Month: March 2026

What is Google AI Studio and what you can do with this creation tool with artificial intelligence

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Let’s explain to you what it is and what you can do with Google AI Studiothe creation suite with artificial intelligence from Google. It is a website aimed at all types of users, from artificial intelligence experts to the curious, to be able to create things with Google AI in a more flexible way than with Gemini. We are going to start the article by explaining what exactly this tool is and how it is different from Gemini chat. Then we will tell you what you will be able to do with it once you go to its official website, which is aistudio.google.com. What is Google AI Studio Google AI Studio is a kind of artificial intelligence laboratory from Google. It is a web tool that you can use on any device through your web browser, with which you will be able to create applications, prototypes, or functional code based on your requests. You tell it what you want, and artificial intelligence will help you create it. Therefore, it is like a developer environment with the Gemini SDK, but with a simple interface so that any user can use it. It’s like having the Gemini engine in sight and with all the controls exposed so that you can adjust, experiment and build your own things, choosing between several artificial intelligence models to use. So you understand, the Gemini chat is like a closed computer, an already finished product. You ask it for what you want, and the chat decides which model to use, generating a result for your request based on how it has been configured to work. Meanwhile, Google AI Studio is like an open computer where you can change the parts. You can choose the model to use, and you have complete control over your behavior without personality filters or anything like that. You can adjust how it responds, upload all types of files as a starting point, or even create your own Gemini adapted to what you want without knowing how to program. Therefore, It’s like a blank canvas where you can give shape to any idea that needs artificial intelligence. Do you want to create an application or web tool? Here you will be able to do it in a much more versatile way than with normal Gemini. Do you want to create code? Well, you can do it too, although if you prefer a more classic website development environment you also have the tool Antigravity from Google. What you can do with Google AI Studio To begin with, with this portal you can talk to Gemini having greater control about AI. You can go to the Playground section and simply use Gemini by adjusting how he responds, his tone, how long he extends his answers, etc. Come on, you can get a custom Gemini. One of its main functions is to create applications without writing codein just a few minutes and without knowing how to program. Just describe the app you want and Gemini will build it. Additionally, you will be able to access the Free Gemini APIand create several for projects within this tool or in other third-party tools where you want to link AI. You can also generate images and videos. Keep in mind that among the many Google models available are Nano Banana and Veo, so you can access them directly. You can also analyze documents, images and videos uploading files of all types, from photos to PDFs. Additionally, you can analyze the content of web pages just paste the URL and ask it what you want. Another function is that you can create your own custom assistant or chatbotcreating practical and specific tools for personal use. They can be tools to practice languages, apps to organize photos, whatever you need. You can also write and debug code. You can ask with natural language what you want to achieve, and Gemini will create the necessary code for it. Additionally, you can access the latest models created by Google. In Xataka Basics | The best applications to have local artificial intelligence on your mobile or PC, without needing a connection and with greater privacy

In 2003, NASA suffered a serious accident that killed seven people. The person in charge: a PowerPoint

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On January 16, 2003, NASA’s STS-107 mission was underway. The space shuttle Columbia was launched with its seven crew members into low orbit to test the effects of microgravity on the human body. Those seven people never returned to Earth. The tragedy could have been avoided, but years later the analysis of everything that happened those days has left a terrible conclusion: a presentation of PowerPoint He killed those seven people. The launch, as said James Thomasseemed to be perfect. The crew began to carry out their task, and were expected to spend 16 days in space performing 80 experiments. Just one day after the mission began, NASA officials realized that something had not gone right. NASA has a protocol for reviewing the launch with external cameras. After 82 seconds, a piece of spray foam insulation (SOFI) fell off one of the ramps that attached the shuttle to its external fuel tank. As the crew rose at 28,968 kilometers per hour, the piece of foam collided with one of the tiles on the outer edge of the ship’s left wing. The insulating foam coming off was nothing new: it had happened on the four previous missions and was the reason the cameras were deployed to analyze the launch. The problem is that the blow had occurred in the layer that protected the ship during its re-entry to Earth. The slides of yore What did NASA do? Study the possibilities and conclude that there were three: First, the astronauts could have done a spacewalk to check the helmet. Second, NASA could have sent another shuttle to pick up the crew. Third, they could risk simply re-entry. Those responsible for the mission analyzed the situation with Boeing engineers and created a report in the form of a PowerPoint presentation with 28 slides. The conclusions revealed something important: it was assumed that the wing tiles could tolerate foam impacts, but that assumption had been made under very particular conditions. The pieces of foam in the tests were 600 times smaller than those that had hit the Columbia. To reflect those details, the engineers created this slide: At NASA they listened to the explanation, and the engineers believed they had conveyed the risks well. However, NASA believed that the engineers, even without being certain, suggested that there was no damage that would put the lives of the crew in danger. The option they chose was the third. Columbia would re-enter on February 1, 2003, at 9:16 AM (EST). At 9 that day, Dallas residents saw how the ferry had disintegrated into pieces. The entire crew died. The investigation into the tragedy revealed that NASA and engineers had had the right information, but had made a bad decision. Edward Tufte, a Yale professor, explained that the problem had been with that damn slide and the way it had been presented. The title already seemed to indicate that the risk was not particularly high, but the slide also had four cascading points with no detailed explanation of what they meant: interpretation was left to the reader’s discretion. It was not clear whether the first point (1) was the main one, or if the rest of the points had the same relevance. The different font sizes, strange hierarchy, and text density didn’t help. There were over 100 vague words and adjectives (“sufficient,” “meaningful”), making the slide too open to audience interpretation. The biggest problem is in the last two points, where it was indicated that what they had tested in the preliminary tests was very different from what had happened. NASA itself indicated in your report after the investigation that they had relied too much on PowerPoint. The expression ‘death by PowerPoint’ has been used for years to indicate how there are presentations that induce boredom or fatigue due to their information overload. A bad design and the overuse of points to order each data are common problems in this and other similar applications. Unfortunately, in this case that expression became tragically true. In Xataka | A new “solar system” has just been discovered. There’s just one problem: it shouldn’t exist. In Xataka | Boeing was trying to put the Starliner fiasco behind it: NASA has just classified the 2024 incident at its highest level

MásOrange has begun to completely dismantle its 3G network. Not good news for elevators

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If you are one of those who usually browse even on a 3G connection, we have a curious fact: you are from the club of 1.82% of global traffic. The operators carry years saying goodbye to this networkand MásOrange has been the last to take the step. The operator is going to say goodbye to its 3G network for good reason. Hello to 5G. MasOrange has been the last of the large operators to start with the shutdown of 3G. Vodafone finished turning off its networks two years ago, and Telefónica is about to finish the process. With the release of the spectrum used by 2G and 3G connectivity, operators have additional bands to reinforce 5G technology. Specifically, the 900 and 2,100 MHz bands allow expanding coverage in areas with lower population density without the need to build new towers. A progressive plan. Although 2G and 3G connections sound completely obsolete, they are still necessary to connect a good number of day-to-day technologies. Elevators Cars with eCall system with 2G modules Telecare services security cameras Home alarms Old dataphones For this reason, the plan to dismantle the Spanish 3G network is being carried out progressively, giving time for a good part of these devices to update their connection modules. Although 3G was scheduled to say goodbye forever between 2025 and 2026, current plans keep it alive until 2030. A great challenge ahead. The 3G network continues to be a great ally, both for older devices and for times when 5G coverage does not have range. The challenge now is, precisely, that the deployment of 5G is even greater. For three decades, 3G invaded every corner of Spain, and some of the networks it uses (900 MHz) are especially good at passing through walls and operating in rural areas. Therefore, in complicated areas your mobile still connects to 3G. The end. Maintaining 2G and 3G networks is unsustainable. The radio space they occupy is especially valuable and, although there are devices that still use old technology, their dismantling is necessary. Cover image | Baatcheet Films In Xataka | How to request an eSIM from each operator in Spain: in which cases it is free and application methods

Pokémon Go brought millions of players to the streets. Millions of players who were actually training an AI

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In 2016 it came to the mobile market Pokémon Goa spinoff of the popular entertainment franchise with a very interesting premise: capture Pokémon in your city using your cell phone’s GPS. The game caught on very quickly and became a phenomenon. It’s been almost 10 years since that and Niantic, its developer, has taken advantage of all the data that millions of players have been giving them to guide delivery robots through the cities. Your first client: Coco Robotics. The business that no one saw coming. The amount of information that can be obtained from Pokémon Go is truly impressive, since millions of people have voluntarily traveled the world with their mobile phones in order to capture (digitally) this type of creatures. And each game leaves an invisible trace, since there are millions of photos of buildings, squares and streets labeled with very precise coordinates that would not have been possible without the information provided by its users when playing. Five hundred million people installed the app in its first 60 days, according to Brian McClendonCTO of Niantic Spatial. Eight years later, the game still has more than 100 million players in 2024, according to data from Scopely, the company that acquired Pokémon Go from Niantic that same year. The problem that GPS does not solve. GPS devices become a bit silly when they have to operate on sidewalks and much of the urban fabric that does not correspond to the road. Signals bounce between skyscrapers, tunnels and viaducts and the margin of error can be up to 50 meters, enough to place a robot on the wrong sidewalk or the next street. “The urban canyon is the worst place in the world for GPS,” affirms McClendon. Coco Robotics, a startup that operates nearly 1,000 delivery robots in cities such as Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami and Helsinki, knows this well, as its devices operate precisely in those dense areas where the signal is never reliable. This is where Niantic Spatial comes in. In May 2024, Niantic separated its spatial and artificial intelligence division. created Niantic Spatial as an independent company. Its core product is a visual positioning system (VPS) trained with 30 billion urban images, capable of placing a device on the map with a precision of a few centimeters from a handful of photos of the environment. The key is that these images come from millions of points of interest in Pokémon Go and Login (the company’s pre-Pokémon Go AR game, released in 2013). In such popular games, players have for years been directed to photograph the same place from different angles, at different times and in different weather conditions. “We had over a million locations around the world where we can locate you to the nearest centimeter and, more importantly, know where you are looking,” explains McClendon. What this changes for robots. Coco Robotics has been the first partner to adopt this technology. Its robots, equipped with four cameras, will combine conventional GPS with Niantic Spatial’s VPS to position itself more accurately, especially in pickup areas in front of restaurants and in delivery to the customer’s door. According to Zach Rash, CEO of Coco, the goal is meet delivery times promised and not depend on margins of error that in practice mean arriving late or to the wrong place. The model already solves one of the most practical challenges of urban robotics: performing well where conventional systems fall short. Beyond the distribution. John Hanke, CEO of Niantic Spatial, talks about what he calls a living map: a hyper-updated simulation of the real world that updates as robots move through it and provide new data. The idea is not only that the maps are more accurate, but that they are designed for machines, not people. This involves adding descriptions of each element of the environment, its properties, its context. “This era is about building useful descriptions of the world for machines to understand,” says Hanke. In that sense, Niantic Spatial differs from other bets on world models, such as those of Google DeepMind or World Labswhich focus on generating virtual environments. Niantic Spatial wants to replicate the real world as it is. In Xataka | OpenClaw changed the rules of the AI ​​race. Technology companies already have their answer: copy it

The “bottom of the barrel” was the cheapest waste of the oil industry. The war in Iran has just turned it into an unaffordable luxury

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Historically, the fuel oil has been known in the oil industry as the “bottom of the barrel.” Typically cheap and underappreciated, this byproduct comes from the bottom of distillation towers, the equipment where crude oil is heated and split into multiple products. In fact, very often, this fuel cost less than a barrel of crude oil, and refineries sold it at a loss as it was a simple remnant of the process necessary to manufacture high-value products such as diesel. However, as expert Javier Blas warns in your column for Bloombergthe Iran war has turned the industry upside down. That waste that no one wanted has become an ultra-expensive raw material overnight, which is bad news for the global economy. Despite being overshadowed by other distillates, the fuel oil plays an immense role in the modern world, driving container ships that act as the workhorses of globalization. The breakup of a market at the limit. In the current conflict, all eyes they are set in the rises and falls of crude oil. However, the real drama is hidden in the physical maritime bunker markets, where the traditional relationship between the price of crude oil and refined products has been completely broken. With crude oil hovering around $100, the fuel oil It shouldn’t be much more expensive. In reality, it is trading at $140 a barrel in Singapore and almost $160 in the Emirati port of Fujairah. A report of Lloyd’s List explains that the average price of the fuel oil of very low sulfur content (VLSFO) in the 20 main bunkering centers reached $1,005 per ton, double its pre-war cost and the highest figure since the Russian invasion of Ukraine. For his part, analyst Clyde Russell warns in his column Reuters that, while crude oil futures are confident of a solution, prices for physical cargoes are sending signals of an impending crisis and a supply chain that is buckling under pressure. The missing link. The key to this specific crisis lies in geography and geology. As Blas points outrefineries in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates produce 20% of all fuel oil sold internationally. Added to this is a crucial geological factor: the crude oil from the Persian Gulf generates much more fuel oil than that of other regions. For example, when distilling a barrel of Saudi flagship crude oil (Arab Light), approximately 50% of what comes out is residue for fuel oil, compared to 33% left by US WTI crude oil. This explains why the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz is a death trap specifically for this byproduct. The logistical panic. The real urgency is no longer just the price, but physical availability. The shipping industry has raised the alarm because supplies are critically low in Singapore and Fujairah, two of the world’s most important bunkering hubs. “If we do nothing, we risk ending up with dry supply points in Asia,” Vincent Clerc sharply warnedCEO of shipping giant Maersk. To avoid collapse, Maersk needs to be proactive and is transporting its own fuel around the globe to have the right amount in the right place, an unprecedented challenge that Clerc compares to the logistical juggle experienced during the Covid-19 pandemic. On a day-to-day basis, the charter market is paralyzed. Scott Bergeron, CEO of Oldendorff Carriers, confess to Lloyd’s List that there are problems getting fuel quotes, and that “availability for April is a big question mark.” The operational consequences will be drastic: Global slowing: Ships will reduce their speed to conserve fuel. Port congestion: Massive congestion is expected in ports that still have reserves. Accelerated scrapping: Older and inefficient fleets could be forced to be scrapped due to the enormous costs. Furthermore, according to Clyde Russell in your column for ReutersAsian refiners are cutting production, and countries like South Korea could restrict exports, pushing dependent nations like New Zealand into rationing measures. The environmental dilemma. This severe lack of supply is even putting pressure on climate regulations. Given the suffocating lack of distillates, The Maritime Executive details that the regulators could be tempted to temporarily suspend IMO 2020 emissions regulations. This would allow ships to return to burning heavy fuel oil (HSFO) widely, freeing up ingredients for other critical sectors. Meanwhile, ships already equipped with scrubbers (scrubbers) can still legally burn the cheaper HSFO. As the price gap between clean and dirty fuel widens, these shipowners are realizing massive savings; In fact, this price spread reached $189.50 per ton in Singapore. The current crisis leaves no room for maneuver. As Javier Blas saysthe world has already spent its main lines of defense against this oil shock: compromised refineries have been avoided and strategic reserves have been emptied. Looking to the future, the only variable capable of balancing consumption with a meager supply is the “destruction of demand” through suffocating prices. Ship fuel may come from the bottom of the barrel, but it has proven to have the ability to sink or keep afloat international commerce. Today, without a doubt, it has become the world’s main problem. Image | Photo by william william on Unsplash Xataka | The US Navy already knows what is going to happen to the planet: the mission to open Hormuz is the closest thing to a suicide operation

The new “Taxi Law” of Catalonia seeks to exclude VTCs

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Barcelona is preparing for a new Law on the Transportation of People in Vehicles but it is very likely that if we call it that you will have no idea what it is about. If I tell you it’s the new one taxi law, Anti-uber law either Titus Law…things are changing now. And Barcelona tries to shield the taxi. And that, everything indicates, is close to expelling the VTC from the city. A first step. At the moment, what is on the table is the processing of the new Law on the Transportation of People in Vehicles. That is, the law that has to regulate what happens with the operation of VTCs and, above all, if the taxi is declared an asset of commercial interest to protect it against the operation of companies such as Cabify, Uber or Bolt. The debate began last Wednesday after the amendment to the entirety proposed by VOX was rejected, which had the intention of overturning the process to carry out the new regulation that It was presented for the first time last September. Without support and with the abstention of the Popular Party, the procedure will continue its course with the support of PSC, ERC, the CUP, Comuns and Junts. Although, as we will see, we have had a surprise. What is proposed? The intention of the political parties that have supported the processing of the new normal is to protect the taxi from companies such as Cabify or Uber that operate what are known as Transportation Vehicles with Drivers. That is, the VTC. To achieve this, different measures are to be taken: If new licenses have to be created, taxis will be prioritized If a new VTC license is created, it will expire after two years and will be non-transferable Temporary limitations may be imposed on VTCs if it is considered that there is excess supply. Limitation of the service to interurban areas which implies that, in Barcelona, ​​they could not work within the AMB (their metropolitan area) which concentrates the vast majority of trips. In addition, other measures that would affect both VTCs and taxis have also been put on the table: Catalan level B1 for drivers GPS monitoring of vehicles to prevent abuse Introduction of environmental criteria for the creation of new licenses or the withdrawal of existing ones. In favor of the taxi. With these limitations, this new regulation begins to be known as Taxi Law due to the strong defense that is made of this service or as Titus Law because Tito Álvarez, spokesperson for Élite Taxi and who has led a large part of the demands and protests in recent years, is considered to be one of the people who has most influenced the new articles. The last vote on the VOX amendment paves the way for the regulation of the new regulations but, above all, it left the opportunity for political parties to express their opinion. PSC, ERC, the CUP and Comuns have made an expected defense of the sector, after supporting a review of the regulations, although the pro-independence parties defend that drivers have to speak at least B2 of Catalan. In favor of VTC. The support for VTC has come as a surprise. In addition to VOX, which proposed the amendment to the entire new normal, the PP, which abstained, has shown its disagreement by pointing out that “at peak times there are not enough taxis. The VTCs provide a great service”, in the words of Àngels Esteller, a PP deputy, reported by The Country. And, above all, the surprise has come with Junts. And the party supported the new text in September and has opposed the amendment to the entire VOX but has taken advantage of its intervention to position itself in favor of the “6,000 families that live off the VTC” for whom, says Montse Ortiz, Junts deputy, they will fight for modifications worked on through dialogue with the sector. We will guarantee the legal freedom of the sector.” Discrepancies in the taxi sector. As expected, VTC associations and companies have been against the application of the new standard. José Manuel Berzal, executive president of Unauto VTC, assures that the text lacks “legal rigor”, in words reported by The World. And he points out that there are “multiple inconsistencies and contradictions with European law and the jurisprudence of the Court of Justice of the European Union.” The latter is also pointed out from The Vanguardwho claim that a report presented by the Bosch i Gimpera foundation indicates that the text contravenes European law and that the Court of Justice of the European Union will end up overturning it “in a few years.” But what is most striking are the discrepancies within the taxi sector itself. They collect in The World either Taxi Gazette that Tito Álvarez, from Élite Taxi, proposes that VTC licenses can be exchanged for temporary taxi licenses, with a duration of seven years and the possibility of a new extension of one more year. A proposal that has been frontally rejected by other unions such as STC, who describe it as a “genuine insult” that benefits “those who have built their business by breaking the rules while the taxi did comply.” The implications. If the new measure goes ahead with the current proposals, it is expected that they will have an immediate impact on the VTC sector. According to the first calculations: Between 4,000 and 5,000 direct jobs could be eliminated It is estimated that with the new restrictions only 15% of current licenses would be maintained (it is estimated that there are about 4,000 throughout Catalonia) In Barcelona, ​​600 of the 990 current VTC licenses would be eliminated VTCs would disappear from large cities as they would only be able to make interurban journeys Photo | BYD and Logan Armstrong In Xataka | “I save about 7,000 euros a year on gasoline alone”: three taxi drivers tell us their experience with an electric taxi

The world is desperately asking Ukraine for its antidote to the Shahed. And Ukraine has decided to keep them for its war

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In September 2023, a swarm of cheap drones managed to get through some of the most advanced air defenses in the world and paralyzing strategic infrastructure in the Middle East for hours. That left a conclusion for many armies: the air war of the 21st century no longer depends only on fighters or missiles that cost real fortunes, but also on small machines that can be manufactured in workshops and change the balance of the battlefield. The “antidote” that everyone is looking for. After four years of war against Russia and thousands of Shahed drone attacks, Ukraine has ended up becoming the most advanced laboratory of the world to combat this type of weapons. What began as a desperate need to defend their cities has ended up generating a complete ecosystem defense: detection networks with radars and acoustic sensors, command software that coordinates cheap interceptors and specialized pilots who have learned to confront swarms of drones in real combat conditions. That experience has awakened a enormous international interest because it solves the big problem of modern defenses: destroying cheap drones with missiles that cost millions is an unsustainable equation. Changes the economics of air defense. It we have counted other times. The Ukrainian success is explained above all by cost. While a Patriot missile can exceed four million dollars and a THAAD interceptor is around twelve million, many kamikaze drones cost between 20,000 and 50,000 dollars. Ukraine has broken that logic using tiny interceptors that can cost between $1,000 and $2,500 and that, guided by human operators and thermal sensors or radar, pursue the enemy drone until it is destroyed. Systems like the Sting interceptor (small 3D printed devices capable of reaching speeds close to 280 kilometers per hour) have demonstrated surprising effectiveness in real combat, taking down a large part of the Shahed that attack cities like kyiv. From battlefield to global product. That performance has made Ukraine the center of a new technological career. Gulf countries, European countries and allies of the United States have started calling kyiv in search of solutions to confront the same Iranian drones that Russia has been using for years on the Ukrainian front. Middle Eastern governments, concerned about attacks on oil facilities or military bases, negotiate agreements to acquire interceptors, detection systems and operational training. They not only want to buy the drones, but learn the method Ukrainian: a distributed defense model based on thousands of cheap sensors and small weapons capable of quickly responding to massive attacks. A system to copy. The demand, furthermore, is not limited to hardware. Ukraine too export knowledge. Teams of Ukrainian specialists have already been sent to several countries to explain how to detect, track and shoot down drones in large numbers. In total, at least eleven governments have requested direct assistance to replicate this low-cost air defense model. For many Western militaries, the war in Ukraine has shown that defense against drone swarms is not won with large strategic systems, but with distributed networks of sensors, software and small weapons that operate in a coordinated manner. The great paradox. However, there is a fundamental problem. Despite international interest, Ukrainian companies can’t export their interceptors. The reason? The government has prohibited the sale of defense drones because it considers that all available systems should remain in the country. Manufacturers like Wild Hornets o SkyFall constantly receive purchase requests from the Middle East and Europe, but the official response is always the same: The absolute priority is to defend Ukrainian territory itself. Like the United States. The position reflects a very clear strategic logic. Ukraine faces massive drone attacks every night and needs every interceptor it produces. Selling them in the middle of the war would mean weakening their own defense. The decision, in fact, is reminiscent of what the United States has been doing repeatedly with key weaponry during intense conflicts (the latest: in South Korea): reserve or directly move the most necessary technologies for your own operations before exporting them. In this case, kyiv is applying exactly the same logic. War laboratory. Meanwhile, the war continues to turn Ukraine into the biggest testing ground of the new era of drone combat. The country has even created a specific branch of its armed forces dedicated to unmanned systems and is developing everything from robotic submarines to long-range attack drones. In cities like kyiv, national interceptors are already they demolish more than 70% of the Shahed that fly over the region. That experience, accumulated under constant attacks, is generating innovations that many Western armies have not yet managed to replicate. Pressure of a new war. The reason international interest is growing so quickly is easy to understand: the problem that Ukraine has been facing for years starts to spread to other regions. Iranian drones are now appearing in conflicts and attacks in the Middle Eastwhere the United States and its allies have discovered that their traditional air defense systems are too expensive to confront swarms of cheap drones. Each attack forces interceptors that cost millions to be fired against devices that are worth only a few thousand. Therefore, from US military bases to oil facilities in the Gulf, half the world andis looking towards Ukraine in search of answers. Its engineers, pilots and programmers have accumulated experience that no other army has. They have learned to fight swarms of drones with limited resources and to design cheap weapons that They break economic logic of modern air warfare. An antidote that stays at home. As they counted on TWZthe scenario is summarized in governments around the world calling to kyiv and asking for the “antidote” against the Shahed, while Ukraine has made a pragmatic decision: to keep it to itself. The companies receive offersallies ask questions and specialists travel to share experience. But the weapons that really make a difference right now, those cheap interceptors that have changed air defense, continue to stay at home, because for Ukraine the war is still it’s very far determine. Image … Read more

amateurs getting in the way of an ambulance to scratch for a few seconds

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Finishing a marathon is not easy. Not something that is available to anyone. Covering more than 40 kilometers without fainting or even with the aim of beating a personal record (not to mention going for the podium) requires weeks of preparation and careful diet. The question is… When the big moment arrives, the day of putting on the shoes, how far can you take that sporting zeal? This weekend, during the Zurich Barcelona Marathona group of runners He decided that his personal brand was more important than the work of an ambulance. And that, of course, has unleashed controversy. The great Barcelona race. March 15. Barcelona. The Zurich Marató, one of the most popular events in Spain on the circuit runnercelebrates its 47th edition. A very special one. The organization has accounted 32,000 runnersa absolute record which gives an idea of ​​the popularity of the Catalan test and especially of the huge success that is reaching the running in Spain. The marathon progresses without problems. Abel Chelangat cross first the finish line with a spectacular time of 2:04:57. In the female category, Ethiopian Fotyen Tesfay is crowned (2:10:53). The problem arrives after a few hours, when it begins to circulate on networks a video which shows a much less edifying side of that same career. The piece does not last half a minute, but it has already accumulated hundreds of thousands of views and is at the center of a bitter debate about amateur sports. @pista_22 RUNNING FEVER 🤮 I had a bittersweet taste today at the @maratobarcelona. To what extent are we willing to act like an asshole to beat our personal best? On the one hand, very happy to see the happy faces of my friends and people when crossing the last meters to the finish line. But, on the other hand, I have seen many people who were practically dragged to the finish line, even more than one who collapsed. You have to know where each person’s limits are. But the most ridiculous thing has been seeing health workers and police trying to stop the race for a few minutes to be able to attend to a person, while people ignored the instructions to cross the finish line. VERY SAD what we experienced today, honestly. ♬ original sound – Christian TC What does the video show? Basically two things. The first is an ambulance making its way (or at least trying to) through part of the route with the sirens and emergency beacons activated. The second are dozens of runners who continue jogging next to the vehicle as if nothing was happening. It is not that the runners keep doing your thing, it’s just that the recording shows how there are runners who ignore when they are asked to stop to facilitate the work of health technicians. At one point in the video you can even see how a runner breaks away from a paramedic who is trying to restrain him and sneaks around the side of the ambulance, forcing another technician to run after him. “Stop it, man. The ambulance!” The recording is brief and cut, but it has been enough to stir up debate on networks. The reason? What you see in it. And what is intuited. To begin with, the Arc de Triomf is seen in the background, which indicates that the event occurs late in the test, relatively close to the goal. Secondly, everything indicates that what we see in the video are amateur runners. That is, people who run for the hobby and love of the sport. If the runners do not stop to facilitate the passage of the ambulance and the work of the health workers, it is not because they prioritize their sports careers, something that would already be questionable. They don’t stop simply because they are amateurs who want to improve their personal bests and are not willing to give up even a few seconds. Even if it is at the cost of hindering the work of an ambulance. Lack of empathy? The video has been shared mainly on forums specializedalthough it has also been reported in some general Catalan media, like 3 CAT chain. This has served to generate a intense debate between people who criticize the attitude of the runners and those who consider that reality is more complicated. “When you’ve been on your legs for 42 kilometers, you don’t even know what’s going on around you. You see an ambulance and you don’t know what it’s doing there, you don’t even wonder. The only thing you’re thinking about is the goal, getting there,” writes a user in The backdrop. If the video has aroused so much interest it is because it connects with other underlying trends that go beyond the Barcelona marathon. The main one, the success of running amateur in Spain. The best proof is participation record in the Catalan race (around 32,000 registered), which sold out more than two months in advance; but it’s not the only one. In the Valencia marathon the places are so disputed that a draw is called to register, in Seville the bibs are sold out months before of the race and in cities like Malaga either Saragossa tests are becoming more popular. In fact, in the Aragonese capital a half marathon was held yesterday that broke its attendance record, with more than 6,500 registered in the 21K mode. Is there more? Yes. The Barcelona video also shows two other phenomena. The first is the obsession with brands and sharing them, even among fans. The second is how networks in this case have helped establish prejudices. Whether or not we share the criticism (and justifications) that have been deployed in X for the attitude of the Barcelona runners, there is one undeniable fact: in the video only a few dozen runners (in the best of cases), a tiny part of the nearly 32,000 who, according to the organization itselfwere registered. Images | x In Xataka | “I know … Read more

OpenAI thought putting an erotic mode on ChatGPT was a good idea. His wellness advisors call him “a sexy suicide coach”

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Treat adults like adults. This is how Sam Altman announced OpenAI’s decision to allow a “adult mode” on ChatGPT to have erotic conversations. It makes economic sense since it will be a paid function, but the doubts from an ethical point of view are also there. In fact, it has been the company’s own wellness team that has been against this product, causing its launch to be delayed. Internal opposition. In an exclusive Wall Street Journalsay that earlier this year, OpenAI consulted with its board of wellness experts about ChatGPT’s adult mode and the response was unanimous: it’s a terrible idea. At a meeting, experts warned that these types of interactions with AI can foster emotional dependency, especially among younger users. One of the committee members brought up the topic of teenagers who committed suicide, allegedly encouraged by ChatGPTand said it would be like launching a “sexy suicide coach.” Demolishing. Risks. People are already forming emotional bonds with AI chatbotsif we add sexual content to the one that has the most users in the world, it is, to say the least, delicate. According to internal documents reviewed by the Wall Street Journal, the wellness council’s experts identified several problems, such as the risk of compulsive use, a tendency toward extreme content, and the displacement of real romantic relationships in favor of virtual ones. Age verification. Is the crucial step that ensures that such a tool does not end up in the hands of minor users. The problem OpenAI has is that its verification system fails more than a fairground shotgun. According to internal sources, the system failed to identify 12% of the time. It may seem like a relatively low figure, but in practice we are talking about millions of teenagers accessing this function. What OpenAI says. The company wants us to be able to ‘sext’ with ChatGPT, but with certain limits. An OpenAI spokesperson says they will block harmful content – such as sexual and child-related abuse -, will integrate safeguards such as reminding users to have relationships in the real world, and will also avoid encouraging exclusive relationships. Another measure involves monitoring the long-term effect that this adult mode has on users. Adult mode will be exclusively text and will not allow the creation of images or videos. Regarding age verification, the spokesperson states that the performance is similar to that of other industry proposals and that “they will never be totally infallible.” It was planned for the first quarter, but now that it has been postponed there is no date for its launch. Background. OpenAI already has a history of accusations related to harmful effects on mental health. One of the most famous cases It was Adam Raine’sa teenager who shared his suicidal ideations with ChatGPT. When his parents discovered the conversations, They sued OpenAI. And he hasn’t been the only one. There is several legal proceedings underway for similar cases and there have also been cases where ChatGPT has been accused of encourage delusional thoughts and cause psychotic breaks. Saying that AI is solely responsible is simplify a much more complex realitybut it is no less true that OpenAI has taken steps to make its chatbot more secure for minors and has been shown committed to taking care of the mental health of its users. That is, they recognize that the problem exists. The question now is how launching a version of the same chatbot that has sex with users fits into this discourse. In Xataka | “I can’t stop”: the addiction to talking to AI is already here and there are even support groups to quit it Image | Cottonbro studio, Pexels

China has broken records by expanding its wind and solar capacity. Now going all out with pumped hydroelectric storage

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In December 2020, Xi Jinping, the president of China, announced that the country he leads would reach 1,200 GW of installed wind and solar capacity by 2030. He was wrong. China reached this figure in July 2024and, therefore, no less than six years before the deadline set by the Government. At the end of 2025, the accumulated capacity of these two energy sources exceeded 1,840 GW, making them those responsible for 47.3% of China’s electrical capacity. That was the first time wind and solar energy They surpassed coal and gas in the Chinese electricity mix. However, the rapid expansion of these renewable energy sources has placed China in a scenario in which it is crucial to find a way to integrate them efficiently into the country’s energy system. Wind and solar energy have an intermittent nature, so it is essential to develop large-scale storage infrastructure and a network that is capable of managing the peaks and valleys of supply in an automated way. Pumping is the most efficient way to store energy on a large scale To solve this challenge, China has launched a strategy that proposes transforming energy storage into a national priority. One of the solutions it is deploying is installing large battery systems at a record pace. In 2025 its battery storage capacity grew by 75% compared to 2024. However, in this area its biggest bet is pumped hydroelectric storage. At the moment China has more pumping projects underway than all the other countries in the world combined. Their plan is to use excess solar and wind energy to pump water into elevated reservoirs and release it when electricity is needed. Pumped hydroelectric plants fit very well in mountainous countries because they allow you to take advantage of uneven terrain to move large masses of water between two reservoirs or deposits at different heights. China currently has more pumping projects underway than all other countries in the world combined. The excess energy can be used to pump water from the lower reservoir to the upper one using a hydraulic pump, and to recover that energy it is only necessary to let it fall back into the lower reservoir from the upper one so that it drives a hydraulic turbine. Pumped hydroelectricity has been used for more than a century, but it remains a very attractive technology. In fact, it is currently one of the energy storage systems more efficient large scale. The largest facility of its kind in Europe it is the pumped hydroelectric plant of the Cortes–La Muela complex (La Muela I + La Muela II), on the Júcar river (Valencia). If we stick to pumped hydro storage, China aims to add about 100 GW in five years compared to the current 59 GW. If it achieves its purpose, this technology will become the basis of its long-term storage system in this country. Still, the Government has also committed to more rapidly expanding battery storage. At the end of 2025 the accumulated capacity reached 136 GWwhich multiplies by 40 the level proposed by the previous five-year plan. Lithium-ion batteries clearly dominate this market, but China is investigating alternative technologiessuch as sodium-ion batteries, compressed air batteries, flywheels or gravitational storage. Image | Generated by Xataka with Gemini More information | Volt Insight Xataka | China dominates the world of renewable energy, but it has an Achilles heel: it depends on the West more than it admits

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