Month: June 2026

Claude Fable 5 is the most powerful public AI model in history. Also the most expensive, exclusive and frustrating

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When Anthropic presented Claude Mythos Preview two months ago, he did it with a singular message: it is so powerful that you will not be able to use it. That, of course, caused everyone to want access to it. Well: Anthropic has just introduce Claude Fable 5 and Claude Mythos 5its new AI models directly derived from that. There is good news, but also bad news. Like Mythos, but capped as a precaution. Anthropic already warned that Claude Mythos Preview was a spectacular tool for finding security vulnerabilities. That made it especially juicy for cybercriminals, so the company decided that only a few trusted entities (under its Project Glasswing) would have access to the model. That learning has now been applied, because in this announcement we have two different (and layered) versions of the model: Claude Fable 5: a model with all the capabilities of Mythos Preview, but with notable security measures that prevent it from being used for malicious purposes. As soon as the model detects that we are asking something “dangerous”, it avoids the question and even forces the use of an inferior model, Claude Opus 4.8. Clear examples: questions about cybersecurity or the development of biological weapons, for example. Claude Mythos 5: This version is somewhat less capable than Fable 5 in terms of cybersecurity, but will only be available to “a small group of cyber defenders and infrastructure providers.” It is the natural heir to Mythos Preview, and according to its creators it is even better than the original version. Claude Fable 5 / Mythos 5 simply sweeps the most demanding benchmarks on the planet. There have never been more powerful models. Anthropic’s internal testing shows that we are facing the most powerful AI models in history. In all benchmarks – including the new FrontierCode programming, much more demanding than SWE Bench Pro – the scores of Claude Fable 5 and Mythos 5 are simply spectacular, well above those of their rivals. The jump from Claude Opus 4.8 is really surprising, but it leaves GPT-5.5 and Gemini 3.1 Pro far behind (they don’t compare with the recent 3.5 Flash). This is a brutal blow to Anthropic’s table, and we will see how both OpenAI and Google respond. Claude Fable 5 is amazing. Ethan Mollick, well-known AI popularizer, has had access to Fable 5 for a few days and is amazed by the experience. With this model he has managed to complete projects such as east of the isochronic map that previous models had never solved, and it has done it almost “the first time”. In one of the cases Fable 5 worked for 9 and a half hours straight to produce a code called Concord of data analysis. Their conclusions are compelling: Last year (when working with GPT-5 Pro) I called him “work with a magician”: you recite the spell and something happens. With Fable, the spell has become so powerful that I’m no longer sure I’m the wizard. I feel more like a patron. I describe what I want, pay for it and evaluate the result. The conspiracy takes place somewhere I can’t see, in hundreds of small decisions over which I never have a say. Work has gone from being a process to being a result. I no longer direct; charge. The criticism is unanimous. Andrej Karpathy, who recently signed by Anthropic, commented on X how this is a qualitative leap that for him is of the same relevance as the one that Claude 4.5 represented in November. That model began the overtaking of OpenAI: this puts it even further away (at least, for now). Other tweetersemployees or not from Anthropic, make it clear that this is an important leap in the capabilities of AI models. It’s only been a few hours since the launch, but everything points because we are indeed facing a notable leap in quality. Consume tokens like there’s no tomorrow. But in the face of that fascination, the criticism. Discussions on Reddit reveal how users who have started using it have quickly detected the problems associated with this release. The first of them: Claude Fable 5 burns tokens like there is no tomorrow. Its consumption is enormous, and the quotas for Pro and even Max accounts run out in minutes if we use the model intensively. If it already seemed to us that we were exhausting the limits of the free or quick payment accounts, with Claude Fable 5 that feeling worsens: Fable 5 is fantastic, but we can barely use it often with the Pro or Max plans because those dreaded messages about waiting X hours to continue using it quickly appear. Extremely cautious. Anthropic has been very serious about avoiding misuse of Fable 5, and as soon as it detects anything suspicious it “brakes” and “downgrades” the model so that at that moment the one that is activated is Claude Opus 4.8 (which is not bad at all). The problem is that users are detecting that the model takes completely harmless prompts as dangerous. Although in Anthropic indicate Although these security measures are activated in less than 5% of sessions, what users are detecting is that they are activated much more. Fable 5 can get silly. Not only that: Fable 5’s own design means that if it encounters a prompt that it detects as dangerous, the model tries to avoid the response and automatically reduces your capabilities (‘nerfing’) without you knowing. It gets a little sillier on purpose, so to speak. As Anthropic itself explains on the system card, We have implemented new measures that limit Claude’s effectiveness in requests related to the development of cutting-edge large-scale language models (LLMs) (for example, in creating pre-training pipelines, distributed training infrastructure, or designing machine learning accelerators). Using Claude to develop competing models already violates our Terms of Service, but enforcing this restriction through our security measures prevents giving an advantage to those users most willing to violate those terms. Unlike our cybersecurity, biology and chemistry interventions, and distillation attempts, … Read more

is becoming a destination for foreign weddings

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In 2025 Japan received 42.7 million of foreign tourists, a flood of visitors from other countries wanting to get out selfies with Fuji in the backgroundsee the geishas of Kyoto, marvel at almond trees in bloom of Fujiyoshida or stroll through the famous (and increasingly dirty) Shibuya crossing. Among these hordes, however, there is a group of travelers with very different plans: their objective is not only tourist for the country. In fact, that is not the ‘highlight’ of their trips. If they go to Japan it is basically to get married. And in doing so they are promoting a huge business. Bodorrio in Japan? that Japan is living a real tourist boom It’s nothing new. In fact, not even the diplomatic crisis that broke out at the end of 2025 with Beijing (and the subsequent boycott by China) seems be taking its toll to the sector. Last year the country received 42.7 million of foreigners, an absolute record that exceeds by 15.8% the 2024 record and further strains the (often tense) coexistence between natives and visitors. What is new is that, in the heat of that tourism accelerated, Japan is encountering an increasingly frequent visitor profile: foreign couples who come to the country to say ‘I do’. There is not much data on the phenomenon and what there is suggests that it is not a generalized or massive trend, but it is clear enough that in the last months have dedicated articles several Japanese newspapers. Ceremony with views of Fuji. The last one to report on the subject has been The Japan Timesthat has interviewed to tourists who have decided to get married in Japan and to some of the companies specialized in organizing ceremonies. Specifically, they have talked with Nomad Weddingsa New Zealand firm that is dedicated to planning weddings and romantic getaways and claims to have served a thousand couples from more than 40 countries since its founding in 2012. It has had a presence in Japan for three years. Among its users there are tourists from Oceania, but also Europe, North America and Latin America. “Our business is growing. It picked up quickly in 2025 and this year I’m traveling all over Japan helping couples get married. It’s definitely becoming more and more popular,” comment its founder, James Hirata, before sharing some data about the agency: from registering about four weekly consultations in 2025, they have gone up to 24 this year. Something similar happens with reserves: last year there were 24; So far in 2026 they have surpassed that figure and are at 69. Not big numbers, right? True, but they represent only the balance sheet of a company. A quick Google search shows that there are more agencies who have decided to bet on that business niche and online guides that explain to foreigners how to manage a wedding in Japan. a few weeks ago The Japan News interviewed in fact to another company, Value Management Co., based in Osaka and which has been dedicated to offering marriage services to foreigners since 2024. Their figures are also modest, but those responsible hope to increase them exponentially in the coming years. The figure: 4.3 billion. Beyond the balance sheets of each wedding agency, the market research firm Future Market Insights helps to understand better the enormous potential of the so-called “destination weddings” in Japan. According to your calculationsin 2036 the sector could reach a valuation of 4.3 billion dollars, more than double the estimated volume in 2026. Taking into account the success of destinations such as Okinawa, the popularity of Japan in other Asian countries (China, South Korea or Taiwan) and the “growing acceptance of non-traditional wedding formats”, the firm expects the business to grow over the next decade at a compound annual rate (CAGR) of 8.5%. What exactly do they offer? The Japan News share the case Specifically, a couple in their thirties from the US who said ‘I do’ in Osaka. Their case is interesting because it helps to understand what exactly brides and grooms who decide to travel thousands of kilometers to pass through the altar are looking for: first they wanted the ceremony to be in a garden, with cherry blossoms and Japanese architecture in the background; Then, after the wedding, several days in the country followed, traveling through Tokyo and Okinawa. In total they were in Japan for 17 days and mobilized about 20 guests, people who also took the opportunity to visit Yakushima, Fuji or Hiroshima. Another example is that of Ben and Ariella Jacobya couple from California who in the spring of 2023 decided to exchange their vows thousands of kilometers from their home, near Lake Kawaguchi, with Fuji as a backdrop. She had never been to Japan. He did and decided he wanted his wedding to take place there. He is not the only one who makes a decision like this. Among the foreigners who come to Okinawa to get married are former US soldiers who return to the region where the Kadena Air Basein which they served. The experience of course does not come cheap for them, just like the rest of the tourists who want to say ‘I do’ in Japan. Hirata explains that budgets fluctuate between 700,000 and one million yen (3,800-5,400 euros) only for the wedding ‘package’; that is, management and coordination, in addition to photography, hairdressing and makeup services. Opportunities… and challenges. The increase in ‘destination weddings’ coincides with the tourism boom that Japan is experiencing and represents an opportunity for a sector (the one dedicated to organizing weddings and their services) that has seen how the domestic market is gradually becoming more complicated: the marriage rate in Japan has collapsed in recent decades and in the country it is increasingly common That couples who do get married do so in simple ceremonies, with few guests. In contrast, foreign brides and grooms are increasingly attracted to Japan’s landscapes, heritage and culture. Also the possibility of linking the wedding with a trip … Read more

cut mountains in half

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Tunnels have saved us from hours of detours into mountains and rocky surfaces for decades. However, it is not the only technique to shorten time and develop new roads that connect cities with each other. In this regard, it is worth telling how China once again demonstrates its ability to transform the landscape with a technique that seems straight out of a science fiction movie: literally cut mountains in half to build roads. Explosives, giant excavators and millimeter planning are what is needed to divide rock formations hundreds of meters high. How the technique works. After a geological study Thoroughly determining the composition of the mountain and planning cuts so that they do not compromise the stability of the terrain, engineers use controlled explosives to create the first fractures, followed by specialized heavy machinery that can dig tens of meters deep per day. The remaining walls are stabilized with metal mesh, shotcrete and drainage systems to prevent slipping. Although it is also true that there is not a single clean pit, since the usual thing is to excavate in phases, in terraces or stepped benches that open from top to bottom. The final result is a clean passage through the mountainwith vertical walls up to 200 meters high that look like someone with a giant knife has gone through them. A technique in multiple regions of China. These ‘cut walls’ can be seen mainly in the mountainous provinces of GuizhouYunnan and Sichuan, where karst terrain and complicated rock formations made traditional tunnel construction impractical. High-profile projects such as the Guiyang-Qianxi Highway or the Taihang Mountain Pass have turned hours-long journeys into minutes-long journeys. It has also been used in the construction of the high speed railway that connects Beijing with Guangzhou, where several sections cross mountains literally split in half. The last great example: Huajiang. The most recent and spectacular case is once again in Guizhou, within the S57 Liuzhi-Anlong highway, where these cutting techniques coexist with one of the most ambitious bridges ever built. The Huajiang Canyon Bridge opened on September 28, 2025 and was presented by China Railway (CREC) as the highest bridge in the world by distance between the roadway and the river, with a height of 625 meters, a length of 2,890 meters and a main span of 1,420 meters. According to China Dailyreduces the canyon crossing from about an hour to just two minutes. Click on the image to see the video Why are tunnels not used?. The decision to cut rather than drill often comes due to technical criteria and specific economics. In terrain with a high concentration of groundwater or unstable rock formations, building tunnels can be more expensive and risky than direct cutting. Additionally, maintenance of an open passage is considerably easier than that of a tunnel, which requires constant ventilation, lighting and drainage systems. In low-lying mountains, cutting also allows for the greater proliferation of heavy vehicles, especially in an economy so dependent on road freight transportation. Beyond China. Although China has perfected and popularized this technique, it is not the only country that uses it. Norway uses similar methods in its fjords, where the characteristics of the terrain make cutting more viable than drilling (although in this country we also have spectacular tunnel projects under construction such as Rogfast). In the United States, the Cumberland Gap Pass in the Appalachians was created using cutting techniques, although on a smaller scale. However, no country matches the ambition and scale of Chinese projects, which have turned mountain cutting into an art. Environmental impact. Although the benefits of using this technique are evident, especially in the aspect of economic development and its effectiveness in connecting remote regions, this technique also generates some debate. around the environmental impact. And this type of construction can end up destroying local ecosystems, altering natural drainage patterns or fragmenting wildlife habitats, not to mention the amount of dust and noise during its construction that can generate millions of tons of waste. It should also be said that it is not the most used technique, since tunnels continue to be the preference except in exceptional cases. Cover image | Zhang Meifang and r/Damnthatsinteresting In Xataka | China has just inaugurated its longest underwater tunnel: 11 kilometers, LEDs everywhere and 1.5 billion investment

CATL wants a battery as powerful as gasoline. And he will trust his plan: lithium-air

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CATL has prepared a very interesting roadmap for us over the next few years. With an energy transition increasingly accentuated in the automotive industry, there are several battery technologies that will fight for permanence in the next decade. Wu Kai, chief scientist of CATL and academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, advertisement At the Equipment and Energy Forum 2026, the company has identified lithium-air technology as the strategic front where the next great global battery battle will be fought. It is the first time that CATL makes this bet officially public. Why this ad matters. CATL controls 47% of the global electric vehicle battery market, according to April 2026 datawhich means we are talking about the world’s largest battery manufacturer by market share. The company has also accumulated five consecutive years as a leader in global energy storage, with a share of 30.4% in 2025. So, when its chief scientist points out a technology as the battlefield of the future, the industry listens. What exactly is a lithium-air battery. Unlike conventional lithium ion batteries, which use heavy metal compounds (nickel, cobalt, manganese) to house lithium ions, lithium-air batteries dispense with that solid cathode and replace these materials with oxygen taken directly from ambient air. The anode is pure metallic lithium. The result is a lighter system with an open architecture, which has led researchers to call them “breathable batteries”. Without so much dead weight inside the cell, the potential energy density skyrockets. The numbers. The theoretical energy density of this technology reaches 12,000 Wh/kg, a figure comparable to that of gasoline, which is around 13,000 Wh/kg. The lithium ion batteries that equip electric cars today offer between 250 and 270 Wh/kg. Solid-state batteries, considered the next big leap, aim for about 500 Wh/kg. The lithium-air prototypes already developed in the laboratory have exceeded 1,200 Wh/kg, more than four times the capacity of current batteries. If this technology were commercialized, we would be talking about electric cars with ranges of more than 1,600 kilometers on a single charge. A problem that comes from the 70s. The lithium-air battery concept is not new. And just as share CarNewsChina, its theoretical foundations were laid out in the 1970s. The problem is that taking it from theory to practice has proven extraordinarily difficult. The cells are very sensitive to humidity and carbon dioxide present in the air, which causes rapid degradation. Added to this are problems with catalyst stability and a very short useful life. But there is real progress. In 2024, a joint team from the University of Illinois Chicago, Argonne National Laboratory and California State University Northridge managed to demonstrate a lithium-air battery capable of exceeding 700 charge cycles in an environment similar to real air. A year later, in 2025, Argonne National Laboratory and the Illinois Institute of Technology developed a prototype that reached 1,200 Wh/kg with a life of 1,000 cycles at room temperature. According to collect CarNewsChina, this design is not expected to be ready for use in vehicles before 2030. The key to the breakthrough was, among other things, replacing liquid electrolytes (which are flammable) with a solid matrix composed of a ceramic polymer with lithium-rich nanoparticles, which stabilizes the cell during high-energy cycles. How does this fit into CATL’s strategy. The company already has experience in converting alternative technologies into market products. An example is sodium-ion batteries, which were proposed by the company in 2020 and This same year they are already being mass producedinstalled in models such as the GAC Aion UT, the Changan Oshan 520 and vehicles from Geely, Chery and FAW. According to explained Kai in the forum, the company’s strategy is planned in the short term to offer mature technologies to meet current demand; in the medium term, solid state batteries to improve the experience in premium vehicles; and in the long term, lithium-air with the intention of exploring the physical limits of energy storage. Between the lines. Betting on lithium-air now is not waiting for a product for next year. Just like points out Gasgoo, for large companies, investing in these frontier technologies serves above all to accumulate patents, secure strategic positions and build technical reserves, not to generate short-term income. It is something like a move to avoid surprises in case another company decides to announce a disruptive technology. Cover image | CATL In Xataka | Peugeot, on PureTech engines: “We recognize that we have done things wrong”

an arsenal of malware that speaks Chinese

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European companies have been living for years with a reality that is difficult to ignore: many digital threats are not born here, but they can also end up reaching their systems, their emails and their internal documents. Sometimes they do it loudly, other times with disguised messages. In this case, what we have seen is precisely that jump. Proofpoint claims that a Chinese-speaking cybercriminal actor initially observed primarily targeting Asian organizations has expanded its campaigns to the United Kingdom, Germany and Italy with an increasingly broad set of tools. Identifying the problem. Proofpoint identifies to the actor as TA4922 and links it to the Chinese-speaking cybercriminal ecosystem through several indications: metadata in Chinese within malware samples, frequent use of infrastructure associated with Chinese providers and overlaps with campaigns such as Silver Fox either Void Arachne. Even so, the company separates this group from those labels and analyzes it as its own threat, probably motivated by money. Europe enters the map. Specialists began observing campaigns associated with TA4922 in spring 2025, but the change in scale came later. The group’s activity increased notably in March 2026 and maintained a high pace in April, with unprecedented operational diversity in its data on this actor. During this period, campaigns appeared aimed at organizations in the United Kingdom, Germany and Italy, as well as South Africa, already within a more global expansion, a sign that the group is no longer limited to its most common objectives in Asia. The hook is in the everyday. The gateway is not always a spectacular vulnerability, but rather a message well adapted to the context of the recipient. Proofpoint describes localized honeypots that imitate human resources communications, payroll notices, tax audits, VAT returns, invoices or regulatory compliance requirements. In some cases, the attempt does not remain in the email: the actor also tries to move the conversation to WhatsApp, LINE either Microsoft Teamschannels where you can extend social engineering away from the usual visibility of corporate email. The toolbox grows. Proofpoint notes that TA4922 has notably expanded its arsenal in recent months, something that fits with the increase in activity seen in March and April 2026. The report mentions several pieces: Atlas RAT, a remote access backdoor recently identified by researchers; RomulusLoader, a loader designed to download and execute new loads; SilentRunLoader, aimed at stealing data from Chrome, and ValleyRAT/Winos4.0, an already documented family. Atlas RAT. This malware can collect system information, list and upload files to the command and control server, load additional plugins or modules, and execute new payloads. It also incorporates surveillance functions, such as keylogger, screenshots, clipboard access and audio or video recording via microphone and webcam. Proofpoint maintains the nuance: it evaluates the actor as financially motivated, but warns that these capabilities could be used or sold to espionage groups. Legitimate tools, malicious use. Part of the problem is that TA4922 does not rely solely on recognizable malware. Proofpoint describes the use of RomulusLoader to install remote administration software such as AnyDesk and SyncFuture, tools that may have legitimate uses within an organization, but in this context serve to extend control over the affected environment. SilentRunLoader completes the picture from another angle: it searches for sensitive Chrome data, including credentials, cookies, and history. Additionally, Proofpoint believes with high confidence that the group is likely using LLM to accelerate the development of new Python-based malware. The warning for Europe. Proofpoint describes an actor capable of moving fast, tailoring messages to the country, and combining malicious payloads with legitimate services, cloud hosting, and remote administration tools. That forces you to look beyond the obvious suspicious email. The company’s recommendations are along these lines: control what is executed and from where, monitor anomalous connections, reduce local privileges and limit the software allowed. The threat is not presented as confirmed espionage, but as a very real business risk. Images | DC Studio In Xataka | Apple has already sold so many iPhones to adults that it’s now going after kids. Convincing their parents first, of course.

The fastest civil aircraft since Concorde has just set its first record. Speed ​​is only part of the story

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For years we have assumed that civil aviation had stopped putting speed at the center of the discourse. The industry moved towards other areas: being more efficient, achieving greater autonomy and improving occupant comfort, especially on long flights. He concorde It remained a reference that was difficult to repeat, almost like a symbolic border from another era. That is why it is striking that Bombardier puts speed back on the table with the Global 8000a business jet that the company bills as the fastest civilian jet since Concorde. And yet, that’s only part of the story. A route with a showcase. The demonstration came with a very specific transatlantic flight. Last June 5Bombardier reported that the Global 8000 had set its first speed record after covering the route between Montreal, Canada, and Nice, France, in just over six hours. The firm explained that the plane was transporting passengers to the Monaco Formula 1 Grand Prix and that among them was Éric Martel, president and CEO of the company. Not only does it show off flight time: it also puts the plane in the terrain for which it was designed. Speed, in figures. One of the big claims of the Global 8000 is its maximum speed of Mach 0.95, a fact that the manufacturer uses to place it above the rest of the business jets. The company also talks about an ultra-fast cruise of Mach 0.92, in addition to a high-speed cruise of Mach 0.90 and a typical speed of Mach 0.85. Added to this is a maximum autonomy of 8,000 nautical miles, about 14,800 kilometers. Further and more places. The other key is how you take off and land. Bombardier claims that the Global 8000 maintains unusual agility for a very long-range aircraft, with performance comparable to that of a light jet in certain runway operations. The explanation lies in its Smooth Flĕx wing, designed to combine low-speed lift and high-speed performance, along with specific leading edge slats. According to the manufacturerthis architecture allows it to operate in up to 30% more airports than its closest rival. The other part of the story. Beyond the flight figures, Bombardier wants the cabin to be another of the great arguments of the Global 8000. The plane can have a large kitchen, Nuage seats, Soleil lighting and connectivity options such as JetWave, Starlink and Gogo Galileo. It also highlights a cabin altitude of 2,691 feet when the aircraft flies at 41,000 feet, a figure that the manufacturer presents as the lowest in production business aviation. The Global 8000 is not understood only by the record. We are talking about a business aircraft capable of flying very fast, sustaining very long-range flights, expanding the range of possible airports and offering a cabin designed for customers who expect more than just a comfortable seat. Images | DUNCAN KIRK (CC BY 4.0) In Xataka | Brazil’s secret to becoming the first nation in Latin America with its own supersonic fighter is a number: 40

Spain produces so much solar energy that it is the envy of Europe. And even so, 70% of what you consume matters

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In June, when the sun hits hardest, the Spanish electricity grid registers demand peaks greater than 36,800 MW that renewables comfortably cover. We are, in electricity generation, the envy of Europe. And yet, at this very moment, 70% of the energy our economy consumes comes from abroad. That is the Spanish paradox in a single sentence: a country that exudes sun and wind but is still 70% dependent on the outside world. This contradiction, which in normal times would be just another energetic debate, has become an open wound since The Third Gulf War closed the Strait of Hormuzthe artery through which approximately a fifth of the world’s oil and gas transited. Is the second major energy shock in just four years and, according to the International Energy Agency, the largest in the history of the oil market. We have the best sun in Europe. And we continue to pay for the war. The report From Fossil Shock to Energy Sovereigntyprepared by the Renovables Foundation and the Meridian Institute, explains why. And the answer is uncomfortable: it is not that we lack resources. It’s just that we are ignoring them. The underlying problem. Here is the key that many overlook. Electricity consumption in Spain represents only 22% of the country’s total energy demand. The rest—78%—is covered by burning things: petroleum products (54%) and fossil gas (16%). It doesn’t matter how many solar panels we put on the roofs if cars continue to pump gasoline, boilers continue to burn gas and factories continue to throw away fossils. We are a country that has learned to produce clean electricity extraordinarily well. And then he uses it for a minimal fraction of what he needs. The three “black holes”. The study identifies three sectors where this disconnection between what we produce and what we consume is most flagrant: Mobility: the biggest hole. Transportation consumes 43% of final energy and accounts for 33% of emissions. The sector is responsible for 71.1% of the final consumption of petroleum products in Spainwith diesel as the undisputed king. By the end of 2025, the share of purely electric cars in sales was 8.85%. Of the total fleet in circulation, only 0.8% is electric. The rest continues to fill the tank. Homes: heating from the last century. Domestic consumption accounts for 30% of final energy use. Only 24% of the heating in our homes is electric; the rest continue to burn mainly fossil fuels. Gas boilers continue to be the majority in Spain while in the Nordic countries they are already history. We are the country in Europe with the most hours of sunshine and one of the countries that installs the least aerothermal energy. The industry: the silent hole. It represents the remaining 27% of final energy use. Its level of electrification has been stuck at around 35% for years, which means that almost two-thirds of the energy that drives our factories is still fossil fuel. It is the least visible sector in public debate and, possibly, the most difficult to transform. Also the one that needs the most time to do it: that is why it is urgent to start now. The Scandinavian mirror (with nuances). Norway leads the way: by the end of 2025, almost 98% of its new passenger cars sold were pure electric. They have more than 600 heat pumps for every 1,000 homes. Spain is located below 90 aerothermal units per 1,000 homes. The difference is more than 6 to 1. In the sunniest country in continental Europe. It is worth being honest: Norway finances its transition precisely with the income from the oil it exports. Spain does not have that cushion. But that does not invalidate the direction, but rather forces us to look for our own mechanisms—tax incentives, collective purchasing, European funds—to follow the same path. So why are we going so slow? The obstacles are real: the entry price of electric vehicles remains high for the average Spanish income, the charging infrastructure unfolds very unevenly throughout the territory, and the housing stock—with many old and poorly insulated buildings—cannot always accommodate a heat pump without major work. Naming these obstacles is not an excuse. It is the condition to overcome them. What it costs us every year to do nothing. If Spain matched the Norwegian pace for a single year—registering some 950,000 electric cars and installing 820,000 heat pumps—the immediate savings in fossil fuel imports would be between 1,300 and 1,700 million euros. With 100% electrification of mobility sustained for a decade, the reduction would reach 36% in oil and gas imports: 16.4 billion euros per year that would no longer go abroad. To understand the scale: Spain has strategic reserves for about 92 days of consumption regardless of a single barrel. Three months of autonomy in the face of a crisis that is already lasting longer. Every year that we do not electrify is one more year of fragility that we consciously choose. And the European irony completes the picture: the EU allocates nearly 88 billion euros annually to subsidize fossil fuels for transport, heating and industry. According to the Meridian Institute, this money would be enough to install more than 10.2 million heat pumps or finance 2.5 million electric cars annually across the continent. Europe has been paying for decades to remain vulnerable. Same trap, different provider. Four years ago we learned the hard way about the danger of depending on Russian gas and we exchanged it for liquefied gas ships from the United States and Qatar. Today we discovered that we have only replaced one vulnerability with another. As long as we need to burn gas to turn on the light, our pockets will continue to be hostage to geopolitics. The name of the country that supplies does not matter. In storage, the gap is also striking. Germany and Italy lead European battery deployment, with 6.6 GWh and 4.9 GWh installed by 2025 respectively. Achieving that capacity would allow Spain to eliminate between 5% and 10% … Read more

OpenAI wants to turn ChatGPT into a super app. Users fear the worst

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Internal statements cited in The Financial Times reveal how OpenAI is preparing what could be the biggest change for ChatGPT since its launch in November 2022. The company It already has 1,000 million users of the free version of its models, but wants to increase the number of those who pay, and the key is the change of approach. chat is dead. The summary of the approach is in the phrase “Chat is dead”, uttered by a senior company official under anonymity. Keeping 1 billion users using the chatbot for free requires enormous computing power and therefore money. That does not seem to have a clear return at the moment, so the company no longer sees ChatGPT as the final product, but as a gateway to hook the user and gradually convince them to use the company’s paid services, such as ChatGPT Plus. A super app on the horizon. The objective, say sources close to the company, is to launch a super app that combines both programming tools and AI agents, which will make it possible to add paying subscribers to a platform that needs to eat income. Especially considering that its IPO is imminentjust sent documentation to the SEC to prepare for that move. Codex as the center of everything. The idea here is to turn Codex into that revenue engine that ChatGPT has not been. Following the launch of the desktop application in February 2026, Codex has already multiplied its weekly active user base by six, and now exceeds 5 million. While ChatGPT has a small proportion of paying users, the vast majority of Codex users pay a subscription. Third-party apps and services. The ChatGPT interface redesign is expected to begin rolling out in the coming weeks on both the web and mobile apps. In a first phase ChatGPT will “direct” users to third-party services such as Canva or Booking, they say in the FT. The idea is that over time OpenAI will get rid of prompts so that its models understand the intention of their users when they use the website or the app. Agents in power. The new approach considers that the real value of the market is not in writing poems or summarizing texts, but in using agents that help us both personally and professionally. According to those responsible cited in the newspaper, the classic distinction between a web search engine, a chatbot and an AI agent for programming will disappear so that the future ChatGPT will be crazy without us realizing it. Thibault Sottiaux, who did speak officially, confirmed that they were preparing “a personal agent who is capable of helping you in any facet of your life, whether personal or professional.” Reasonable criticism. Photo users like Reddit They have reacted with clear criticism to this news. Existing ChatGPT Plus subscribers enjoy nearly unlimited conversational access and, separately, “credits” via the Codex programming API. If everything is merged into a new super app, these users fear that this theoretical unified agent will end up consuming an account’s tokens much faster and the pay-per-use model will harm them all. If the evolution of these models has taught us anything, it is that In fact, agents have made using AI (quite a bit) more expensive for intensive users. Mass adoption is no longer enough. When the AI ​​race began, OpenAI seemed to be happy to attract the largest possible volume of users even at the cost of putting revenue at risk. They believed that they would end up capturing that part sooner or later, but Anthropic appeared on the scene. Amodei’s company has managed to attract paying users – business users – and now OpenAI sees how its initial strategy does not seem to work. In Xataka | Anthropic’s IPO is very similar to the one Netscape carried out in 1995. That is worrying

The company that revolutionized the nylon bag now wants to revolutionize space suits

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NASA has just presented the suits that the Artemis Program astronauts will wear on future trips to the Moon. It has done it together with the two companies in charge of its design: Axiom and Prada. Yes, those of the famous Galleria bag. Although this time they haven’t made an elegant Saffiano leather or nylon bag, but rather a suit designed to comfortably (and stylishly) withstand the conditions of the lunar south pole. Two essential pieces. Like all astronauts, the crew of the Artemis missions They will wear a double suit. On the one hand, there is the extravehicular suit. That famous jumpsuit that, accompanied by the diving suit, they always use to expose themselves to the elements of space. On the other hand, there is the suit that goes inside the EVA. In this case, the extravehicular suit is the AxEMU and the underwear, in the design of which Prada has had great weight, the liquid cooling and ventilation garment (LCVG). Aesthetic and useful details. Apparently, the LCVG is a very stylish sportswear item. It has a V-neck, thumbhole sleeves and retro pants, all accompanied by Prada’s famous red line. However, it also contains channels through which tubes pass through which the cooling liquid flows, which will help them maintain an adequate body temperature. In the past, these types of suits did not have built-in tubes. They included threading into a type of mesh fabric, but it was a slow manufacturing process. On the other hand, larger tubes through which air flows are now included to facilitate the astronauts’ breathing. Everything incorporated into the suit. More advantages. Another great advantage of these suits is that they will be customized to perfectly fit the astronauts’ bodies. This provides them much more comfort. color matters. Although some orange prototypes had previously been shown, currently the AxEMU that has been presented is white. This color reflects sunlight much better and also allows lunar dust to be detected more easily. Thus, astronauts can clean it after walks on the satellite. Special conditions. Unlike the astronauts of the Apollo program, those of the Artemis missions will land on the moon the lunar south pole. This is a place where the temperature varies greatly depending on whether there is shade or not. There may be fluctuations of up to 200ºC. That is why it is so important to have an optimal temperature control system attached to the suits. More tests. The suit has already undergone numerous temperature and gravity tests. However, it is hoped to be able to test it in other environments before it is used on the Moon. Possibly it will be used at NASA’s Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory. A kind of pool in which astronauts try to move in conditions similar to microgravity. Some suits could also be sent to the International Space Station. Additionally, although it has not yet been confirmed, it is possible that the Axiom and Prada suits will be tested already in Artemis III. These astronauts will not land on the moon. In fact, they will not even go to lunar orbit, as the crew of Artemis II have done. However, they will be able to test the comfort and functions of the suit. It is very clear that it is an elegant suit, we could not expect anything else from Prada, but we must also make sure that it is useful in space. Image | Axiom In Xataka | We have not yet colonized the Moon and we have already filled it with garbage: there are even abandoned golf balls

A dating app has started giving it away so its users can meet in person

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Dating apps are on the decline. After the pandemic boomapps like Tinder they have been losing users. It doesn’t help that the apps are plagued by bots and? we are increasingly lazy to flirtbut now there is a new problem: everything is so expensive that dating has become a luxury, especially for the youngest. In this context, an app has had a rather risky idea. The promotion. They tell it in Wired. There is a dating app that is raffling off cards worth $500 in gas for those who download the app and tag three friends. Their slogan is: “Dating shouldn’t have to compete with the price of filling up with gas.” The app in question is BLK, a dating app for black people that was launched in the US, although it has expanded to other countries such as the United Kingdom. BLK belongs to Match Group, where we also find other apps like Tinder or Hinge, and was born as a response to the racism and prejudice that black people suffer when using these types of apps. The price of gasoline. The price of gasoline in the US, where they launched this campaign, reached a peak last Memorial Day, according to AAA data. A gallon reached $4.56, an increase of $1.30 compared to the same period last year. If we convert it to liters it is around 1.22 dollars, which may not seem like much. looking at the prices we manage on this side of the Atlanticbut it is the highest price in the US in the last four years. The reason is what we already know: the blockade of Hormuz due to the Iran war. And gasoline has not been the only thing that has risen, food and other prices are also rising. essential goods. Looking for a partner is expensive. According to a Montreal bank studythe cost of going on a date in the US and Canada has increased by 12.5% ​​in 2026. The average expense, including prior personal care and gasoline, is $189. This has caused the frequency of dating to decrease and almost half of singles (47%) consider that flirting is not worth it. Furthermore, 50% of Generation Z and 40% of millennials consider that the cost of dating significantly affects their finances and prevents them from achieving their financial goals. Quotes low-cost. The most traditional dating culture in the US is what is known as “wining and dining”, that is, going out to dinner and drinking in elegant places, with the aim of impressing the other person; This is why the cost of appointments is so high. Given this scenario, there are more and more people who are choosing to stop dating directly, but others opt for other types of cheapest plans like going on a picnic or going for a walk. Soft-socializing. That preference for cheaper plans fits into the fphenomenon of soft-socializing, which we could translate as “soft socialization” and which generation Z has made fashionable. It consists of meeting other people, but without the pressure of organizing something very intense or very expensive: for example, meeting at home to do a puzzle, participating in a book club or watching a movie together. For many young people, it is a way to continue socializing without assuming the costs of traditional leisure. Image | Xataka with Magnific In Xataka | Goodbye Tinder, hello Strava: running clubs have become the favorite dating app of Generation Z

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