Month: April 2026

Fed up with paying almost 8 euros for a Guinness, someone thought of setting up an index to find cheap beer

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How delicious is that little beer that you drink right after leaving work or after a paddle tennis game and how angry it is when you find out that they have raised the price. Matt Cortland He paid €7.80 for a pint of Guinness in Dublin in March 2026 and didn’t like it one bit (the price, not the beer). So instead of criticizing the waiter or posting a review on Google complaining like some people do, he adopted another strategy that was slightly more laborious but much more effective (judging by its results): a very complete price index where he would know where to drink the best and at what price. Because revenge, like beer, is served cold. The project. Is called Guinndex and is independent of the very famous Irish beer brand. You go to the website, enter a pub, a city, a county or a postcode in the box and it returns pubs and the cost of a pint, as well as useful information such as its location or its score. Or you zoom in on the map to see with a traffic light map which taverns look cheaper than others. A good way to save if you travel to Ireland and fancy a pint of Guinness. In fact, it has very diverse rankings ranging from how long it takes to earn a pint (depending on salary) to pubs named after animals or the best pub names (praise be the “Hairy Lemon”). Today it has almost 6,500 registered pubs in the 32 counties of the country and almost 1,300 prices verified and rising thanks to anonymous contributions from users. The price index for Dublin. Guinndex Why is it important. Because the Irish Central Statistics Office stopped tracking the price of a pint since 2011, leaving a data gap of more than a decade in a country where Guinness is much more than a beer. And although Guinness is almost a religion in Ireland, it is the same everywhere: no one knows for sure if they are overcharging you compared to the standard price or how much extra. The Guinndex fills that gap with real, verified data, not estimates. Furthermore, it does so publicly and for free, so that it allows obtaining an objective reference so that consumers have information and can put pressure on prices. It’s the market, friend. On the other hand, and leaving aside the anecdote of finding where to drink cheaper, what it shows is relevant: that the cost of carrying out a complex idea has plummeted and streamlined so much that a single dev is capable of setting up a project of this magnitude in just 48 hours when before it took weeks of work, a certain budget and a team. Context. Matt Cortland likes AI, data and Guinness, as he himself admits on the project website. He is an American engineer based in London with strong ties to Ireland: his partner is irishlived and trained there with the George Mitchell scholarship and course the Creative Digital Media master’s degree from TU Dublin. He is not just a tourist they are trying to scam. The project came at a critical time: Diageo, the company that owns Guinness, had applied several price rises in a row and some pubs had taken the opportunity to inflate margins. If you’re not careful, you can pay up to €11 for a pint, although the average price in Dublin is €6.94 and €6.06 nationwide. How has he done it. With an AI agent named Rachel who looked human, understood Irish humor, and had a Northern Irish accent (after several tests, she concluded that this worked best), as its author tells. The task was simple and quick: call, ask the price of a pint of Guinness, say thank you and hang up. Few people discovered that it was a chatbot and there were all kinds of responses, even waiters who offered to buy him a round. During the St. Patrick’s weekend he called 3,000 pubs, answered more than 2,000 calls and more than a thousand pubs provided a price: he already had the Guinndex base. The technical stack was jack, knight and king: the Google Maps API, ElevenLabs for the voice and agent logic, Twilio for making the phone calls, and Claude for extracting Guinness prices from the transcripts. Cortland explains What cost him the most was time, since he only invested about 200 euros. The consequences. The most immediate impact is behavioral: Cortland account that the owner of a pub lowered the price of his Guinness by 0.40 euros and then updated the information in the Guinndex himself. When there is price transparency and it is available to everyone, it is capable of changing behaviors. However, the biggest consequence is the technological moment in which we live: three APIs, 200 euros and a weekend are enough to build a project from scratch, with real utility and that is already changing prices. The bottleneck is no longer money or infrastructure: it is knowing what problem is worth solving. In Xataka | Spain can tell itself as many times as it wants that it hates Cruzcampo. The figures say a very different thing In Xataka | We humans like beer. The big question is whether we like it enough to have invented agriculture Cover | Guinndex and Christopher Zapf

a keyboard with integrated trackpad for the living room

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Those of you who have had or used an (old) Logitech K400 You probably have a discreet opinion of that product. Despite its good intentions, this manufacturer’s keyboard with integrated trackpad did not have a remarkable feel or function. There was some decent option like the Rii Mini i22Sbut the market seemed to have forgotten that more and more users have a living room PC at home but not an adequate peripheral to take advantage of it. That’s where Framework wants to solve the problem for us. These days have announced some newsand among them is the new Framework Wireless Touchpad Keyboard. They themselves say it clearly: “Finally a wireless keyboard with an integrated touchpad that you don’t hate.” A keyboard that smells of Open Source everywhere The keyboard is very thin and is aimed at use with HTPC (Home Theater PC) and also for another area in which this type of peripheral comes in handy: when using a Raspberry Pi type miniPC. The manufacturer has teamed up with an old acquaintance in the sector: Lite-On, which has been working with them for years on their keyboards for their Framework Laptops. The keyboard and touchpad design inherits the virtues of Framework laptops. The touchpad has dimensions of 68.8 x 85.6 mm and has multitouch support. For their part, the keys have a travel of 1.5 mm. It can be used wired, but also with a Bluetooth connection or with an independent wireless connection via a USB-A adapter. It is also possible to use with up to four wireless devices. The ultra-efficient Nordic nRF54L20 wireless SoC is integrated inside (the 28 I/O pins are exposed to be able to take advantage of them), while the “operating system” of the keyboard is the ZMK firmware, which is Open Source and that will allow us to change the behavior of each key with all kinds of parameters. This includes the integration of complex macros or operating layers that, for example, when editing video, make each key perform a certain specific command. Framework will also publish the CAD designs (custom cases as an option), and the electronic board that uses the keyboard will also be sold loose in that traditional Framework commitment to repairability. The manufacturer still No date or price has been specified. of availability. It is also not clear if it will appear in several languages, but this is a very curious and, above all, very welcome launch. In Xataka | The mechanical keyboards I had tried did not convince me. Until I found the ideal model for me

a wish list with everything you need to set up a base on the moon

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When NASA still did not know how Orion’s journey was going to go within the framework of the Artemis II mission (it left on April 1 and returned successfully ten days later), the North American space agency presented its “Ignition” project with an ambitious objective: to establish a permanent base at the lunar South Pole. He approach To achieve this, it requires spending 20 billion dollars in seven years and carrying out 81 launches. It is not only a roadmap, but also a wish list for the industry and international partners where it identifies the technological gaps that must be closed to convert one-time lunar exploration into permanent human presence. NASA’s plan. The strategy to set up a base on the moon is divided into three clear stages and is iterative: Phase 1 focuses on demonstrating that it can be reached reliably, validating the landing sites and carrying the first astronauts. The limit of four tons per trip will be reached. There are 25 launches and 21 moon landings planned. Phase 2 aims to establish initial infrastructure, manned missions every six months, and increase payload capacity to 60 tons. With 27 launches and 24 moon landings. Phase 3 already aims for continuous human presence, having the capacity to move 150 tons of cargo and prepare the lunar territory. With 29 launches and 28 moon landings. Why is it important. To begin with, because the South Pole of the moon allows access to frozen volatiles (mainly water ice) in permanently shadowed regions, which could enable the use of in-situ resources, an essential step for spatial autonomy. But although the lunar base is an achievement for humanity per se, we must not lose sight of the fact that NASA does it with another objective in mind: Mars. The moon is their testing ground. In fact, this base on the moon will be a testing laboratory for seven critical areas before establishing a human base there: nuclear reactors that operate in space, operating without constant help from Earth, understanding how long missions affect the human body, creating space supply chains, protecting against abrasive dust, avoiding contaminating other worlds, and designing systems that serve both the Moon and Mars. On the other hand, with the moon NASA intends to open a market where private industry assumes some services, reducing costs for the North American organization (and therefore, for citizens). Context. Unlike the Apollo missions, which landed in equatorial areas, there is now interest in landing and settling at the lunar south pole as it offers a unique strategic duality: craters that never see sunlight (and may have water ice) next to mountains that almost always have sunlight (for solar panels). Having access to energy and frozen volatiles scientifically, strategically and economically justifies the site selection. But working there is extremely difficult. The terrain is rugged, there are high mountains and deep craters, and there are extreme thermal and lighting challenges. The Sun remains low on the horizon, creating long shadows that make solar energy generation difficult and subject equipment to periods of extreme cold. For the astronaut team it will be hard: You will have problems seeing dangers and doing basic tasks, because the human eye does not adapt quickly between extreme light and total darkness and you will also have to access those pronounced craters for ice. What NASA needs. The document identifies functional gaps that the industry must help close, classified into six subsystems: Robotics: robots that unload and move cargo weighing hundreds of kilos, that are controlled from Earth, and that work near astronauts without danger. Communications: fast connections (over 500 Mbps) between the Moon and Earth, allowing lunar equipment to communicate with each other, and lunar GPS. Logistics: systems to connect pressurized modules and transfer water, oxygen and cargo. Housing: habitats that function from days to months, with gym and medical systems so that astronauts do not weaken, garbage management, and that survive voids between missions. Transport: small rovers to explore, large rovers (at 10 km/h) manned and autonomous, which work both in light areas and in dark craters. Energy: generate and store 5 kilowatts withstanding more than 5 days of total darkness, distribute electricity between equipment. How are they going to do it?. Essentially they will follow two strategies: Previous tests with commercial robotic missions before risking human lives. Although the technologies exist on Earth, they work differently on the Moon, so they need to fly to space to validate them for debugging. An example: from the manned flyby of Artemis II to the surface landing on the moon there will be an intermediate mission in 2027. Astronauts will test docking, life support systems and communications with commercial lunar landers from SpaceX and Blue Origin, but in low Earth orbit, where rescue is still possible. There will be interoperability. With common standards that allow systems from different providers to work together. Collaborative development of standards for power, coupling and communications will enable effective partnerships. NASA is seeking partners for nine critical areas: habitats, cargo transportation, small robots, large rovers, mapping lunar resources, sample storage, and advanced navigation. Yesyes, but. The mission is ambitious, essential for space colonization and the schedule is tight, but it also faces three main threats. For starters, basic information about the moon is still lacking. We do not know the accessibility of features of interest, such as rocks or craters, or how lunar dust behaves or something as essential as where exactly the ice is. On the other hand, politics kills space projects: according to the Planetary Society To date, they have already spent 107 billion dollars, largely due to the continuous changes in the programs carried out by the different administrations. Finally, it is worth remembering that this is a race. China and Russia also want put a nuclear base at the South Pole and whoever gets there first will decide the rules. That pressure to go against the clock can cause NASA to accelerate and make the mistake that the plan wants … Read more

We have found the real kraken. It measured 19 meters and reigned in the seas 100 million years ago

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The kraken has been in the ideology of myths for decades and was imagined as a gigantic sea monster capable of dragging ships to the depths with one of its tentacles. But the truth is that it was something completely mythological until now science suggests that in reality they did exist at some point in the history of our planet. When? If we wanted to see them, we would have to take a time machine and travel to about 100 million years ago, where colossal octopuses dominated the depths of the oceans, competing head-to-head with the large marine reptiles of the time of the dinosaurs. And just like points out the published study in Science This finding not only confirms the existence of these giantsbut forces paleontologists to rewrite what we knew about the food chain of the Cretaceous seas. How do we know? One of the biggest problems paleontologists face when studying cephalopods is that their bodies are soft. And, lacking an internal skeleton, it is extremely rare to find complete fossils of octopuses or squids and so the question here is obligatory: how do we know that this giant existed? The answer is in their jaws. Here the team of researchers did not find fossilized bodies, but rather 27 mandibles known colloquially as beaks and similar to those that parrots have. These were found in sites in Japan and Canada and through advanced digital prospecting techniques and analysis of the wear of these pieces, scientists were able to digitally reconstruct the owners of these lethal hunting tools. The species. The taphonomic analysis of these remains has allowed the identification of two main species: Nanaimoteuthis jeletzkyi and Nanaimoteuthis haggarti. But it is the latter that takes all the attention of science. The point here is that by extrapolating the size of the fossilized jaws and comparing them with the proportions of current cephalopods, experts estimate that N. haggarti It was able to reach a length of between 7 and 19 meters, which would far exceed the giant octopuses that are currently in the Pacific, which rarely exceed five meters. The food chain. Until now, the classic view of Cretaceous marine ecosystems placed large reptiles (such as mosasaurs or plesiosaurs) at the undisputed top of the food pyramid, relegating cephalopods to the role of simply being abundant prey. However, this published study changes the rules of the game. It is now known that these octopuses were not just food, but were great predators. Here the level of wear on their jaws has been key to seeing that they had an aggressive diet and that, therefore, they occupied a place at the top of the oceanic food web. The evolution. If we look back, in the Cambrian period we find the humble Nectocaris pteryxwhich was nothing more than a primitive cephalopod which barely measured a couple of centimeters and which serves as a baseline to understand where these animals come from. From here on, millions of years later, evolution had given these animals a large size and tools to become the “krakens” of the Cretaceous. Images | freepik In Xataka | We have stuffed the Gibraltar monkeys with Doritos. His solution has been to eat dirt as if it were omeprazole

Asturias’ odyssey to lead offshore wind

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It has long been thought that the biggest challenge of wind energy offshore (navy) was on the high seas. However, the real challenge is not taming the wind or waves, but rather manufacturing, storing and moving steel giants on land. For a wind turbine to float in the Cantabrian Sea or the North Sea, it first needs to be born in a “factory port”. In short. Under this premise, the Port Authority of Avilés (APA) has just hit the table in the WindEurope Annual Event 2026the reference summit recently held in Madrid. As reported by local mediathe Asturian delegation has come with a clear objective: to consolidate its port as an undisputed industrial node in the European wind value chain. These are not empty declarations of intent. The directors of the APA, Ramón Muñoz-Calero and Manuel Echeverría, took advantage of the forum to hold strategic meetings with giants in the manufacturing of turbines, towers and cables, such as Taihan Cable, Prysmian and ArcelorMittal, as well as global engineering companies of the caliber of Ramboll, DNV and OHLA SATO. Avilés no longer wants to be just a transit point for goods; Its goal is to become ground zero where wind energy offshore takes shape before setting sail. The war for space. But wanting to be a giant means dealing with giant problems. Manufacturing for offshore wind requires manipulating foundations and “monopiles” that can reach 120 meters in length, 12 in diameter and weigh 2,500 tons. This gigantism generates an immediate logistical crisis: lack of space. Moving and assembling these enormous cylinders requires massive esplanades and ultra-resistant infrastructure. In fact, according to The New Spainnot just any dock serves this purpose; Very specific technical characteristics are needed capable of withstanding brutal demands, both in total weight and weight per support points. To prevent this bottleneck from slowing down its expansion, Avilés is on the offensive to gain square meters. In statements collected by Port NewspaperMuñoz-Calero has been blunt: “We are part of the industrial and innovation ecosystem of Avilés and we not only contribute to greater industrialization, but we are in a position to promote it.” The port solution involves two major strategic moves: the acquisition of the industrial land freed by the former ArcelorMittal Coke Batteries and the development of new expansion areas in El Estrellín. The rebirth of the Iberian “hub”. Within the framework of WindEurope, the president of Puertos del Estado, Gustavo Santana, highlighted the country’s potentialremembering that Spain has 46 ports of general interest, an ideal network for renewable deployment. The Government has imminent aid on the table: 212 million euros from the Port EOL-Mar program of the IDAE to adapt docks and drafts, in addition to a ‘Horizon 2030’ plan that will inject more than 1,000 million euros into sustainability. Avilés’ demonstrated muscle. If Avilés raises his hand to ask for funds and investments, he does so protected by his resume. The bet of the Aviles enclave is not a promise for the future, but a reality forged from steel and tons. According to data provided by local mediathe port’s track record is overwhelming: since January 2012, they have shipped more than 18,000 pieces for thirty onshore and offshore wind farm projects. This growth has been driven, in large part, by the success of local company Windar Renovables. The climax of this activity was experienced in 2022, when the port broke its absolute record by moving 140,000 tons of wind traffic in a single year. The Asian lifeguardWhat is happening in the Asturian docks transcends the local; it’s a question industrial geopolitics. For decades, the West lived under the mirage that the future was only in software, abandoning heavy industry. Now, Europe has taken a “bath of reality”: energy sovereignty depends, ultimately, on knowing how to smelt metal. This revolution covers the entire Asturian coast. A few kilometers from Avilés, in the Gijón port of El Musel, China has seen his opportunity. The landing of the Asian giant Dajin Offshore – which has joined forces with the Asturian group Zima to build a plant – shows that technology and the eastern financial muscle can be the oxygen ball that the Asturian auxiliary industry needs to lead again. Not in vain, the Asian country today builds 74% of the planet’s renewable energy. The industrial clock against the bureaucratic clock. Asturias, which has been trying to digest the mining and steel conversion for three decades, has before it the historic opportunity to abandon its role as a simple “quarry” to become a center of high added value. Offshore wind promises reindustrialization, highly qualified employment and a leading role in the European green economy. However, the success of this transformation will not be measured solely by political intentions or memoranda signed in offices. The real litmus test is in institutional agility and territory management. The international demand is there and cargo ships are already waiting on the coast. Now, the only question is whether the bureaucracy will be fast enough to ensure that, in the docks of Asturias, there is enough space and strength to sustain the full weight of Europe’s energy future. Image | Port of Aviles Xataka | Asturias has been digesting the reconversion for three decades. Now China wants to return him to the path of industrialization

discovering the largest railway network in the world at 347 km/h

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A new day dawns in Beijing. After a long (and exhausting) day at the Motor ShowToday we have a long train journey ahead of us. Today we leave Beijing to head to Wuhuthe city where the headquarters of the Chery group is located, and yes, we do it by train. I admit that I am excited: it is the first time that I have gotten on both a bullet and a Chinese train. When I ask local Chery employees about Wuhu, what it is like, they all tell me the same thing: “for you it is a huge city, but for us it is a small city.” Wuhu has four million inhabitants. Madrid, to put us in context, has 3.4 million. I imagine that living in a country of 1.4 billion inhabitants causes the dimensions of things to become distorted. I suppose that for someone from Beijing traveling to Madrid is like when we go to town. Buildings in Wuhu | Image: Xataka Wuhu is located around 1,000 kilometers south of Beijing. Specifically, between Wuhan and Shanghai. Google Maps, which is not the most reliable reference in China, shows me almost 11 hours by car. By train, the trip lasts around four and a half hours, which is more than enough time to talk a little about this other small-big city and, in the process, get to know the city more closely. chinese railway network and the experience of traveling on one of its trains. China has made leaps and bounds in its electrification, we have seen that in the two previous installments of this daily blog. Well, in the same way that the electric and hybrid car has evolved, so has its railway network. Let’s go in parts. To get into flour let’s look at some numbers. Let’s talk about Spain. Our country has 15,652 kilometers of road, of which 4,000 kilometers are high-speed (+200 km/h). It is the second most extensive high-speed network in the world. The first, indeed, is the Chinese one. And it is with an absolutely insane difference. Roads in China | Image: Xataka According to the Chinese government and according to the local Xinhua agencyChina closed last year with 165,000 kilometers of track, of which “more than 50,000 kilometers” are high-speed. In 2025 alone, Chinese railways transported a whopping 4.59 billion passengers, 6.4% more than last year. In Spain, the figure was of 177.6 million. We cannot make the direct comparison because the size of China is like 17 times that of Spain, but it helps us put into perspective how enormous this infrastructure is. And it is getting worse, because this year they intend to put 2,000 more kilometers into operation. Only in the first quarter of 2026 will Chinese railways they completed an investment in fixed assets of 20.9 billion dollars. By 2050, the country’s goal is to achieve 274,000 kilometers. Image | Xataka The body in charge of managing most railway operations is in the hands of China State Railway Group Company, a state-owned company created in 2013 after the dissolution of the Ministry of Railways. Since 2019 it has been under the umbrella of the Ministry of Finance. There are other “private” lines that connect mines with refineries, for example. The network is divided into several horizontal and vertical corridors, mostly concentrated in the east of the country where, evidently, most of the population is concentrated and where coal is produced. Only one line extends to the northwest (crossing the Gobi Desert and bordering the Taklamakan Desert) and southwest of the country (near the Tibet Plateau). A train on the way to Wuhu | Image: Xataka ​But let’s leave geography and talk about experience, because it is not only that the Chinese network is larger than the Spanish one (for whatever reason), but it is also significantly faster. And no, it is not noticeable | Image: Xataka The Spanish high speed can be up to 300 km/h, but on a line like the one from Andalusia to Madrid it is normal for trains to not exceed 250 km/h. Sections of 200 km/h are also frequent. Also, recently, there have been more aggressive speed limitations on some lines. I write this on a train that moves exactly at 347 km/h and I must admit that because I have seen the figure on a screen, otherwise I would not have known. I don’t know if it will be the same on all trains, but the experience on this one has been exquisite. The train, despite going 50% fast, vibrates much less than the trains I am used to taking in Spain. I think the video speaks for itself. This speed, which has remained relatively constant throughout the trip, allows us to get from Beijing to Wuhu in about four and a half hours. The train has made some stops of just a few minutes at certain stations, but little more. In a country of these dimensions it makes all the sense in the world to bet on the railway. Not only to transport people, that too, but for the transport of goods. If we have discovered something these days it is that China has a competitive advantage by having all the links of the supply chain very close at hand. That, however, is of little use if the transport of goods does not accompany. It is not the case, although half. In Wuhu, where Chery was founded, the brand’s presence is much, much more evident | Image: Xataka Again, according to official Chinese government data, in 2025 alone railways moved a whopping 5.27 billion tons of freight, 2% more than the previous year. However, road and air transport remains very important when moving goods in the domestic market. At an international level, air and sea are the two great cornerstones. Tomorrow more, this time in Wuhu. More deliveries: Journey to the center of the Chinese motor (part 1): a walk through Beijing, Ebro, Chery and the silent streets Journey to the … Read more

95% of intercontinental internet traffic goes through submarine cables. China has just proven that it can cut them at 3,500 meters

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The world is connected through the “invisible”, almost omnipresent and seemingly omnipotent internet. But it turns out that 95% of data traffic runs through cables that, although not visible, are very tangible: the submarine fiber optic cables that run around the world. This strategic infrastructure is inherently vulnerable due to its vast extent in unmonitored environments. Until recently, threats were limited to random accidents in shallow waters, but sabotage are the order of the day. In this scenario, China has just marked a technical milestone that is a warning to sailors: has tried successfully a submarine cable cutter who plays in another league. Thus, it is capable of cutting with high precision and operating at depths of up to 3,500 meters. The tool. The system that China through its Haiyang Dizhi 2 scientific vessel is an electro-hydrostatic actuator (EHA), a compact device that integrates the hydraulic system, the electric motor and the control unit in a single piece, a combo that as explained The South China Morning Post allows you to get rid of the external oil pipe common in this type of system. The Ministry of Natural Resources of China explains for the Chinese media that last Saturday, April 15, its first mission in deep waters was carried out. This is not the first deep underwater cable cutter we have seen from China, in fact it has them to cut even deeper seabeds: the China Naval Scientific Research Center (CSSRC) and the State Key Laboratory of Deep Sea Manned Vehicles also developed a little over a year ago a vessel that uses a diamond coated grinding wheelcapable of operating at depths of 4,000 meters. Why is it important. We have already glimpsed in the intro that currently, practically the entire of intercontinental data traffic travels over submarine cables. He Center for Strategic and International Studies gives an example of its importance: in the financial environment, approximately 22 trillion dollars move per business day through these systems. Any disruption can unleash chaos on entire countries, leading to digital isolation, collapsing financial systems, degrading military capabilities… much more than a simple cyberattack. Underwater cables are inherently vulnerable due to their exposure and with these types of systems not even depth is a guarantee. Furthermore, repair at a depth of 3,500 meters is slow and expensive, requiring specific vessels that are not plentiful. context. Since 2024, China and its vessels have become common suspects in cases of alleged sabotage. Two examples: is in the Baltic and is in waters near Taiwan. These events have generated growing concern in NATO on the security of these essential undersea cables from hybrid warfare tactics. China, for its part, justifies this development as part of its scientific research and deep-sea mining program through the Chinese Academy of Sciences: the ability to cut cables is necessary for the recovery of stuck equipment, cleaning marine debris, and preparing the seabed for deep-sea mining. However, it is inevitable to think about the duality of its functions. chow they do it. In 2020, a team of engineers from Lishui University, in the coastal province of Zhejiang, opposite Taiwan, developed a device for cutting underwater cables by drag (one of several patents in recent years made in China) and in the patent application The team said that “The traditional cutting method requires first detecting the position of the cables, then excavating and recovering them to cut them. The process is complex, a lot of expensive equipment is needed, and the cost is too high. A fast and low-cost cutting device for submarine cables is needed to perform this task.” These new tools seek to solve this as they operate directly on the cable on the seabed without the need for extraction. In the 30-day mission of the Haiyang Dizhi 2 vessel, in addition to testing the cutting tool, they also tested an autonomous underwater vehicle called Hai Ma, recovered 16 self-developed measurement probes and deployed China’s first deep-sea winch with 11,000 meters of coaxial cable. Yes, but. The fact that there are patents and tests on tools to cut marine cables at great depth and efficiency does not mean that they have been used in these incidents, although it does indicate an interest in cutting them. China has a known official position, as we saw last year when a similar tool came to the fore. At that time Liu Pengyu, declared that the device is used in marine scientific research and that both the United States and several European countries have similar technology. Likewise, it highlighted the importance that China gives to protecting underwater infrastructure and its commitment to the international community to protect them. In Xataka | The submarine cables belonged to the teleoperators, and now the big technology companies are controlling them In Xataka | The first great Atlantic submarine cable that connected us to the internet says goodbye for a simple reason: it was too expensive to repair it Cover | seatools and CCTV

make China part of Spain

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Some of the greatest historical ambitions began with ideas that, on paper, seemed surprisingly simple. During European expansion into Asia, it was not uncommon what reports and letters described distant territories as rich and accessible places, ready to be influenced with relative ease. On more than one occasion, these optimistic descriptions ended up marking strategic decisions that later collided head-on with a reality much more complex than expected. It happened to Spain… with China. When you think you’re unstoppable. The story began at the end of the 16th century, when Philip II ruled an empire that spanned several continents and was coming to chain conquests fast and spectacular in America. In that context, he fueled an idea that today seems like many things, but, at the very least, unthinkable: if it had been possible to overthrow empires like the Aztec or the Inca, it could also be done. the same with China. In that climate of almost absolute trust, the court began to seriously contemplate a project that was not a simple expedition, but a definitive leap into the void towards global hegemony. Conquer the unconquerable. The plan took shape in what became known as the “China Company”in essence, a structure organized by the monarchy itself to study, plan and eventually execute the conquest of the Asian giant. It was not an isolated occurrence or a joke in bad taste: the work included detailed reports, diplomatic missions, missionary presence and intelligence gathering from the Philippines and Macau. The idea was a mix where trade, evangelization and military force were combined, replicating the model that had worked in America, with the ambition to subdue the territory, reorganize it and make it part of the Spanish imperial system, who knows if in a future autonomous Iberian community. Planned phases in the China Company Detailed… and deeply unreal. Documents from the time even described how the invasion would be carried out, with tens of thousands of soldiers entering along the southern coast of chinaadvancing towards Beijing and replacing the emperor with a like-minded power in the blink of an eye. Not only that. A complete integration based on evangelization, the creation of loyal local elites and, attention, miscegenation, following the American pattern, was then proposed. What’s more, some councilors went so far as to affirm that a few few hundred soldiers to achieve this, reflecting the extent to which the real complexity of the territory and its capacity for resistance was underestimated. Portrait of Philip II China is not America, even if it is believed to be so. Indeed, the great underlying error was assuming that China would function little less than the American empires. Interested reports described her like rich but weakopen to internal alliances and susceptible to being transformed with relative ease. However, it was an organized statewith very advanced military, administrative and technological structures. That distance between perception and reality made the project more hyperbolic of Philip II in a mixture of imperial ambition, incomplete information and a certain strategic illusion that is difficult to sustain. The blow of reality: logistics, politics and defeats. The truth is that the “China Company” It was not executed due to a combination of factors. The distances, logistics and cost made the operation extremely difficult. complex and prolonged in time. Added to this were internal tensions between those who defended a military conquest and those who bet through the missionary waydiametrically opposite options. However, the final blow came in 1588 with the failure of the Invincible Armadawhich forced other fronts to be prioritized and made it clear that even the largest empire of the moment had very specific limits. More than a military plan, a window. Although it never materialized, that “China Company” clearly reveals how far he went Spanish ambition at its time of greatest expansion. It was not just a military project, but a way of thinking the world: a system in which trade, religion, diplomacy and war were part of a same global strategy. Be that as it may, in the end the plan remained an exercise in imperial imagination that collided with harsh reality, but which reflects better than anything to what extent Spain came to consider something as extreme and surreal as integrating China into its own empire. Image | Nagihuin, CC0 1.0 – Ruland Kolen, Sofonisba Anguissola In Xataka | Rise and Fall of European Empires: A Journey of 550 Years of Colonialism Through an Enlightening Chart In Xataka | That time Spain bombed Istanbul: nine ships, a movie escape and the obsession of Octavio of Aragón

Spain has found 134 shipwrecks off Cádiz

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Sometimes the most traveled places hide stories that only come to light centuries later. For decades, fishermen in southern Spain commented that their nets they got stuck in the bottom in very specific points, as if there were invisible obstacles underwater. It was not until much later, with the use of sonar and systematic studies, when it began to be understood that these were not simple rocks, but rather remains of a past much more intense than it seemed. Much more than a step. The truth is that, if today the Strait of Hormuz concentrates all the great tensions global issues, the Strait of Gibraltar has been a critical point where trade, war and geopolitics constantly intersect. It is not an exaggeration, since every ship that enters or leaves the Mediterranean passes through here, which makes it a natural funnel where accumulate interest and risks. This almost obligatory nature has meant that, throughout history, the area has functioned as a recurring scene of accidents, naval conflicts and military operations. More than a hundred shipwrecks off Cádiz. The data sums it all up: 134 wrecks and remains of sunken ships in the bay of Algeciras alone, recently documented by Spanish archaeologists from the University of Cádiz and the University of Granada after completing the Herakles Projecta work that has successfully cataloged the vast expanse of this archaeological paradise. They say that, in just a few kilometers, more than 150 sites and at least 134 shipwrecks spanning from the 5th century BC to the Second World War. Reasons? They argue that, for centuries, this area has been a kind of forced “waiting port”, where ships stopped before crossing the strait, increasing the probability of accidents, collisions or attacks. Herakles Project Crossing of civilizations. What makes this archaeological find unique is not only the quantity, but the variety. Punic, Roman, medieval and modern remains coexist on the seabed, along with Spanish, British, Dutch and Venetian ships. This mosaic reflects that the strait was not only a trade route, but a point where they converged empires, exploration routes and conflicts. If you like, each shipwreck is a piece of that puzzle, from ships loaded with goods to warships designed for rapid attacks. War, espionage and naval tactics. Some of the findings They show to what extent this space was a constant battlefield. Among them appear 18th century gunboats designed to surprise attack large ships, or even remnants of World War II operations. These small boats, capable of camouflage like fishing boats before attacking, they reflect a logic very similar to the current one where ingenious and asymmetric solutions were the basis for facing superior rivals. A historical archive back. Researchers say that for decades only a few remains were known in the area, but that new techniques such as sonar or magnetometers have allowed us to discover an authentic underwater archive. Added to this is an unexpected factor: the change in currents and sediments, natural processes that are revealing remains hidden for centuries. The problem is that this same process, along with maritime traffic and industrial activity, also threatens to destroy them before they can be studied. The same problem, in historical version. The parallel is quite clear, because just as maritime bottlenecks today concentrate tensions economic and military, Gibraltar has been for millennia a point where everything intensifies. Possibly the difference is that here there is a cumulative physical test at the bottom of the sea. More than a simple collection of sunken ships, what is off the coast of Cádiz is the tangible trace of centuries of forced traffic, and of conflicts and repeated errors in one of the most strategic places on the planet. Image | NASA, Project Herakles In Xataka | We have been believing for 50 years that the Strait of Gibraltar was “closed” with an apocalyptic cataract. Now we have nuances In Xataka | The US is preparing a shipment of F-35s, Apache helicopters and missiles. And his destiny is in front of Cádiz: arming Morocco

Norway debuts its first bus without supervision on board

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Mobility is undergoing a brutal transformation and it is not just due to electrification: total automation is just around the corner. We have seen it in tests, but Norway has just taken a step forward: It is the first time in its history and a pioneering case in Europe in which a bus goes from pilot tests with a human driver on board to real autonomous commercial operation. In a nutshell: a fully autonomous bus, without a driver just in case The new Norwegian autonomous bus. A few days ago the General Directorate of Highways of Norway gave the green light to the operators Vy and Kolumbus to eliminate that driver in case the flies from the testing area in Stavenger, present since 2022. This authorization allows operating on public transport routes without supervision since it reaches a high autonomy, Level 4 according to the SAE scale. That is, it does not require human intervention: if it detects an error that it cannot resolve, the vehicle looks for a safe place to stop. The vehicle is the Karsan e-ATAK, equipped with ADASTEC autonomous driving software and managed through the xFlow fleet management system, developed by Applied Autonomy. It can travel up to 50 km/h day or night and in any weather condition. It is capable of autonomously managing stops, loading and unloading of passengers, intersections and traffic lights. Why is it important. Although SAE Level 4 autonomous buses can now drive themselves under certain conditions, until now they still required a safety operator on board for legal or technical reasons. And although we have been hearing about completely autonomous vehicles for years, in practice in real environments they are rare and even more so in bus format. Stavenger breaks the pattern in urban public transportation with a system designed for a single remote operator to supervise several vehicles at the same time, which opens the door to scale autonomous transportation in areas where hiring human drivers is not viable. This advance has its relevance in terms of costs, which can translate into being able to operate routes during low demand times or in peripheral areas where there is no rental. On the other hand, automation eliminates human error, responsible for the vast majority of traffic accidents. This system does not get tired and is also optimized to optimize consumption. Context. It all started with a specific problem: Forus is one of the most important industrial areas in Norway (there are 3,000 companies and 40,000 people working there), but public transportation was scarce and insufficient. So in 2018 Kolumbus deployed there its first autonomous vehicle, an EasyMile EZ10 electric minibus as a last mile solution: transported people from the main stop to the offices using laser sensors to map the environment in 3D and connected to a remote control center. It was small, slow and operated in a closed area, but it planted the seed. Since that pilot project, the evolution has been progressive, slowly but surely: in 2022 a full-size bus was already deployed in open traffic and from 2023 opera on a more demanding line that involves lane changes when there is traffic, higher speeds or tunnels. Leaving the Nordic countrythere are tests in Germany or Finland, in American cities such as Detroit and Jacksonville and if we go to Asia, since June 2024 China is already testing the first tests of autonomous driving on public roads and Singapore also has a pilot program. How have they done it. The project is a consortium: Karsan manufactures the bus, ADASTEC provides the autonomous driving software, Applied Autonomy supplies the xFlow control center for remote monitoring and assistance, Vy Buss operates the service, and Kolumbus is the public transport authority. The Rogaland County Council and the Municipality of Stavanger are the owners of the road and approved the route, while the Highway Directorate authorized driving in autonomous mode. The project has been gaining trust step by step. The video of 2018 It already shows the basics of operation: LiDAR sensors to see the environment, high-precision 3D maps to know the exact position, and a remote control center that supervises the operation. The consortium applied this same logic but on a real urban scale. On the other hand, Stavanger also has exclusive bus lanes, which considerably simplifies the operation. Yes, but. The road from Forus to the center of Stavanger has taken eight years. Scaling this to the rest of the world will also be slow. A paper from 2025 published in Future Transportation identifies cybersecurity, sensor technology and shared lane management among the critical barriers. On a global scale, the industry must overcome everything from legislation to high costs to cybersecurity risks and public trust before eventual deployment. On the other hand, the Norwegian project itself, although it has taken a giant step, recognize which is a trickle: it is in a controlled environment, not a generalized deployment. In Xataka | I have boarded the first autonomous bus that operates in Barcelona. I haven’t noticed any difference with a normal one In Xataka | Madrid has big plans for autonomous buses within the city. And it has started in Mercamadrid Cover | kolumbus and Majestic Lukas

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