Month: July 2026

“Recording an eclipse with your cell phone is a mistake, we are going to miss the show”

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Solar eclipses have gone through many phases throughout history. First they became objects of worship or spreaders of panic, depending on the civilization we are talking about. Later, once their origin was better understood, they became a very specific but extremely useful tool for astronomers, as it was the only way they could study the solar corona. Nowadays, no one (or almost no one) fears eclipses and scientists have tools that can replace them when studying the corona. However, they have not stopped being special. Now we have entered a new phase. A stage in which society enjoys them Instead of fearing them, scientists witness from the outside how the love of heaven that one day led them to choose their profession arises in other people. I have talked about this and much more with David Galadiastronomer, professor at the University of Córdoba and member of the Scientific and Advisory Commission of the Trio of Eclipses. The end of an era For a long time, solar eclipses have been used to study qualities of the Sun or Moon that are not normally measurable or visible. A solar eclipse was even used to prove Einstein’s Theory of Relativity. However, possibly those that stand out the most are the studies on the solar crown. That is, the outermost layer of the solar atmosphere. It is composed mostly of plasma, an ionized gas, whose atoms have gained or lost electrons, acquiring an electrical charge. This moving gas is what makes up the solar winds. It is also in the corona that coronal mass ejections are formed, which serve as the origin of geomagnetic storms. For all this, studying the solar corona is essential for scientists. However, there is a problem. The center of the Sun is so bright and it has such a dim glow that normally cannot be seen with conventional observation instruments. There is only one exception: a total solar eclipse. When the Moon completely covers the Sun, its brightness can no longer hide the solar corona from us and it suddenly appears in the sky. For decades, scientists had a few minutes with each eclipse to study it. Nowadays, fortunately, it is no longer necessary, since there are coronagraphsinstruments that have the ability to artificially “eclipse” both the Sun and other stars, revealing what we normally cannot see. However, there are still a few qualities that can only be studied in eclipses. “Coronographs cover not only the solar disk, but must also cover, due to unavoidable design needs, the chromosphere and the lowest part of the solar corona,” explains Galadí. “However, these regions can be observed well during a total solar eclipse.” On the other hand, “the coronagraph removes light from the solar photosphere, but does not reduce the brightness of the overall sky, so the outermost and faintest parts of the corona are also lost using these instruments.” Therefore, today we know the Sun and the Moon much better. The theory of general relativity continues to be constantly tested with new discoveries in the field of astronomy. And yes, you can study the solar corona without having to see a solar eclipse. However, these instruments prevent us from seeing it with the same clarity that we see it when the Moon completely eclipses the Sun. “Here we have the only two residues of heliophysics for which eclipses are still useful: the study of the link between the solar photosphere and the middle corona through the chromosphere and the lower corona, and to analyze the outermost coronal regions”. Now, in the future solar eclipses will not be necessary even for that; Well, there are already two missions underway aimed at solving the problem. “The observation of the external corona from space, with coronagraphs on artificial satellites, such as the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) of the European Space Agency in collaboration with NASA, avoids all the disadvantages due to the Earth’s atmosphere and its brightness,” says the astronomer from the University of Córdoba. “In addition, we have great technological innovations such as those of the mission Proba-3 (also from ESA), which are already allowing us to study the chromosphere and the lower corona from space, precisely by creating artificial eclipses.” Does all this mean that scientists will no longer have anything to study during a solar eclipse? Perhaps for astronomers there will come a time when they can focus only on looking at the sky and enjoying themselves. For other scientistssuch as those specialized in animal behavioralthough some studies had already been published previously, the real party begins now. “In animal ethology it is interesting study behavior when a sudden night occurs, uncoupled from other circadian rhythms,” says Galadí. “The behaviors of species when ‘turning off’ the Sun suddenly can only be due to the change in ambient light and temperature, but not to other external or internal factors.” The solar eclipse is now for society This August 12, 2026, there will be thousands or even millions of people who will travel or look for the best places near their homes to view the solar eclipse. These astronomical phenomena have become milestones that transcend far beyond science. It is time for society to enjoy them. David Galadí is clear about it: “Total solar eclipses are no longer science, or have almost ceased to be science, but they continue to constitute great natural spectacles with enormous potential to surprise people.” This can occur at many levels. “They have power as a source of artistic inspiration, tourist resourcean inexhaustible source of didactic or informative applications, and the ability to awaken vocations.” In fact, the latter is something in which he himself sees himself reflected. “Great astronomical events mark people, I myself am a product of the astronomical fever of Halley’s comet in the eighties.” In Spain we have a great opportunity, because It is not a single eclipse. Next year we will have another total solar eclipse and in 2028 an annular eclipse, which will provide new opportunities to enjoy them … Read more

the best Google Play titles that you can install on Windows

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We bring you a collection with top 38 best Android games to play on PC taking advantage of the fact that Google Play also allows you to install them on Windows. Not all Android games can be played on Windows, but from those that are compatible we have selected the most notable ones. Because sometimes a small screen is not worth it, and some titles are better enjoyed on a good monitor. Additionally, sometimes being able to use the keyboard and mouse can also be more effective. But as we always say at Xataka Basics, this is just our choice. Therefore, we invite you to tell us in the comments what you think are the best Android games that can be installed on PC, so that the rest of the readers can benefit from the knowledge of our xatakeros. Best 38 Android Games for PC Amaze GO! Arrow Puzzle: If you like maze-solving style puzzles, here you have dozens of levels without time, to get you thinking and keep your mind busy. Link: Google Play. Asphalt 9: Legends: One of the most popular racing games created for mobile, and one of the most popular sagas for these devices. An arcade racing game with dynamic environments and car customization. Link: Google Play. Blackmoor 2: Action Platformer: An arcade platform game with combat that includes cooperative multiplayer. You have a story mode full of dungeons, turns and doors, and your own custom dungeon generator. Link: Google Play. Block Blast!: If you like Tetris, this is a fun clone full of levels and totally free. Link: Google Play. Boxes: Lost Fragments: A leisurely puzzle game in which you are a thief who has to unlock treasure boxes full of puzzles. Link: Google Play. Cats are Cute: Cat Town: A simple and minimalist game, an idle simulator where you have to build a town full of cats and you can relax and see their lives. Link: Google Play. Chess.com: One of the most popular online chess platforms in the world. If you are not convinced by the web version, here is the mobile version with several puzzles, tutorials, lessons and, how could it be otherwise, online games with its base of millions of users. Link: Google Play. Clash of Clans: One of the great mobile strategy games. You will have to build your village, train troops and face other players in clan wars. Link: Google Play. Clash Royale: One of the great titles of collectible cards and strategic battles in real time. The only problem here is that many users complain about the excessive pay to win. Link: Google Play. Cookie Run: Kingdom: An action game with role-playing touches starring cookies. You can train your characters, there will be events, and you have several game modes. Link: Google Play. Cop Duty Police Car Simulator: A kind of reverse GTA, in which you are a police officer who has to circulate around the city chasing criminals. Link: Google Play. Creatures of the Deep: Fishing: A fishing game in which you have to navigate, look for the best spots, investigate, and catch fish for mysterious monsters of the depths. Link: Google Play. Drive Mad: Physics Racing: A fun physics-based driving game where usually the biggest obstacle is your overconfidence. Each level has a new type of vehicle, and is guaranteed to have laughs. Link: Google Play. Legendary Terminator: An RPG in which you have to save the world by exterminating all types of creatures, leveling up and advancing. Link: Google Play. Fallout Shelter: The excellent nuclear shelter management game, with all the inhabitants. You’ll have to pair them up, recruit or hatch new ones, or set them out to explore the wasteland in search of resources and rewards. Link: Google Play. Free Fire MAX: A game designed to offer you a Battle Royale experience on mobile. 50 competitors and one survivor. Link: Google Play. Fruit Ninja 2: Fruit Ninja was one of the first great viral games for mobile, and its second part takes it further. Fruits are thrown at you and you have to break them all in the air before they fall, it’s that simple. Link: Google Play. Genshin Impact: One of the most important and popular online RPGs in recent years. Its graphics are quite demanding, but by playing on a big screen you can benefit from the extra power of your computer. Link: Google Play. Geometry Dash SubZero: One of those titles that puts you to the test. An action platformer in which you have to jump and overcome levels full of obstacles. Link: Google Play. Granny: Grandma has locked you in her house and you have to try to escape without making a sound. A horror and survival game for the most daring. Link: Google Play. Homescapes: Help butler Austin restore warmth and design to his family’s mansion by completing levels with all kinds of puzzles. Link: Google Play. Infinity Loop: Calm and Relax: Another relaxing game and puzzles full of logic where you can spend time exercising your brain. Link: Google Play. Jetpack Joyride: A true classic for mobile phones, an infinite race title in which you have to fly with your jetpack to go as far as possible. Link: Google Play. Level Devil – NOT A Troll Game: If you are one of those people who like to have a hard time and be tortured by a game, this title interests you. Run, jump and reach the door of each level in which each jump or each corner can be the last. Because the maps move and seem to be trolling you. Link: Google Play. Mahjong Blast: A solitaire Mahjong game created for those looking for relaxing board games. Link: Google Play. Melon Sandbox: A game to unleash your creativity with experiments based on doll physics. Without limits and without rules. Link: Google Play. NTE: Neverness to Everness: An open world supernatural RPG with a good story, impressive graphics and a lot of fun. Link: Google Play. Pixel … Read more

Europe has a problem with the size of its cars: the "carspreading" threatens to devour thousands of parking lots

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New cars sold in Europe they are a little longer every yeartaller and wider. The phenomenon already has its own name, “carspreading”, and according to a new report from the environmental organizations Transport & Environment (T&E) and Clean Cities, if this trend is not stopped, it will have direct consequences both on road safety and on the parking available in our cities. We tell you the details. What is happening. The report, published by T&E and Clean Cities, has analyzed the evolution of the size of new cars sold in Europe from 2000 to today, and has projected two possible scenarios until 2040: one in which growth continues at the current rate, and another of “adequate resizing”, in which specific policies return the average size of vehicles to the levels they had in 2015. The difference between both scenarios is, according to the authors, alarming. In detail. The data show The average length of a new car increases by 1.2 centimeters each year, while its height and width grow by 0.5 centimeters each year. The height of the hood, which is precisely a key element that directly affects pedestrians and cyclists in the event of a collision, also rises at the same rate. If nothing changes, the study estimates that the average height of the hoods in the entire European vehicle fleet will reach 86.2 centimeters in 2040. All this despite the fact that, as the same report emphasizes, families are becoming smaller and cars transport fewer people on average than before. In Xataka Michael O’Leary, Ryanair: "Von der Leyen is very good at giving speeches, but he is useless in boosting competitiveness in Europe" Why it is important. As highlighted in the study, andThe size of cars has a direct impact on the chances of surviving a crash. The higher the hood of a vehicle, the greater the risk that the impact will occur on the victim’s torso or head rather than the legs. According to figures collected in the study, an increase of 10 centimeters in the height of the hood increases the risk of death for pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists by 27%, and up to 81% in the case of children. If the current trend continues, the report estimates that in 2040, 40% more child pedestrians could die on European roads than in a scenario in which cars are limited in size. The key figure. Comparing both scenarios, T&E and Clean Cities they estimate that the difference in the number of deaths of vulnerable road users (pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists and people with mopeds) could reach 400 additional deaths per year in 2040 in the European Union and the United Kingdom. Adding the intervening years, between 2026 and 2040 this accumulated difference would amount to 2,500 adults and 79 additional children who died, according to the report. And parking is not spared either. The other major effect of “carspreading” is the loss of street parking spaces. The study predicts that European cities will lose between 8.5% and 14% of their surface parking capacity by 2040 if the size of cars continues to grow uncontrollably. London and Berlin could lose around 100,000 places each, while Rome would lose around 95,000. In the case of Madrid, the loss could reach 41,000 places, according to the report’s calculations. In Xataka Omoda and Jaecoo already sell more cars than Citroën, Nissan or Ford in Spain. And they are very clear that their secret is not the price Between the lines. “Many automakers have followed a strategy that prioritizes larger, more profitable vehicles over smaller models,” explains Isabell Büschel, director of T&E in Spain, pointing out that “our roads are increasingly dominated by huge off-road vehicles that pose a physical danger to other users.” From the United Kingdom, the T&E director in that country, Anna Krajinska, sums it up as a “market failure.” “The result is a double harm: city councils are forced to redesign streets around larger vehicles, sacrificing parking capacity, public space and safety,” he continued. Not everyone sees the problem the same way. Edmund King, president of the British Motor Association (AA), nuanced to the BBC that, depending on the design, some large cars can be safer for both occupants and pedestrians, so he considers it “too simplistic to assume that larger cars are always more dangerous.” For his part, Mike Hawes, head of the British manufacturers’ association SMMT, argued that it is the consumers themselves who, with their purchasing preferences, end up influencing the design of vehicles. What organizations ask for. T&E and Clean Cities they claim European regulators several measures to stop this trend: A limit of 85 centimeters of bonnet height and 192 centimeters of width for new cars, applicable to approvals from 2033 and to all sales from 2036. Tax reforms that penalize the purchase of large vehicles. An update to Euro NCAP protocols to assess the visibility of young children from the driver’s seat. Changes in municipal parking rates depending on the size and weight of the vehicle. In Xataka César Franco, engineer: “We have preferred to inaugurate over conserve. Nobody applauds that a bridge is still standing” Along these lines, Carmen Duce, coordinator of the Clean Cities campaign in Spain, point to experiences such as that of Paris, which “is already considering differentiated rates for parking”, as the type of measures that, in his opinion, “must be taken urgently to guarantee a fairer redistribution of public space.” And now what. The report comes precisely at a time when the European Union maintains as its objective its “Vision Zero” strategywith which it aims to eliminate road deaths by 2050. The distance between that objective and the current trend of growth in the size of cars is, according to T&E and Clean Cities, increasingly evident. Lucien Mathieu himself, a T&E analyst, poses it as an open question that regulators and manufacturers will have to answer in the coming years: “Where do we stop?” Cover image | Aditya Rathod In Xataka |Good news, Michelin has finally … Read more

30 years ago we laughed at China and Japan for their obsession with sun protection. Now we’re following your path

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If you travel to Qingdao or any other beach in China, you may come across bathers who, in addition to bikinis, sandals and glasses, look colorful ‘facekinis’. That’s how it was at least a few years ago (even in 2025), when this peculiar garment that covers the entire face to protect it from ultraviolet rays gained popularity in the middle of a heat wave. In Europe, the image of Chinese women with their heads in XL swim caps that only leave their eyes and mouth visible was interpreted as an eccentricityone more proof of the aversion of Asians to tan. On the beaches of Spain it may not be common see ‘facekinis’but an idea is beginning to sink in: cultural issues aside, Chinese, Japanese and Koreans may not have been wrong when they did everything possible to protect themselves from the sun. “It is very frowned upon”. The facekini It is its most obvious (and graphic) demonstration, but it connects with a much larger phenomenon: not everyone values ​​tanning in the same way. Vincent Coëffé, from the University of Angers, explained it a few years ago in an article published in The Conversation: The prospect of sporting a tan skin tone may sound great in California, but things are quite different if you talk to an Asian. “Light skin continues to be viewed favorably in Asian cultures (China, India, Japan, Korea…), to the point that exposing the body to the sun is perceived as a subversive act,” comment coffee, geographer and tourism expert. “In China, tanning is very frowned upon, especially if it alters the female body, particularly influenced by the ideal of ‘milky’ skin.” Tanning is becoming globalized and it is increasingly easier to find Asians sunbathing both abroad and on the beaches of their countries, but there is still an important cultural gap with respect to the West. Why the hell do they do it? These differences in sun exposure explain why for decades, in countries like Spain, we have seen with a mixture of fascination and incomprehension Asian tourists walking down the street in the middle of summer, fleeing the ultraviolet rays like the plague. It caught our attention that, in addition to caps and sunglasses, they wore gloveslong-sleeved t-shirts, arm warmers, sun-protective clothing and umbrellas. “Why does everyone use umbrellas on the streets of Japan? Is it very hot? Do they protect themselves from the sun or is it extremely hot?” I asked intrigued a traveler in August 2025 in the ‘Backpackers in Japan’ Facebook community. The person writing this had the opportunity to travel to Cairo a couple of years ago and one of the details that most caught his attention, in addition to the monuments of Ancient Egypt, was seeing Korean tourists with very white skin walking around with umbrellas and long dresses that covered their arms and legs. Nothing to do with us Spaniards who walked under the sun in shorts and t-shirts. Lesson in humility. In Benidorm, Malaga, Barcelona or any other beach destination in Spain it is still very difficult to meet someone with their face covered by a ‘facekini’, but it is just as undeniable that something is changing. It is less difficult to find people who opt for long sleeves and sun protection pants (even muffs) in the hottest moments and, above all, no one is surprised anymore when they come across people who cover themselves with umbrellas. We told you recently: it is increasingly common to see Spaniards walking at five or six in the afternoon in July umbrella in hand. Also parents who, before going to the beach or the river, dress their young children in sun protection shirts. Umbrellas, t-shirts and more. Umbrellas may be the clearest demonstration that we are changing our way of relating to the sun, but it is certainly not the only nor the most important one. A quick search in the newspaper library arrives to find interviews with experts determined to debunk hoaxes and who warn of the risks of sunbathing without protection, the threat of melanomas, burns… They speak because there is an underlying problem, but the fact that they do so also demonstrates a growing sensitivity. It’s not about changing our cultural perception of tanned bodies, but that the message of experts is getting through who warn that, when 20, 30 or 40 years ago we looked strangely at Asians who protected themselves from the sun at all costs, we were the eccentrics. What is ‘strange’ is not walking around with an umbrella and protective clothing on a July day at five in the afternoon. The ‘strange’ thing is deliberately punishing our body, with all the risks that entails. “The Sun is an electromagnetic radiation that, when it reaches our skin, will produce mutations in our nucleic acid, and these mutations can initially be canceled by our body,” already warned in 2016 Dr. Julián Conejo Mir, Honorary President of the Spanish Academy of Dermatology and Venereology. “Any person who goes to the beach every day develops skin cancer, but our defensive system, if it works, cancels it out.” Great, right? Half. We may no longer be surprised to see someone using an umbrella on a sunny August afternoon, but that does not mean that we have internalized what it means to sunbathe irresponsibly. What’s more, we even run the risk of trusting us and think that protective clothing or umbrellas are infallible tools to keep us safe from melanoma. It is clearly demonstrated by a recent study from Nivea Sun that leaves two percentages that invite reflection: 85% of Spaniards admit to being worried about the effects of the sun on their skin, but nevertheless a large majority (67%) also admit that they do not regularly use sunscreen. Another clear example is in the networks. Thanks to them, doctors can warn of the risks of lying for hours and hours in the sun without protection, but X, Instagram or TikTok also serve as a loudspeaker for people who … Read more

Bugatti has manufactured its latest W16

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four years ago, Bugatti announced the end of its most iconic engine. The mythical and beastly W16 was coming to an end. He did it with a last dance to match. During the last four years, the company has released 99 units of the Bugatti Mistral. Now, the last unit has left its factory. The last Bugatti Mistral. The last Bugatti Mistral has left the doors of the company’s artisanal factory in Molsheim (France). A Blanc Éternel unit, inspired by the porcelain from Königliche Porzellan-Manufaktur in Berlin. The supercar, as pointed out in Autonomyadds numerous details in honor of Ettore Bugatti, founder of the company, but has the customization expected in a car of this type. They explain in the middle that, for example, the classic elephant head on the gear shift knob has been replaced by a falcon head that represents the Middle East, where this last unit has ended up. The last of its kind. “The last of his kind.” So reads the tribute plaque found inside and on the spoiler of this latest Bugatti Mistral. This refers, of course, to the last dance of the W16 engine that dies with this supercar. The Bugatti Mistral will go down in history for being the last model to mount an unparalleled engine but also because its production has been limited to 99 units. (sold in one day) that They have been customized from scratch by each owner. Thus, each unit can increase its value, costing some of them more than five million euros. The supercar is the latest evolution of a series that began with the Veyron, which has continued with the Chiron and which has the last of its kind in the Mistral. A beast that has 1,600 HP and 1,600 nm of torque under its body. And a top speed that exceeds 400 km/h. The W16. With the latest Mistral the W16 is also lost. This engine is considered one of the jewels of automotive engineering. Its configuration comes from “gluing together” two V18 engines. The result is the 16 cylinders that they mount. A figure to which we must add its 8.0 liters of displacement and four turbos with which first appeared on the Veyron just over 20 years ago. Then the engine delivered 1,001 HP of power but this has skyrocketed to the 1,600 HP found in the brand’s latest supercars. The W16 is made up of 3,712 parts that add up to 400 kg. To achieve this reduced weight in such a monstrous engine, Bugatti produces its engines with large amounts of carbon and titanium, as light as they are resistant to high temperatures. The idea of ​​developing this engine came from Ferdinand Piëch, engineer and grandson of Ferdinand Porsche, who resurrected Bugatti with the clear idea that it should represent the best and most exclusive in the world of motors. And, furthermore, he used the company to take cold revenge born in Le Mans in the late 80s. And now? Now, the future for the company lies in the hybrid. When the company presented the Bugatti Tourbillon, it did so by anticipating what would come in the future: plug-in hybridization. And the supercar, limited to 250 units and starting from four million eurosis a 1,800 HP plug-in hybrid with which, who knows, if one day they will be able to break the barrier of 500 km/h top speed. Yes, Bugatti’s proposal is to electrify the car to continue increasing the power of its machines. But it does it with a naturally aspirated V16 engine that no one else has. To this it adds three electric motors that also drive the wheels. The customer-facing concept is very similar to the W16: yes, it’s hybrid, but no one else has it. And, as our colleagues from MotorpassionMate Rimac, CEO of Bugatti, is clear: “if it is affordable, it would not be a Bugatti.” An uncertain future. It remains to be seen now what will become of Bugatti. A few months ago, the company was completely separated from the Volkswagen Groupwhich owned part of the property through shares in the name of Porsche. Mate Rimac has finally managed to completely control the company. Bugatti was one of the crown jewels of the group but it was also a whim. With the less personalized units, Volkswagen was losing more than four million euros. Now he is Mate Rimac, creator of the electric supercar company that bears his name, who is at the forefront of this new era of the company. Rimac was, in fact, the first to show a Tourbillon outside the factory. And he did it on a huge carpet of snow. It remains to be seen how Rimac manages to make profitable the investments and development that must be done for a car that is manufactured by hand and that, at least for the moment, will not jump to the electric car. The why, Mate Rimac himself can tell you. Photo | Bugatti In Xataka | Bugatti is taking its custom packages to extreme places: 230,000 euros for eight exhaust pipes

A student spent 100 hours in front of a 3D printer to make a multifunction prosthesis for his little sister

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I did my final year project (now called Final Degree) on the gasification conditions of a biofuel as best I could and then, on something else butterfly. The truth is that I barely remember it because it has rained a lot since then and I had no special interest in it. And here is probably some good advice in case a student reads us: if you can, choose a project that you are passionate about because you are going to dedicate many, many hours to it. And whoever says they are passionate, says they need, as happened to Vitaliy Bondarchuk, a 22-year-old mechanical engineering student at Bob Jones University in Greenville (South Carolina). Upon completion of your degree He was very clear about what his final year project was going to be.: a prosthetic arm for his little sister. A very close problem. Her sister, Bella, 7, was born with a congenital malformation: she was born without her left arm below the elbow. How does it count andIn his interview for PeopleVitaliy Bondarchuk knew from a young age that things were “a little more difficult or in some cases much more difficult” for her. Bondarchuk’s final year project required him to address a real-life problem and try to solve it. As explains Vitaliy for the American Society of Mechanical Engineers: “The challenge I tried to solve was helping him do simple tasks, things he enjoys.” According to the now graduate, he had never seen a multi-tool prosthesis: “It seemed like a very basic idea, a prosthetic arm with different accessories. But I could never find anything like it.” And that’s not to mention the cost: 3D printed prostheses They usually cost much less than conventional ones and it is possible to do them on your own by going to repositories such as those of e-NABLE. How did he do it. Bondarchuk knew that he “couldn’t create a complete prosthetic arm,” so he opted for a solution where accessories could be swapped out as needed. That is, a specific tool for each activity, such as painting or playing Uno, for which he created a card holder. To achieve this solution within the CBP deadline, he spent hours planning, documenting, measuring, designing and ensuring every detail. With creativity and perseverance on one hand and, on the other, measurements, SolidWorks for design and a 3D printer, he began to create prototypes, check the fit and start again. One of its great challenges was a reality applicable to prostheses: the design had to incorporate non-abrasive padding to avoid damaging the skin. The project. Bondarchuk estimates that he spent 100 hours developing the prosthetic arm and four months later, he had documentation, design manuals, different proposals and the multifunction prosthesis, with tools to play his favorite game, a flashlight or a brush holder. He got an A and his sister Bella got a prosthetic arm that she uses daily. The future: an endless prosthesis. Although Vitaliy Bondarchuk is already a working mechanical engineer, his project did not end with defending his PFC: he plans to continue modifying Bella’s prosthetic arm as she grows with the new hobbies she acquires. His mother has already dropped that the next one could be a driving accessory, account for People. In Xataka | Best home 3D printers. Which one to buy, resources for 3D printing and eight recommended models In Xataka | This is what I would have liked to know before starting out in the world of 3D printing. Cover | Vitaliy Bondarchuk via ASME

the danger of connecting anything to the mobile USB

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When the heat hits, we look for desperate solutions. Let them tell the Parisians by installing aluminum foil and thermal bags on the windows to try to mitigate the heat. At home, we turn on the air or the fanbut on the street it is suffocating and something I have been seeing a lot these last few days is people with portable fans. These devices are interesting because, although little, the air flow allows us to cool our faces a little. I’ve also seen passersby with more ‘pro’ solutions like neck fans (We have tried some, by the way.). A few days ago I was in London and I was looking at the tools that people were carrying, and among all the heat patches, I saw several using fans connected to their cell phones. And if I am writing this it is so that, if you use one of these USB-C fans connected to the port of your mobile, think a couple of times if you want to risk the integrity of the smartphone because it is something that can free you from the heat for a while, yes, but also It is more than likely that it will end up frying your phone. And no, it is not an exaggeration. The USB-C fan that fries your phone Although the USB-C port is great for connecting all kinds of accessories to your mobile, it is one thing if we can do it and another if we should. Not to mince words, plugging a USB-C fan directly into your phone works to power the fan, but it can damage the port, battery, or even the motherboard of your device. The reason is that these mini fans generate voltage spikes because they have cheap components and, above all, a motor that does not have a filter, so it “takes” what it needs without taking into account anything else because it does not have any filtering circuit. And that “nothing more” is the integrity of the device to which we connect it, which can be the mobile phone, but also the USB of a laptop. This video is tremendously revealing: The one of LeftyMaker It is a spectacular channel to dabble in electronics at home, but in recent years it has published several videos on battery and powerbank technology with ridiculous sizes, but great power and capacity. He usually gets to the point and the fan couldn’t be more direct. “Don’t buy this dangerous USB fan for your cell phone” is the title of a video in which, in less than three minutes, he demonstrates the reason why it should not occur to us to plug in the accessory. In it, he states that, with the help of an oscilloscope, he has observed voltage peaks above 20 or 40 V, depending on the fan. The mobile phone is not designed for that. According to the youtuber, it is due to the nature of the DC motor, since the current switches many times per second through the coils, generating those peaks when the current is interrupted even by a thousandth. Basically, the motor is continuously switching current between coils. Each short interruption acts as a small “disconnect” of an inductive load, and this generates momentary overvoltages. He explains that, although they are very brief peaks, because they are so constant they can reach the energy management chips, regulators and other components of the smartphone that are designed for 5 V, not for dozens of them, with the associated risk of permanent failure. Fan measurement | Screenshot of LeftyMaker video Measurement with the capacitor. He says there are still mini-peaks, but the decrease in voltage is evident | Screenshot of LeftyMaker video Can it be fixed? Yes, with a capacitor placed in parallel with the motor, something that costs a few cents, but not all of us know how to install nor do we have to know that we need it. And, although he does not show it on camera, he claims that he tested it on a real phone and the screen began to show lines that flickered as soon as he turned on the fan. His conclusion is clear: don’t buy it or give it only to someone you don’t likeand if you are hot, use a fan that is not powered directly by the USB port of a mobile phone, but by a powerbank that is more prepared for those peaks (it is not ideal either, but it is better to “kill” a 40 euro powerbank than a 500 euro mobile phone) or, directly, use fans that have their own battery. In Xataka | What science says about the “trick” of two crossed fans to cool the house: it works, but with limits

“We’ve been building infrastructure for humans for 20 years, maybe we have 20 months to rebuild it for agents”

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Companies have embraced the agentic AI boom, to the point that some They are drowning in so many AI agents. Employees are creating uncontrolled agents, triggering token consumption and causing many of those agents to duplicate tasks. But the real underlying problem is something else: the infrastructure on which all this is running is not prepared to support it. Meta’s warning. They tell it in Venture Beat. During the VB Transform 2026 talk, Meta’s vice president of engineering Barak Yagour gave a very powerful figure: queries from agents reaching the Meta system have multiplied by 30 in the last six months. “What happens to the infrastructure we’ve built over years when agents, not humans, become its primary consumers?” Yagour asked the audience. The answer is even more worrying: “We have spent 20 years building infrastructure for humans. Maybe we have 20 months to rebuild everything for a world where humans and agents co-create at scale.” And he adds that “The opportunity is open, but it will not last long.” lthe three problems. The emergence of the agents threatens to break the infrastructure on three fronts: Ability: Until recently, to plan how much computing power, storage or bandwidth was needed to carry out a project, it was enough to count the number of employees working on it. Yagour explains it very graphically: “Now, an engineer generates 10 agents, and each one generates sub-agents. An organization of 1,000 people can generate the load of 100,000 users practically overnight.” Identity: Access control systems are not designed for an AI agent. It is not human, but it moves around the infrastructure and makes decisions on its own. Speed: The third problem is the speed at which the agents move. They can write code faster than any human, but “that code still needs to be compiled, tested, deployed and monitored.” Deep changes. Yagour mentions that reasoning models are changing the way the data layer is processed. Detecting matches from keywords is not the same as reasoning about someone’s intention; That requires a complete history of behavior, not a summary. This requires making changes to how that data is processed and stored. Meta is moving from batch processing, which can take up to 24 hours to update, to real-time processing as it is key when the model is reasoning about what a user wants at that very moment. On the other hand, they are moving from an opaque storage to one that understands its own content, so that it only reads what it needs in each query and thus lightens the load on the GPUs. Setting limits. According to Yagour “Autonomy without governance is nothing more than chaos”, which is why Meta’s solution is to create what they call “trusted data environments.” Here, agents can move freely “but every result is traced back to its source and carefully vetted. This way you can always be sure that the data shared is trusted and controlled.” It is a way of giving freedom to the agents, but in a controlled way and without exposing themselves to the risk of ending up messing up. Image | Xataka with Magnific In Xataka | AI agents can destroy jobs. Or they can also save a century-old cheese factory from bankruptcy

Will Kerr, VP of new products at Dyson

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How is one of the most innovative hardware companies in the world managed? In a market as fierce as that of vacuum cleaners due to brand saturation, competition and price wars, the British multinational Dyson has begun a profound strategic restructuring to try to avoid the evils that threaten the technology sector: dependence on a single product, the loss of operational agility and the dosage of launches. We traveled to their Singapore headquarters to delve into their laboratories and speak with Will Kerrvice president of New Product Development, about his clear commitment to diversification, the past and the brand’s ambitious vision for the future. Where is Dyson now? On the old continent (geographically speaking) there are few technology companies that are a reference in the sector, but Dyson is one of them. In fact, it is great in technological prestige and billing: in 2025 it entered 6,130 million poundswith an EBITDA of 1,110 million (up 18%) and launched 13 new products, more than ever in a single year. However, if we talk about staff and structure, it is still relatively small for the money it moves: its global staff is made up of only 14,000 people. However, its strong point is its own R&D. Of course, the Dyson that James Dyson founded in 1991 has nothing to do with the current one: its fiscal headquarters moved to Singapore in 2019 and although its main R&D is still in the United Kingdom, its most iconic products are cooked, tested and developed in the Asian country. And the scenario has also changed: in 2024 its benefits They plummeted 49% despite breaking a product sales record. Last year the company recovered part of its operating muscle, but its turnover is still not what it would be in 2023. Dyson is not a diversified conglomerate, but rather a niche company of small premium appliances. R&D at two speeds and new operating model For Dyson, R&D is an essential area and there they spare no expense. Without going any further, of those 6.13 billion pounds of total revenue in 2025, they invested more than 400 million pounds in R&D. The question is: where to invest when the results can take years to arrive or even never arrive, like the electric car that was left in limbo after more than 500 million pounds investment? Dyson’s amazing electric car For Kerr, the dilemma is “finding the balance of when something is good enough.” They have a team in the UK to provide long-term insights and research, clients pointing out issues and potential improvements, developing key technologies in motors and batteries that have general application across their portfolio. And he gives a clear example: developing the next hair dryer could take five years and be incredible, but there are users who ask for one that is quieter, something that may only require six months of work. Virtue lies in balance. In any case, the process is always the same. Internally, this process is known as the “product creation framework” and the idea is to ensure that meet standards that can never be lowered. They have periodic checkpoints along the way. On each machine, James Dyson is very involved in the day-to-day: “Two weeks ago, we spent seven hours straight in Malaysia without stopping. He has an insatiable enthusiasm for this. And I say this because he interacts directly with the product, detects details and brings his experience of everything he has done.” The Dyson manager says that they always try to make sure that, “even when we do something for the first time, the standards are set uniformly across all categories.” Even so, from the technical direction they naturally admit that they are not always infallible: “It is clear that we never do it perfect the first time.” Without the pressure (from competitors), perhaps we would not be in the excellent state we are in. So that this huge investment does not suffocate the commercial viability of the company, Dyson has structurally separated its operations into two independent phases: “discovery” and “execution” (delivery). In the past, your engineering team worked on ideas and development simultaneously, requiring you to bet too much that new concepts would work. If a project failed, the firm faced periods of one or two years without news in the stores. Kerr explains the reason for this new organization very clearly: “If those new concepts don’t work, suddenly you’re disappointing customers for a year or two because you don’t have a launch. That’s why we’ve separated the two blocks.” Now, the execution team ensures a constant flow of innovation to the market, while the discovery team works free of commercial urgency looking for disruptive ideas. The iRobot mirror and the battle of robotics The recent iRobot bankruptcya pioneer of consumer robotics that sold 50 million units before end up acquired by Asian competitorsmakes it inevitable to think of the phrase: When you see your neighbor’s beards cut…. Or in other words, the need to diversify the catalog becomes evident when observing the international competitive environment. We refer to the facts: a look at the market in different aspiration formats (you can see our buying guides for robot vacuum cleaners and upright vacuum cleaners) makes it clear that the segment speaks Chinese. Meanwhile, Dyson has been expanding into other areas such as hair care or wearables for years. Dyson assures that market pressure is a welcome stimulus: “We see that the sector is moving quickly. It puts pressure on us, but it encourages us to do things more quickly.to look for new partners, new ways of working and new opportunities in the supply chain. Without that pressure, maybe we wouldn’t be in the excellent shape we are in.” We believe that robotics is, if not the future, then certainly an extremely important future. In addition, the firm prefers to ignore the daily noise of the market to focus on its own objectives: “If we woke up every day worried about those competitors, it wouldn’t be … Read more

Junior salaries have been in free fall for years. New study suggests the impact of AI is not so obvious

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We have been seeing headlines for a couple of years about the destruction that AI is doing to employment junior. And the usual reply: no, it’s an excuse, that companies cut when rates rise and AI is only a convenient justification. Both readings are partly right. That’s just the problem. The study. The Stanford Digital Economy Lab has been analyzing actual payrolls. Not surveys or estimates: payrolls. Published a study at the end of 2025 but keeps updated dashboard with much more recent data. The result. Employment of those aged 22 to 25 in professions highly exposed to AI has fallen since the end of 2022, just when ChatGPT arrived, and lately at a rate of 4% annually. In those over 30, in those same professions, it increases. Coinbase charged 14% of its workforce citing AI as the cause. Salesforce stopped hiring juniors last year. The nuance. The same study adds a very interesting nuance: the effect does not appear when the AI ​​helps someone do their job, but when it does it for them. Write code, answer ticketswrite a first draft: that’s where hiring goes down. Review, verify, support a decision: it remains there. It does not replace human work in general. It replaces the boring job you start with when you are a youngster. It’s time to stop and agree with those who disagree.. In 2001, relocation to India was blamed for a slowdown that actually came from interest rates: when rates fell, hiring returned, and the debate about India remained unresolved. The OECD points in the same direction in your report this month: Unemployment among young graduates was already rising before ChatGPT existed. Coexistence? The two things may coexist. But even if only part of the fall is done by the AI, that part attacks the step that no one else can replace. The intern who answers wrong tickets for six months or do well needing help you’re not wasting your time: you’re learning to fail cheaply in a controlled environment. Removing that step doesn’t fire anyone today. In ten years there will be a lack of people senior and no one will be able to explain why, because by then they will have forgotten that the bottom step disappeared long ago. Featured image | Xataka In Xataka | Spanish companies systematically hide their salary in job offers: there are notable exceptions

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