Month: April 2026

Looking to reduce fossil fuels in transportation, Hyundai has the solution: a nuclear container ship

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About 80% of world trade is moves by sea. Although it may seem like slower transportation, something key to maintaining prices is moving a large amount of material on each trip, something that is out of the reach of trucks, trains and planes. There, the huge container ships They lead the way with the associated problem of enormous spending on fossil fuels. The industry is looking for alternatives to operate no carbon emissions and Hyundai has a clear path. A nuclear container ship. Pioneer. HD Korea Shipbuilding and Offshore Engineering is the naval branch of the company and, in 2025, they presented a model of container ship nuclear seeking to eliminate emissions of a large ship with electric propulsion powered by a small nuclear reactor. The reactor type would be an SMR with thorium-based fuel and liquid salt as a coolant. After months working on the plan, this 2026 HD and ABS (American Bureau of Shipping) they arrived to an agreement to jointly develop the vessel. This is something that is in the design and subsequent prototype phase, but the agreement between the two lays the foundations for the development of a ship that is expected to be the first nuclear container ship. 16,000 TEU class. The class of a container ship is measured by the TEU, or Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit. Basically, x number of 20-foot-long containers, 16,000 containers at a time in the case of the Hyundai ship. It is far from the 20,000 and 25,000 TEU vesselsbut it will be a step forward in the maritime mobility of the future. Furthermore, the ship will not need to be as massive as others thanks, precisely, to that nuclear propulsion. By replacing the conventional machinery of diesel engines, exhaust systems and huge fuel tanks with a nuclear compartment and electrical systems, there is free space to transport more containers while maintaining the ship’s compact size. Compact within what these monsters are. Armor. To guarantee radiological safety, what this ship must include is a double stainless steel tank shielding system designed to ensure that there are no radiation leaks to both the inhabited areas of the ship and the ocean. The liquid salt itself as a coolant will also act as a safety measure against reactors that require pressurized or boiling water. If SMR stands for ‘Small Modular Reactor‘, MSR respond to ‘Molten Salt Reactor’, and basically means that, in case of emergency, the salt mixture can solidify to stop the reaction, being another security measure. all the sense. For now, the Hyundai ship has received the approval of its partner – an advantage of being the body that is also in charge of these things – but it is a project. The next steps are development and prototype, so there is still no authorization for the construction of the ship. However, it makes perfect sense for container ships to switch to nuclear propulsion. It is something that we have already seen on large ships like aircraft carrier and submarinesand the main advantage (apart from reducing emissions) is that life on the high seas depends solely on how much food can be loaded on board. Obviously, the investment is more expensive initially because it is not cheap to change the mobility paradigm, but it would not be tied to fluctuations in the price of fuel for transportation, something that we have been seeing recurrently in recent years and that, obviously, changes the shipping price. Alternatives. Hyundai is not the only one in this race and its national competitor Samsung also has a project in the oven. China, or Norway, transport heavyweights, They also have concepts of container ships powered by nuclear reactors. In the end, the industry must move because the International Maritime Organization is regulating greenhouse emissions and demanded reductions of 20% by 2030 with the aim of achieving neutrality by 2050. A render of China’s nuclear container ship In that sense, maritime transport not only represents 80% of the transport of all goods, but is responsible for 3% of global CO2 emissions of human origin. Now, nuclear electric motors are not the only way and recently we are seeing that the industry is exploring the path of battery electrification and even the return of a technology that seemed forgotten: the candles. Image | hyundai In Xataka | The West stopped building nuclear power plants because they were too expensive: China is teaching it a lesson

Two gigantic submarine cables between Spain and Italy, among the large European electrical interconnection projects

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The European Union is immersed in a full energy transformation at two levels: the transition towards renewable sources and a structural change deep, so that success depends less on each country’s individual generation and more on the ability to move that energy efficiently across borders. In this framework, the European Network of Electricity Transmission Network Operators (ENTSO-E) works on a continental grid that eliminates technical bottlenecks. An example: the energy island called the Iberian Peninsula. The objective is for energy to flow from areas with surplus to others with deficit, preventing it from being trapped without a commercial outlet due to lack of transportation capacity. With that logic, the ENTSO-E just published its complete portfolio of the Ten-Year Network Development Plan 2026 with almost 200 transmission projects, 22 of them completely new. Among these novelties there are two particularly important for the Iberian Peninsula: they connect Spain with Italy. The cables. Apollo Link and Iberia Link are two high-voltage direct current submarine cable projects that would cross the Mediterranean to connect the Iberian Peninsula with northern Italy. They are independent of each other but share the same mission: to create a direct electric highway between an area with great renewable generation capacity such as Spain and one of the industrial regions with the highest electricity consumption in Europe, northern Italy. None of the projects has support from the transport network operators of each state, Red Eléctrica and Terna, respectively, but rather They are initiatives of private investors of Italian origin whose identity has not been revealed. Why is it important. The emerging continental grid is vital for the decarbonization of the continent as it allows the full use of renewable energy surpluses: Spain is one of the leaders in solar and wind energy (Italy stands out in solar, but not so much in wind) and this interconnection makes it possible that when there is excess production in the Iberian Peninsula, that clean energy can supply Italian demand instead of being left without a commercial outlet due to lack of transport capacity. The foreseeable net flow would be predominantly from west to east, although the connection would also allow energy to be imported from Italy in times of shortage on the Peninsula. But for the Iberian Peninsula it is even more relevant: this future east-west corridor allows its surpluses to be evacuated to the rest of Europe, thus ending its limited interconnection capacity. And also something essential: this connection provides security of supply (as evidenced the blackout) and the possibility of coupling markets to reduce electricity prices for the final consumer. Context. The Iberian Peninsula is considered an energy island within Europe. Its interconnection capacity with France round 3,000 MW, far below of the 15% target of installed capacity established by European regulations. And this has consequences: in times of high renewable generation, prices become negative within the peninsula and surplus energy cannot be exported. In times of scarcity, it cannot be easily imported either. This is just one of the projects that seek to end the energy isolation of the peninsula: they are also on the table the Bay of Biscay submarine cable planned for 2028 and included in all PCI lists since 2013. And under construction is a new northern interconnection of Portugal with Galicia which will add an extra 1,000 MW of exchange capacity. On the other hand, the trans-Pyrenean projects in Navarra and Aragon they are still blocked and with no date on the horizon to unclog them. Retail. Some technical curiosities of both cables: Apollo Link is the more ambitious of the two. It consists of an interconnection between Spain and northern Italy with a capacity of 2 GW planned to enter service in 2032. It would implement the most modern standard for long-distance underwater transmission for bidirectional control and minimize losses, bipolar HVDC technology with VSC converters. It would operate with the standard adopted by the European industry of 525 kV, facilitating interoperability. Its capacity allows it to supply several million homes. According to its promoters, it would generate more than 300 million euros annually in net social benefits. Iberia Link shares the same technology and operating voltage, but has a lower capacity: 1.2 GW. What distinguishes it is its length: 1,034 kilometers of submarine cable between southern Spain and northern Italy, which would make it one of the longest underwater electrical links in the world. It has no published entry into service date. Specifications of both cables. TYNDP map Yes, but. That they are included in the TYNDP 2026 is the prerequisite to qualify for the status of Project of Common Interest that opens the doors to community financing and an accelerated regulatory framework, but for the moment the situation of both is “under consideration”, which means that they are in the study phase and do not yet have European regulatory approval: they will have to pass the cost-benefit analyzes of the ENTSO-E to take the first step to materialize (we will know in the last quarter of 2026). And furthermore, they do not have the support of state operators, nor permits or approved layout because they are in preliminary phases. Likewise, the history of blocking similar projects invites caution. But even if they became a reality, these projects would only partially mitigate the electrical isolation of the peninsula: they are only 3.2GW of the 10-15GW of total interconnection necessary to truly influence the European market. 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 | ENTSOE

Japan has once again asked its citizens what they hate most about tourists. The answers have revealed them again

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In Japan, millions of people travel every day on one of the most punctual railway networks in the world, where delays of just seconds can generate public apologies. During rush hours, some urban trains exceed levels 180% occupancyforcing every gesture inside the car to be optimized. In such an environment, even the smallest details can make a difference. One country and the same question. Japan has repeated a social experiment that we counted a year ago and that says much more than it seems: ask its citizens what bothers them most about tourists. As we said, it is not the first time he has done it and, in fact, the previous year he had already put the focus on trains as one of the spaces where the most friction is generated between locals and visitors. Therefore, one could say that repetition is not coincidental, but rather a way of measuring whether culture shock changes over time or, on the contrary, remains stable. And what happened a year later it’s revealing: The responses have evolved in nuances, but they have once again pointed out the same underlying problem. Noise as a symptom, not as a problem. If there is one fact that stands out in the new survey, it is that almost seven out of every ten respondents place the noisy conversations and disorderly behavior as the biggest nuisance caused by tourists. It is not just a question of volume, but of context: the train in Japan functions as an almost silent space, where speaking loudly or behaving expansively breaks an unwritten social norm. This same element already appeared in the previous surveyalthough now it is consolidated much more strongly (69.1% of respondents) as the main point of friction. More than a change, it is a confirmation that the culture clash continues to revolve around the same idea: the difference between more expressive cultures and a society that values ​​extreme discretion. From trains to general behavior. Comparing both years, it is surprising how little the catalog of annoyances. Poorly placed luggage, the way of sitting invading space, strong odors or blocking the doors were already present before and continue to appear now with high percentages. This suggests that these are not isolated incidents, but rather repeated patterns that locals easily identify in visitors. Even seemingly minor issues, such as do not move away when opening the doors or not respecting the logic of the flow inside the car, reinforce the idea that the problem is not punctual, but structural. Japan is not discovering new annoyances, it is confirming the same ones. The big difference: what Japan does not blame on tourists. However, there is an interesting nuance that marks a distance from the previous year and that adds depth to the comparison. When general inconveniences are analyzed (that is, those caused by all passengers), elements appear that are not attributed to tourists, how to travel drunk or certain uses of the mobile phone. In the new survey, coughing or sneezing inconsiderately It becomes the main annoyance among locals, something that does not lead the list of tourists. If you will, this introduces an interesting reading: Japan is not pointing out that visitors are responsible for everything, but clearly differentiating between its own problems and those of others. That distinction was already implicit before, but now it appears much more defined. Giving themselves away. In the end, and like last yearthe most striking thing is not what the tourists do, but rather what they reveals Japan about itself when repeating the survey. A year later, the responses once again revolve around respect for personal space, silence and collective order, fundamental pillars of their daily culture. The differences between both surveys are smaller than the similarities, which indicates that the problem is not changing because the root It is cultural and deep. Japan is not discovering new discomforts, it is confirming that its way of understanding public space continues to clash with that of those who come from outside. And by doing so two years in a row, it has made it clear that the question is no longer what tourists do wrong, but to what extent this model of coexistence can adapt to an increasingly global world. Image | tokyoform In Xataka | In 1979, Japan rediscovered a species of rabbit on one of its islands. He then perpetrated an environmental disaster In Xataka | Japan has dozens of “forgotten” islands off the coast of China: it is now preparing for the worst scenario

We knew that olive trees were very old trees, what we did not imagine was that they reached 4,000 years of age.

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The olive tree is undoubtedly one of the most iconic trees in the Mediterranean basin. Olive groves have populated the fields of southern Europe and the Levant since time immemorial, but such is the longevity of this species that the history of some of these trees also dates back to, at least, antiquity. An example of this is the Vouves olive treelocated on the Greek island of Crete. Conservative estimates put it on this tree about 2,000 years. This would imply that in his life he could be a silent witness to events such as the division of the Roman Empire, the fall of Byzantium and the Ottoman Empire and, of course, the birth of contemporary Greece. The most extensive estimates estimate that this tree could reach 4,000 years old. This would not only make it a contemporary of figures such as Pythagoras, Aristotle or Alexander the Great but would also imply that this plant was born in Minoan Crete and was Witness the collapse of the Late Bronze Ageone of the most intriguing events that occurred at the dawn of history as we understand it. But perhaps the most surprising detail of all this is that the Vouves olive tree continues to bear fruit. This has led many to ask, how is this possible? What makes this specimen and its species in general so long-lived? The olive tree (Olea europaea) has a life expectancy that, although it does not reach millennia, does exceed several centuries. It is estimated that the life expectancy of trees of this species around five centuriesalthough there is some debate about it. In this sense, a study published in 2021 in the magazine Dendrochronologyestimated that the majority of “monumental olive trees” had maximum ages ranging between 300 and 500 years. Estimating the age of an olive tree is difficult. We noted at the beginning that estimates of the age of this ancient tree ranged between 2,000 and 4,000 years, a very wide range precisely because of the difficulty involved in calculating the age of these trees. Dendrochronology is based on using the growth rings of tree trunks to estimate their age: how many rings, how many years. Counting rings in a felled specimen is simple, but doing it in a living tree and doing it in an olive tree is another story. The trunks of the olive trees grow irregularly, which implies an apparently chaotic pattern in the rings inside, making counting especially difficult, as I pointed out. a study published in 2013 in the magazine PLOS One. Its curious growth could be related to its longevity. According to Scott Travers, a biologist at Rutgers University, in an article for Forbesone of the “secrets” behind longevity of these trees is in vegetative or clonal reproduction. That is, in the fact that this tree is made up of various cuttings that start from the same root. This, adds Travers, allows this type of plants to survive extreme conditions, including fires, cuts and similar incidents. Another survival trick Travers continues explainingis in the biochemistry of the tree, which offers mechanisms that allow it to repair damaged tissues, as well as defend itself against pathogenic organisms. The same oil that we humans use is used by the tree that gives it to us through its fruits. The elderly around us Spain also has ancient olive trees, although if we want to find a tree that competes in age with the Vouves olive tree, we have to go to Portugal. It would be an olive tree located in Abrantesin the center of Portugal. According to a study carried out by the University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro (UTAD), Mouchao would be the tree that would hold this record with an age that would be around 3,350 years old. Spain also has ancient olive trees and among them all stands out. Arion’s Fargea tree that we can find in the province of Tarragona. The estimated age of this olive tree It is more than 1,700 years old. This implies that this ancient tree would have been planted in the time of Emperor Constantine I. Olive trees are not the only ancient tree species in our environment. Cedars, sequoias and even Canarian dragon trees can also reach ages that would make the biblical Methuselah pale. Olive trees are trees with a long life expectancy but they do not usually fill the lists of the longest living trees on the planet. The two longest-lived non-cloned trees known are two pines called Prometheus and Methuselahwhose ages are estimated to be over 4,000 years old. Both belong (or belonged in the case of Prometheus) to the species Pinus longaevathe “long-lived pine” so this fact is not entirely surprising. When Prometheus was cut, the botanists who analyzed it counted more than 4,800 rings, so they estimated its age to be about 4,900 years. Estimates indicate that Methuselah has also surpassed by decades the 4,800 year old mark. If we include clonal organisms we can find older trees. For example, the Pando forestconsidered the largest living organism on the planet, composed of thousands of cuttings from the same clonal tree, could have about 80,000 years old according to some estimates. In Xataka | A retiree planted a tree in 2003 in one of the most dangerous areas of Sao Paulo. Today it is an amazing “jungle” of the city In Xataka | We have found the oldest tree in the EU and it has been installed for 1,500 years in a very special place: Teide Image | Eric Nagle, CC BY-SA 4.0 This article was originally published in Xataka in April 2025.

science is in the middle

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In the crowded nutrition and supplements market, the collagen Hydrolyzed has emerged as one of the products that many people take daily with the thought that it will improve their joints and bones so that they become rejuvenated again. And it is no wonder, because there are promises of unbreakable articulations, eternally young skin and fracture-proof bones flooding social networks. But science has a lot to say here. Some statements. Skepticism can be maximum when taking these supplements that are sold to us as almost a miracle for health. In this way, there are some voices like that of Santiago Segura that they point to speeches of disappointment: “I was taking collagen for my bones, but I read that it’s like eating a computer to be smarter.” But… Are you right in saying that it is useless? The science here is quite clear: it is not a miracle, but it is not something harmless that we take every day. Collagen in the body. At a purely biological level, type I collagen functions as the main protein of the structural matrix of bone tissue, that is, as if they were the scaffolding for later bricks. Once we took this into account, science wanted to see how its construction works. The supplement problem. Within scientific logic, when we swallow a collagen pill and it reaches the stomach, it is literally broken down by stomach acids. In this way, when it is decomposed, it loses its main function, since it has to be absorbed into small amino acids that make up proteins such as collagen. The problem here is that the body does not know that we have taken collagen, but instead it detects that there are a series of amino acids that are like its bricks for future proteins. In this way, very varied proteins can be built in the blood, but it may not end up forming this collagen that we want to go to the bone or cartilage. And this is what explains why some are big detractors of taking collagen. What does science say? Here the studies have not been so catastrophic in pointing out that the body is capable of absorbing protein peptides in the intestine and they can act in target areas. Here the difference is that peptides are a small protein fragment of several amino acids, which does not resemble collagen, which is the complete protein, but it does something. We have an example in a meta-analysis published in 2025 which concluded that supplementation with hydrolyzed collagen significantly increases bone mineral density in critical areas such as the spine and neck of the femur. In the case of postmenopausal women. an acquaintance 2018 clinical trial showed that a dose of 5 grams per day of specific collagen peptides for 12 months managed to increase bone mineral density and improve biomarkers compared to a placebo group. This is something fundamental, because we are talking about a group of people who are very prone to bone problems. Furthermore, a 4-year follow-up published in 2021 confirmed these long-term effects in this same demographic group with osteopenia or osteoporosis. More evidence. A 2026 large systematic review on musculoskeletal health group tests pointing to consistent and clinically relevant benefits for both bone and muscle, although it warns that the level of evidence is intermediate. And once again we see that it is not at all a miracle for everyone, nor does it replace good treatment for bone problems. The small print. Despite these positive data, science also puts a handbrake on the excessive expectations that they sometimes try to sell us. In this case, many of the studies carried out to date are relatively small, of short duration or have a very heterogeneous design without focusing on a similar population. In addition to all this, we must remember that we are not dealing with a drug, but rather a dietary supplement. For health problems, once again we must remember that you should consult a doctor who will evaluate the medical treatments currently approved for osteoporosis, such as bisphosphonates. But ‘take for the sake of taking’ is not the best strategy, as with other supplements. A winning combo. If you are going to take collagen expecting real benefits in your bones, science indicates that it is not enough to take an isolated pill and wait for a miracle. In this case, it must be taken into account that the best collagen is the one that is specifically hydrolyzed, and its composition is also validated and supported. Patience is also essential here, since it has to be taken for several months and the positive effects are much more relevant when collagen is combined with a diet rich in calcium and vitamin D, added to physical exercise. Images | GRANAT In Xataka | There are people obsessed with magnesium as a supplement when the best way is to put it directly into your diet

The developers who get the most out of AI are also the ones who sleep the least: it’s called "AI psychosis"

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Andrej Karpathy, co-founder of OpenAI and who coined the term vibe codinghas been in what he describes as a state of “AI psychosis” since December. He works 16 hours a day directing swarms of code agents. And he admits that he feels “extremely nervous” when he has left tokens without consuming at the end of the month. This has been admitted in an interview with Sarah Guo. It is not an isolated case but rather the pattern that is beginning to repeat itself among the developers who get the most out of this type of agents. Why is it important. The dominant narrative about AI has been that of unlimited productivity and the famous “10x“What is beginning to be documented is its dark side: the most intensive users are also those who show the most worrying signs of behavioral deterioration. And they are not anecdotal profiles. Garry Tan, CEO of an entire Y Combinator, has called his own experience “cyber psychosis“. A CTO picked up by Axios says he needs prescription medication to sleep. If the most productive tools in history generate the same patterns in their most intensive users as games of chance, the debate about the impact of AI at work enters another dimension. In Xataka Having an AI on my phone that works without an Internet connection is more useful than I thought: this way you can start it Between the lines. Karpathy’s nervousness at the tokens Being left unused is the behavioral signature of someone who has internalized scarcity as a threat, exactly the same mechanism that keeps a gambler hooked on a slot machine. Developer Armin Ronacher talked about this in January: “Many of us fell into code addiction with agents. We barely slept, we built incredible things.” The context. Agents like Claude Code either Codex from OpenAI do not work like a chatbot that is asked a question. They operate autonomously for hours, writing, testing, and deploying code while the developer monitors, fixes, and re-delegates. The promise is enormous and so is the cognitive cost: the human brain is not designed to supervise processes that advance at machine speed during 16-hour days. {“videoId”:”x9f93vm”,”autoplay”:false,”title”:”Claude Code Presentation”, “tag”:””, “duration”:”234″} Yes, but. Programmers have always had a reputation for working in marathons of concentration. Sleepless nights before a launch are part of industry folklore. What distinguishes this phenomenon is its compulsive nature and its continuity: it is not the specific pressure of a deadlinebut an activation that does not turn off when the job ends, because with an agent that can keep running, the job never completely ends. In Xataka |I have lived the “miracle” of vibe coding: this is how I programmed an Android TV app without having any idea about programming Featured image | Anthropic (function() { window._JS_MODULES = window._JS_MODULES || {}; var headElement = document.getElementsByTagName(‘head’)(0); if (_JS_MODULES.instagram) { var instagramScript = document.createElement(‘script’); instagramScript.src=”https://platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js”; instagramScript.async = true; instagramScript.defer = true; headElement.appendChild(instagramScript); – The news The developers who get the most out of AI are also the ones who sleep the least: it’s called “AI psychosis” was originally published in Xataka by Javier Lacort .

If your hard drives disconnect on their own, an underpowered USB Hub may be to blame. With these you won’t have that problem

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If you usually use a hub to connect hard drives, mice, keyboards and other accessories or peripherals, perhaps at some point it has happened to you that they disconnect randomly. That’s especially worrying with hard drives, because you can lose data. Today we are going to tell you why the problem is not the hard drive, but surely the hub USB you have. The price could vary. We earn commission from these links How does a hub Hub without external power. The hubSpeaking of models that do not require external power, they are accessories that generally have fairly low prices, although it depends a lot on the brand. They act like port multipliersince connecting them to a single port on the computer (generally USB-A or USB-C) allows us to connect two or more devices to the hub. They are usually quite cheap, small and there is a wide variety to choose from, with different formats (elongated, square and even round). To use them you only have to connect them to a USB port on your computer, without the need to also connect them to a power outlet. AND here is its main limitation. The energy required to use it comes directly from the computer, so the power will be limited to what the port offers. Furthermore, the maximum power is always divided by the hub (so that it can work) and the number of devices that we connect. To give you an idea, a standard USB 3.0 gives 900 mA. A mechanical hard drive can require almost all of that to boot. If you add a keyboard with lights, the system collapses. How does a hub with external power Hub with external power. The hub with external power they are less frequent, more expensive and often larger. Here we can identify the hub assets, which are usually cheaper, and Docking Stationwhich are larger and come with more ports, including some video ones. With this type of hub We are not so limited to the power that the computer’s USB port can offer. In practice, this means that in many cases the power does not have to be divided when connecting two or more devices, although there are exceptions: some USB ports of the hub Active devices require so much energy that they prioritize these ports, something that we can see in those USB-C (Power Delivery) that are aimed at charging devices such as mobile phones compatible with fast charging. It is worth mentioning that the hubs assets come with a USB-C PD (Power Delivery) port. They don’t come with a transformer, but if you connect the laptop charger to them, they become “powered.” And… what are they for? Both the hub assets like Docking Station They are ideal if you are looking to connect devices that require high power, such as mobile phones, monitors or hard drives and SSD drives. By way of differentiation: It’s a hub passive if: It just has a short cable coming out of it and nothing else. It’s a hub active if: It has an extra port that says “DC 5V” or “USB-C Power Delivery (PD).” It is a Docking Station if: It is large, heavy, has its own power brick (like that of a laptop) and has video connectors such as DisplayPort or several HDMIs. The good and the bad of both options, face to face Hub without external power hub with external power THE GOOD 🟢 They are cheaper, more compact and lighter. They offer better stability when connecting many devices and usually have a greater number and variety of ports. THE BAD 🔴 The power is limited to what the computer’s USB port offers, so you may experience power outages in certain cases. They are more expensive and tend to be larger and heavier. Ideal for: Keyboards, mice, microphones or flash drives (pendrive). Mobile phones with fast charging, hard drives and SSD drives and monitors. We do the math to see which one can compensate you more. Both options have their positive and negative points, so the choice lies in how we are going to use them. If it is still not completely clear to you, let’s see it with an example. If you want to use a hub sporadically because you are not going to connect many devices at the same time, it may be worth it to buy a hub without external power. Actual use: Let’s say you want to connect two low-power devices. The accounts: You save between 70 and 80 (or more) euros between the cost of a hub without external power and another with external power. Also, if you chose this second option, you would not be squeezing it, since you are going to connect low-power devices. So? If you want to connect a mouse and keyboard (because they are wired or because you want to recharge them) and you still have a free USB port on your computer to connect a hard drive, this type of hub It can serve you very well. However, if what you want is to connect several devices, low or high power, and you do not have any more free USB ports on the computer or they are in an area that is not easily accessible to use them, it will be more useful for you to go for a hub with external power. Actual use: Let’s say you want to connect many devices to the hubsome need more and others less power. The accounts: You pay more for this type of hubbut it allows you to connect practically any device. So? You can have a greater number of connected devices (depending on the hub), and it will give you “the same” what to connect, whether it is a keyboard or a hard drive because it will offer a stable connection. Also, as a utility, if you have the computer under the desk or in some area that is difficult to access, you will not have to bend down to … Read more

a ship moves at the speed of a bicycle

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The war in Iran was supposed to blow up the world economy. However, as analyst Max Fisher points out in his recent explanatory videoIf we look out the window today, we do not see an apocalyptic landscape worthy of Mad Max. What we see is, simply, a somewhat battered economy. Were the catastrophic forecasts wrong? At all. The light we see through the window is “a mirage.” The war detonated like a distant bomb: we have seen the flash, but the shock wave has not yet reached us. To understand the reason for this delay, you have to look at the sea. A supertanker is a steel giant that measures four football fields long, carries millions of barrels and weighs more than a skyscraper. Due to its colossal dimensions, it travels at about 10 or 15 knots. That is, at the speed of a bicycle. Our global supply lines travel at the pace of a cycling peloton. When the conflict broke out and the tap was turned off in the Persian Gulf, There was still a huge amount of crude oil pedaling slowly and silently across the oceans towards Europe, Asia and America. This logistical inertia is what has created the false sense of normality that we experience today. A monumental traffic jam According to data from Bloombergthere are more than 800 vessels stuck in the Gulf, 70% of them loaded with crude oil and fuel. Guardian raises the number to 2,000 if we add freighters and cruise ships, with some 20,000 sailors on board trapped for almost a month and a half. The real impact on the numbers is scary. An investigation of Al Jazeera based on data from Kpler reveals that in just 40 days of conflict 206 million barrels have disappeared from the market. To give us an idea, that amount would fill 103 supertankers (VLCC), marine beasts that, when standing, would equal the height of the Eiffel Tower. Exports from Iraq have plummeted by 82%, and those from Kuwait and Qatar by more than 70%. So why are there no massive blackouts in the West? As Max Fisher explainsWestern governments, through the International Energy Agency (IEA)have released millions of barrels from their emergency reserves. This, added to financial speculators betting on peace, has kept prices artificially low. But these measures are “punctual tricks”, patches that will run out just when the last ships that left before the war reach their destinations. The ceasefire deception The announcement of a “two-week ceasefire” has given a small respite to the markets, but the reality is rather stubborn. In statements to Reutersthe director of the IEA, Fatih Birol, was blunt: the current crisis is “more serious than those of 1973, 1979 and 2022 combined.” Analysts agree that it is not enough to sign a piece of paper to get the machinery back on track. The column lex of Financial Times warns that the world has lost about 600 million barrels. Even producing an extra million barrels a day, it will take almost two years to recover pre-conflict inventories. Added to this is physical destruction. Iran and its adversaries have damaged vital infrastructure. As we have explained in XatakaQatar has lost 17% of its liquefied natural gas (LNG) capacity and could take three to five years to repair. The imminent result will be what economists call “demand destruction”which Fisher starkly illustrates: things won’t disappear, but there will be a lot fewer of them. We will see airlines canceling flights due to the prohibitive price of fuel, less fertilizers (which will make food more expensive), factories stopped and construction materials through the roof. Great collateral damage: debt This crisis does not only affect gasoline pumps. An analysis of Foreign Affairs alert of an invisible global threat: the debt. With energy prices rising, inflation will skyrocket, forcing the United States to raise interest rates. This could trigger a wave of massive defaults in developing countries, a tragic echo of the debt crisis of the 1980s. Unlike past crises, today rich countries also have no lifeline. Ruchir Sharma, in his opinion column for Financial Timespoints out that G7 governments carry debt levels greater than 100% of their GDP. They have literally “run out of political ammunition” to subsidize fuel for their citizens. So why not extract oil from somewhere else? Because, as the geologist interviewed by explains The Conversationthe Persian Gulf is a unique whim of nature. It concentrates half of the world’s oil and 40% of the gas in just 3% of the earth’s surface. It is irreplaceable in the short term. The Tehran toll: the lesser evil Faced with this impasse, a proposal that is as controversial as it is pragmatic has emerged: that Iran control the Strait and charge a toll of about 2 million dollars per ship. According to a report from think tank European BruegelAlthough this violates international law, it would make economic sense. The study shows that 85% of this toll would be absorbed by the Gulf producing countries themselves. For the average European or Asian consumer, it would only mean a few cents more per barrel. A lesser evil compared to a total blockade that enriches Russia with the rise in crude oil. The spring mirage in which we live has an expiration date. During these hot months, Europe and Asia should be filling their strategic reserves in the face of the cold. Instead, they are emptying them. As Max Fisher warns, when hundreds of millions of people turn on the heat in December and January, the real oil crisis will hit with full force. In the long term, we can see only one real way out: avoiding oil altogether. This war will make it clear to world leaders that depending on such a volatile region is an unaffordable risk, forcing a drastic acceleration towards electric vehicles and renewable energy. In the meantime, we will continue waiting. Because the hyperconnected and technological economy of the 21st century has just discovered, the hard way, that its heart … Read more

The entire global electricity grid, in an impressive interactive map that shows the evolution of the energy transition

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There are few infrastructures as complex and essential to living in the world as we know it as the electrical grid, which in practice for most mortals is reduced to touching a switch or connecting a plug to the socket and it works. Behind the world’s electrical infrastructure there is a huge conglomerate of equipment, careful planning and uses that are changing (among other things, due to the now so famous data centers). It is not the only thing that is being transformed: the energy transition is making it possible for those resources that once supplied the electrical grid to give way to renewable energies. But not all countries in the world have the same density of electrical networks or the same sources, because in fact there are real black holes in this very complete world map of the electrical network. Is called OpenGridWorks and is an interactive map of the entire world’s electrical infrastructure, from a small solar plant to the great lines that cross continents. And we already told you that it attracts attention not only for the beauty of the chromatic compositions, but also for practical purposes: from planning an engineering project to analyzing energy policy. Opengridworks This map is actually a web platform for geospatial visualization of electrical infrastructure. All its data comes from OpenStreetMap, the world’s largest open, collaborative geographic database, maintained by volunteers and experts on an ongoing basis. This guarantees global coverage, constant updating and completely free access. But for network and infrastructure data it uses information from Global Energy Monitor or the United States Energy Information Administration, among others. Its purpose is to show, in a clear and interactive way, where electricity is generated, how it travels through the grid and where consumption is concentrated. It is worth stopping at the layers and all the information it shows because as we warned you before it is very complete, so if you leave all the options activated you will find yourself in a mess. If you move on the map and get closer, you will be able to see information such as: What technology provides the energy in the form of a colored bubble: blue for hydroelectric, red for thermal, yellow for solar, green for wind and purple for nuclear. The size of each bubble represents the installed capacity in MW Transmission lines are drawn thicker the higher their voltage (from 100 kV to 765 kV) and substations appear as nodes where these lines converge. Data centers also appear in the shape of a white diamond as they are points of intensive consumption. On the other hand, easement strips (ROW) appear as shaded areas around lines and facilities. Opengridworks But you will also be able to see additional information when you hover the pointer over any of the points. An example: when touching the Montes de Cierzo wind farm in Tudela, we will see that it is in operation and the energy it provides. What the global electrical map reveals about the energy transition Playing with the zoom and scrolling you quickly discover that there are areas of saturation and others that are a desert of infrastructure. From an engineering point of view, the map allows you to search for the closest interconnection point for a new project or detect nodes whose failure would leave regions without supply. Beyond engineering, it is an energy policy tool: it highlights the electrification gaps in developing countries, shows the real progress of renewables compared to fossil fuels, and allows the resilience of different national networks to be compared. AND abysmal differences are observed. Opengridworks The densest networks They are concentrated in the United States, central Europe and China, while sub-Saharan Africa and central Asia show very poor coverage that reveals an electrical blackout. In South America, the areas with the most infrastructure are on the Atlantic coast, although there are also some timid points on the Pacific coast. However, inside we barely find more than a fade to black. The colors of energy sources also change on the map, still dominated by thermal generation, although in Western Europe and China the advance of solar and wind power is a reality already perfectly visible. This map also reveals curiosities such as that nuclear plants always appear next to rivers or coasts due to cooling needs and hydroelectric plants are concentrated in the large river systems of the world. The data centers are also not placed at random, but are clustered near large transmission nodes to ensure supply. In Xataka | How much electricity each country on the map produces with renewable energy, displayed on a graph In Xataka | The amount of nuclear energy generated by each country, detailed in this interactive map Cover | OpenGrid Works

a “free city” in the heart of Copenhagen

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In September it will be 55 years since the birth of Christianiaa place as peculiar as it is unknown to so many people. I myself admit that I had never heard of this “social experiment”, as they called themselves at least initially, until I visited Copenhagen. And what is Christiania? Well, a neighborhood located right in the heart of the Danish capital, and at the same time separated from the world. A self-governed and independent neighborhood, where more than a thousand people live together in peace and oblivious to social norms. Getting there is shocking. You walk through a normal and ordinary city, and suddenly you stand in front of a door, or rather a sign, that delimits the entrance. And when you cross it, you immerse yourself in a completely different place than where you came from. Going through that door is like entering a time machine. Suddenly you don’t hear the traffic or the noise of the crowd. Only calm, the passing of bicycles, calm voices, guitars, songs and even the chirping of birds. Formerly the Christiania lands belonged to the army, but they abandoned it back in 1971. It was then when a group of young people met and “took” those lands and their corresponding barracks to found a free community that still endures today, despite the multitude of battles they have had to fight with politicians and law enforcement. Many of these battles come caused by drug sales inside Christiania. At first they were allowed, but that ended up getting out of hand and “legality” was limited to soft drugs. On Pusher Street you can find marijuana plants everywhere, and even stands selling hashish. (Unsplash) Surely this is the main reason why taking photos there is frowned upon, and not what they argue that a photo does not reflect the spirit of the neighborhood. But when it comes to hard drugs, you won’t find anything. In fact, to avoid problems with the police, it is the residents of Christiania themselves who are first interested in ensuring that they do not appear on their streets. The idyllic corner of Copenhagen Christiania has a beautiful lake surrounded by paths where the homes of its inhabitants are located. The houses are each more unique and striking, with the most peculiar shapes and colors. In them, you can find people of all kinds. Without going any further, I met an old man who was building a boat. And they don’t bother to close their houses. They don’t believe in private property. In Christiania sharing is a way of life. Recycling is a norm, and they take advantage of all kinds of seemingly useless things. So you can find benches, chairs, or sculptures built with scrap metal and the like. But although it may sound poor, the workmanship of these artists turns them into the most homely and valuable objects. Christiania is famous for its “Cristianiabikes”, bicycles that they themselves invented with a kind of box in the front, which has spread throughout Copenhagen with the aim of transporting the little ones in the house on it. (Unsplash) They also have their own mail systemits restaurants (vegetarian), exhibition halls, daycare, shops and even concerts. Without going any further, characters and groups of the stature of Bob Dylan, Alanis Morissete, Blur, Portishead, Green Day, Rage Against The Machine and Eric Clapton have performed in Christiania. If you go to Copenhagen, don’t miss the opportunity to visit a magical place. A small neighborhood that flees from social norms and impositions, to live in its own style. You will feel welcomed and at peace. You can get lost in its paths surrounding the lake, fall in love with its houses, listen to the silence in the heart of Copenhagen. And when the time comes to leave and you cross that kind of door, or frame, again, you will be able to read its characteristic message: “You are now entering the EU” (You are entering the European Union.) They consider themselves a world apart. They are. In Xataka | Schrödinger’s tourists: Japan both wants and does not want more visitors to come to the country In Xataka | Americans are the only way for Spain to reach 100 million tourists. And something is going wrong

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