD can produce cars and instantly send them by train to the international market. It is also easier to load them into RO-RO boats with capacity for reach Europe in three or four weeks. Such is the importance of Zhengzhou for the company that its seventh ship car carrier was named after the city. Images | BYD In Xataka | Volkswagen is determined to copy China to make its electric cars attractive in Europe: put a gasoline engine in them

now it sounds like an imminent dress rehearsal

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It happened during the cold warwhen Soviet engineers and military personnel developed a powerful project whose purpose was simple but disturbing: to create a last line of physical defense capable of destroying objects that fall from the sky. Now that “the hypersonic and the terminal maneuvers once again put traditional defense frameworks in check, that forgotten experiment reappears as an unexpected piece of the contemporary puzzle: not even an anti-ballistic missile no space shieldbut a brutally simple idea that could help respond to threats that no longer obey the old rules. Origin and purpose. As we said, in the middle of the Cold War, the USSR explored an exceptional concept: an active defense system to protect intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) silos against terminally advanced enemy nuclear warheads. under the name Mozyr (izdeliye 171), developed by KB Mashinostroyeniya With the direct supervision of Minister Ustinov and the participation of 250 companies from 22 ministries, the objective was to create a kind of “shotgun-type” kinetic shield capable of shooting down American warheads that fell on the Soviet missile fields, compensating for the intrinsic vulnerability of the fixed silos within the nuclear triad. Technical architecture and mechanism. In essence, Mozyr consisted of a multi-gun battery (with sources varying between 80 and several hundred tubes) that fired rods of tungsten or high-strength steel to form a dense cloud oriented to the approach vector of the enemy warhead. The system integrated detection, guidance and control of own fire, calculating density and geometry of the salvo of projectiles according to threat, operating automatically. According to the documentsthe defeat of the target was achieved by kinetic closure at about 6 km/s in the lower atmosphere, a sufficient condition, according to Soviet engineers, to prevent the initiation of a nuclear detonation. Diagram in Russian showing the basic principle of operation of the Mozyr system. It also shows how key components of the system, including projectile launchers, were projected under rotating armored domes Tests in Kamchatka. Although it was not deployed operationally, it was built and tested. Between 1985 and 1988, tests were carried out in Kura (Kamchatka Peninsula), with a simulated silo and a remote command post. Demilitarized ICBMs were used SS-18 Mod 4 as targets from Plesetsk or Baikonur. Many of the testimonies describe night events in which the arrival of the reentry vehicle lit up the sky before fragmenting after the impact of the “swarm” of projectiles, verifying the interception. The radar integrated in the tests was the 5N65 (Flat Twin) of the failed system ABM 5K17. In 1991, state tests ended after funding was cut after the failed coup and the Soviet collapse, not because of technical infeasibility. Fairly basic diagrams showing parts of the 5N65 phased array radar from a CIA document Legal compatibility. It was one of the keys to the project and the sole idea of ​​implementing it. They counted TWZ analysts that Russian sources claimed that Mozyr did not contravene he ABM Treaty of 1972since it prohibited widely deployed systems, but allowed one ABM site per country, although the interpretation is debatable. In parallel, the United States evaluated a twin concept (Swarmjet) to protect silos from MX/Peacekeeper with thousands of unguided rockets, but it never went into hardware. After 2002, with death of the ABM Treaty, the legal straitjacket ceased to exist, which reopens the strategic relevance of low-cost solutions. Strategic relevance compared to MIRV. Mozyr would have had to deal even then with MIRV (like the SS-18 Mod 5 with ten RVs) multiplying targets and risk of saturation. Since then, the challenge is older: modern tactics penetration aidsdecoys, fake object armies, and hypersonic glider vehicles without terminal propulsion that maneuver and degrade discrimination. A silo APS today would face more density, more ambiguity and greater terminal kinematics. Even so, a “cheap kinetic wall” poses a different strategic return than expensive and scarce exoatmospheric interceptors. Nuclear context. The United States changes its strength Minuteman III for him LGM-35A Sentinelcontemplates returning to MIRV, and maintains in parallel the SLBM Trident D5 in Ohio and future Columbia. China expands silos and MIRV. Russia maintains SS-18 Mod 6 and UR-100N with Avangard. In echoes of 2012, there were allusions to reactivate a system analogous to Mozyr. What does it mean? That, in an environment where the volume of terminal threats skyrockets, and ABM munition is expensive, finite and attackable, that last-layer kinetic APS would be, if discrimination and synchronization are mastered, a multiplier of silo survival and, therefore, of the credibility of “second-strike” deterrence. Balance. If you also want, the Mozyr program tested in metal and fire a principle that today he regains weight: a cheap, local active silo defense, with simple physics and brutal fire density, which does not prevent the enemy’s arrival, but can deny his finish at the decisive point. On a planet that reenters the logic of nuclear parity and multiplication of systems that until recently seemed a preserve of science fictionthe Soviet notion (if reengineer for the 21st century) once again sounds less like a relic and more like a dress rehearsal for a plausible future. Image | MichaelINC In Xataka | Russia is beginning to run out of the weapons it inherited from the USSR. So it’s pulling North Korea’s In Xataka | In the Cold War, Norway devised a plan underground to stop the Soviets. The invasion of Ukraine has reactivated it

is to beat death

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For centuries, humanity has dreamed of stopping the clock. From the legends of the fountain of eternal youth to the Hungarian Countess Bathory, the myth of prolonging life has spanned cultures and centuries. Today, that promise is no longer spilled in blood or written in stories: it is negotiated in offices with investment funds. Biotechnology in the era of anti-aging. A company founded in California, Altos Labs, leads a new generation from companies that aspire to turn aging into another medical problem. The company has brought together elite scientists to develop partial cell reprogramming experiments, with the goal of reversing diseases and restoring tissues. In the words of its executive directorHal Barron: “The cell is capable of compensating for damage, and if we could recover that capacity, we would be buffering stress.” Although Altos is not the only one. Retro Biosciences has raised 1 billion dollars —with the participation of investor Sam Altman— for trials of drugs that can rejuvenate brain and blood cells. NewLimit, co-founded by Brian Armstrong (Coinbase), got another 130 millionand Cambrian Biopharma added 100 million more in 2021. The interest is clear: longevity has gone from speculative science to an industry with massive capital and the promise of profitability. From scientific utopia to business model. For decades, aging was considered inevitable. Today it is a technological and financial challenge. At a conference on aging in Copenhagen —to which the Financial Times had access— executives at Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk, creators of GLP-1 drugs such as Ozempic or Wegovy, defined them for the first time as “longevity drugs.” The semantic change reflects a cultural and economic shift: longevity stops being a fantasy and becomes a market. Nir Barzilai, director of the Institute on Aging at Albert Einstein College, he explained it like this: “To say that we don’t have drugs that reduce mortality is incorrect. We are successful; we just need to do better.” While scientists measure telomeres, technologists dream of exponential curves. The futurist Ray Kurzweil maintains that we will achieve the “longevity escape velocity” in 2029, the point at which life expectancy will increase faster than we age. What was once science fiction is now listed on the stock market. The business of beating time. The race to live longer is not just scientific: it is financial. How the Financial Times has had accessfunds allocated to longevity research now exceed $5 billion in the last three years. Investors like Jeff Bezos, Yuri Milner or Peter Thiel they have bet by biotechnology startups that promise to extend human life. In fact, Thiel has funded Unity Biotechnologyfocused on eliminating senescent cells, and Bezos, together with Milner, directly promotes Altos Labs. Larry Ellison, founder of Oracle, has invested more than 430 million in anti-aging therapies and created the Ellison Medical Foundation. The risk is obvious. Enthusiasm could inflate a bubble. Primetime Partners Co-Founder Abby Miller Levy warned that “Money attracts talent, but not all companies deserve so much funding.” And as capital flows, the ethical question also grows: live longer or live better? Scientist Mehmood Khan, director of the Saudi foundation Hevolution, puts it this way: “People don’t want to live longer; they want to live healthy as long as possible.” Not everything that ages can be reversed. In July, Unity Biotechnology was delisted from Nasdaq after failing trials to eliminate senescent cells, a reminder of how far we are from “curing” aging. Still, progress exists: Northwestern University researchers have developed a biomaterial capable of regenerating high-quality articular cartilage, an achievement that until recently sounded like science fiction. This type of medical innovation—quiet, tangible—contrasts with promises of total immortality. The emotional root. Behind genetic engineering and million-dollar facelifts there is something more primitive: the fear of disappearing. Larry Ellison, founder of Oracle, confessed that “Death has never made sense to me.” His investment in biotechnology was born after the death of his adoptive mother from cancer. For his part, Peter Thiel has said that he considers aging “an enemy that can be defeated with enough money and knowledge.” But the fear of dying It’s not just personal: It is also cultural, even political. During a military parade in Beijing, an open microphone caught a conversation between Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin about “achieving immortality.” Far from the anecdote, the scene shows how the body has become a form of power. In this century, the body is not only biology: it is also ideology, territory and a symbol of control. While governments seek immortality for their regimes, individuals pursue it for themselves. Altos Labs scientists They study how cells They lose their resilience with age. Deep down, it is the same spiritual logic as always: restoring the lost balance, rewriting destiny. Science versus myth. In a world saturated with anti-aging promises, distinguishing between science and marketing is essential. In Financial Times describe that no regulatory body —not even the FDA—recognizes aging as a disease, which prevents the approval of drugs whose goal is directly to “rejuvenate.” That is why many biotech companies focus on specific pathologies, such as diabetes or Alzheimer’s. Scientist Michael N. Hall, pioneer in the study of cellular aging, I explained it like this: “I do not and would not take anti-aging medications. Eating in moderation is enough.” Calorie restriction, he says, activates the same mechanisms as some experimental drugs. At the opposite extreme, billionaire Bryan Johnson spends two million dollars a year in plasma transfusions and supplement. Between both extremes—the avant-garde laboratory and the almost esoteric ritual—the frontier of longevity moves today. The gender of youth. While powerful men finance laboratories, famous women they finance operating rooms. However, there is a paradox that runs through this entire market of eternal youth. When they try to stop aging, they are celebrated as visionaries. When they do, they are accused of being superficial. The same media that glorify Jeff Bezos or Larry Ellison for investing millions in biotechnology to “defeat time” scrutinize every wrinkle, filler or lift of the actresses who, for decades, have lived … Read more

The “best mechanic in Spain” says that leaving the car parked for a long time causes “irreversible damage.” It’s not as terrible as it seems

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Any object that uses mechanical components is something that should be used from time to time. Although we are talking about cars here, it is not exclusive to cars. If you have one bicyclesome automatic watch either photo cameras old, it is something that you most likely have in mind. And the thing is that, with the passage of time, the liquids dry out or become stuck and the components can begin to suffer from corrosion. That’s exactly what happens to a car. When a vehicle is not movingthe moving parts lose lubrication and the liquids always remain in the same places. It is also easier for corrosion to appear. In short, it is the same case as the previous ones. With the difference that a car is an object that usually weighs between one and two tons and is designed to move at high speeds on the road, leaving aside its maintenance clearly puts our health and that of the rest of the drivers we meet on the road at risk. But what should we fear and what can we not worry about? For the best mechanic in Spain in 2023, the problem is obvious: “irreversible damage may occur.” a long, long time In 2023, Javier Sendín, from Talleres Cardiocar de Salamanca, was chosen as best mechanic of Spain for The Official Workshop Community. This award delivered annually and over the years it has brought together more than a thousand participants. The winner is chosen after online tests in which theoretical questions are presented and, phase by phase, it ends up deciding who is the best in Spain. In The Vanguard They have contacted Sendín to ask him about some risks that we should not overlook when maintaining our car. Whoever was the best mechanic in Spain has remembered the importance of not forgetting of a vehicle because we cannot expect that after a long time without starting, the car will be in perfect condition. “Although it may not seem like it (leaving the car still for weeks), this can be harmful. Components such as the suspension are affected, since the silentblocks and other rubber pieces tend to dry out or warp when left in the same position for weeks or months. It is also very negative for the battery, both in thermal vehicles and, especially, in hybrids and electric vehicles (…) there is a risk of irreversible damage.” What “the best mechanic in Spain 2023” claims is undoubted. The question is how much time has to pass for the damage to be especially noticeable. The truth is that if a car remains stationary for a few weeks, the damage is still minor. For example, it is not good for tires spend a lot of time supporting the weight of the car in the same position as deformities may arise. Despite this, in less than a month you will not notice substantial changes. Of course, keep an eye on its pressure so that when you get going again everything is in the best state. The battery is the other problem that can appear when the car has not moved for a long time. Especially if its useful life is already on its last legs, it is not a good idea to leave the car stationary for a long time. Yes indeed, if only a few weeks passthe worst that can happen is that the battery is completely discharged. However, if the battery is in good condition, may take more than two months to download. If we contemplate this happening, a good idea is to unplug the battery completely. So, when should we start paying real attention to our car? The American Automobile Association recommends that we put more emphasis on car care when they pass more than 45 days immobile. In that case, you should try to keep the car indoors and in a dry place. In this way, the car is more protected from corrosion and components that suffer from changes in temperature and humidity, such as tires, are more protected. Among the advice given from RACE There is checking the levels of the car’s fluids: brakes, coolant or oil. And with the passage of time, part of them may evaporate or have dried out in some specific points. Keep in mind, however, that again we are talking about months with the car stopped and not a few weeks. In that case, do not force the mechanics excessively when putting the car back into operation since we will not be risking any breakage. In fact, it is estimated that until after three months Since the car came to a complete stop, the components will not start to cause real problems. That is why possible damage from having the car stopped is not the most common case. Yes indeed, from the RACC They also recommend paying close attention to gasoline. First of all, we should not rush the tank to the maximum since impurities always remain at the bottom of it and it is easier for them to end up damaging a component such as the spark plugs. But if the car has been stopped for a long time it is not good to leave it loaded with fuel either. Over time, it loses properties. If we have a classic car that we use a few times a year, it is best to leave some gasoline in the tank but renew it shortly after we get going. You don’t have to use up the tank but you also don’t have to leave the car forgotten with a full tank. We talked, once again, about leaving the car sitting for months. Photo | Felix Neudecker and Sten Rademaker In Xataka | The “one minute rule” or how to always keep your car ready and avoid breakdowns worth 3,000 euros

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