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The ‘Napier bones’ seem a dominoes, but they are the link between the abacus and the modern calculator

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The name of John Napier It may not sound to you anything, but I already tell you that, very possibly, it is a person who does not like you. Because what may sound to you is about Neperian logarithms than so many They brought us head in high school. It was Napier who first defined this function, but to “compensate”, he also gave life to what we can consider as the precursor of the Current calculator. Something called ‘Napier bones’ that looks like a dominoes, but that brought mathematical operations to more people. John Napier. This Scotsman were interested in many things. His family was more than settled and, as a good son of wealthy, he attended the University of Saint Andrews at age 13. It did not last long, but not because I would like to leave the studies, but because it went to others Universities of France, Italy or Flanders. Life living from Castillo in Castillo, where he gave free rein to several of his passions. A magician (but not of the numbers). Was a Protestant and considered A black wizard for its neighbors. He was also an ingenious guy. When the pigeons ate their grain, decided Spread wet seeds in alcohol through the field and, with ‘anesthetized’ pigeons and unable to fly, he dedicated himself to capture them. As always, and more when we talk about this type of stories with several centuries behind them, imagination and exaggeration do their job, but what is undeniable is that Napier liked solve problems. His greatest contribution is the one commented Mirifici Logarithmore Canonis Description in which he defined the current logarithms in 1614, but before and then I publish other treaties of the Mathematics field in which he explored how to simplify the calculation tasks. And not only theorized about them or impulse The comma in the decimals: created tools to solve those calculations more easily. The new abacus. Since we need to solve mathematical problems, humanity has sought ways to support tools. This is how the abacoseither The quipus with those who could do simple operations such as sums, subtraction and multiplications. With more complex mathematics, we had to go around the system, and Napier took off his new abacus, or a protocculator. Napier’s bones. In 1617, shortly before he died, the mathematician invented a manual tool focused on facilitating some more complex operations, such as multiplication and division, but also square roots. It was a set of rectangular rods in which the multiplication tables were recorded, in addition to a board with holes for the rods and with the figures of 1 to 9 arranged vertically on the left side. By placing these rods next to the others, multiplications and divisions operations were reduced to simple sums and subtraction, respectively. Originally, they were manufactured in metal or wood, especially, but these rods could also be built in ivory, and a complete game included 10 rods to represent the numbers from 0 to 9. That? Ok, as with mathematics, let’s see examples. One very simple is seen with multiplication, because we do not need to memorize the tables. If we want to know how much 2 x 6, we simply look for row 2 on the right and the rod that begins by 6 and we see what number is in the quadrant: 12. If we want to do an 8 x 8, we repeat the process and we see that we have a 64. If we do a more complex operation, such as 46785399 x 7, we place the rods corresponding to that number (the one that begins by 4, which begins by 6 and so on) next to each other from left to right and we look at the number that comes out in row 7, which is why we want to multiply. Now, from right to left, we are placing the numbers that appear together in the diagonal box: 327497793. Later mathematicians improved the system by creating a board with a 65º inclination that improved the visual identification of that formula, but the ‘Napier bones’ were a revolution when approaching that more complex mathematical calculation to people without higher studies. The only thing that had to be learned was the rule of multiplication and division with the board system. Variants were created, with circular format tablets A jewel. Dying in 1617, it is complicated that Napier saw the transcendence of his theoretical and practical work, but today his logarithmic foundations continue to be used, also the coma of the decimals, a lunar crater bears his name and that Neperian abacus is one of the jewels of the National Archaeological Museum of Madrid. It is not known who manufactured it, but it is a wooden case of a considerable size with 30 drawers in which the sheets of the two abacos designed by the mathematician are stored. One of them formed by 60 numbered rods built in bone and the second, called ‘Promptuario’, composed of 300 numbered and perforated wool chips to perform multiplications. The ‘promptuary’ of the man of Madrid And it’s like a Megachuletasince in the doors of the boxes are the first powers of the digit numbers, the coefficients of the first powers of the binomial and the numerical data of the regular polyhedra. Curious that calculators, apart from being objects with a specific purpose, have become some cases in authentic works of art. To tell the divisumma. Images | Maksim, Willy, Luis García, Kim Traynor, The Wub In Xataka | The “computer” of 2,000 years ago fascinates us for decades. A new study points out that it might have not served at all

The most legendary magician in history was not the most skilled, but a masked recklessness that revealed the secrets

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If you lived the explosion of the private ones at the end of the 20th century, you lived the success of ‘Magic without secrets’, a program of Antena 3 in which A masked wizard executed classic illusionism on stage And then it meticulously revealed how he had done them. A broken taboo in front of the cameras that beat its responsible, Val Valentino, mortal enemies within the entertainment world. However, over time, the masked magician has found unexpected disciples: on the Internet, dozens of magicians They reveal without stopping The great secrets of magic. If illusionism has always interested, it has not stopped interesting that they tell us “how it is done.” And the masked wizard was the first to do it with a mass audience attached to the TV. Revealed magic In the 1990s, stage magic was … one thing. The scenario magicians were in the zenith of their success, with television specials that, from the eighties, They showed challenges to the laws of logic that fascinated the audiences. Were the times when David Copperfield The statue of freedom flew or disappeared, in which Siegfried & Roy -There are a tragic accident with a white tiger that would withdraw them from the stages in 2003- signed millionaire contracts in Las Vegas and in which even people like David BlaineAt the end of the decade, I was about to carry magic in an entirely new direction with its ‘Street Magic’. In that context, ‘magic without secrets’ came, a series of four specials of 1997 that in Spain issued Antena 3 and that did the unthinkable: explain how the apparently impossible classic tricks of illusionism were carried out. In them, a masked magician accompanied by the inevitable female assistants reviewed the entire repertoire of the magicians. As TV was what it was for those times, special attention was paid to the apparently more dangerous numbers: the magician was sawn in two, crossed with swords, swallowed fire, was shot and buried alive. Everything had a trick, of course, and explained. Double backgrounds, trucades, fire bullets, pussy sabers … The program did not leave triquiñuela without revealingbut the spectator had the feeling that he was accessing knowledge prohibited for a simple reason: the magician hid his features with a mask that remembered those of wrestling. The program was responsible for reminding us the code of the magicians to which the original title of the specials referred: ‘Breaking The Magician’s Code: Magic’s Biggest Secrets Finally Reveled’. Any wizard that broke it would immediately enter a black list of the guild, and would not work again. Black lists This detail is not necessarily true: much more prestigious magicians than this masking, such as the magnificent Penn & Teller, who in that decade were also overly unknown media figures, based on their numbers on revealing classic tricks … to take the enigma much further. They had also been controversial in the guild for playing the three balls and vessels With plastic containersallowing the secret to be seen, 0 revealing the Seven principles of magicand had unleashed a controversy that Even today it is between fans and professionals About whether to reveal the tricks power or fulminates magic. But although Total classics like Paul Daniels They had previously revealed tricks as part of their shows, no one had the media impact of the masked magician. Behind the program was Nash Entertainment, a producer of doccu-realities with titles such as ‘The World’s Deadliest Volcanoes’, ‘World’s Most Dary Dad Rescues’, ‘World’s Scariest Police Shootouts’, ‘When Good Pets Go Bad’ or ‘Prisoners out of control’. ‘Magic without secrets’ became one of his greatest successes: In 1997, the first program was the most watched special in Fox’s history. But … who was the masked wizard? His identity was revealed in the fourth and last special and as expected, it was not a first -class wizard but rather the opposite. Its history seems the secret origin of what ended up being: a comic supervillain between magicians. Val Valentino had been fond of magic since childhood and when he was a teenager he made a number in an exchange program with schools around the world that gave him a considerable audience among the kids of his age. There he played to reveal the tricks as a way to surprise and enhance the effects. And he discovered that no magic game could compete with revealing the secret. In the eighties and nineties he had a moderately successful career as a magician, appearing on television specials and acting, of course, in Las Vegas. When the opportunity arose to shoot the specials for Nash recalled the impact their children’s revelations had and decided to use it in their favor: success was considerable, and although Much of the controversy that the programs were awakened was prefabricated by Fox (There was no “threat of death by secret groups of magicians”), there was some demand for scenario magicians such as Andre Kole or Kevin Spencer. They claimed that the masked wizard had made them lose hundreds of thousands of dollars with their revelations. The courts gave the reason to Valentino, since the secrets of the tricks are not protected by the laws of intellectual property, much less those who had been part of the magical public domain. Although the new century has already entered the show tried to be relaunched with new secrets and new magicians, it did not enjoy the popularity of the four original specials. And in fact, magic, thanks to the Internet, enjoys better health than ever. So no, Val Valentino did not kill magic. In fact, in social networks like Tiktok there are accounts that are dedicated to revealing without rest Small magic gameswhich has given them an unprecedented scope. As Valentino predicted (and Penn & Teller already knew), knowing the secrets does not ruin anything, because what counts is the execution and ingenuity. The Supervillain at the end was a hero, even in that he looked like a comic character. Header | Nash … Read more

Planting the heat of Córdoba in summer is impossible. I have tried a personal thermal dissipator to at least try

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I do not discover anything to anyone if I say that In Córdoba it is hotter than on Charmander’s birthday. We have many good and beautiful things, such as the Mosque-Catedral, Medina Azahara or the Alcazar of the Christian Kings. This is the only city in the world with four assets of humanity, The first person to fly did in Córdoba And for having, we have even A traffic light with artificial intelligence. But if there is something we have and that we are left over, it is, without a doubt, heat. There are those who fight this excess of Celsius degrees leaving Fuengirola (also called Córdoba II). Others put in front of the fanunder the air conditioning or call the friend who has a pool at home with the excuse of “how long without seeing us.” I, for my part, have tried in a less conventional way. I have done it with a personal thermal dissipator of Sony: the Reon Pocket Pro. It is put below the shirt, but so you can see the size better and where it should be placed | Image: Xataka Terus dissipator … what? I know it sounds a bit strange (not as much as Go to the gym with an exoskeletonwhich also made), so we go in parts. The Sony Reon Pocket Pro is a portable thermal device that cools and heats the part of the body with which it comes into contact. That part is precisely the upper back area, just below the neck. It is not a portable air conditioning, much less. How does it work? The device incorporates two independent thermal modules in the rear that cool or heat according to the context (then we return to this) and a fan that extracts the heat from our body and expels it above. The two thermal plates alternate, so that when one reaches a certain temperature, the other is deactivated and activated so that the sensation of freshness is constant. These two plates work independently and cool or heat | Image: Xataka How do you get? We have to place it so that the two plates touch our body and the upper air exit protrudes slightly from the shirt. If we wear a shirt, we can use the adapter. The device is slightly curved, thus respecting our natural curve, and has a pair of flexible tubes that are placed around the neck and keep it subject. These, by the way, are not seen, but they stay under the shirt. And yes, they are noticed. The air exit should stay above the neck of the shirt | Image: Xataka These moorings should also be placed below the shirt | Image: Xataka Is it comfortable? Depends. It is acceptable if we take it while we walk or We are perfectly seated (With a straight back), and that weighs about 200 grams. If we change posture, for example, more reclined in the chair or lying on the couch, impossible. As for noise, I have not appreciated that the fan makes more account noise. I wear it right now and in my office, where only the noise of my mechanical keyboard is heard, I do not appreciate it in excess. However, I must say that it seems like a device too large and that finding the exact location in which it must be placed is complicated. It is not so “of remove and put” as perhaps you could expect a device like this, but you have to place it well, in its place, if we want it to work correctly. That it is more or less comfortable will depend, in large part, on the position we adopt | Image: Xataka Ok, but it cools? Let’s go to the point. The Reon Pocket Pro can be used in two ways: manual or automatic. If we establish it in manual, we can configure (via buttons or via app) the target temperature and the device will be in charge of reaching it. If we establish it in automatic, it will use, in addition to the data of the device itself, those of the Reon Pocket Tag to determine the objective temperature depending on the ambient temperature, the humidity and even the exposure to direct light. The problem is that this small sensor works well if it is abroad. If we carry it in the pocket (it is fully designed to hang it on the keys or in the pants), the data can vary. In any case, it works well and if we are going to use it in a room like an office for a while, just leave it on the table and forget about it. Reon pocket tag | Image: Xataka As for the sensation, it is … curious. As soon as we put it, we will notice how the surface of the neck begins to cool (or heat). It is almost instantaneous. With the passage of the latter, the sensation of freshness is improving and, thanks to the two thermal modules that are alternating, it is constant. And yes, cool. Now, the reality is that the one that is: the sensation of freshness, within that it relieves even going down the street, is very localized in the area near the location of the device. The cold mode sensation is the same as if you carry a bag of ice cubes on the back. In heat mode, it reminds me a lot of thermal blankets for neck pain. Image | Xataka On the battery. Using it at a medium cold temperature, the device lasts practically one day. A working day endures it without problem. At a lower or greater temperature, depending on the way we choose, less autonomy. In that sense, the use of hot mode spends more than cold mode, but for obvious reasons I have not used it just during these days. As for the load, it is completed in approximately three hours. So… Is it pleasant? It is, especially when you put it … Read more

Australia was discovered in 1606 by Dutch. A theory defends that someone advanced a century: the Galicians

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Thinking about Australia is thinking about Rare animals with A single objective: kill you. It also implies thinking about the entire country as a British prison. Obviously, it is an exaggeration, but relating Australia with the British is the most normal when it was they who, in 1770 and under the orders of the captain James Cookthey began to colonize the area. But a historian did not believe in official history and developed his own hypothesis: Australia was discovered by the Spaniards. By a Galician ship, specifically, that was brought eucalyptus and left some granaries. 1606, a busy year. The British did not discover Australia, or from afar. The classic Greeks already theorized about something they called “Terra Australis Incognita“Or” unknown land of the south. “They imagined a continent that should be there for the theory of geometric symmetry and even included in European maps without really knowing if there was something there. In 1606, Things changed. The Dutch navigator Willem Janszoon He explored the northern coast of Australia and other explorers from the same country mapped both the north and the west later decades. In 1770, the British Cook arrived at the east coast, explored it and, that same year, he claimed it for the United Kingdom. So He was born The current new South Wales and the English had a new territory to colonize. As? With prisoners that They sent there in 1788. Lost Spaniards. But in 1606 they were not only the Dutch spinning around Australia. Pedro Fernández de Quirós He was a Portuguese explorer in Spain who, in 1605, decided to start from Peru to find that “Incognite Terra Australis.” He reached the current Vanuatu, an island east of Australia, also to the current Tahiti. After weeks, it landed in a larger territory and finally I thought I had given with “Terra Australis.” The christening as “Austrialia of the Holy Spirit” and was so happy. Currently, it’s called Holy Spirit and is part of the Vanuatu archipelago. Quirós and his other ships threw themselves into the sea again, but the ships separated and the captain of one of them, Luis Váez de Torreshe started looking for the main nave. He returned to Holy Spirit, He turned around for the Strait between Australia and New Guinea … and left. The area is named after ‘Strait of Torres‘In his honor and the Australian writer George Colllingridge affirmed that Torres “had discovered Australia without being aware of it.” Robert Langdon. It seems that the Spaniards/Portuguese did not set foot in the continent, but there are those who grabbed a burning nail, defending yes, that the Spaniards had been the first to reach Australia. And if you are thinking that it would be a Spanish historian taking breast, no: it was Robert Langdonan Australian historian who is called the same as the protagonist of ‘The Da Vinci Code‘. Langdon relied on several pillars to develop his theory. The most important was the discovery of guns of Spanish ships discovered in the Atolón de Amanuan atoll of French Polynesia halfway between Australia, New Zealand and South America, in 1929. Langdon defended in his’The lost caravel‘that those cannons were from the San Lesmesa Galician caravel that was shipwrecked in the territory and that pushed its navigators to start exploring the territories of Oceania. They were also reported findings of Spanish armor and helmets in New Zealand that would support this idea, but there are more details that support that idea of ​​the historian. ‘Patakas’ in Australia. A classic construction of Galicia are the Hórreos. It is a peculiar construction to conserve food, such as grain, moving them from soil moisture. They are like high barns that are associated with Galicia, but really in other European countries and even in Japan. This is important because Langdon speculated on the influence of those explorers who departed from Galicia in the architecture and culture of the area. As? With the supposed presence of Galician granaries in the territories of Oceania. The “problem” is that, as there are barns similar to the granaries in other parts of the world, in Polynesia, New Zealand and Australia. They call them ‘Patakas’. Eucalyptus in Galicia. That Galician granario in Oceania would imply the cultural bond between Galicia and Australia, but Langdon also relies on the presence of eucalyptus in Galicia. It is an endemic species of Australia and yes, they took Galicia from the contine In the nineteenth century. In addition, Langdon also used anecdotes to support his belief, such as the presence of indigenous people with light skin and eyes, morphometric aspects in the face that differ from that of the rest of the residents of the Pacific or who knew the metal. The alleged route made by the descendants of the shipwrecked of the San Lesmes No changes in wiki. The arrival of Australian eucalyptus to Galicia is fine Documented And there is no record of transoceanic contacts before the modern era, and that in Australia there are Patakas such as Galicians also implies causality. The result is that there is a lack of evidence that supports Langdon’s theory, and the majority studies carried out by other historians thanks to the period writings show that yes, the Spaniards made several expeditions, but it was Dutch and English who made the greatest advances in the exploration of the continent and its subsequent colonization. Posts to theorize … Now, Langdon was not the only one who threw himself into the pool with alternative theories. Rowan Gavin Paton Menzies He was a British writer and submarine lieutenant who jumped to fame when he affirmed, without providing evidence, that China had arrived in America before Colon. Their Opinions They were embodied in ‘1421: the year in which China discovered the world’. Not happy with it, and also without evidence, he launched the hypothesis that China had arrived 350 years before Cook to Australia and that, in 1434, China sailed to Italy and sowed the spark of the Renaissance. In the … Read more

What will there be when AI ends humanity

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In a mansion with a view to Golden Gate, the elite of artificial intelligence met last Sunday to discuss a disturbing issue: the end of humanity and what will come later. Among glasses (without alcohol) their around 100 attendees, among which there were philosophers, businessmen and researchers, imagined a future in which humans no longer existed, but an intelligence created by us. How should our successor be? The end of the end of the world. The event we have known through This Wired report It was called ‘Worthy Successor’ and aimed to discuss precisely about that: define a “successor to height” for when humanity no longer exists. This idea is related to the creation of a General Artificial Intelligence or AGIfor its acronym in English. A (for the moment) concept of superintelligence that would overcome the human being in all facets of knowledge, so good that, in the words of Daniel Faggella, host of the party: “You would with pleasure that she (not humanity) determines the future path of life itself.” Who attended. The first: Who is this guy and why should we listen to it? Faggella is the founder of Emerj Artificial Intelligence Research, a consulting firm and analysis of AI. In 2016 he wrote in Techcrunch On the risks of AI and is currently focused on disseminating the moral and philosophical approach, specifically the creation of this ‘Worthy Succesor’ an idea that had been hovering for a long time. According to account On LinkedInhas been contacting different relevant personalities of the industry to, two years later, to hold this meeting. At the party three papers could be heard from the hand of Ginevra DavisNew York writer, the philosopher Michael Edward Johnson and the host itself. The complete list of guests has not transcended, but Faggella presumes that founders of AI companies attended with values ​​of up to 5,000 million dollars, people from the laboratories that are investigating to create an AGI and some of the most important philosophers and thinkers in the sector. The superintelligence that will end with everything. In Faggella’s words: “The great laboratories know that AGI will probably end humanity, but do not talk about it because incentives do not allow it.” It sounds like conspiracy theory, but it is not the first to warn of something like that. A decade ago, Bill Gates told us We should fear the AI. Shortly after Musk demanded regulation To mitigate the dangers of what was to come. More recently, different AI experts signed A message that alerted the “risk of extinguishing for AI”. Openai also thought about The risks of the AGI. There is even talk that his statements about the creation of an AGI would have been The reason for the sound dismissal of Altman months later. What’s true in all this. We cannot know for sure, but we do know that most of the arguments about the IMMINENCE OF THE AGI And their risks are based on opinions and speculation, not on empirical evidence or concrete advances. For example, recent research has shown that current systems They still fail in basic reasoning taskswhich contradicts the idea of ​​a short -term superintelligence. Moreover, there are indications that The generative AI could be close to its roof. There is also no consensus among experts. There are detractors who They consider it ridiculousbut of course, it is less ‘viralizable’ than to say that AI will extinguish us. And most importantly: we cannot ignore the fact that those who make these statements are business people Like Altmanand the business is very expensive And you need to finance. Agite the loop insisting on the imminent arrival of the AGI could be a way to raise more money for its companies. What we will leave when we disappear. The central theme of the party was not so much how humanity will be extinguished (it seems that this is taken for granted), but what kind of intelligence we should create to make our successor. Attendees heard presentations that revolved around the values ​​and capabilities that this new superior intelligence should have. For Faggella, humanity has the responsibility of designing a successor that is aware and capable of evolving. The philosopher Michael Edward Johnson highlighted the remains of creating a conscious AI beyond the possible extinction: “We risk enslaving something that can suffer or trust something that cannot be trusted,” he said during his presentation. Rather than forcing AI to obey, he proposed a joint education of humans and Ias to “pursue good”, whatever that is. In short, an interesting debate from the ethical and philosophical point of viewbut with little anchor in reality. At least for the moment. Cover image | Gemini In Xataka | The secret weapon of the fashion industry in China: this startup uses AI to predict the next tendenci

It is easier to buy a souvenir than bread

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If in 1994 you had a return through the center of Santiago de Compostela, you will most likely meet tourists, pilgrims (some with limp), students and university professors. More or less the same as today. What has changed is The backdrop. Three decades ago in the historic center there were hundreds of business -oriented businesses: shoe stores, clothing stores, kiosks, bakeries, overseas, bookstores … today the Tourist of the city has devoured them to reduce them to the third part. In fact there is already More stores For travelers than for compostelans. Hence your City Council has said “enough”. Santiago, more tourist. In 1999 the hotels, hostels and residences of Santiago de Compostela housed around 488,800 travelers. In 2023 they were more than 926,100. That tourist boom, encouraged by The popularity of the roadhe growth of his airport and his own impulse from Spain As an international destination, he has left his mark in the city. In their homes and especially in your trade, such as I recognized this week The Santiago City Council with figures on the table that show that business -oriented businesses have been giving ground to tourism centered. From 645 to 202 businesses. The figures are resounding. According to the official data that the City Council handles (and Public consultation), In 1990 in the historical area there were 645 stores oriented to residents, a wide label that are included from food, clothing and furniture stores to kiosks, drug stores, pharmacies, jewelry stores or hardware stores. Today are 202. The descent has been especially pronounced among the premises dedicated to food (They dropped from 125 to 35) or clothing and lingerie (121 passed to only 44). The “sorpasso” of tourism. The data is striking in itself, but there is another even more curious. The number of neighbors -oriented shops has descended so much in the last decades that there are more local tourism centered today. The City Council has accounted for 92 stores of memories and souvenirs, 72 specialized in crafts, jewelry and design and another 43 businesses of typical or delicatessen products. In total 207 businesses “with some tourist orientation”, half dozen more than those focused on neighbors. A analysis Of the spaces located in the low floors of the historic complex of Santiago, it also shows that 45% are dedicated to trade, 31% to leisure and restoration, 8% to lodging (the same percentage as to tertiary equipment) and 7% to offices. Curiously, between 1996 and 2025 the population of the historic city increased 26%although with sensitive falls in half a dozen streets located near or within the monumental area and pilgrim passages. The City Council moves file. With that data on the table, the City of Santiago has decided move token and put limits to the Tourist of your trade. On Wednesday his Urban Planning Council presented a change in the Special Plan for the Protection and Rehabilitation of the Historical City that basically seeks to “maintain and reinforce the residential use” of the old town and “promote the preservation” of the proximity trade. In summary: “Ensure the balance between uses oriented to residents and tourists oriented.” The normative change has already received the approval of the local government, but it still has been traveled to move into practice. Before you must undergo public exposure, receive the Consistory OK again and overcome the Plenary exam. If it achieves it, a process will culminate that the city began a year ago. And what planet exactly? “Put Coto” to Three types of businesses In the historic center of Santiago, all with a clear tourist approach: memories and souvenirs stores, typical products and automated establishments, such as vending stores, The slogans or laundries without dependents. Another of its most forceful measures is to veto the game stores, such as casinos, bingos or bets, in the monumental area. “In addition, the prohibition of opening new lodging establishments in any of its modalities,” Precise The City Council. Reflating trade. Although the above is the summary of thick stroke, The Santiago plan It is actually more complex and has more legs. For example, Lestegás He advanced That the City Council is looking for a way to recover a line of aid to rehabilitate and conserve historical, emblematic or special value, a commitment that has already been bet in the late 1990s. The plan drawn by the City Council also provides housing oriented measures. Santiago is not the only city that has seen how its neighborhoods, commerce and hospitality Tourist little by little. A few months ago It transcended A report of the City of Malaga in which it was alerted that the city “is experiencing unprecedented tourist saturation levels,” and warned: “The pressure can cause the expulsion of native business and added value, being replaced by souvenir stores and tourist -oriented shops.” Images | Juan Antonio Segal (Flickr) and Ánxela Pérez (Flickr) In Xataka | Spanish tourism faces the real risk of dying of success. There are already guides that advise three of its great destinations

17 functions and some trick of the Google mobile operating system

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We bring you a list with 16 android functions 16 That you will be able to try, including some tricks to make the most of them. This version of Android has already reached Pixel mobiles, so we can start exploring the functions it brings. In this article We are going to focus on the novelties and new functionsleaving a little aside those that were already in another system. Therefore, the intention is that if you have received this update or when you receive it, you can know what is new. Only a small warning before starting, and when Android 16 begins to arrive to other manufacturers it is possible to do it modified. Each manufacturer uses their own customization layer, so they can modify Android. With this, some functions may not be, and it is possible that others were already before. The main novelty is an absence The main surprise with which the first to receive this update in their pixel is that The main novelty of Android 16 has not been included. This new version has almost no new functions, and its main trick is the complete redesign of the appearance with Material 3 Expressivethat has not yet arrived and it seems that he will have to wait. Android live updates The first major novelty are the Android live updateswhich have arrived with the new version. These are special notifications that will show you in real time the status of the process of an app, such as how much is missing for the food you have requested through the Internet. The point is that This function is not available for all applicationsbut it must be the developers who adapt their apps to take advantage of. Notifications with live updates will appear in the notification panel, on the lock screen and on the screen always on. More notifications control Android 16 Forces the notifications that come from the same application. In this way, when you are in the notification panel, above the right You will see the number of notifications of each app In the event that there are more than one. You can click on this issue to expand and see all notifications better. And speaking of notifications, when you receive a lot of them from the same application in a short time of time, Android 16 automatically reduces the alert volume for a minute. Come on, instead of sounding a waterfall of notifications, they will be silenced a bit temporarily. Unified PHOTO SELECTOR for apps Android has added a function for Use a unified photo selector in apps. This means that, when you are going to load a photo in an app, instead of having each one a unified selector that opens your mobile photo gallery in a pop-up. The good news is that this will do everything more aesthetic and simple, and that access to the gallery is improved considerably. The bad news is that it is an API and It depends on developers Integrate this function into your applications. Language adjustment with more options Using the mobile in one country or in another is not always a matter of language, there are also other aspects to take into account. Therefore, on Android 16 in the options of Language and region You can change several regional preferences such as Temperature units, the measurement systemor the first day of the week. For example, in some countries the week begins on Sunday instead of Monday, and the temperature can be measured in Fahrenheit instead of Celsius, while the system of measures can be metric, American and British. You will be able to change all this. Tricks for the Viewer of apps in the background When you slide the finger down the screen on the screen, go to the visitor of execution applications. Here, When you click on an app icon A menu appears with several options, such as dividing the screen. In Android 16 The option to get a screen capture has been added to the app without entering it, directly from this viewfinder. It has also been included one option of Selectwhich serves to choose a concrete part of the screen of this app where to get the screenshot instead of removing it from the entire screen. You will even be able select the screen text of an app and copy it Without having to enter it, only with the preview that appears on this screen. Without a doubt something that at specific times can save you some time. Configure double touch When you press twice in the ignition button, the camera opens. However, in many Android 16 mobiles it allows you to choose between the camera or Google Wallet in the event that you have it configured. So, You will have two options for this gestureand you can choose the one that best suits you from the section of Gestures In the section System of the configuration. Protect your device Android 16 integrates the function of Advanced protection of Google, which allows you to block applications, malicious pages or harmful applications, in addition to non -safe connections and other threats. It is like together with several security options in asome already existing and others that do not. This is a fairly aggressive protection, but totally optional that you can activate or deactivate whenever you want. These protections also detect by the movement if your mobile has been stolen and blocks it automatically, in addition to protecting you against spam calls. Squeeze gesture navigation When you enter the screen of choosing a navigation mode for Android, you can decide between the classic three buttons at the bottom of the screen or gesture navigation. You also have A button to configure gesture navigationand determine aspects such as the sensitivity of gestures. In addition, on this Android 16 configuration screen has added a button Try one demowhich serves to test the navigation by gestures with the changes you have made. So you can learn to use it for the … Read more

create a shorter airspace

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China with drones is an obsession that comes from afar. They have used them in Night showsthey have created giant QR codes in heaven To promote a video game, such as Vigilantes during pandemicso that Selectivity students do not copy or as allies to drought. Until Chinese mafia has found use. China really likes drones, it is clear. They have been making them non -stop and they want to continue finding new uses. Your last idea: create an economy that works in a air space below 1,000 meters altitude. Drones for everything. In addition to the uses that we have already mentioned, drones are used in China for many more things. In the industry, most are focused on the agriculture sector, where they are used to fumigate and fertilize large crops. They also use drones to fight natural disasters and security. In cities, especially in Shenzhen, you can see drones watching the streets, delivering food orders or even transporting blood between hospitals. According to the Civil Aviation Administration of ChinaAt the end of 2024 there were more than 2.2 million registered drones, there is nothing. Low altitude economy. The Chinese government has been promoting the drone industry through subsidies and incentives with the aim of continuing to lead the market. They count on Financial Times How are they promoting a new concept, what they call “low altitude economy“With drones as a growth engine. The idea is to exploit new commercials that operate in a lower airspace and fill the cities of drones as is happening with Shenzhen. In the near future, perhaps also of Taxis and flying cars. A lot of potential. Although until recently a concept was rather, the Chinese government is very serious with the creation of this new aerial economy. It is clear that they see potential in this new market, they even have the ‘Low-Altitude Economy Development Division’created at the end of 2024 with the aim of supervising the growth of the sector. They expect the sector to multiply their growth and reach 490,000 million dollars in 2035. A market where they are already leaders. According to data from Drone Industry Insights China manufactures 80% of commercial drones, with DJI being the most selling brand worldwide and reference in the sector. In addition, they also go to the development of new technologies and, of all patents related to drones that were recorded in 2024, A overwhelming 79% were from Chinese companies. However, outside China, this leadership has described as global security problem After Chinese drones, including DJI, were Used in the Ukraine War. Cover image | Pexels, Pixabay In Xataka | China conquered us with its cheap drones. Now the price of its pieces is shooting for a reason that is not accidental

It did not depend on humanity

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There is still the second half of the year, but at this point we can affirm (and without fear of being wrong) that 2025 is not being easy. Commercial wars. War in Ukraine. War in Gaza. War In Iran. For not leaving us, 2025 does not even leave us the comfort to relieve penalties with chocolates or good coffee, both subject to a inflationist spiral. With everything and no matter how bad face that has 2025, something is clear: it will hardly be worse than the 536 AD, the worst year in history. Never in attractive already a bloody history of humanity has been worse to be alive. And that is something that there is enough consensus. The worst year in history? There are titles for those who do not lack applicants. And the “worst year of history” is undoubtedly a clear example. If we look back, we find a few candidates of infamous memory: 1347, when the plague epidemic (“Death megra”) began to expand through Europe; 1914, the year in which the World War I; 1918, marked by the beginning of The flu pandemic or 1939, when the world went back to war. You don’t even have to go back so back in time. In March Of 2022, WHO declared that COVID-19 had become a pandemic that, throughout the following years, would lead to entire countries to the edge of paralysis and would charge millions of lives. According to the UN, only between January of that year and late 2021 died 14.9 million people for causes related to the virus. What has been the worst then? A few years ago the magazine Science He asked that question To the historian Michael McCormickHarvard’s professor, and his response was as forceful as it is necessary: ​​the worst year to be alive was the 536 of our era. Your answer is interesting for several reasons. The first, because beyond its academic prestige, McCormik is has dedicated to study In detail what happened that infamous year of the seventh century. Second, because is not the only one That believes it. “It was the beginning of one of the worst periods to be alive, if not the worst year,” McCormik insistsat the head of the university initiative for the science of the human past in Harvard (Sohp). The most curious thing is that unlike what happened in 1914 and 1939 (when both world wars exploded) or even during the pandemics of Spanish flu and Covid-19, largely propagated thanks to people, in what happened in 536 AD Humanity played a minor role. What happened that year? A natural catastrophe that affected sunlight and temperature of much of the world. As Remember em Sciencethat summer the average values ​​in Europe 2.5ºC descendedwhich marked the beginning of the most cold decade in a period of 2,300 years. It is said that China even saw how it snowed in summer. That sudden change resulted in ruined crops, famine and testimonies that even account for the astonishment of the contemporaries. “The sun seems to have lost its usual light and has a bluish tone. We are marveling not to see the shadows of our bodies at noon and feel that the powerful vigor of its heat has weakened,” I wrote In 538, Roman senator Casodoro. Even more mysterious was the historian Procopio, who that same year He spoke From “a fearsome omen”: “The Sun emitted its light without brightness, just like the moon, all year.” And what was the cause? That the second third of the sixth century DC was unusually cold is no novelty. The experts had been suspected for a long time, and not only for testimonies such as those of Casodoro or Procopio. In the 90s the Rings studies of trees (Dendrocronology) They already suggested to the experts an unusual drop in temperatures towards the 540s. The big question is … why? The study of the polar ice cores of Greenland and Antarctica threw a fundamental clue: the phenomenon could be related to massive volcanic eruptions. When a volcano erupts, it throws large amounts of sulfur and bismuth into the atmosphere, among other particles that act as a gigantic veil that reflects sunlight, which in turn derives in less time of clarity and a decrease in temperatures. In fact, remember in Sciencethe study of glaciers and tree growth rings suggests that a good part of the most “icy” summers recorded in recent centuries have been preceded by eruptions. But what happened in 536? Years ago, researchers concluded that what happened fifteen centuries may be related to a massive eruption registered between the end of 535 or early 536 in North America and which years later (540) followed another. The wind and meteorology were responsible for making the rest and extending the particles to Europe and Asia. Over time that explanation has been profiling and In 2018 A quip directed among others by McCormick already spoke of a cataclysmic eruption recorded in Iceland in early 536 to which, throughout the following decade, another two were followed, in 540 547. It is not the only theory. There are those who speak of the effect of the dust of the comets or an unknown underwater eruption, a conclusion to which a group of experts arrived Not long ago After studying the ice of Greenland. How serious was it? Yes. Let it clear Thousands patternhistorian of the University of Oxford, in An article Posted in The conversation: “Wherever it was, the eruption precipitated a ‘volcanic winter’ of a decade in which China suffered summer snows and the average temperatures in Europe fell 2.5ºC. The crops did not prosper. People went hungry. And they rose in arms against each other.” A year and a half marked by a mysterious fog that extended in Europe, the Middle East and part of Asia and whose impact soon was aggravated by other factors. In 541 the bubonic plague arrived at the port of Pelusio and marked the beginning of the Justinian plaguedevastating for … Read more

This is what I would choose after trying both

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A week has passed since we publish the Nintendo Switch 2 analysis 2. These days I have received many questions as How far does your Nvidia chip gethow are the Mouse mode And my experience with ‘Mario Kart World‘. But if there is one that takes the palm, it is whether it is worth buying a nintendo switch 2 or better something type Steam Deck. The short answer is that there is no correct answer. A ball. Nintendo Switch 2 is being a success. At least, your official sales data And what do you walk exhausted in half the world They show it. The system Do not innovate at all Because even their great contribution, the joy-with that work as a mouse, had already been seen in the Lenovo Legion Go. The key is that Nintendo has focused on offering more than what worked for Switch to sell 152 million consoles -And counting-, and has enhanced it with a better hardware. The assumption. I speak of consoles sold because it is something that will directly imply that there are anyone who wants to launch their games in it. The more switch on the street, the more companies and developers will want to launch their games on it. It’s something we saw with the huge Indies explosion In the first switch and that, on PC, it is another of the great points in favor thanks to the fact that everyone has at least Steam. That said, and to answer the question we ask, I will try to answer someone who only has a console as PlayStation either Xbox… or a laptop so old that the new games come very large. For ordering things, this assumption that is between a Steam Deck or a switch 2 has these characteristics: It has a desktop console. It does not have an original switch. It does not have a PC to play. He wants that desktop and portable hybrid format. Switch 2 versatility is total Buy a Switch 2. I will start with the Nintendo console. My experience these weeks with her is being very positive because it is precisely what I was looking for. It is a more powerful switch and, as a user who came from the Switch 2017the jump on the screen is considerable. But if you arrive from new, and after two weeks with it, these are the points that I highlight the most of the console: Large screen and controls, but size and weight weight. Switch 2 is very portable and ideal to play in public transport or in bed. The hybrid format is very comfortable and is its great advantage: that the dock is included facilitates being playing in laptop and, suddenly, starting to play on TV. The HDR also works very well and expresses extra power to increase the resolution in this mode. Brutal catalog with a multitude of physical titles. We not only have practically the entire switch catalog (with improvements even if they do not have performance patch) in digital format, but also in physical for a better preservation of the video game. In addition, Nintendo games are wonderful and we have insured the ‘Zelda’, ‘Mario’, ‘Metroid’, ‘Donkey Kong’, ‘Kirby’ and what they get out of the hat. Pay for Nintendo switch online It is an annoyance, but we have the classic consoles such as NES, SNES, Game Boy, Game Cube or Nintendo 64 to which Nintendo is adding titles. Multiplayer without buying more controls. Thanks to the integrated joy-with, there are certain titles that we can play cooperatively with another player, emulating those sofa afternoons when we were kids. Or something Steam Deck. Here the thing is complicated for a very clear reason: there is too much to choose from. That if Lenovo Legion Go, that if Steam Deck, what if MSI Claw 8 AI+yes Asus Rog Ally… There are many proposals and, although the concept is the same, they offer important differences. For example, the Lenovo machine has separable controls and with a mouse mode and Steam Deck a very video game oriented system. What they compare are the following arguments: They are a PC, with all that this implies at the personalization and amplitude level of catalog, streaming game included. You can natively connect a keyboard and a mouse. This can also be done in some Switch 2 games, but on PC it works on all titles and there are a variety of non -existent strategy games in consoles. Total customization of the visual section to prioritize better graphics or better performance. Free online multiplayer. You don’t have to explain much more. Offers every few weeks in the different stores we have on PC. In the world of consolidated PCs there is much to choose from, depending on your characteristics and tastes They are not perfect. Not much less. I have focused on the positive points and the main reasons that would take me to buy one system or another, but it is impossible not to ignore the controversies and faster points. The battery is not wonderful in either of the two cases and, although it depends a lot on the type of game and what ‘Chupe’ of the SOC, for the most demanding it is not a good idea to get away from the plug. In addition, Switch 2 has physical games, but also digital that occupy a lot and we need microSD Express cards, more expensive than we used so far. Steam Deck and the like are compatible with conventional microSD, but forget about physical games. In a Consolidated PCthe dock or cable for the TV bought separately, but the numerous offers on platforms such as Steam, GOG or free Epic Games games compensate. Both. In the end, I consider that it is a fight that is meaningless because they are two devices that have similarities, but in the end they are two totally different things. One remains a console and the other systems, although they have console format, are … Read more

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