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From today, Ryanair requires 100% digital boarding. It is the culmination of a strategy to trap us in its application

November 12, 2025 by usatoday24

The day has come. Ryanair only lets you board its planes with a digital card. The measure has been postponed for a few months but November 12 was finally the date on which this decision by the airline, which has raised some controversy and critical voices, was consolidated. Digital boarding. Showing your boarding pass on your mobile phone will be the only way to access Ryanair planes from today. The company claims that by issuing the digital boarding pass, what they call TED, 300 tons of paper are saved per year. This TED is available from the Ryanair application, once the passenger has checked in online prior to taking the plane. This card is available without a mobile data connection, so they ensure that you can access the plane if your mobile phone does not have data or the airport Wi-Fi is not fast enough. The big news is that, until now, it was possible to send a PDF to email from the application and from the browser. This PDF could be printed or simply stored on the mobile phone and brought onto the plane with it, “bypassing” the download of the application. What does Ryanair earn? That the client downloads its application where the company offers seat changes and, simply, facilitates the collection of supplements with added services. This has become the company’s great gold mine. It is, in fact, the only reason to make this decision. In Xataka Mobile have contacted the company to ask why this change and the last part of the answer is eloquent: “This transition, already adopted by almost 80% of Ryanair’s more than 207 million annual passengers, will offer a faster, smarter and more sustainable travel experience. In addition, it will make it easier for passengers to access a variety of innovative features within the app” In the video itself where they explain the change, they already point out that the user will have constant information during their flight, the allocation of the boarding gate… or the possibility of ordering food at your seat. And if… The company has opened a page question and answer website in which all the possible “what ifs” that we can think of are answered. All of them, yes, require billing in advance. For example: And if… I left my phone at home: you can request a free paper boarding pass at the airport, as long as you have completed the online check-in. And if… I lose my phone: same case as the previous one. And if… I lose my phone or I run out of battery after having passed the control: if we have passed the control it means that the passenger has already checked in. In that case, attention will be offered at the boarding gate. And if… I don’t have a smartphone: we will have to check in online beforehand and request a physical boarding pass at the airport. If we have not done it previously, we will have to pay the 55 euros that Ryanair charges for check-in at the airport. Is there some kind of advantage for the user? More or less. Until now, issuing the boarding pass cost 55 euros, whether or not we had done online check-in previously. With the change, Ryanair ensures that the issuance of the card will be free, as long as we have previously made the online check-in. Controversy. Since the measure will be announced in October 2024the voices opposed to the measure have multiplied. Facua has assured since then the measure is illegal as it is considered abusive. The organization defined the situation as follows: Mandating 100% digital boarding is “an especially burdensome clause for vulnerable groups (older people, passengers who, due to their disability or physical condition, have difficulties interacting with new technologies, etc.). These types of consumers usually need the attention and assistance of a third party to be able to carry out the procedures correctly. on-line. Likewise, in Xataka we already got in touch with the company to ask what would happen if a person wanted to print their boarding pass and access it with it, without using their mobile phone. So we didn’t know (nor did the company confirm) that they were going to remove the PDF. Now, the only way is to take a screenshot and print it. However, if someone wanted to go to this trouble, there was no solution offered for this case. Photo | Dan Barrett In Xataka | Ryanair has found a new formula to earn more per ticket: forcing you to board 100% digitally

what you should look at to differentiate them from the approved ones

November 12, 2025 by usatoday24

Let’s tell you how to check that the V16 beacon is not a fake when you go to buy one. It’s good to know what to look for in a V16 beacon when you go to buy it, but we are going to try to focus above all on distinguishing the fakes that there is already beginning to be at much lower prices. Failure to carry one of these beacons after January 1, 2026 may result in a financial fine. And if you carry one of the old ones without eSIM connection or a counterfeit one, then it will be as if you were not carrying any, and you will be exposed to the same fine of 80 euros. Differentiate approved beacons from false ones The first thing you have to do is pay attention to where you buy. If you want to buy them in a physical store, try to go to one that offers you guarantees about their approval, because buying them at El Corte Inglés or Leroy Merlin is not the same as buying them at your neighborhood bazaar, for example. Better to go to a specialized store or large store where they have the knowledge to guarantee that what you buy is approved. And it will be even safer if they give you the option to return it in the event that when you open it and inspect it you realize that it is not what you are looking for. If you are going to buy in an online store You are going to have to take extreme precautions, and it is essential to go to one with a good return policy. Even in large stores like Amazon or AliExpress there are many beacons, and some of them are not approved. The price is also a good cluebecause the approved beacons have a price that ranges between 30 and 50 euros. Come on, if you see a V16 in a store for 15 or 20 euros, then you should be distrustful by default. One of the most important things is review the certification code that is printed on them. It must have an alphanumeric combination that begins with the letters LCOE or IDAE. If in doubt, you can review the DGT database where are all the approved models. In Xataka Basics | Check if your V16 beacon works well without alerting the DGT: how to do it and what time limit you have

sacrifices privacy to not be left behind in AI

November 12, 2025 by usatoday24

Europe, which until now seemed one of the few champions of privacy, threatens to stop being so. The European Commission is preparing a “digital omnibus”, a package of measures that will theoretically be announced at the end of the month and that propose notable changes to current privacy regulations. Why is it important. Draft documents obtained by Politico They are worrying. European Commission officials say these measures are intended to simplify many of the laws that regulate the technological field. The executive, they claim in this medium, insists that it is only cutting certain excessive rules through “targeted” amendments, but those drafts show disturbing changes. A weak GDPR for a strong AI. The changes that, for example, will affect the General Data Protection Regulation (RGPD, or GDPR for its acronym in English) will be carried out with a singular objective: to benefit the developers of AI models. The pillars crumble. Jan Philipp Albrecht, former member of the European Parliament and one of the architects of the GDPR, this spells the end of data protection and privacy that were pillars of the EU strategy. “The Commission should be fully aware that this is drastically undermining European standards.” Is Europe left behind, so out of privacy? What is certain is that European economic power is losing relevance and that seems to have motivated these changes. Former Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi mentioned the General Data Protection Regulation as an obstacle to European innovation in artificial intelligence in its historic report on competitiveness from last year. But. The question, of course, is whether Europe really needs to sacrifice the privacy of its citizens in order not to be left behind in the technological field. When the EU released the first regulation on AI, the AI Acthe stuck out his chest precisely for applying an (overly) cautious approach. This provoked criticism that for months has caused some steps to be taken back in those so rigid goals. Europe, technological pariah. The AI Act, the DMA and the GDPR have certainly caused the deployment of AI models and functions in the old continent to be blocked or delayed. Passed with Apple Intelligence and with Copilotfor example, but while Europe restricted the arrival of AI to users, in the US and China the deployment has been dazzling, total and without restrictions… for better and for worse. In fact, in the United States the philosophy of laissez faire is extraordinary, and companies even advocate for forget copyright laws. Dangerous exceptions. These documents aim to create exceptions for AI companies that would allow them to process disturbing special categories of data such as religious or political beliefs, race or health data that could be used to train and operate their AI models. The definition of such types of data, which enjoy additional protections under privacy regulations, is expected to be redefined. Anonymized data. Another objective seems to be defining what constitutes personal data. Thus, pseudo-anonymized data—with personal details opaque to prevent identification of a person—may not be subject to GDPR protections. This type of change would occur after the precedent of a recent ruling in that sense by the EU Court. Cookie banners. Finally, the draft wants to reform annoying European rules about cookie banners by including a provision in the GDPR that would give website and app owners more legal grounds to justify tracking users beyond simply obtaining their consent. Once again, bad news for the privacy of European users. Total uncertainty. The European Commission is expected to reveal its plans on November 19. Changes to the current drafts may be proposed during these days, however. Once this package of measures is presented, both EU member countries and legislators will have to approve it, something that is not certain either due to the great divisions that exist in terms of privacy between them. We are living it for example with the controversial Chat Controland these measures also go in that direction. In Xataka | Europe dominates open source AI but loses the race: the paradox that 150 billion euros will try to solve

Volkswagen has presented its “most intelligent car to date” in China. The trick is that Volkswagen hasn’t done it

November 12, 2025 by usatoday24

Volkswagen prepares the launch of the ID. UNYX 08an electric SUV developed together with the Chinese firm Xpeng that will hit the market in 2026. For years, Volkswagen enjoyed a large presence in China. However, currently, firms such as Xiaomi or BYD have overtaken them to the right with their proposals and technology. The German group has had no choice but join forces with the Chinese Xpeng to continue competing in this very competitive market. And the greatest exponent of this alliance is this same car of which we are going to tell you all the details. Strategy to come back in China. The German brand has lost positions in this market since 2020, when electric vehicles began their massive expansion in the country. Now it is trying to recover the lost ground against local manufacturers such as BYD and Geely through this technological alliance with Xpengwhich provides its G9 platform and its connectivity and driving assistance systems. Design speed. The ID. UNYX 08 was completed in 30 months, a time that according to Volkswagen It is more than 30% lower than usual. This acceleration responds to what the company calls “Chinese speed”, a concept that reflects its need to adapt to the pace of the local market. The German manufacturer affirms having managed to “fully integrate into China’s automotive ecosystem” thanks to local alliances and its own research and development capabilities. The figures of the new SUV. The vehicle measures 5 meters long, 1,954 meters wide and between 1,672 and 1,688 meters high, with a wheelbase of 3,030 meters. These dimensions exceed those of the Xpeng G9, the model on whose platform it was built. It will be available in two configurations: a 230 kW rear motor or dual motor with 140 kW front and 230 kW rear. will ride LFP batteries from CATL, with a range of more than 700 kilometers according to the CLTC cycle, and will support 800-volt fast charging. Technology at the service of the Chinese driver. The ID. UNYX 08 will incorporate L2++ level driving assistance with the capacity for autonomous operation “from parking to parking” both in the city and on highways. It will also have OTA (Over-the-Air) updates and an artificial intelligence assistant based on advanced language models. Volkswagen presents it as “its most intelligent model to date.” The plan to get back into the fight. This SUV is the first of the two models agreed between Volkswagen and Xpeng in 2023. It will be assembled in collaboration with Anhui Jianghuai Automobile Group, a partner with which Volkswagen created its first joint venture in China in 2017 dedicated exclusively to new energy vehicles. The ID family. UNYX, which already includes the 06 (a compact SUV) and the recently unveiled 07 (an electric sedan), thus expands into the medium-large SUV segment. What’s at stake. For Volkswagen, this launch represents much more than a new product: it is a litmus test on its ability to compete with Chinese manufacturers in its own territory. The Asian market has become the main battlefield of electromobility worldwide, and the German brand needs to demonstrate that it can offer cutting-edge technology without losing its identity. We’ll see if the ID. UNYX 08 convinces drivers in China. If you do so, it will set the course of your strategy in the country. In Xataka | The “made in China” business of the DGT’s V-16 beacons: homologating the same product 24 times and selling it under different brands

with massive ‘spam’ and 2,000 euros in salary

November 12, 2025 by usatoday24

In the middle of 2025 the postal mail (Correos knows it well) is not usually news. However, in Belgium there are about 150,000 letterswith their corresponding envelopes, addresses and letterheads, which are giving a lot to talk. Logical if you take into account that the one who sends them is the Ministry of Defense and their recipients are thousands of 17-year-old Belgians whom the Government wants to encourage to join the army or, at least, to try a one-year voluntary ‘military’. In exchange he offers them a net salary of 2,000 euros per month. What has happened? That in Belgium, 17-year-olds have begun to receive a very special letter this week, an invitation from the Ministry of Defense in which they are encouraged to join the army and try a 12-month voluntary military service. It is not a surprise because the letter is the result of a public agreement adopted months agowhen the House of Representatives agreed to “raise awareness” among the country’s youth via postal mail, but still sent the envelopes has generated expectation. The person in charge of announcing it (via X) has been the Minister of Defense himself, Theo Franckenof New Flemish Alliancea nationalist and conservative formation. “Yesterday, 149,000 letters were sent. All 17-year-olds in the country are encouraged to join the armed forces in general and to go on voluntary military service for one year in particular. Let’s go!”, the leader tweeted on Saturday along with several photos in which the envelopes are seen stacked on tables, boxes and inside a bucket. Click on the image to go to the tweet. Are more details known? Yes. Some. For example, the recruits selected for this first voluntary ‘military’ will be eligible for a net salary of 2,000 euros monthly. It is also known that, although letters are being sent now, registration will not open until January 2026. Before then, the Ministry will hold online and in-person information sessions in the different provinces of the country. However, the new military will take a few more months to start. It won’t do it in principle until september. Another interesting fact is that 500 volunteer recruits will be accepted from the outset. between 18 and 25 yearsa figure that should be reached without problems if one takes into account that only a few months ago the Ministry of Defense acknowledged that it expects to receive some 3,500 applications for the first cam. Do you only want 500 recruits? Yes. And no. That will be the starting point, but the goal is to expand it little by little. After the first batch of 500 volunteers, the idea is that the number of places will be expanded to 1,000 in 2027 and continue to strengthen with a view to reach 7,000. Once the military begins, recruits will participate in a ten-week basic military training phase, which will be followed by another more specific stage. The purpose? That the new soldiers end up accessing the different branches of the army and are in charge of maintenance work. surveillance and support. What does Belgium want? Strengthen (and rejuvenate) your army. “It is about opening the mind to the military, about telling young people that defense is an option, even an opportunity. The objective is also to make young people aware that the world has changed and that there is a threat that weighs on our country. It is a social project,” explained Francken recently Le Soir. The truth is that to meet its objectives the Government needs to increase the pace of recruitment. As remember The Countryciting the Belgian press, today Defense enlists about 2,800 soldiers a year. The figure serves to maintain its volume of 24,600 troops (thousands of reservists are added to them), but it seems difficult to allow it to reach the tens of thousands of troops that it wants to add in the medium term. Belgian News Agency points out that in a decade officials intend to expand the Defense workforce to 34,500 soldiers12,800 reservists and 8,500 civilians. Does context matter? Yes. And quite a bit. Data from the Macrotrends platform show a considerable drop in the number of Belgian military personnel over the last 30 years, a decline especially acute in the early 1990s, just when Belgium decided to abolish compulsory military service. At that time the geopolitical scenario was marked by the end of the Cold War and the dissolution of the Soviet Union, today it is marked by the war in Ukraine, the break with Putin’s Russia, the threats of Donald Trump to leave NATO and an increase in military investment. In fact in spring The Belgian Government decided to increase its defense spending to reach NATO’s goal of dedicating 2% of GDP to the sector. Today the alliance is already looking beyond, to a mobilization of 5%. Is it a unique case? No. And perhaps that is the most revealing. That Belgium has decided to opt for a mandatory military service is part of a more global attempt to strengthen armies in the West. Not long ago there was another nation that moved in a similar direction: Germany. His Government has moved to recover military service, suspended in 2011, with a voluntary recruitment system. The possibility of a “recruitment lottery”. Neither Belgium nor Germany they are alone. In recent years, especially after the Russian annexation of Crimea, a good number of countries They have strengthened their recruitment systems or (at least) opened the debate on recovering their military: from Lithuania, Latvia and Romania to the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway or Denmark. Spain discard recover compulsory service (abolished in 2001), although there are other formats, such as military camps, which are arousing interest. Is there debate? Yes, the topic raises debate. And Belgium once again provides a good example. There the military has been received with criticismespecially from youth organizations that fear that “the promise of a high salary can exploit the precarious situation of young people and make militaristic discourse socially acceptable for a generation in … Read more

There are Google Pixel, Xiaomi phones and more at top prices

November 12, 2025 by usatoday24

When he arrives Black Fridaywhoever does not run, flies. The best offers that appear during this month do not last long, so it is advisable to be attentive from the moment an attractive promotion begins. Since yesterday, we have available AliExpress 11.11the best promo in this marketplace. During these hours there are already many offers that have flown, but, as with your discount coupons, we still have several interesting ones available. Discount minimum purchase coupon 1 coupon 2 3 euros 15 euros XATAKAES03 ESAE03 5 euros 29 euros XATAKAES05 ESAE05 12 euros 69 euros XATAKAES12 ESAE12 20 euros 129 euros XATAKAES20 ESAE20 40 euros 249 euros XATAKAES40 ESAE40 60 euros 369 euros XATAKAES60 ESAE60 75 euros 469 euros XATAKAES75 ESAE75 85 euros 549 euros XATAKAES03ES85 ESAE85 This promo will be available until November 19, but the exciting offers that are still available will almost certainly not last until then. If you are looking for a new mobile phone, below we are going to talk about some that present right now a great price for everything they offer. POCO X7 Pro by 214.83 euros with the coupon XATAKAES40, a very interesting phone now that is close to 200 euros. Realme GT7 Pro by 474.32 euros with the coupon XATAKAES75, one of the best devices on the market in terms of autonomy. Vivo X200 Pro by 562.02 euros with the coupon XATAKAES75, ideal if you are looking for a mobile phone with a great camera. Google Pixel 10 by 569.89 euros with the coupon XATAKAES75, the most compact version of the Google flagship. Xiaomi Redmi Note 14 by 121.89 euros with the coupon ESAE05, an interesting mobile for the tightest budgets. POCO X7 Pro We start this time with the POCO X7 Proone of those mobile phones that undoubtedly stands out for its enormous quality-price. It was already launched when it arrived in stores for over 360 euros, but now it stands out more in this sense thanks to the offer we have available within 11.11 on AliExpress: we can get one per 214.83 euros with the coupon XATAKAES40. Despite its price, it offers great performance thanks to its MediaTek Dimensity 8400 Ultra chip. In addition, it has a 6,000 mAh battery with 90 W fast charging, a dual rear camera system that delivers and a large 6.67-inch AMOLED screen with 1.5K resolution and 120 Hz refresh rate. The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Realme GT7 Pro We now jump to Realme GT7 Proa device with high-end performance and brutal autonomy, but that does not skyrocket in price if we take advantage of this offer. At launch, its RRP was somewhat high, but now we have a great opportunity if we want to go for it: we can take one home for free. 474.32 euros with the coupon XATAKAES75. This Realme device comes with a Snapdragon 8 Elite inside, one of those processors that we know more than enough about everything it can offer. Its 6.78-inch screen, in addition to being compatible with Dolby Vision, offers a peak brightness of 6,000 nits. All without forgetting its huge 6,500 mAh battery with 120 W fast charging. Realme GT 7 Pro (12+256 GB) The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Vivo X200 Pro We have another very interesting option with the Vivo X200 Pro. This device, which has only been on the market for a few months, offers great value for money right now if we take into account its performance, its hardware and its camera system. AliExpress has it available right now for 562.02 euros with the coupon XATAKAES75. Just seeing the phone from behind makes us realize that its camera system stands out. It is made up of three sensors that will offer us very good results in all types of scenarios, something that we will also achieve with its front camera. In addition, it has a 6,000 mAh battery (with 90 W fast charging), Dimensity 9400 processor and a 6.78-inch screen with very good features. Vivo X200 Pro (12+256GB) The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Google Pixel 10 We now continue with one of the new Google phones for 2025. The Google Pixel 10 It is an ideal phone for those who seek to have the best Android experience and prefer a compact device. AliExpress has it available right now for 569.89 euros with the coupon XATAKAES75. This is a great price if we take into account the device it is and the time it has been available. It has a good triple camera system, a 6.3-inch OLED screen with very good peak brightness and a battery that is close to 5,000 mAh with 30 W fast charging. Google Pixel 10 (12+128 GB) The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Xiaomi Redmi Note 14 We close this selection of mobile phones with the cheapest on the list, ideal for all those undemanding users who want to spend little on their new mobile. We refer to the Xiaomi Redmi Note 14a device that, if we take into account the price it has right now, offers great value for money: it costs 121.89 euros with the coupon ESAE05. Despite going up just a little above 120 euros, it is a device that comes with a 6.67-inch screen with a refresh rate of 120 Hz, ideal for having a fluid experience. It does not have the most powerful chip on the market, but it does have one, the MediaTek Helio G99-Ultra, which is enough for daily use on social networks or apps like WhatsApp. In addition, its battery is 5,500 mAh and it has a camera system that works well in situations with good lighting. Xiaomi Redmi Note 14 (8+256GB) The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Some of the links in this article are affiliated and may provide a benefit to Xataka. In case of non-availability, offers may vary. Images | Xataka, Google, Xiaomi, Vivo, … Read more

Regenerating tooth enamel is the holy grail of dentistry. And they have achieved it using a part of the sheep

November 12, 2025 by usatoday24

Cavities are a real nightmare for many because of the pain they cause and also because of the mandatory visit to the dentist, which for some It resembles hell itself. And it is no less a problem, since untreated tooth decay is one of the most common problems in the world, affecting some 2,000 million patients worldwide, such as point the Global Burden of Disease 2019. A serious problem. A cavity requires quick dental treatment, since it is impossible for them to cure on their own or with a simple pill. This is because mature tooth enamel, what we see of the tooth, is a hard tissue, without cells and, therefore, cannot regenerate itself once it is damaged by bacteria. In this way, if not treated, cavities progress, destroys the tooth and takes us straight to the dentist’s chair for a filling. This is where the dentist must remove all damaged enamel and replace it with some kind of putty that hardens to look like enamel, although it really isn’t. The objective. For years, science has been searching for the “holy grail” of dentistry: a method to regenerate enamel biologically. However, getting the enamel compound to grow in an aligned and orderly manner, as biology does, is a nearly impossible thing. The now. A team of researchers from King’s College London has achieved something radically new: using keratin, the protein found in our hair or even in the wool of sheep. With this project, the researchers, instead of betting on a “patch” as now, keratin self-assembles into a fibrous network and forms structures as if it were the perfect scaffold. This is where the magic happens. This keratin scaffold guides the ordered growth of the molecules that make up the tooth. The study discovered that the keratin structure itself is flexible and reorganizes itself during mineralization (changing from β-sheets to α-helices), actively orchestrating the formation of the new mineral layer. It has already been tested. To check If this new material worked, they took human teeth and artificially caused “white spot lesions,” which are the first visible stage of a cavity. With this base, the keratin film was applied and incubated in a mineralization solution, resulting in a comprehensive repair of the tooth with an adequate structure. The future. The most important thing is that this regeneration is not just aesthetic; It is functional. The study measured the mechanical properties of the repaired enamel and the results surpassed one of the current standard treatments: resin infiltration. Both in the hardness and mechanical properties tests, it was seen that the result was really positive when it came to being able to use the tooth as if it were the integral version. In this way, this study establishes a preclinical framework for using a platform based on keratin, a cheap, abundant and biocompatible material. The manufacturing process is simple and does not use solvents. This could represent a “paradigm shift” in the clinical management of early caries. Instead of just having to drill and fill them, the possibility of curing and regenerating them is offered to restore both aesthetics and mechanical properties. Images | Pierre Villedieu Ozkan Guner In Xataka | If you always brush your teeth after eating, science has something to tell you: you’re doing it wrong

Funko literally produced more dolls than it could afford. And now it faces the biggest crisis in its history

November 12, 2025 by usatoday24

It seemed that this moment would never come, but it did: the Funko Pop They are in crisis. In popular culture everything is cycles, and if now it is an inevitable topic in the conversation the “superhero fatigue“, after having lived through years in which it seemed that there was going to be nothing but superheroes in the cinema, now it is the turn of the Funko Pop. All after an overwhelming success, which has turned these dolls cut from the same pattern into inevitable passengers in any conversation about the pop panorama. The data. The company recognized in its last quarterly report that there are “substantial doubts” about its ability to continue operating for the next twelve months. Funko carries $241 million in total debt while maintaining just $39.2 million in cash reserves, a ratio that puts the company on the brink of the financial abyss. In the second quarter of 2025, Funko lost $41 million, and although the third quarter showed an improvement with losses of less than one million, these contrast with the $8.9 million profit in the same period just a year earlier, in 2024. The reasons. Sales fell from 292.8 million to 250.9 million year-on-year, a 14% drop that originated mainly in the US market. In 2023, the company destroyed between 30 and 36 million dollars in excess inventory, literally sending millions of figures to landfills because it was cheaper to eliminate them than to pay for storage. The crisis has multiple culprits: the Trump administration’s trade tariffs have hit toys with the nature of Funko hard: cheap items made abroad. But the fundamental problem is structural: overproduction. Funko has systematically and for years produced more than the market has been able to absorb, believing that demand would be infinite. This has led to the company’s debt growing from 182.8 million at the end of 2024 to the current 241 million, an increase of 32% in less than a year. The signs told us. There were different crises that made it clear that problems could come for Funko Pop. In 2021, the pandemic led to a boom and the company achieved record sales of one billion dollars, an increase of 58% over 2020. But like the entire economy that emerged during the pandemic, it was temporary. The post-pandemic drop (losses in the fourth quarter of 2022 of $47 million) should have served as a warning. Then, in 2023, the massive destruction of inventory confirmed that Funko Pop was generating material beyond its capabilities. 40 different Grogu dollsIf nothing woke us up before, it should have been a warning to sailors. And what about collectors? The company crisis is not just a problem of corporate mirage: it is the collapse of a dangerous aspect of collectingwhich is done by mere accumulation of assets that it is believed that it is going to revalue in the future. We have seen exclusive figures for the San Diego Comic-Con that They were resold for 200 or 500% above their original price (and the same phenomenon repeated at the recent Comic-Con in Malaga). And we have seen sets reach impossible prices (especially mythical isWilly Wonka quele in 2022 which reached $100,000). Now, second-hand sales platforms show Funkos that sold for $200 languish at $10. Even discontinued figures can be found at bargain prices, all due to overproduction, which made the “exclusive” or “limited release” label lose its value. There are those who compare what is happening with the phenomenon of Beanie Babies, highly coveted a couple of decades ago by collectors in the United States, and whose bubble ended up exploding. Plastic mountains. AND eye on environmental impactwhich goes beyond a few (many) collectors with shelves full of products that have lost their value. The aforementioned between 1.4 and 3 million vinyl figures that were sent to landfill They were only the first phase of mass destruction. The material Funkos are made of, PVC, can remain in landfills for centuries because it is not biodegradable. And hundreds of millions of units are produced every year, which in the United States are deposited in landfills perfectly legally (in countries like France, companies were prohibited from destroying unsold non-food merchandise, forcing them to donate or recycle). Header | Photo of Z Graphica in Unsplash

There were thousands of mysterious holes lined up in Peru. We didn’t know why until a drone saw them from the air

November 12, 2025 by usatoday24

In the arid hills of Pisco Valleyin the south of Peru, extends a monument as mysterious as it is precise: a strip of almost a kilometer and a half made up of some 5,200 perfectly aligned cavities, known like Mount Sierpe or the Band of Holes. Discovered in 1931 by the geologist Robert Shippee and Lieutenant George R. Johnson during one of the first aerial expeditions over the Andes, the site baffled generations of archaeologists. Until now. A mysterious landscape. For decades, theories were proposed ranging from its defensive use to fog capture or water storage, but none of them quite fit. Now, a new study published in Antiquity provides a convincing hypothesis from a point of view that no one had valued: from the air. In this way, Mount Sierpe would have functioned as a accounting and barter system on a large scale, a kind of “spreadsheet” of the pre-Hispanic Andes. The geometry that speaks. The international team of researchers, led by archaeologist Jacob Bongers from the University of Sydney, used drones to map the site with millimeter precision. Aerial images revealed an organized structure into about 60 blocks or sections, each with distinct alignments and regular number patterns. Some areas show rows of nine by eight holesothers alternate between groups of seven and eight. This internal order, absent any defensive or agricultural logic, suggests an administrative purpose. Sediment analyzes extracted microscopic remains corn, totora and willow (plants traditionally used to make baskets and mats), which suggests that the cavities were lined with plant fibers and were used to store goods, possibly in packages or braided baskets. The holes of Mount Sierpe From local barter to administration. Researchers believe that Monte Sierpe was born as a space for exchange between highland and coastal communities, an organized market for balance the flow of goods in the absence of currency. Products (for example, corn, coca or cotton) could be deposited in each cavity as a visible representation of the value of one good compared to another, allowing quantities to be compared in a public and transparent manner. Centuries later, with the expansion of inca empirethat system would have been reinterpreted and expanded as an accounting tool to manage the tribute of local populations. Each block of holes would have corresponded to a different community group, and the variations in number and arrangement would reflect the contribution levels or work shifts required by the Inca State. In essence, Monte Sierpe would have been a physical data recorda stone matrix destined to organize the unwritten economy of the Andean world. A carved khipu. The most revealing finding is the similarity between the structure of the site and the Inca khipusthe rope systems with knots used to record censuses, taxes or resources. One of the khipus found near Pisco presents around 80 groups of lacesa figure surprisingly close to the 60 segments of Monte Sierpe. This correspondence suggests that the Band of Holes could have been a three-dimensional khipua monumental version of that woven numerical language, designed to coordinate the flow of goods and work between communities. Unlike the tablets or inscriptions of other civilizations, the Andean peoples turned geography itself into a support for information. Code in the desert. If you also want, Monte Sierpe redefines our understanding of pre-columbian organizational intelligence. Without writing, without currency and in a hostile environment, Andean societies managed to develop a visual, modular and mathematical method to represent their economy. Each hole would have been a cell a great living recordmanaged collectively, perhaps accompanied by ceremonies or ritual exchanges. Thus, in its apparent geometric simplicity, this “spreadsheet” carved into the rock reveals a advanced economic systembased on reciprocity and communal control of resources. What for the first explorers were simple rows of holes now emerge as the physical testimony of a civilization that, centuries before European contact, had already found its own way of turning the landscape into memory. Image | JL Bongers In Xataka | We have found 76 megatraps in the Andes. It’s amazing we hadn’t done it before. In Xataka | A secret room has just revealed how they ruled in Peru 2,000 years ago: with the help of drugs

A new futuristic Chinese drone has just appeared on the scene. Beijing has shown it in a video without saying a single word

November 12, 2025 by usatoday24

China has decided to show its new stealth drone in the most direct way possible: iincluding it in an official video and letting the image speak for itself. The device appears rolling from a hangar and forming with two J-20, a gesture that does not require subtitles to capture attention. It is an austere presentation, almost silent, but full of intention. The movement that changes reading. The official video published by the chinese air force for its 76th anniversary, it combines historical images with recent scenes, following a format that the institution has used for years. It is a simple production piece, focused on showing some of the advances that they consider relevant at this stage. Within this general route, the final section incorporates material that until now had not been seen on official channels, among them the inclusion of the GJ-11. It is a drone that belongs to the category of flying wing stealth platforms, a design that China has been researching for years and that fits with long-distance attack missions and surveillance tasks. What is known comes from sightings at test bases and analysis of their configuration, since Beijing has not published technical specifications. Some analysts interpret that its size and architecture allow prolonged flights, but that information is not part of official statements. Is it already operational? The official video does not confirm that the GJ-11 is in service, but it does fit with the indications that point to a program in an advanced phase. In recent months there have appeared at least three units in Shigatse, an active site where China tests systems in real scenarios. The inclusion of the drone in institutional material adds another element to the chronology, although by itself it is not enough to affirm that its operational deployment is a reality. The key doubts. Despite the relevance of the video, the Chinese Air Force has not offered details about the capabilities, range, sensors or weapons of the GJ-11. There is also no data on its production rate or on possible contracts associated with the program. The footage confirms its form and activity, but does not clear up technical unknowns that allow us to understand its exact role within the operational structure. The absence of this information keeps the program partially in the shadows. The appearance of the GJ-11 in an official video does not dispel all doubts, but it does consolidate an idea: China wants the drone to be part of its public story without the need to communicate technical details. Between previous indications and recent material, the image that remains is that of an advanced program that advances at its own pace. Images | People’s Liberation Army Air Force (Weibo) In Xataka | They have just leaked Russia’s best kept secret: their “invisible” nuclear bomber has exploded into the air

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