Month: December 2025

NVIDIA has paid $20 billion to “license” Groq’s technology. He actually bought it

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NVIDIA has reached an agreement to “license” assets from Groq and will pay 20 billion dollars for said assets. The company—not to be confused with Elon Musk’s chatbot, Grok—has been designing and manufacturing AI chips for model inference for years. The quotes around “licensing” are important, because this is not a deal: it is a stealth acquisition. what has happened. on Wednesday the news appeared that NVIDIA had agreed to sign a licensing agreement with AI startup Groq. This news was confirmed by those responsible for Groq themselves. on your blogin which they talked about a “non-exclusive license agreement for inference technology to accelerate AI inference on a global scale.” But what both companies say is one thing and what this really is is quite another. How to buy a company without buying it. As part of the agreement, the company’s CEO and co-founder, Jonathan Ross, will go to work for NVIDIA, as will Sunny Madra – its current president – and other senior executives who “will join NVIDIA to help NVIDIA advance and scale this licensed technology.” At Groq they point out that they will continue to operate as an “independent company” led by Simon Edwards, who was their chief financial officer (CFO) and will now become the CEO. NVIDIA keeps (almost) everything. In September Groq raised a financing round of 750 million dollarswhich placed its valuation at $6.9 billion. Disruptive, Blackrock and other companies participated. Alex Davis, CEO of Disruptive, indicated on CNBC that NVIDIA will keep all of Groq’s assets except for one: Groq’s newly launched cloud business. NVIDIA’s biggest “pseudo-acquisition”. This operation is by far the most important for NVIDIA, which bought the Israeli company Mellanox —which designs chips—for $6.9 billion in 2019. In an internal email obtained by CNBC, NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang explained that “although we are adding talented employees to our ranks and licensing Groq’s intellectual property, we are not acquiring Groq as a company.” The phrase is significant but sensitive, and NVIDIA may want to escape regulators’ scrutiny with this type of pseudo-acquisition. They already made another pseudo-acquisition before. Last September NVIDIA made an identical move by “betting” 900 million dollars by server startup Enfabrica. As in this case, they called to that operation a licensing agreement for its technology, but as in this case what happened is that the CEO of Enfabrica, Rochan Sankar, and other employees, ended up being part of the NVIDIA staff. What is Groq?. Although the name is confused with that of the xAI chatbot, this AI startup does something very different from that model. Groq was founded in 2016 by a group of former Google engineers led by Jonathan Ross and Douglas Wightman. Ross was one of the designers of Tensor Processing Units (TPUs), and Wightman was part of the Google X team and would end up becoming Groq’s first CEO until his departure in 2016. What Groq does. The company has designed AI chips that are specifically specialized in inferring AI models, or in other words, accelerating the execution of those models. While NVIDIA and other companies are especially focused on chips for model training, an equally critical phase, they are not as prepared for inference. Chatbots at full speed. That’s where Groq comes in, who allows extraordinary acceleration of inference and ensure that when we chat with models they “write” at very high speeds. This is when very high token/s speeds are obtained, far above other infrastructures. Not only that, Groq is also cheaper thanks to its specialized chips, so if you want your chatbot to respond at full speed, Groq chips are a fantastic option. How to be a monopoly without saying it. This investment by NVIDIA demonstrates its intention to diversify its business and not stay stuck in its own solutions. The huge operation gives it a major competitive advantage because none of the big AI companies today had focused specifically on inference chips. Groq did from the beginning, and with this “deal” it seems clear that NVIDIA’s dominance in this sector can be strengthened. Is, some analysts saya defensive move rather than a strategic one, and they may be right: Google is getting stronger and stronger with its TPUsand that now Groq is basically part of NVIDIA – although they don’t want to say it that way – will allow it to compete better against the aforementioned Google and the rest of the rivals that are beginning to challenge that dominance. Image | Groq | NVIDIA In Xataka | AMD’s problem is not that it doesn’t make good GPUs for AI. It’s not even close to NVIDIA

Ferdinand Porsche devised the first car with an electric motor in each wheel. Today a Chinese manufacturer is going to make it possible

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Just a few days ago we were talking about Dongfeng at the Santana plant, since it will be the Dongfeng Z9, brought in pieces from China, that will end up being assembled in Linares to end up traveling Spanish roads under another name: the Santana 400. However, the brand also has a presence in Spain with the boxan urban vehicle that we have known since the end of last year. Dongfeng in China is another world, as the brand has much more impressive and innovative vehicles. One of them is the eπ 007, which has led the brand to become the first established manufacturer in the world to bring a sedan with four motors integrated into the wheels into mass production. The electric motor that is attached to each wheel What’s special about it. In-wheel motors eliminate traditional components such as the differential, drive shaft and semi-transmissions. The eπ 007 is equipped with four independent units of 100 kW each, manufactured by Shanghai Automobile Electric Drive, which add up to a combined power of 400 kW (536 HP). This architecture promises to reduce mechanical losses approximately 30% and the firm claims that it allows individual control of each wheel with torque responses in milliseconds. The advantages. According to official documentation, the system provides improvements such as a 10% to 15% smaller turning radius, 25% higher energy regeneration efficiency thanks to better braking control on all four wheels, and 20% to 30% lower maintenance costs. In addition, by eliminating the transmission tunnel, the cabin gains interior space with a completely flat floor and greater flexibility in locating the batteries. It’s not the first attempt. Although other manufacturers have attempted to market vehicles with in-wheel motors, such as the Lightyear 0 or the Lordstown Endurance, all came from startups that later went bankrupt. Dongfeng is one of China’s leading state-backed car companies, making the eπ 007 the only model to enter mass production with this technology. The vehicle will be the litmus test to find out if the invention, first devised by Ferdinand Porsche in 1900, it may end up having a commercial place, beyond concepts. The good thing is that the miniaturization of electronics over the last few decades has allowed manufacturers to opt for ideas as revolutionary and as old as including an electric motor in each wheel of the car. In the past, the problem with this system was the excess weight it brought to the vehicle. Today, Dongfeng wants to demonstrate that this idea can become viable. It remains to be seen if it will be so attractive that the general public will bet on it. More traditional versions. At the same time, Dongfeng also recently launched the updated eπ 007+, with three finishes that combine 100% electric and extended autonomy. The price started at about 139,900 yuan (about 16,788 euros). The pure electric variant is offered with a 200 kW rear motor and 650 km of CLTC range, or with a 400 kW dual motor and 565 km. Both use lithium-ferrophosphate batteries. The version with range extender combines a 1.5-liter generator with a 160 kW rear electric motor, achieving 308 km in electric mode and up to 1,308 km in total. In Xataka | Porsche owners in Russia woke up this morning without being able to start their car. And they have a suspicion

China has been dumping tons of sand into the ocean for 12 years. And now we are seeing islands emerging in the middle of nowhere

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It has been more than a decade since China began a striking strategy of territorial expansion: throwing tons of sand into the South China Sea. This is not unique to China and, in fact, Japan thus built an airport that soon it will be an underwater airportbut China is doing it massively and with one objective: to claim what is its own. And seeing how they raise these artificial islands is… hypnotic. Context. The end of 2013 marked a turning point in China: the country started to massively fill in seven of the reefs of the Nansha and Xisha archipelagos (Spratly and Paracels, respectively). In record time between December of that year and June 2015, China carried out the first phase of the operation: the filling phase. From 2015 onwards, they have dedicated themselves to consolidate that territory through the construction of infrastructure such as landing strips, hangars, ports, radars and support structures. According to the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission, between December 2015 and October 2015, China had built artificially about 12 km² of land on the Nansha reefs. While the United States said it with concern, the Chinese media confirmed the information with pride. Before and then How they do it. They did not use overly complex methods to do so. On the one hand, they cut the coral bottom and pumped sediments to shallow areas. The earth was deposited as fill to later build dikes and retaining walls around the reef. The next step was to deposit more fill and, finally, large steamrollers and shovels were compacting that earth to give consistency to the whole. The last thing was to create paving, landing strips, roads and other infrastructure. The result is more than 12 km², and put in context they represent “17 times more land claimed in 20 months than all the other international claimants have achieved during the last 40 years.” In action. Seeing the satellite photos that show the before and after, something easy to do using the history function of Google Earth, is interesting, but seeing a timelapse of how one of these new territories has been built is, as I said, something hypnotic. An example, the following video ‘tweet‘ (if you can’t see it, click on it): Narrative. What motivation does China have for such a deployment of resources and money? It depends who you ask. On the one hand, the Chinese government has defended that the creation of these islands serves the support in rescue missions on the high seasalso to fishing, scientific research, navigation support points thanks to these radars and the collection of data for its meteorological service. Finally, it also serves for defense if necessary. The neighbors are not convinced by the explanation and, in fact, think that it is a strategy that responds to a single interest: claiming territories that China considers its property. The Ministry of Defense of Japan assures that these infrastructures allow a permanent Chinese presence in waters that do not belong to it, with offensive capacity in practically the entire South China Sea. Military. Recent reports, such as the one from CSIS in 2025, underlines that China’s recent near-perennial activity in the South China Sea has only been possible thanks to that decade-old construction work. Western analyzes they point that the runways for aircraft are prepared for combat aircraft and land transport, as well as the presence of ports for warships, underground facilities and even missile platforms. The tension is evident because Beijing claims sovereignty over territories that its neighbors deny. Those neighbors are Vietnam, Taiwan, Japan or the Philippines. And Vietnam, in fact, is doing the same thing as China in 2013: throwing land into the sea. Their progress has also been considerable in a short time in an area that has become a real hotbed. The ecological impact. But beyond the intentions of each other, something undeniable that cannot be hidden under any narrative is the environmental damage that these artificial islands cause to their surroundings. In some articles it has been indicated that this ‘island’ desire has caused the loss of some 12 to 18 km² of reef, damaging some of the best preserved reefs in the region directly, but also affecting distant systems due to the ‘clouds’ of sediment formed during the dumping of sediments. Chinese scientific articles have also shown that these practices eliminate completely the ecosystem of the occupied area and negatively affects currents and sediment patterns, causing the aforementioned degradation of neighboring areas. However, the State Oceanic Administration of China defend that all projects were thoroughly evaluated and do not harm corals. The fault of it? Global trends such as sea acidification or climate change. Images | Ma Wukong In Xataka | China is building something that looks like an oil well. It is actually a nuclear bunker with a command center

is not to collapse the road

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Although each mega-construction that occurs always represents a technical challenge, doing so on one of the busiest points in Spain makes the process even more difficult. The one of Sales Park aims to build a park of more than 16,000 square meters on 16 traffic lanes at the point with the highest vehicle intensity in Spain. Hence the challenge, since the operation must advance without collapsing Madrid. Night operations. Raising a 197-meter structure supported by 128 pillars on the M-30 is complex, but feasible. Just like they count From El Mundo, the truly complicated thing is to do it without paralyzing the traffic of a city of more than three million inhabitants. Javier Nájera, head of the City Council’s structures service, told the media that working on that stretch during the day could cause traffic jams of up to 14 hours a day. That is why they decided to concentrate the most critical works in summer, when traffic intensity drops by 40%, and carry out the most delicate operations at night. Technical challenge. At night, two cranes weighing more than 500 tons take position on the M-30 to advance the construction process. According to counted Nájera in the middle, nothing more than the assembly of these cranes requires about four hours, but they are very useful for lifting concrete beams of up to 200 tons and 40 meters in length. The structure requires 96 of these beams, and at six in the morning of each day worked, everything must be collected as if nothing had happened so as not to hinder traffic. Huge beams that force a plant to close. The beams arrive from factories in Rivas Vaciamadrid and Seville. According to what they tell the media, this is because the Community of Madrid does not have more production capacity for this type of structural elements. Manufacturing a single beam of these characteristics requires the complete closure of an industrial plant. Nájera tells El Mundo that transportation from Andalusia is more expensive, but it would be unfeasible to produce them in a single factory for the pace they need. Rehabilitation. During the initial excavation, pools of water appeared on the hard ground that were not foreseen in the geotechnical studies, Nájera told the outlet. The work had to be readjusted on the fly. Unforeseen events are common in this type of construction, but when working on the main traffic artery in Spain, each day of delay multiplies their impact. In fact, the start of construction on the last day of June coincided with several accidents that caused significant delays, a brief reminder of how tight the margin of error can be. Prepare the land for 1,060 trees. The future platform will support 110,031 tons, including permanent loads and intended uses. Najera account that would resist even the passage of tanks crossing from one side to the other. For the park to function, a triple layer of waterproofing will be installed with asphalt sheets, anti-root meshes and a system of aeration cells so that the trees can grow and develop without problems. The same method was also used in Madrid Río. Eight walkways to save centuries-old cedars. The intention is to connect both banks of the M-30 through eight pedestrian walkways that will meander to avoid damaging the ancient cedars. These walkways will connect the Quinta de la Fuente del Berro park with the green area of ​​Ciudad Lineal, a corridor that would benefit more than 140,000 residents. The lanes are now open, but a lot of work remains. The M-30 recovered all its lanes operational a month and a half in advance of what was planned. Traffic effects are now limited to nighttime hours, although speed is still limited to 50 km/h on this stretch. Of the 128 piles that will support the roof, 73 have already been installed, and the first transverse beams began to be placed at the end of November. With an investment of 78.9 million euros, the project is scheduled to be completed by spring 2027. What comes next. Once the main structure is completed, the installation of the garden areas, playgrounds, calisthenics elements, a small outdoor auditorium, kiosks and LED lighting systems will begin. Of course, until the park shows its first trees, there is still work to do. Cover image | Google Maps In Xataka | The collapse of the most famous bridge in history not only ended the life of a dog: it also changed engineering forever

In 2010, the owner of a Ferrari missed a radar in Switzerland at 137 km/h. He took home the most expensive fine in history

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The fine for speeding highest ever recorded did not come from a German road or a French motorway. It arose in Switzerland, and they gave it to the driver of a Ferrari Testarossa. The most curious thing is that they did not put it in for pushing the power of this 90’s classic to the limit since it was traveling at 137 km/h. The result was a fine of more than 247,000 euros, an amount that officially appears in the Guinness World Records as the biggest fine for speeding. A record fine. The highest speeding fine officially recorded was imposed in Switzerland in January 2010. A court in the canton of St. Gallen sentenced the driver of a Ferrari Testarossa to pay about $290,000 (more than 247,000 euros at the exchange rate) after being detected by radar traveling at 137 km/h in a section limited to 80 km/h. The amount of the fine was not arbitrary. In Switzerland, judges do not set fines based on rigid tables according to the infraction, but rather based on the real impact they must have on each driver’s pocket. A system designed so that everyone hurts equally. Swiss legislation contemplates a model of fines proportional to the driver’s income, instead of establishing a table of fixed amounts as happens in Spain. This applies an equivalence factor with respect to economic capacity, making the sanctions truly have a deterrent nature. A fine of 200 euros for a person who charges a salary of 16,000 euros It can be a compelling reason for you to take your foot off the accelerator when you don’t play. But that same figure is insignificant for someone with a net worth of several million euros. Sanctions in Switzerland are at another level. In the case of the driver of the Testarossa, the sanction was triggered because the driver declared assets that exceeded 22 million dollars and accumulated a record for similar violations. For the Swiss authorities, the fine should reflect not only the risk committed, but also the economic impact it should generate. The 2010 record is not an isolated case. According to collects the local newspaper 24hourslast August a billionaire resident in Lausanne was fined 90,000 Swiss francs (about 96,500 euros) after exceeding the 50 km/h limit on the road while traveling at 77 km/h. Although the violation was not extreme, the final calculation was, and was justified by evaluating income, assets, and family circumstances. 96,000 euros for exceeding the speed limit by 27 km/h. Switzerland is not the only country that applies it. Finland shares a sanctioning philosophy similar to that applied in Switzerland. There are also fines calculated according to income, with precedents that have exceeded 120,000 euros. One of the best known cases It is that of a businessman who was traveling at 82 km/h in an area limited to 50 km/h and ended up facing a fine of 120,000 euros due to his level of income. In Austria, for example, a millionaire They took away his driving license and the Bugatti Veyron was immediately seized for traveling at 123 km/h in an area limited to 60 km/h. Spain will never come close to these figures. The Spanish traffic legislation is located at the opposite extreme. The fines depend exclusively on the margin exceeded over the speed limit, not on the financial capacity of the offender. Thus, the case of the Finnish driver fined 120,000 euros, in Spain would be resolved with a fine of 400 euros and four points less on the driving license. In fact, you would even have a 50% discount on the fine if you pay it in the first few days. In Spain, the most serious sanctions are penalized with a maximum of 600 euros and the withdrawal of six points on the license, without there being a link between the sanctions and the level of income. This implies that someone with high purchasing powermay consider the cost of the infringement to be minimal, thus losing its deterrent nature. In Xataka | The DGT allows legal circulation at 150 km/h without being an emergency vehicle. The secret: a sign Image | Unsplash (Noah Boyer)

between El Provencio and La Roda

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1,248 kilometers are those that connect Puerto Real with Barcelona if we make the trip bordering the Mediterranean through the N-340. It is the longest road from Spainbut there is a much shorter one that, however, draws more attention. Joining two towns in Cuenca and Albacete is the N-301. And with just 23 kilometers it is the longest straight road in Spain. One that, curiously, is extremely dangerous if you don’t drive with your senses at full capacity. In a place in La-Mancha… This unique section is part of the aforementioned N-301 that connects Ocaña and Cartagena. However, in its fragment of La Mancha, the road has the particularity of being completely straight. Not a roundabout, not a slight curve: 23 kilometers of pure straight road that doesn’t even have a slight slope. If the ring road were not there, this straight would be even more boring It joins El Provencio in Cuenca and Minaya in Albacete, and that is where we must stop measuring. If the ring road did not exist, we would be talking about a straight line of 39 kilometers to La Roda. That area where Cuenca, Ciudad Real and Albacete coincide concentrates several sections that are straight lines that are as boring as they are long. The roads of Tomelloso, La Solana and Socuéllamos usually have these characteristics. From Socuéllamos, a 20 km And then there are some that are not perfect straight lines, but also look like they were drawn for high school technical drawing homework. Villacañas and its 21 kilometers Now, La Mancha is not the only one with roads of this style. In León we also find some organ sections, such as the Páramo and Tierra de Campos areas. 17 kilometers In Zaragoza we have the A-222 with a 17 kilometer straight between Belchite and Mediana de Aragón. And in Aragón another almost 20 kilometers of the A-68 between La Almunia de Doña Godina and Cariñena. This is more regular, but 20 km A danger. And if we said before that those 23 kilometers are dangerous If we do not drive completely clear it is because monotony can take over us. Although straight lines may seem safer because we do not have curves and visibility is usually very good, the lack of stimuli and the repetitiveness of the landscape have a series of associated dangers. For example: That monotony It can make us less responsive by increasing drowsiness. This affects the driver’s alert level and increases response time to unforeseen events. That an animal crosses, for example. As it is a boring journey, this lack of changes may cause us to go into a kind of autopilot. It is something that can cause our attention to divert to other elements that may be the road, the car, the cell phone or even our own thoughts, without being fully aware of what is happening. And, in addition, long straight lines can also encourage us to unconsciously run more. These are the dangers that are there, regardless of the conditions of the day, but if there is little traffic they are accentuated. that feeling of “nothing happens”. And if it is also night, the ‘highway hypnosis’ is added another risk: lack of visibility. In the end, the way to drive on these long and boring roads is how we should always do it, with all our senses focused on the route and following the instructions. recommendations basic breaks, ventilation of the car so as not to get ‘dull’ and changing drivers if possible. A toothpick on the side of Highway 10 Those 23 kilometers of the N-301 are striking, since we will spend a few good minutes “trapped” in the monotony of the journey, but the plain of La Mancha pales if we compare it with a United States that accumulates a large part of the straight-line roads in the world (logical if we take into account that its streets were drawn with square and square), an Australia with an endless desert or Saudi Arabia. The Saudi Highway 10 It extends along 1,480 kilometers of boring straight in the middle of the desert. It was built as a private road for the use and enjoyment of King Fahd, but is now public and has become a vital artery for transportation between western Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Go through the Rub’ al Khalithe one considered as the largest sand desert in the world and there is absolutely… nothing. Neither trees, nor geographical features nor a measly curve that gives some excitement to the trip. Only desert, an infinite horizon and a huge traffic of trucks that go between the cities and on both sides of the border. It is the maximum exponent of resistance for a driver who will have to deal with a ‘hypnosis of the road’ elevated to maximum power, with traffic that is heavy in some places and with the threat occasional camel crossing into its territory. And, aware of this, the Saudi Ministry of Transport and Logistics endowed the road with numerous signs that indicate direction, other warning signs, barriers and reflective markings on the pavement that are crucial if you cross the stretch when the sun goes down. I have crossed those 23 kilometers of the La Mancha plain on some occasions and found them extremely boring. I don’t want to imagine being a trucker who has to eat the almost 1,500 highways on Highway 10. In Xataka | In 1920, a woman painted a mile-long white line on a California highway. It was about to revolutionize road safety

Parking lots were the goose that laid the golden eggs for bricks in Spain. Until someone created the tomb of Las Teresitas

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The history of the mamotreto The Theresies in Tenerife is not an exception, but one more chapter of a long tradition of shot attempts on the Spanish coastwhere for decades the brick advanced on beaches, marshes and cliffs in the heat of express reclassifications, opaque agreements and the promise of a tourist development that almost never arrived as had been announced. This was his story. Great balls with sea views. From Marbella to The Algarrobicopassing through ghost housing estates, illegal hotels and maritime fronts converted into political currency, the coast has been one of the great scenes of speculation, and each new case reminds us of the extent to which the conflict between public interest and private ambition has marked the transformation (and often the degradation) of the coastal landscape in Spain. A symbol that was born crooked. He mamotreto of Las Teresitas It began to raise suspicions long before it became a court case on the island of Tenerife because it appeared where it shouldn’t and how it shouldn’t, emerging without explanation in full maritime-terrestrial public domain, without visible signs and without anyone clearly knowing what was being built in front of the beach or under what legal protection. It was the persistent gaze of neighbors as Lola Schneider the one that set off the first alarms and turned that concrete skeleton into something more than an ugly work: into physical proof that a project was being carried out on the beach front that seemed to be ahead of the law and urban planning logic. Change the beach. Behind the mamotreto was the ambition to transform Las Teresitas into a large urban beach of European reference, with a plan signed by Dominique Perrault which promised to bury parking lots, create open squares and reorganize access to the sea. On paper, the visible mass was supposed to be buried and become an invisible infrastructure at the service of public space, but the partial execution and the breakdown of the balance between administrations turned that promise into an abandoned, gray and dominant structure that ended up being just the opposite of what the project claimed to pursue. The ball The construction of the parking lot was inserted in the heart of the so-called great ball from Las Teresitasoccupying easements and land in the public domain without the mandatory authorizations from Costas and with substantial modifications to the original project. Subsequent rulings made it clear that this was not a minor defect or a forgotten procedure, but rather a a global breach of the urban planning regulations, with works started without legal support while, in parallel, the City Council had purchased the beach front land for more than 52 million of euros in an operation that was already under judicial scrutiny. Justice arrives. The stoppage of works in 2007 marked the point of no return and paved the way to the investigation of the Environmental Prosecutor’s Office, prompted by environmental and neighborhood complaints. The judicial process ended with sentences for urban prevarication and crimes against territorial planning, confirmed by the Court, which established unambiguously that the mamotreto was built without valid authorization and on protected land, dismantling any subsequent attempt to reduce the problem to a simple question of partial legalization. The political and criminal cost. Not only that. The sentences reached to former councilors, technicians and senior officials, some of whom have already fully served their prison and disqualification sentences, while others remain banned from holding public office until the end of the decade. The case was thus established as another branch of the great Las Teresitas scandal, with clear criminal responsibilities and an express obligation to restitute the damage caused, which included the demolition of the building at the expense of the convicted. The demolition In 2017, a horrible mass that had remained in front of the beach for years was physically put to an end. The arrival of heavy machinery to the beach and the visible start of the demolition They marked the material end of a story that had continued for more than a decade. The destruction of concrete, carried out in compliance with a final sentence and after years of delays, it symbolized the closing of a cycle in which the mamotreto went from urban promise to abandoned ruin and, finally, to rubble, returning to the landscape a beach that had been kidnapped by the failure of a “plotazo.” One more. If you like, even though the mamotreto physically disappeared and the sentences were fulfilled, its history remains as permanent warning (one more) about the limits of uncontrolled urbanism, the fragility of the public domain in the face of political and economic interests and the price that a city can pay when projects are imposed on legality. The Theresies of Tenerife recovered space and horizon, but the mamotreto was placed in that monstrous row that is part of the collective memory of the Canary Islands and Spain: that of the emblems of how one should not build a city or, of course, manage its natural heritage. Image | CARLOS TEIXIDOR CADENAS In Xataka | Añaza’s mamotreto: the megahotel abandoned on the coast of Tenerife for 40 years that was never finished In Xataka | The Canary Islands face the irremediable dilemma of limiting tourism. Starting by charging to climb Teide

Its digital notebook function is a big plus

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Until recently, those of us who enjoy making annotations in books (including yours truly) had a great handicap when it came to reading digitally, since we could not enjoy this option. But this changed with the arrival of Kindle Scribea electronic book reader which is also digital notebook and that has surprised me very pleasantly. Amazon Kindle Scribe (16GB) | Redesigned screen with uniform edges The price could vary. We earn commission from these links The perfect Kindle for those who love reading and writing The screen of this Kindle Scribe is one of its main assets. It has a diagonal of 10.2 inches and has a resolution of 300 dpi. Although if there is something that it is characterized by, it is the adjustable warm light that it integrates. This adapts to the environment and the moment in which you are using the device, something that seems like magic. The design of this Kindle Scribe is very light and you can easily operate it even with one hand (despite its large screen). This has made it one of my inseparable companions to keep me entertained during my travels. This electronic book reader from Amazon incorporates a premium pencil (with several spare tips), so you can comfortably use its touch screen. Thanks to this accessory, you will be able to make notes, underline and write as if you were doing it in a paper notebook, since the experience is very realistic. You may also be interested in these Kindle Amazon Kindle (16 GB), the lightest and most compact Kindle The price could vary. We earn commission from these links New Amazon Kindle Colorsoft: with 16 GB of storage 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. Image | Fran León and Amazon In Xataka | Which Kindle to buy: buying guide with recommendations to get it right with Amazon e-book readers In Xataka | Amazon Kindle: guide with 27 functions and tricks to get the most out of your e-book in 2025

the depression of the 20s

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For decades, psychology and economics have accepted a “universal truth” about our life satisfaction: happiness is U-shaped. According to this theory, we are happy in youth, we hit rock bottom in middle age (which is the famous midlife crisis) and we regain joy in old age. But this just broke completely. The study. A study published in PLOS ONE has come to blow up the consensus that existed. After analyzing data from more than a million people in 44 different countries, the conclusion is clear: the unhappiness curve has disappeared. Goodbye midlife crisis. What has been found is a major structural change in how we experience life in our life cycle. This marks the end of the hump shape, where if we made a graph of unhappiness the maximum peak was located at 40-50 years. Now, the graph is a line that goes down. The data points in the United States to a pretty serious situation. In 1993, only 2.9% of young people under 25 years of age claimed to suffer from a situation of ‘despair’, which is defined as having a whole month of poor mental health. In 2023 this figure shot up to 8%, surpassing the middle-aged groups that historically led the statistics. The gender gap. Although deterioration is widespread in youth, Blanchflower’s study focuses on an alarming gap. In the United Kingdom, UKHLS data collected between 2009 and 2023 show that the percentage of young women with serious mental health problems rose from 4.4% to 12.7%. In this case we are not talking about temporary sadness, but rather clinical metrics of anxiety and depression, which are extremely serious mental illnesses. In this way, the study suggests that the so-called “quarter-life crisis” has completely displaced the mid-life crisis. The reasons. It’s tempting in this case blame COVID-19 of all this phenomenon and how it affected mental health, but the data suggests that the pandemic was only an accelerator that enhanced something that was on the table. There are many important points to take into account to understand what is happening in the mentality of young people, such as economic precariousness, job uncertainty or even difficult access to housing. A perfect breeding ground for young people to begin to present major mental problems when they see that they cannot reach their goals such as having a stable job and a home. The impact of technology. We must not forget that generation Z was practically born with a cell phone under their arm, but it has also caused them to be one of the most isolated generations. In the case of Spain, the studies They point out that 69% of young people have felt alone at some point, regardless of the number of followers they have on social networks or the number of social interactions. Among the factors that cause this is the difficulty of emancipating oneself but also the difficulty of creating quality bonds with other people. All of this due to the instability of not always being in the same job or having to change location to develop specific studies. A great challenge. We are facing a global paradigm shift, and this leads to great strain on public health systems. This quarter-age crisis also coincides with a increase in suicides among young Spaniardsso mental health services must be strengthened to address this epidemic of unhappiness that is being perceived among the younger population. In short, we are experiencing a global paradigm shift and this also conditions changes in happiness levels in different age ranges. Images | Mathias Reding Anthony Tran In Xataka | If the question is “where is the secret to happiness,” an expert believes it is hidden in these 15 statements

one of the most influential films of the 21st century

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It has been almost two decades since the premiere of ‘The Holiday‘, one of the Christmas movies par excellence and feel good movie manual. There are several points that catapult certain stories as a Christmas reference and this work by Nancy Meyers (‘You to London and I to California’, ‘When you least expect it’) meets all the requirements. The story of two women who, when their love relationships implode, decide to take a 180-degree turn in their lives and exchange homes during the Christmas holidays is the starting point to wrap you in all the Christmas syrup required. It is more than natural that you enjoy ‘Home Alone’, ‘Polar Express’ or ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ but the truth is that a rom com It competes like no other genre for the title of Christmas phenomenon and helps you enter the new year with the necessary energy. Story of a “Christmas movie” It is easy to review all the characteristics that have made ‘The Holiday’ a must-see Christmas event and one of the most influential romantic comedies of the 21st century. The main asset and what makes it the icon it is today is its more than successful cast. Kate Winslet, Cameron Diaz, Jude Law, Jack Black… All of them do that thing that is so unpleasant in an actor of “playing themselves”, or at least, how we viewers think they are. Its special touch, which provides fresh air and differentiates it from the rest of rom coms Christmas is its goal character. The continuous mentions of the film industry, the world of scriptwriting, premieres and having cameos from stars such as Dustin Hoffman enriches the traditional journey that the protagonists take in this archetype of films. It is mandatory that a romantic comedy and a Christmas movie be cheesy, there is no other option and that is what we are looking for, but if we want to introduce cheesiness with taste, that is where things get complicated. ‘The Holiday’ achieves the most difficult thing and is the best example of handling tenderness with just the right amount of corniness. It does not only achieve this with its main love stories, but with another essential piece: Arthur. Having in your cast a film figure like the great Eli Wallach (‘The Godfather. Part III’; ‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly’; ‘The Magnificent Seven’…) and giving him the place he deserves with a twist to his filmography is worthy of admiration. The actor carries the weight of the plot more tender. A love story that endures over the years and loss, which speaks of the physical and mental vulnerability of old age and the importance of surrounding yourself with a circle of support. Here is the great story of ‘The Holiday’, everything that involves the protagonists. And the journey and purpose of the characters goes through their love relationships, but in reality it is not the only thing that defines them. It is at this point that on many occasions, we notice the difference between a good romantic comedy script and just another “afternoon movie.” If we pay attention to the relationship that Iris (Kate Winslet) establishes with Arthur (Eli Wallach) and the bond they create, we get a much more complete portrait of the character and personality of the character and with this, our own connection with the film and the plot increases. We suffer much more with the treatment she receives from her ex-partner, that neglect ends up feeling like her own and the feelings on the surface come with the famous speech about heartbreak that no one but Kate Winslet can make. “What I’m trying to tell you is that I understand what it’s like to feel like the smallest, most insignificant and pathetic being in humanity and what it’s like to feel pain in parts of your body that you didn’t even know you had (…)” – Winslet’s monologue in ‘The Holiday’ So the romantic element does not fade, but the plot of Graham’s daughters (Jude Law), the parallelism with Amanda’s childhood (Cameron Díaz) or that beautiful friendship between Iris and Arthur ends up completely rounding off this Christmas icon. The sweet spot of Christmas fantasy Furthermore, as we have already touched on previously, talking about Christmas movies and what they reveal about you‘The Holiday’ and that particular “Choose your own love story” allows it to reach different types of audiences. While many people pine for Jude Law, the handsome stereotype movie who is also an exemplary father, others decide to opt for the sweetness and kindness of Jack Black. The slow-burning ending of Iris and Miles’ story is its true story. couple goals and perhaps something much more credible than those declarations of love in minute one of Graham and Amanda. One of the biggest challenges that this type of film faces is the fantasy/reality balance. As a general rule, the public wants to immerse themselves in a fantasy that accompanies the seasonal spirit and helps them forget about daily life for at least two hours, but at the same time, they need a certain connection to get involved in a story that, after all, talks about feelings. And here ‘The Holiday’ once again passes with flying colors. We can fantasize and dream about that luxury house in Los Angelesthe cozy English cottage from a story during a Christmas full of love and magic, or if we go very crazy, that Hollywood pays tribute in life to a great screenwriter as happens with Arthur, but at the same time the rawness of heartbreak or disappointments in personal or work relationships connects us with real life and fully links us with the story. Nor can we ignore one of the fundamental elements that give the package to ‘The Holiday’, and that is that music does not only play an important role during the beautiful scene in which Miles creates a piece of music inspired by Iris. To top it all off, the soundtrack is by Hans Zimmer, … Read more

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