Month: December 2025

Russia has found an old ally from other wars to bring down Ukraine’s most impenetrable defense: snowfall

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Winter has once again established itself as a decisive actor in the Ukrainian war. To the mud and fog A new enemy has been added to the Ukrainian defenses. Heavy snowfall and freezing rain are degrading the tool that has allowed kyiv to make up for its numerical inferiority for two years: the swarms of light, agile and deadly FPV drones that form the backbone of their “death zones” defensive. Winter as a weapon. The meteorology, which in other winters had shaped the strategy, this year is dismantling a defensive system which Ukraine had perfected into a nearly impenetrable barrier. Russia understood this before anyone else and launched large scale assaults taking advantage of the climate vulnerability of drones, opening gaps around Kharkiv, Huliaipole and especially Pokrovsk. For the first time in months, Moscow is advancing not because it has decisively improved its military, but because nature has given it a window that it is exploiting. with brutal determination. The unexpected weakness. It turns out that FPV drones, so effective in summer, are extremely fragile in winter. Their lack of inertia makes them victims of the wind, which pushes them and makes their trajectory falter with each gust, humidity and ice fog the cameras, snow reduces contrasts, fog blurs the depth of the visual field and the lenses become covered with drops that distort the image at the most critical moment. The pilot, who needs perfect vision to hit with surgical precision, encounters a blurry screenwithout references, unable to distinguish trenches, obstacles or even the final objective. The slightest loss of clarity turns an attack in a crash against the terrain or in an erratic missile. The result is devastating for the Ukrainian defensive strategy: when the drones do not fly, the death zones they cease to existRussian columns can advance under dark clouds and motorcycles and pickup trucks carrying troops take advantage of the fog to infiltrate towns like Pokrovsk, where urban fighting is already fierce. A dangerous opportunity. The adverse weather has created for Russia an opportunity that it has not enjoyed since the beginning of the war. With Ukrainian drones forced to remain on the ground, Russian forces have managed to maneuver with greater freedom of movement, something that drone warfare had made nearly impossible for months. They have crossed rivers in fog, entered towns with light vehicles without being detected and pushed through Ukrainian lines while the defense was reorganized while waiting for the weather to improve. Moscow’s advance, although limited in territorial terms, is having an impact psychological and tactical significant: it exposes the fragility of the Ukrainian defensive model when it is left without its star tool and shows that Moscow has learned to detect weather patterns to time attacks precisely. The November Fog already allowed its troops to deepen positions in Pokrovsk, a critical point whose control has become a symbol both for the Kremlin (which seeks to show progress to Washington) and for Kyiv, which is struggling to resist on a front where pressure is constant. Innovation against the clock. But the climate does not act in a unidirectional way. Just as quickly as drones became inoperable, atmospheric improvements allowed Ukraine to recover part of their kill zones and launch counterattacks with your FPV. The brigades, such as the 28th Mechanized, have taken advantage of the clear weather to hit Russian units newly deployed in Kostiantynivka, trapping them in exposed positions. This dynamic confirms that Ukraine is not defeated: is forced to adapt faster. Its industry, extremely flexible since 2022, is already developing a new generation of drones with more wind-resistant fuselages, low-light cameras, simplified thermal systems and control algorithms capable of stabilizing flight in adverse conditions. The arrival of these drones, scheduled for the coming months, will be key to reverse the advantage temporary that Russia has obtained. If Ukraine manages to deploy a winter-hardy FPV force, the balance on the front could tip again. The other winter war. While the drones fight in the white sky ahead, winter hits the cities otherwise: with blackouts of up to 16 hours, failed heating, stopped elevators and parents who go to the shelter with their children in their arms between explosions. The BBC told cases like that of Oksana, in her apartment in kyiv, who lives with a 2,000 euro battery that only extends normality by a few hours. Her daughter plays by candlelight and her husband works in the dark when bombing cuts off supplies. Millions of Ukrainians are preparing for what the authorities describe how “the worst winter in our history.” Moscow has intensified its attacks against transmission networks, not only to leave the population without electricity and heat, but to close bakeries, paralyze factories, stop transportation and suffocate the economy until causing social discouragement. According to the Ukrainian government itself, the Russian objective is not only to defeat the country militarily, but to destroy its internal cohesion. human wear and tear. After almost four years of war, fatigue has become widespread. He insomnia affects three times as many Ukrainians as people in countries at peace, and the nights are marked by sirens, Shahed drones and waves of missiles that have reached record numbers. Moral fatigue is mixed with the physical: the front is far away, but the war is in every hallway, in every staircase, in every unlit light bulb. And yet, surprisingly, the surveys show a rebound in optimism: more than half of Ukrainians believe in a better future, even if it is a fragile, oscillating one that depends on the evolution of blocked negotiations, the arrival of foreign aid or the result of a Russian offensive that is still far from a decisive victory. Frozen diplomacy. Plus: international negotiations are going through their most uncertain moment. A possible Trump-Putin summit is on pause. The EU is still discussing how to use 180,000 million on frozen Russian assets, and kyiv sees with concern how Washington sends mixed signals and how some European governments could change with elections less … Read more

a two-minute microdrama to watch on your mobile

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Atresplayer has announced the premiere of the first Spanish vertical series. It is called ‘A Bride for Christmas’, it has 60 episodes of between 1 and 3 minutes, it is filmed to be viewed vertically on mobile phones and will be released on Flooxer. Starring Marina Baeza and influencer Carla Flila, the series tells a Christmas love triangle designed to be consumed like long tiktoks. Why is it important. It is not just another series: it is Spain’s entry into the global phenomenon of microdramasa format that makes millions in China, India and Latin America. Productions that condense drama, twists and cliffhangers in 90-second capsules, designed for brains accustomed to the frenetic pace of TikTok. Atresplayer has opted to adapt these fragmented consumption habits to Spanish audiovisual fiction. The backgroundeither. This format He was born in China with the name duanjus and then it conquered markets like Brazil, where platforms like Kwai or ReelShort generate a lot of money in micropayments and subscriptions. In Latin America there are already local production companies, such as SDO Entertainment in Argentina with Bon Vivantor We Latam with its platform Vyco. They all share the same premise: ultra-brief episodes, intense emotions, cliffhangers constants and a monetization model similar to that of video games. Yes, but. The reactions in Spain have been mixed: Some see it as a necessary innovation to attract young audiences and adapt to the times. Others criticize it as a surrender to attention deficit, as if the vertical format were synonymous with superficiality. The truth is that microdrama, conceptually, does not invent anything: serialized narratives, nineteenth-century soap operas or Latin American soap operas always played with suspense and concentrated emotion. Only the support and duration have changed. Main winner? Platforms that understand first that attention is the scarce resource. Atresplayer is ahead of the rest of the Spanish audiovisual sector with this commitment. If it works, it will have opened a new front of content adapted to mobile phones. If it fails, at least it will have tried something different in a market saturated with traditional formats. It doesn’t seem like it was exactly an expensive production. Go deeper. The underlying debate is not whether two or three minute episodes are too short, it is whether we are capable of telling impactful stories at any length. And if we are willing to accept that the vertical screen not just any frikada but the dominant format for millions of people who see the world through their mobile phones. In Xataka | The new fever in China is mobile series with one-minute episodes. And they prepare their landing outside Asia Featured image | Atresmedia

try to sell it for 30 million

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Nikola Tesla has been one of the greatest inventors in all of historya figure who forever changed the world of science and technology. He promoted alternating current, X-rays, methods to harness and distribute light with fluorescent bulbs, he was the first to create FM radio, and he was even researching methods of wireless energy transmission. Half myth, half reality, another of the inventions he boasted about was the so-called “Death Ray“, a science fiction weapon to carry out attacks hundreds of kilometers away. Rivers of ink have flowed about this supposed invention, but what is not so well known is that he is negotiating with Great Britain to sell it to them for 30 million dollars. The United States also showed great interest in this invention, which Tesla claimed was successfully developed to end all wars as we knew them. We know this thanks to some documents declassified a few years agowhich also includes Tesla’s attempt to sell it to Great Britain. Shooting down planes 400 kilometers away During the 1920s several inventors claimed to have invented a “death ray” capable of destroying aircraft at great distances, but none of them were able to demonstrate its operation. In the early 1930s Tesla also claimed to have invented it under the name “Teleforce”and he claimed this achievement for the rest of his life. In fact, already in the 1910s he had talked about a weapon capable of end wars as they were known, and to make gunpowder obsolete. During the following years, he began to reveal inconclusive details of this invention, which were collected and idealized by the press of the time until an entire myth was created around it. Tesla allegedly developed his “Teleforce” electrostatic machine after studying the Van de Graaf generatorand according to what he said, he used a moving belt to accumulate large amounts of electrical charge inside a hollow sphere. This technology would allow electrical impulses to be launched capable of destroying anything, from ground infantry to ships or airplanes within a 400 kilometer radius. Days after his death in January 1943, US Intelligence seized two trucks full of his belongings from his home. The FBI would later deny having any of these documents, but in one of the documents declassified last year we can see a narrative of who did it and how. Tesla’s documents, notes and materials were of total importance, especially after the descriptions that had been made of that death ray in the press. For example, in some media was defined like a weapon 60 million voltsdeath and extermination 400 km away, capable of eliminating an army of a million men. The electrical wave that this beam emitted through the air would also be capable of detonating enemy explosives at great distances. Tesla defended its scientific value beyond the battlefield, insisting that it could be used to maintain world peace based on weapons power. In this declassified letter to John Edgar Hoover, the first director of the FBI, reference is made to a New York Times article about this Death Ray. “If based on proven facts, it should be of vital importance to our War Department as well as other nations now controlled by crazy dictators,” the letter says. It is also recommended to constantly monitor Tesla to prevent foreign forces from kidnapping and torturing him to obtain his secrets. Hoover responded to thank him for the information, assuring him that his proposal would be taken into consideration, although without clarifying whether it ended up being carried out or not. The attempted sale to the United Kingdom Many media have published about the FBI’s interest in Tesla’s invention, but hidden among the hundreds of documents there is another very interesting which speaks of an attempted sale by Tesla to the United Kingdom. This document mentions the “death ray” as a weapon to defend any country, no matter how small, also describing how the discovery of “fireballs” generated through electricity was. It talks about how Tesla discovered this phenomenon almost by chance during his experiments. in Colorado Springs during 1899and who continued to develop it later. It also explains how after tried to sell it to him to the United Kingdom government for thirty million dollars. The declassified document also says that, during the negotiations, Tesla had stated that someone had broken into his room and examined all his papers, although those thieves or spies had left empty-handed. The inventor claimed that there was no chance that his invention had been stolen because he simply had not written it down yet. It was all in his memory, and there it stayed until his death. The fact that the FBI took a large amount of material belonging to Tesla has fueled conspiracy theorists for decades, with dozens of theories about how the United States could have learned how to use the Death Ray. But today gunpowder is still what we use in wars, so it seems that if such a weapon really existed, Its secret died at the same time as its creatorwhich since it never manufactured it, nor did it patent it. In Xataka | Nikola Tesla already imagined drones in 1898, both for deliveries and for combat In Xataka | In 1982 Seiko created a watch for making calls and watching television. His only problem was arriving too early In Xataka | The microprocessor that advanced the Intel 4004 was not in a computer, but in a secret place: an F-14

Ryanair thought it could build loyalty with a subscription service. Until you’ve remembered what your real business is

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“It has cost more money than it generates” With a brief note and the statements of Dara Brady, CMO of the company, Ryanair has confirmed the closure of Prime, the membership program that sought to retain its customers with advantages that have generated greater costs for the company than benefits. The subscription service of the company has not lasted even a year before its cancellation. Surgical. A test, some results eight months later and a decision: close Prime. Ryanair has confirmed that it is closing its subscription program just eight months after it was launched on the market in a decision that is as firm as it is clean. Subscribers will maintain their benefits but those who had not signed up until last Friday, the 28th, will now no longer be able to do so. They report on the company’s website that customers will maintain their benefits “of exclusive savings on flights and seats for the remaining 12 months of membership.” However, the company’s Prime program already has its days numbered. two million. It doesn’t seem like much for a company like Ryanair, but it speaks volumes about the rigorous cost control that the company manages. The statement includes the words of Dara Brady, CMO of Ryanair, who points out that the program has collected 4.4 million euros in subscriptions but that the benefits delivered are greater than six million euros. That is, in the eight months in which the service has been active, the company has lost less than 250,000 euros per month in the new program. Doesn’t seem like much for a company that has obtained 2,540 million euros in the first quarter of 2025. What did they offer? In its announcement last March, Ryanair offered the following benefits For your subscribers: Priority sale on selected flights Exclusive discounts for some flights Free seat selection for the member and one companion To access these benefits, the client had to pay 79 euros per year. According to the company’s accounts, seat selection alone already amortized the investment from three flights a year. With four flights made per year, we would be amortizing 26 euros on average. The subscription extended for a maximum of one year or 12 flights per year. In addition, I had travel insurance to cancel flights due to injuries or illnesses, the delay of other flights or theft of luggage. Of course, those over 70 years of age were excluded from sickness coverage. Unattractive. “With more than 207 million passengers this year, Ryanair will remain focused on offering the lowest fares in Europe to all our customers, and not just this group of 55,000 Prime members.” The closing of the press release published by the company is a clear confirmation of what happened. The most attractive thing that Prime offered was that the customer could choose (and save money) in the choice of seats but it did not even guarantee that two passengers (one being “non-Prime”) could travel together. It is an incentive that has not been attractive enough for a company where the customer looks for the cheapest way to travel and chooses to add services little by little, depending on how much money you are willing to pay. Nothing premium. Ryanair’s test has convinced the company that it has no room to delve into policies that bring it closer to premium or higher-cost companies. Many of the airlines with higher prices offer cards or loyalty services to keep their customers retained, but this way of acting has not caught on among the Irish company’s customers. The reasons are obvious. When someone chooses Ryanair it is because they expect the lowest possible price for a short flight. And you are willing to sacrifice by traveling with less luggage or accepting 100% digital boarding. You either take it or leave it. And Ryanair knows that the customer will leave it when the competition offers that same flight at a cheaper price. On the other hand, customers who are loyal to higher-cost companies obtain other advantages that do receive greater attention on flights of higher cost and time. For example, loyalty cards companies like Iberia They allow access to VIP lounges or priority boarding, secondary values ​​for those who aspire to travel through Europe at the lowest possible price. To this we must add that the high price paid for the ticket ends up subsidizing these companies for the economic effort they have to make to deliver the benefits to their customers. Photo | Markus Winkler In Xataka | Now we know why Ryanair charges its passengers for everything: it is the key to having a profit of 2,540 million euros

If you want bricklayers you have to pay them and give them vacations.

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Despite the growing demand for renovations and new homesthe construction sector suffers from a serious labor shortage. The current situation is not just a question of numbers, but a structural problem that is related to the aging of staff, the absence of generational replacement and difficult working conditions that fail to attract young people. The sector is experiencing a moment of “discovery”: if you want trained bricklayers, it is It is essential to improve their salaries and conditions, including vacation days and a work day that allows for reconciliation. That is the main drawback for an industrial fabric made up mainly of self-employed workers. A labor market under pressure. In Spain, the construction sector is going through one of its worst labor crises. According to the National Construction Confederation (CNC) it is estimated that currently some 700,000 workers are needed to cover the demand for works and renovations. Data from the BBVA Research Real Estate Observatory for June 2025 show that vacancies in the sector have multiplied by four since 2016, reflecting an upward trend that does not seem to stop. The employment figures collected in the BBVA report reveal that only 6.8% of those employed in Spain work in the construction sector, far from the 14% that was registered before the 2008 crisis. Aging without replacement. This situation is further aggravated by the difficulty in attracting new workers, especially due to the harsh legacy left by the 2008 crisis in which thousands of professionals left the sector or changed jobs. The BBVA report reveals that more than 55% of construction employees in Spain are over 45 years old and only 9% are under 30 years old, a clear indication of the lack of a generational change cash. Only the arrival of immigrants has allowed a slight rejuvenation between 2022 and 2024. Pascual, bricklayer and construction businessman, assured on Adrián G. Martín’s channel: “I have four projects underway and I need people who know how to manage them, but… I find few prepared people. I need young people who want to learn, but you can’t find them.” A demanding and… poorly paid job? The labor shortage is putting upward pressure on wages. According what was published by The Confidentialthe base salary for a construction worker is around 1,300 euros per month in 14 payments, which amounts to about 18,457 euros per year. according to the sectoral agreement valid until December 2026, but can be reached between 1,384 and 1,500 euros per month depending on the complements and the autonomous community. In regions such as the Valencian Community, the average salary amounts to 23,541 euros per year, while in other communities it exceeds 20,000 euros per year. The EPA data (Active Population Survey) by sectors indicate that, in recent years, salaries have been improving (forced by the increase in the SMI) in the lowest deciles, and due to the pressure of labor shortage in the case of those who have better training or first-class officers. Salary increase in construction Masons without school. Another key factor in the labor crisis is the lack of training for young people seeking to join this sector. The BBVA Research report indicates that Spain has a less qualified construction workforce than the European average, which negatively impacts productivity and limits the adoption of new technologies and efficient methods. The report confirms itAdjustment of employment supply and demand 2025‘ prepared by the Ministry of Labor, which indicates that there is a real and persistent imbalance in construction: there are positions that are difficult to fill, not so much because of lack of demand, but because the supply of qualified labor does not fit the profile demanded. That is, companies do not want to hire profiles to train them internally, so potential candidates to occupy that position in the future are rejected. Jobs without relief. The problem of talent shortage in construction does not only affect bricklayers. Traditional construction-related trades (such as carpenters, electricians, plumbers, painters, etc.) have shared the same construction practices. salary denigrationharsh working conditions and outsourcing of training. However, the attractiveness of employment remains low among young people because it is a “very hard job” and physically demanding, with long hours and little work-life balance. The construction employers have been very belligerent with both the working hours reduction measuresas time controlwhich does not contribute to making the sector attractive to young people. They are not getting rich. Given the shortage of personnel, it is natural to think that the available professionals are getting rich. However, this assumption, which would perhaps be fulfilled in a scenario of large companies where they bid for the best professionals, does not occur in an industrial fabric made up of 92.93% of self-employed people with SMEs without employees or micro-businesses with between 1 and 9 employees. As and how does it count electrician and TikTok influencer Ricardo Abellán (@dombydomotica), the problem of talent shortage is not so much due to staff training, but rather due to the inability of SMEs and self-employed workers to assume the salaries of their new employees. Before that financial inabilityprofessionals choose to generate increasingly longer waiting lists that would be weighing down the sector growth. In Xataka | Europe warns of labor shortage in the technology sector: the worst is yet to come Image | Unsplash (Emma Houghton)

Etsy was a haven for crafts and creativity. It has become a minefield of AI-generated images

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That AI leaves us without jobs It is one of the great concerns of recent years. It is not yet clear what it will be the impact of AI on the labor marketWhat we do know is that There are people doing business taking advantage of generative AI. This is what’s happening on Etsy, where there is an overwhelming amount of “custom art” for sale that is actually made with AI. what’s happening. Etsy is the platform for artists par excellence. Here we can order a personalized portrait of our pet or family in a multitude of styles. Everything normal, except that many of the results if we search for “custom portrait” They are images made by AI. If we look for specific styles that have recently gone viral such as Ghibli, anime or Pixar, AI dominates practically everything. Also, some are not exactly cheap, like this Ghibli style portrait which costs almost 20 euros in digital format. If we want to print it it goes up to more than 46 euros. Why is it important. AI is here to stay and The debate about whether we can consider it art is there. The problem is that, at least for now, the lack of transparency is flagrant. I’ve searched for these types of “custom portraits” on Etsy and have only found a couple of sellers that mentioned the use of AI in the creative process, The rest is not only that they don’t mention it, it’s that they say things like “Original work of art” or “I can’t wait to draw you.” There is a clear intention to hide the use of generative AI. The objective is obvious: to capture an audience that does not know how AI tools work and to whom paying 20 euros for a “personalized portrait” seems like a more than reasonable price. Shall we tell them? AI for everything. Not only do they make the items with AI, there are stores that seem to be managed entirely by one. Some buyers say they felt like they were talking to an AI, which they probably did. There are stores where all the titles, descriptions and comments in response to reviews are clearly made with AI. In fact, Etsy itself launched a few months ago a tool to create titles using artificial intelligence. When you upload an article you can mark that it is made with AI. What Etsy says. Despite the rejection from a large part of the communitythe platform allows the sale of items generated with AI. According to the standards that were published in 2024Etsy considers that the seller continues to provide creativity when designing the prompt, but yes: “Sellers must indicate in the description of their listing if an item has been created with the use of AI.” However, given the volume of unlabeled AI-generated products, it seems they are quite lax about this. More deceptions. In addition to selling AI-generated images by passing them off as handmade, there are other uses of AI to boost sales. We already saw it with the impossible to sew crochet patternsthere are sellers using AI images to promote your products (real) and we have also found it in some Amazon items; It’s the classic “what you ask for vs what you get.” And there is still more. At Idealista they are also using AI in house sale ads “so you can see how it would look renovated.” Vertiginous. At the beginning of the year we talked about the junk AI that was filling Instagram and TikTok; They were very disturbing videos, but it was very evident that they were made with AI. The examples we have given are also easy to detect for a trained eye, but the advances are dizzying. Today, distinguish what is real and what is not practically impossible. Hoaxes like Etsy’s “AI art” will be an anecdote compared to what is to come. Image | Etsy In Xataka | AI is transforming the relationship we have with our own ideas: we no longer create, we just “edit” ourselves

The five best technology offers available during Cyber ​​Monday, today December 1

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After a Black Friday full of discounts, Cyber ​​Monday has arrived with a huge number of offers. Some have remained from the previous campaign, but others have arrived today. Therefore, in this article we are going to review the best deals in technology that are available during Cyber ​​Monday. Kindle Colorsoft by 199.18 eurosan Amazon eReader pack that includes a case and a charger. Nintendo Switch 2 + ‘Mario Kart World’ by 449 eurosa pack that costs the same as the console without a game. Google Pixel 10 Pro XL by 854.25 euros with coupon, a very reasonable price for being Google’s top mobile phone. Fire TV Stick 4K Select by 19.99 eurosan Amazon device with a greatly reduced price. Roborock QV 35A by 329.99 euros with coupon, a very practical robot vacuum cleaner for everything it offers. Kindle Colorsoft One of the offers that have arrived on Amazon today is the Kindle Colorsoftbut this time it comes in a pack with a cloth case and a charger. All this for 199.18 euros. The eReader or electronic book reader stands out mainly for its six inch color screenbut also for performance, for its autonomy of up to eight weeks or because it has 32 GB of internal storage. Kindle Colorsoft + Case + Charger The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Nintendo Switch 2 + ‘Mario Kart World’ If we talk about packs, nothing like the one in the nintendo switch 2 along with the ‘Mario Kart World‘, which costs the same as if you bought the console without a game. That is, right now it is on sale for 449 euros. It is the latest console launched by Nintendo that incorporates a 7.9-inch screen and that is receiving more and more titles to take advantage of its specifications. Nintendo Switch 2 + Mario Kart World The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Google Pixel 10 Pro XL If you want to buy a cell phone but you didn’t get to take advantage of Black Friday, the Google Pixel 10 Pro XL It’s on sale right now on Amazon for 854.25 euros. To buy it at this price you must first use the selectable coupon before processing the purchase in the “payment method” section. You have to press the “buttonuse a gift card, voucher or promotional code“. It is an all-terrain mobile that incorporates a 6.8-inch screen. It has 16 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storageits software will be updated for 7 years and its cameras offer excellent photographic results. Google Pixel 10 Pro XL (256GB) The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Fire TV Stick 4K Select He Fire TV Stick 4K Select has had the best offer in the dongles from Amazon, since we had not found a model below 20 euros for a long time (since the Fire TV Stick Lite). Its price has fallen to 19.99 euros. It is capable of playing content at 4Kincorporates Alexa and will be updated to Vega OS. The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Roborock QV 35A If you are looking for a good robot vacuum cleaner, be careful with the one I myself have purchased: the Roborock QV 35A. Its price has dropped to 329.99 euros With the Amazon coupon, it is capable of vacuuming and mopping, you can map the house and from the app You can select the rooms we want it to clean. 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 | Amazon, Nintendo, Google, Roborock In Xataka | The best mobile phones (2025), we have tested them and here are their analyzes In Xataka | Best robot vacuum cleaners in quality price. Which one to buy based on use and six recommended models

Netflix’s commitment to its Christmas fireplaces is such that it physically records them and already has several themed ones

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It’s not Christmas until they turn on the lights in Vigountil Mariah Carey doesn’t give us permission and until the Netflix fireplaces. What began, in other formats and on other channels, as a programming filler in a difficult time for small channels, has today become a powerful promotional tool. Let’s see what we warm up to this year. This Christmas. Netflix premieres today three hour-long virtual fireplaces set in the universes of ‘Stranger Things‘, ‘Wednesday‘ and ‘The k-pop warriors‘. Three digital chimneys that recreate iconic scenes from the platform’s three indisputable last bombs. A maneuver whose origins at Netflix date back to 2013, when they created ‘Fireplace For Your Home’, a three-hour loop that accumulated millions of views. What started as an alternative for homes without a real fireplace evolved into a holiday tradition. Differentiated experiences. Each of the fireplaces has its particularities, and even, in an attempt to expand the possibilities of the format, Easter eggs. The one from ‘Stranger Things’ includes the iconic wall with the illuminated alphabet that Joyce used to communicate with Will in the first season. There are six easter eggs hidden, from Demogorgons to Steve Harrington’s spiked bat. Particularities. In ‘Wednesday’, the scene is in Principal Weems’ office inside Nevermore Academy. Thing makes a surprise appearance, and all with the series’ original soundtrack. In ‘The K-pop Warriors’ we go to the lair of the demon Gwi-Ma, where the Saja Boys perform their most recognizable song. There will be instrumental versions of songs from the movies, so that the fireplace takes on an authentic karaoke tone. How it was done. Netflix’s Product and Design teams developed these virtual fireplaces with a level of detail unusual for content of this type. According to what they tell us from the platform, the process included recordings in real physical settings instead of depending exclusively on digital effects. According to Netflix, it collaborated with the showrunners of each series to guarantee fidelity to the original narrative universes. Later, digital artists integrated fantastic elements such as the Demogorgons or the violet flames characteristic of the ‘Wednesday’ universe. Therefore, except for these special effects, the fireplace props are authentic, coming from the original sets or recreated with the intention of maintaining aesthetic continuity. Fireplace: Origins. These fireplaces recover a television tradition created in 1970 by the New York network WPIX-TV, which broadcast a virtual fireplace for the first time on December 24 as a Christmas greeting. That 17-second loop, filmed at the New York mayor’s residence with music by Nat King Cole, also allowed the canal workers to celebrate Christmas Eve with their families. After disappearing in the nineties, it returned by popular demand, spawning imitators that marketed VHS and DVD-ROM versions for decades. In Xataka | There is a reason why Vigo is announcing its Christmas in Japan. And it has little to do with Japanese tourists

his essay to assault luxury

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This Thursday, Zara reopened its store on Avenida Diagonal in Barcelona, ​​converted into a what you call a “boutique author’s“. The premises of almost 1,000 square meters have been designed by Belgian architect Vincent Van Duysen, who has transformed the space into a succession of rooms that emulate a luxury home. Sofas, display cabinets, wooden and metal shelves, warm lighting and matte finishes make up a museum-like atmosphere where the garments are displayed as works of art. Van Duysen, head of stores for Ferragamo and Calvin Klein Jeans, had already designed four Zara Home collections. This is their first full store project for the group. Why is it important. Inditex implicitly admits that its physical store strategy can no longer be sustained the same as before, despite the growth of the online channel. The new boutique in Barcelona represents a change: differentiating not by volume, but by experience. The price of the garments is the same as in any other Zara, but the packaging seeks to rival the luxury brands that dominate that same avenue. This is the second store that Zara has signed with a renowned architect after the reopening of its Serrano location in Madriddesigned by Elsa Urquijo. The company also confirms that Barcelona is a special place for it: the city is home to the headquarters of five of the group’s brands, including Zara itself. Yes, but. Inditex does not plan to replicate this model throughout its network. Roberto Martín, director of Zara in Spain, made it clear that the concept will be reserved for specific locations, always adapted to the city. The bet is risky: Zara has invested more than usual in a store that sells exactly the same as the rest, and at the same price. Between the lines. The project reveals Marta Ortega’s strategy since she became president of Inditex: to distance Zara from the stigma of fast fashion and bring it closer to the territory of fast couture. Van Duysen’s choice is not accidental. Signing a store with an architect of his level is exactly what Chanel, Dior or Louis Vuitton do with Peter Marino. Zara is adopting luxury codes without raising prices. Image: Zara. Image: Zara. Image: Zara. The context. Zara closed the first six months of 2025 with the lowest quarterly growth since the pandemic: its sales rose just 0.89%, the lowest figure in all of Inditex. The brand needs to demonstrate that it can sustain its leadership beyond volume and frenetic product rotation. Barcelona is not the only laboratory. Inditex is expanding its flagship from Plaza Catalunya to turn it into one of the chain’s largest stores in the world, with more than 6,500 square meters. Go deeper. The interior is divided into a dozen rooms, each with its own style, with a maximum of three or four items per reference. The furniture belongs to the collection Zara Home+ by Vincent Van Duysen and it is for sale. On the lower floor there are 16 fitting rooms that from the outside look like closets but inside are cabins with triple mirrors and smart lighting. The alarm signal. If Zara fails to build a sustainable competitive advantage with these boutiquesyou will have wasted resources on an aesthetic experiment that does not move the business. Brands like H&M or Primark compete on price. Luxury brands, in exclusivity and craftsmanship. Zara tries to stay in the middle: affordable prices with premium aspirations. Are boutiques of author are his most visible commitment to demonstrate that this balance is possible. The market will tell if it is. Featured image | Zara In Xataka | Inditex’s digital transformation is already here: it is achieving more and more sales with fewer stores

clients VS rooms without doors in the bathrooms

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If you travel frequently, it’s probably happened to you. You arrive at the hotel, tired, wanting to take a good shower, and suddenly you realize that the room you are going to share with your brother, a friend or a co-worker has a small problem: there is no door in the bathroom. The beds are soft, the closet is spacious, the room is spacious and well-lit, but there is nothing to isolate the toilet from the rest of the room. So… How the hell do you shower or use the toilet without the other person seeing/hearing everything? There are those who have said ‘Enough’. What has happened? Fed up with finding more and more hotels that do away with the doors that should separate the bathroom from the rest of the room, recently a tiktoker named Sadie had a curious idea: launch a crusade against this trend in accommodation design. Literally. The young woman created a website and several profiles in networks from which he dedicates himself to two things. First, denounce hotels that have banished toilet doors. Second, promote others who remain faithful to the idea that when you enter a bathroom (whether it is your home, office, a restaurant or a hotel located on the other side of the planet) what you want is privacy. After all, you don’t always share a room with people you trust enough to take a shower or use the sink in plain view. @bring_back_doors Hotel Name 👇👇👇 Riu Plaza Times Square New York City, NY, USA I don’t know if I can make a difference, but I do know it’s not too late for the hotel industry. The airline industry is a lost cause, but only a few hotels have really hopped on this glass trend, which means it’s very possible to always make sure you are giving your money to hotels with proper bathroom doors. Find hotels with proper doors visit BringBackDoors.com Hotel submitted by many people, photo from Google images. Submit your own bad hotels by sending me a DM with the hotel name, location, and door type (none, glass, or sliding). If you have a photo I’ll (try to) post it, but either way it will be added to the website. #hotel #bathroom #hoteldesignfail Bathroom doors | hotel bathrooms | hotel privacy | no privacy | travel problems | hotel issues | travel | hotel design | hotel design fail | hotel designers | design fail | concept hotel | bathrooms | hotel recommendations | hotels in NYC | NYC hotels | new york hotels | visit nyc | visit new york city | travel to new york ♬ original sound – Bring Back Bathroom Doors But… Why? Sadie explains it clearly in her Bring Back Doors websitein which he has posted a kind of manifesto in which he proclaims his hatred towards businesses that have decided to do without doors. “I can’t stand arriving at hotels and discovering that they have removed the bathroom door. Something that should be as common as having a bed has been sacrificed in the name of aesthetics,” the young woman laments. “That’s why I created this website, where I compile hotels that guarantee doors in the bathrooms and others that need to work on their privacy.” To that end Sadie assures who has sent emails to “hundreds” of accommodations to ask them two questions: Do their toilets have doors? And if so… Are they glass? “Everyone who says yes to closing doors and no to glass doors has been sorted by price range and city so you can easily find accommodation,” the manifesto continues published on Brongbackdoors.com, which invites all users who come across hotels that leave their toilets exposed to report it by sending an email. Thanks to these collaborations, the website includes a list of businesses in different cities around the world that do and do not have open toilets. @bring_back_doors Hotel Name 👇👇👇 Pendry Hotel San Diego, CA, USA I get it, you save a few inches on every room and eventually you get to make an extra room without any noticing. That doesn’t mean I accept it. Find hotels with proper doors visit BringBackDoors.com Photo submitted by @allisonsmyname (Hotel submitted by so many people) Submit your own bad hotels by sending me a DM with the hotel name, location, and door type (none, glass, or sliding). If you have a photo I’ll (try to) post it, but either way it will be added to the website. #hotel #bathroom #hoteldesignfail Bathroom doors | hotel bathrooms | hotel privacy | no privacy | travel problems | hotel issues | travel | hotel design | hotel design fail | hotel designers | design fail | concept hotel | bathrooms | hotel recommendations | hotels in San Diego | san diego hotels | hotels in california | visit san diego | san diego tourism | visit California ♬ original sound – Bring Back Bathroom Doors Why do without doors? The tiktoker ventures with a theory that explains the increase in accommodations that banish toilet doors. They do it, he says, because it allows them to save on materials and make their rooms look larger without having to invest more money. “And my dignity?” he wonders the young woman, clearly upset. She is not the only one who uses that explanation. A year ago Thrillist already published an article (‘Where have all the hotel bathroom doors gone?’, is titled) in which he slips that the beginning of the trend probably dates back to the Japanese capsule hotelsa notion (that of ‘microhotel’) that has not taken long to expand to Western countries. Behind doorless bathrooms, however, there would not only be a practical issue. The phenomenon is also explained by design and psychology. Without doors, spaces appear larger and this generates a feeling of spaciousness, a highly appreciated value in large cities. Are there so many cases? Thrillist assures that the problem is not just hotels without doors. The same feeling of discomfort … Read more

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